While the most memorable battles for Thomas Hearns may have come against his fellow members of the Four Kings, he says his best ever rival was someone else entirely.

Hearns is one of the most popular fighters of all time, with his knockout power and action-infused style making him a big favourite of many boxing fans.

He became the first boxer in history to win world titles in five divisions from welterweight to light heavyweight, and across those divisions he was involved in epic encounters with Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran and Thomas Hearns.

The quartet of boxing icons were collectively known as the Four Kings, with Hearns claiming a knockout win over Duran, but suffering stoppage losses to Hagler and Leonard, along with a controversial draw to Leonard in their rematch.

Despite those legendary fights, ‘The Hitman’ believes another rival from his career surpasses each of the aforementioned names, after revealing in a feature with The Ring that he views Wilfred Benitez as the best fighter he ever faced.

“Wilfred Benitez was very good … slick and very crafty … He moved well and fights all around the ring.”

Hearns fought Benitez in December 1982, claiming a majority decision win after a 15-round back and forth contest to win the WBC light middleweight title.

Benitez was a three-weight world champion, and is the youngest world champion in the sport’s history, after claiming the WBA light welterweight title at the age of just 17.

Along with Hearns, Benitez also took on two other members of the Four Kings in his career, defeating Duran but coming up short against Leonard.

Duke coach Jon Scheyer is finding new and inventive ways to uplift college basketball’s nonconference schedule — and getting paid a lot of money while doing so. 

The school announced Thursday that it will play three high-profile non-league games at neutral sites for the 2026-27 season, with a groundbreaking twist. Amazon Prime Video will broadcast the games. This marks the first time that the streaming service, which already carries NFL and NBA rights, will step into the college basketball world. 

Amazon will carry these three games next season:

• Nov. 25: Duke vs. Connecticut in Las Vegas (T-Mobile Arena)
• Dec. 21: Duke vs. Michigan in New York (Madison Square Garden)
• Feb. 20: Duke vs. Gonzaga in Detroit (Little Caesars Arena)

Duke, UConn, Michigan and Gonzaga are all poised to be preseason top-10 teams, making the matchups among the most notable in college hoops heading into next fall. 

Beyond the compelling nature of the non-con games, the business arrangement is also unprecedented. The Duke/Amazon partnership is a multiyear agreement and the NIL opportunities for Duke will be huge — in the millions annually — sources told CBS Sports. In fact, other event organizers had been pursuing Duke for significant nonconference games, sources said, but none of those could match the payouts that will come with Prime Video’s package. There is also the advantage of being able to independently control the teams. Because of that, Scheyer aggressively pursued the innovative deal for months. He has been among the most prominent tone-setters in ambitious nonconference scheduling since he took over the program in 2022.

All of the deals haven’t been finalized and signed, but sources said Duke’s opponents will make north of $500,000 for playing in the games. (Duke, as the organizer and Prime Video’s partner, will make much more.) 

On the broadcast side, Duke is a member of the ACC, which has a long-term television rights deal with ESPN. The workaround Duke managed was to play non-ACC games in cities (Las Vegas, Detroit) where the ACC does not have automatic/default broadcast rights because it does not have member schools in those areas. Madison Square Garden technically falls under that jurisdiction because Syracuse, an ACC team, is in the state of New York, but ESPN and Duke came to terms on making an exception — with a compromise. ESPN negotiated Duke into future nonconference games later this decade in exchange for allowing the NYC matchup with Michigan.

“In partnership with the ACC’s primary media partner, ESPN, and in exchange for the flexibility to participate in this Prime Video series of nonconference games, Duke has committed to participate in select additional ESPN owned and operated men’s basketball neutral-site events across the 2027-28 and 2028-29 seasons,” Duke said in its press release. “Exact details will be announced at a later date.”

The tip times for the three games are to be determined. The Gonzaga tilt in Detroit was intentional: That city is the site of next season’s men’s Final Four, marking the first time Detroit will host college basketball’s grand event since 2009. The game against Michigan is not only a battle against the reigning national champs, but it’s also a rematch of February’s major non-con battle in Washington, D.C. that Duke won 73-72.

The Connecticut game is particularly compelling. The two schools were engaged for the better part of a year on scheduling each other, sources told CBS Sports, and Scheyer opted to keep moving forward with the game even after his team blew a 19-point lead in the Elite Eight and lost in crushing fashion in the final second after Cayden Boozer’s turnover led to Braylon Mullins‘ game-winning 3. Both those players will be back at their respective schools next season, making the Duke-UConn matchup one of the premier tilts of the first two months of the season.

David Benavidez steps up to the cruiserweight division in a daring challenge against unified champion, Gilberto Ramirez, on Saturday night.

However, there is a different world champion that ‘The Mexican Monster’ is eyeing up, believing he can register a statement stoppage win.

Having ruled and campaigned at super-middleweight for the vast majority of his career, the imposing Benavidez stepped up to light-heavyweight in 2024 and scored decision wins over Oleksandr Gvozdyk and David Morrell.

Those triumphs saw him elevated to WBC world champion and he defended that crown with his first knockout victory since moving to light-heavyweight, halting Anthony Yarde after seven rounds of action back in November.

Now, Benavidez continues to progress through the weight divisions as he makes the 25lb jump up to cruiserweight in a quest for legacy against ‘Zurdo’, but vows to move back down to light-heavyweight, regardless of the outcome.

Speaking to Boxing News’ Oscar Pick, Benavidez declared that he plans to return to 175lbs to face Dmitry Bivol, in a potential bid for the undisputed crown.

After having success against the Russian during their sparring sessions, Benavidez believes he has what it takes to stop the man who has never even touched the canvas in his career.

“For me, the hardest fight in the [175lb] division is [against] Bivol. He keeps his distance very well and has beaten everybody, but I know I can beat him.

“Not only can I beat him; I can knock him out. The last time we sparred [around seven years ago], I had him really hurt in the fourth round – I almost dropped him with a 10-punch combination.

“For me, stopping Bivol is the biggest statement I could possibly make.”

Whilst Benavidez hopes to secure a clash with his fellow light-heavyweight world champion, Bivol may instead be forced to accept a trilogy bout with Artur Beterbiev.

Todd A. Pletcher is looking for his third Kentucky Derby win, and first since 2017, when Renegade enters the gate for the 2026 Kentucky Derby. Renegade is the 4-1 favorite in the 152nd “Run for the Roses” at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. Saturday’s post time is set for 6:57 p.m. ET. Pletcher, who has over 5,700 career wins, also won the Derby in 2010. Bet the Kentucky Derby with the exclusive TwinSpires offer code CBSSPORTS to receive up to $400 in bonus bets here, double what’s available to the general public:

Besides Renegade, other race favorites include Further Ado (6-1) and Commandment (6-1). Chief Wallabee comes back at 8-1, while The Puma is at 10-1, and So Happy and Emerging Market at 15-1. Fulleffort is no longer in the field after being scratched, and he’s being replaced by Ocelli (50-1). Before making any 2026 Kentucky Derby picks, be sure to see the 2026 Kentucky Derby predictions and best bets from SportsLine’s elite horse racing expert Gene Menez.

A former reporter and editor at Sports Illustrated, Menez covered an array of sports, including horse racing, for the magazine and its website for almost 14 years. Between 2010 and 2012, he served as SI’s handicapper for the Triple Crown races and correctly predicted Super Saver to win the Kentucky Derby in 2010.

In 2015, while writing for Sports on Earth, Menez accurately gave out the Kentucky Derby superfecta (American Pharoah, Firing Line, Dortmund and Frosted), which paid $1,268.20 for $2. Then in 2017, he tweeted out his Kentucky Derby picks, including Always Dreaming to win, and hit the Pick 4, which paid almost $6,900 on a $1 bet. In 2024, Menez gave out 18-1 Mystik Dan as a live longshot in the Kentucky Derby. 

Menez excels on horse racing’s biggest days. In 2024 he crushed the late Pick 4 on Breeders’ Cup Saturday for a $5,303 windfall. Last year he nailed the winner, trifecta and superfecta in the Florida Derby for a $529.60 score and the winner and trifecta in the Blue Grass Stakes for a $761.96 jackpot. He hit the late Pick 4 on Kentucky Oaks day for $915.48. In the Kentucky Derby, he hammered the exacta and trifecta for a $1,045 payout. And earlier this year, on Fountain of Youth day, he struck big, hitting the late Pick 5 for $4,648.

Last year Menez put his handicapping skills up against the best horseplayers and finished 115th out of 643 entries in the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge, the biggest live-money handicapping tournament in the country. Now, Menez has handicapped the 2026 Kentucky Derby field and revealed his picks. Go here to see them.

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Top 2026 Kentucky Derby predictions

One of Menez’s surprising 2026 Kentucky Derby picks: He is fading Renegade (4-1), even though he’s the morning-line favorite. Although Renegade has been on a roll, winning both the 2026 Arkansas Derby and the 2026 Sam F. Davis, he has proven not to be a good finishing horse. When in traffic near the end of a race, he has tended to fade.

He did that in December, when he finished second to Paladin at the 2025 Remsen at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, N.Y. He also lost late to Paladin at the MSW at the Belmont at Aqueduct in October. Paladin will miss the Derby due to injury. Despite Renegade’s high regard, Menez sees value elsewhere. See who to back at SportsLine.

Another stunner: Menez is high on Chief Wallabee, even though he’s not one of the top-three favorites at 8-1. Chief Wallabee is trained by William I Mott, who also trained last year’s Derby winner in Sovereignty. The 72-year-old has four American Classic wins, including Sovereignty in the 2025 Belmont Stakes, as well as wins in the 2019 Kentucky Derby and 2010 Belmont Stakes. In all, Mott has over 5,400 career wins.

Chief Wallabee began his racing career in January, and has placed in the top-three in each of his races. He broke maiden at Gulfstream Park in January. He followed that up with a second-place finish at the 2026 Fountain of Youth on Feb. 28. He was third at the 2026 Florida Derby in March. See which other horses to back at SportsLine, and you can make 2026 Kentucky Derby picks at TwinSpires here with the offer code CBSSPORTS:

How to make 2026 Kentucky Derby picks, bets

Menez’s top pick is a horse who was “the big winner of the post draw.” He also is high on a double-digit longshot who is the “best value in the race.” Menez is sharing which horse it is, along with his entire projected 2026 Kentucky Derby leaderboard, over at SportsLine.

Which horse wins the Kentucky Derby 2026, and which longshot is a must-back? Check out the latest 2026 Kentucky Derby odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Menez’s picks for the Kentucky Derby, all from the expert who had a $1,045 payout at last year’s race.

2026 Kentucky Derby odds

Strolling out to Notorious B.I.G.’s Hypnotize for his matches, Hossein Vafaei looks right at home on snooker’s biggest stage. 

It’s been a long time coming. 

For years, diplomatic red tape stalled his career, but he’s now making up for lost time at the age of 31. 

At the 2026 World Snooker Championship in Sheffield, England, he became the first Iranian to reach the quarterfinals of the sport’s top tournament, stunning world No.1 Judd Trump along the way before bowing out on Wednesday. 

“I wasn’t nervous, I enjoyed every moment. I was born for these kinds of situations,” he said. 

“I’m looking forward to playing anyone, I’m not scared of anyone and all of them know that. There’s no pressure, so why should I be worried?” 

While that confidence is a new addition, his ability was never in question. 

From child prodigy to visa limbo 

As a kid growing up in south-western Iran, It’s unlikely Vafaei ever envisioned his future in Sheffield, the home of snooker. 

He certainly wouldn’t have guessed that the snooker world would start referring to him as the “Prince of Persia”. 

He first picked up a cue as a six-year-old. By 17, he was crowned the youngest-ever World Amateur champion. 

That was in 2011, but the “Miracle Kid” was made to wait for his big break on the professional stage. 

Thanks to strained relations between Iran and the United Kingdom at the time, Vafaei spent four years in visa limbo. He was only able to make his first appearance in the UK in 2015. 

Despite losing those crucial formative years in his development as a pro, Vafaei always had high ambitions, and a sense of duty. 

“Snooker is very popular in Iran,” Vafaei told British newspaper The Independent back in 2017. 

“Success for me will make the profile of the sport become even bigger. I want to improve the game in my home country. It could be like China, if I can do well we could see many Iranians coming over here.” China has a number of top snooker players including three in the top ten of the men’s world rankings.

Playing for a nation in turmoil 

Vafaei’s pursuit of major titles has been further complicated by events beyond the snooker table. He admitted feeling “all over the place” ahead of the 2026 World Championship amid the war in Iran. 

Nationwide protests against the government in January, followed by the war with Israel and the United States, have weighed heavily on his mind. 

“It’s very tough to be an Iranian at this time. I don’t know [whether] to be happy. I don’t know [whether] to be sad,” he said after his win over Trump. 

“This is the only thing I can do. With my cue, I can do something for them to make [the Iranian people] happy. To show that the Iran flag is there.” 

Vafaei has previously used his platform to express solidarity with his compatriots, wearing a black armband at the 2022 UK Championship in solidarity with protests over the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody. Amini’s death was one of the triggers of the Women, Life, Freedom movement. 

Yet he’s generally been cautious when talking about Iran publicly, with his family still living there. 

“You get a bad text in the day and you can’t focus on your job,” he said. 

“I was getting sometimes sad with what’s happening. And I don’t want to open up, but yes, I decided to fight, fight for my people, and all the Iranians all over the world. And hopefully I can make them happy.” 

Breakthrough finally arrives 

Vafaei only made his World Championship debut in 2022. That same year he won his first pro tournament at the Snooker Shoot Out. 

It’s taken time, but in 2026 he’s starting to find his feet, evidenced by his stunning run to the quarterfinals. 

“If he was from somewhere else and if he hadn’t had [visa issues] he would have been in the top 16 by now,” World No.1 Judd Trump said following his defeat to Vafaei. 

“I think he’s more than good enough to win all kinds of events.” 

His quest for success at the Crucible Theatre, which has hosted the World Championship since 1977, ultimately fell short at the hands of China’s up-and-coming star, Wu Yize. 

But this tournament felt like a shift in momentum for the Prince of Persia. He’s moved permanently to England’s north and has one focus. 

“I came to live in Sheffield to be beside the Crucible. And to imagine one day lifting the trophy,” he said. 

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“The Crucible trophy is living in my head rent free.” 

For years, circumstance dictated Vafaei’s trajectory. Now he’s taking back control of his own destiny. 

Edited by: Matt Pearson

A race fall at Kembla Grange means Tyler Schiller will have to secure medical clearance before tackling his rides at Wagga and Hawkesbury this week.

During the second race on Wednesday, Schiller rode Hawkes Racing’s Winters Kiss, a mare who was vying for the front and set to challenge right to the wire before something gave way inside 200 metres.

Efforts to steer her clear resulted in the jockey being thrown off and colliding heavily with the turf.

Despite rising quickly, he was barred from continuing his rides for safety reasons.

Racing NSW chief steward Tom Moxon, who wasn’t on site at Kembla, coordinated with the stewards there and noted Schiller dodged severe injury yet needs a doctor’s note to ride further.

“It was a heavy fall, and his head did make significant contact with the ground,” Moxon said.

“He was assessed by the ambulance officers, and he was cleared of any injury, including concussion. He wasn’t showing any signs of concussion.

“But he will need to provide a medical clearance before he can ride again.”

Ranking ninth among Sydney jockeys currently, Schiller has one ride lined up at Wyong Thursday and eight at the Wagga Cup meeting Friday, highlighted by Bianco Vilano in the top contest.

His weekend includes nine mounts in 10 races at the Hawkesbury standalone card Saturday, featuring Chris Waller’s Captain Furai in the Gold Cup (1600m) and Burma Star in the Hawkesbury Guineas (1400m).

Visit betting sites to check racing odds for Captain Furai in the Hawkesbury Gold Cup.

Junto Nakatani has assessed the lofty status of Naoya Inoue, who many consider to be a top two pound-for-pound star.

The pair will square off at the Tokyo Dome on May 2, with Inoue making the seventh defence of his four major super-bantamweight titles.

As a two-division undisputed champion, the 33-year-old sits alongside Oleksandr Usyk as the only two active fighters to have achieved such success.

Terence Crawford, of course, became a three-weight undisputed king by defeating Canelo Alvarez last September, but his subsequent retirement has meant that Usyk and Inoue now sit at the very top of the tree.

Hoping to prove his own greatness, meanwhile, is Nakatani, who made his super-bantamweight debut as a three-division world champion last December.

The 28-year-old secured a rather debatable unanimous decision victory against Sebastian Hernandez, before Inoue topped the bill with a one-sided unanimous verdict over David Picasso.

Even away from their last two performances, though, Nakatani recognises that Inoue sits above him in most people’s pound-for-pound rankings.

As a result, the Japanese southpaw has placed ‘The Monster’ at the very top of his list, while not even mentioning Usyk during his interview with DAZN.

Junto Nakatani reveals his Top 5 P4P list 👑

🎟️ Buy RING V NOW HERE –> https://t.co/FoiaUucI53#RINGV: Night of the Samurai | Dec 27 | Exclusively on DAZN | @ringmagazine 🤳 pic.twitter.com/QPh6b4HFLr

— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) December 11, 2025

Instead, Nakatani named Crawford – who, at this point, was still active – Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez, Shakur Stevenson and himself as the remaining entries on his top five pound-for-pound list.

Some might say that Dmitry Bivol, like Usyk, is unfortunate to have not been given a mention, though Nakatani would certainly merit his place on the list if he manages to dethrone Inoue next week.