Terence Crawford hung up the gloves back in December but Eddie Hearn believes that the five-weight world champion will soon end that retirement.

Crawford last competed in September 2025 when he moved up to 168lbs and pulled off an incredible victory over Canelo Alvarez to become undisputed super-middleweight champion, before announcing his retirement three months later.

Crawford has been linked to bouts with various names since then but as of yet there are no signs that the 38-year-old will reverse his decision, but Matchroom promoter Hearn has told The Ring that he believes a possible fight with Jaron Ennis could soon change that.

“I’ve wanted this fight for so long. I rate Crawford so highly but I’m just such a huge believer in Jaron Ennis, and I think this will be the fight that will be the biggest fight in boxing.”

“Boots is probably going to fight Josh Kelly and has to see if he can beat him, if he beats him he’ll fight Fundora, and if he becomes undisputed I think the Crawford fight will happen.”

“I think it’s an unbelievable fight. Boots is a superstar, he’s paving his way. Crawford is the ultimate competitor, his body is breaking down and maybe he won’t fight again but at the same time he’s the ultimate competitor. I know he’s looking at Boots up and down and thinking ‘I’ll do you’, so we’ll see.”

Crawford and Ennis recently had a back and forth on the broadcast of the Andy Ruiz vs Damian Knyba fight on Friday, which has fuelled the recent speculation over a potential meeting.

After becoming unified world champion at welterweight, Ennis stepped up to 154lbs and won the WBA and WBO titles back in June with a seventh round TKO win over Xander Zayas.

As Hearn mentioned, a clash with IBF champion Josh Kelly appears to be next, before a possible meeting with WBC champion Sebastian Fundora, and only time will tell whether a victory there would be enough to tempt ‘Bud’ out of retirement.

Philippines’ Alexandra Eala hits a return to USA’s Iva Jovic during their women’s singles third round tennis match on day seven of the US Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York City on September 5, 2026. (Photo by Leonardo MUNOZ / AFP)

Alex Eala took a seat at the table to again face the world media on Sunday, this time to do the losing player’s interview.

That pretty, baby face she once described as having ‘chubby cheeks’ tried very hard to put up that elegant smile. Those eyes, usually sun-bright, were a bit gloomy.

She would later show how she felt in general during the tail-end of a press conference that didn’t even take six minutes—a mere speck of time compared to what she had to endure just minutes ago on the biggest US Open stage.

READ: Alex Eala on US Open loss to Iva Jovic: ‘I left everything out there’

“I think it’s just a part of life, having friends (you lose to),” Eala said after making a third round exit when good friend Iva Jovic rallied and showed the Filipina superstar the door with a 7-5, 6-3, 7-5 thriller of a win carved out in a more than three hours at Arthur Ashe in Flushing Meadows, New York.

“I don’t think being friends affects how much we fight, how bad we want it,” Eala said. “We’re professionals.”

There was evident dejection in Eala’s face when she stepped off the court to a standing ovation from a sell-out crowd that witnessed a classic between two rising talents, as television cameras followed her all the way to the corridors leading back to the locker room.

She had her chances after all.

Eala had a break point to go 5-2 up in the third set, only for Jovic to fight back to forge a 4-all tie before the American came up with a finishing kick that left an entire country trying to find out what went wrong.

READ: Alex Eala mania heads to Singapore Tennis Open next

“It took everything (I had) to get through that,” the 18-year-old Jovic would later say. “From losing my earrings, falling flat out on the floor, (having) cuts on my knees, (a) mental breakdown. Literally everything.”

“I honestly don’t know what to think after that,” she said. “The level (of play) was absolutely incredible from both sides.”

Jovic advanced to face fellow American Coco Gauff for a place in the quarterfinals. And having played to deafening roars in facing Eala two times this week—one in an exhibition—could certainly help her moving forward.

“That’s what you want,” Jovic said of the throng that has followed every Eala match. “I don’t care if they’re cheering for me, against me. I don’t care who they support, there’s so many people there.

“It’s the biggest stadium in tennis, so I’m just really grateful to have been a part of it.”

It was heartrending defeat for the 21-year-old Filipino to take, as she was trying to replicate a fourth round appearance she had at Wimbledon after she bundled out defending champion Iga Swiatek.

READ: Alex Eala on upcoming Asian Games stint: ‘I love being with PH team’

“I had my chances, set myself up for some opportunities, which was great,” Eala said. “I am happy with the match. In general, there’s disappointment in losing, but on the positive side, the level (of play) was really high.”

The early exit still had its silver linings for the Filipino, who can improve on her world No. 18 ranking—still the highest achieved by any Southeast Asian—pending results of other players.

“Congrats to Iva for pushing through,” said Eala, who showed genuine class when she crossed to Jovic’s side of the net to congratulate her friend after the smoke of the battle had cleared.

“What I have learned tonight I have yet to process,” Eala said. “But I left everything out there tonight, I fought. So I am happy with that.”

And then she showed her emotions.

“It’s indescribable, the support. How it makes me feel. it’s a real privilege to experience this in a lifetime,” Eala said before slightly tearing up. “Playing on Arthur Ashe, feeling the support, learning these lessons, fighting and doing what I love. I’m really lucky to be able to work this hard and live this life.” INQ

The Indian football team is set for a high-profile international window, with matches against Panama, Brazil and Uruguay in a series of international friendlies beginning September 26.

However, the matches have already sparked discussion even before India take the field, with several senior and established players missing from the squad announced for the fixtures.

Head coach Khalid Jamil has defended the selections, saying established names alone cannot guarantee a place in his team. Jamil said players were picked on merit and performance after everyone had been given an equal and adequate opportunity to stake a claim.

The Indian coach said the changes are part of a longer-term plan to build a team capable of qualifying for the 2027 Asian Cup.

Jamil also ruled out bringing retired India captain Sunil Chhetri back for a farewell appearance against Brazil, while confirming that India will approach the three matches with an emphasis on defensive strength and flexibility.

Jamil defends squad selection

Jamil defended the 26-member squad after several established players were left out of the group for the upcoming friendlies.

Former India captain Sandesh Jhingan, Rahul Bheke, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Vishal Kaith, Liston Colaco and Jeakson Singh were among the prominent names missing from the squad.

The head coach said he had assessed the players before making his selections and insisted that there was no distinction between senior and junior players. According to Jamil, everyone had been given an adequate opportunity to demonstrate their credentials, with performance determining who made the squad.

2027 Asian Cup qualification remains the main target

Jamil said the changes to the squad are connected to India’s preparations for the next phase of the national team’s development.

With qualification for the 2027 Asian Cup identified as the principal objective, the coach said the team needs to improve across different areas of the game rather than focus on one particular aspect.

He specifically pointed to attacking and defensive organisation, set-pieces and the transition from attack to defence as areas where India need to be effective.

Jamil also stressed that players would have to take greater responsibility on the field, while acknowledging that the pressure would increase as the team prepares for important assignments.

India will not use one fixed formation

India will face three opponents who are higher in the FIFA rankings, and Jamil said he would not commit his team to one formation for all three matches.

The coach said the tactical approach would depend on the circumstances of individual games. He mentioned systems such as 3-4-3 and 5-4-1 as possible options, while stressing that the priority would be to make India a stronger defensive unit.

At the same time, Jamil said India would not enter the matches simply looking to limit the number of goals conceded. He wants the team to play for victories and believes the players will need to raise their level against stronger opposition.

Jamil backs India for strong performance

Despite the changes to the squad, Jamil said India’s recent performances against competitive opponents provide grounds for confidence in the current group.

He referred to matches against Iran and Oman, as well as a game against Tajikistan on their home ground. Jamil also cited India’s performances against Zimbabwe and Jamaica while making the case that the national team has been involved in competitive fixtures recently.

The coach said these matches had provided the players with experience against strong opposition and maintained that India’s recent results should not be viewed as evidence that the team has been performing poorly across the board.

No Chhetri return for the Brazil match

Jamil also addressed speculation about Sunil Chhetri returning to the national team for a farewell appearance against Brazil.

The former India captain retired from international football in 2024, bringing an end to a career in which he became the country’s leading men’s international goalscorer and appearance-maker.

Jamil said Chhetri remains an example for the current generation, particularly because of his discipline and continued hunger to perform. He said India needed more players who could emulate those qualities and admitted that the team misses having him around.

However, Jamil ruled out asking Chhetri to return for the Brazil fixture. He said India are in the process of building a new team and that bringing Chhetri back would not be appropriate. Jamil added that Chhetri’s decision to retire should be respected.

When will India play Panama, Brazil and Uruguay?

India will begin the international window against Panama on September 26 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.

The team will then move to Kolkata for two successive fixtures at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan. Brazil will be the opponent on October 3, followed by Uruguay on October 6.

Brazil are currently ranked fifth in the world, while Uruguay are 20th and Panama 44th. Uruguay will enter the India fixture under interim head coach Diego Forlán following Marcelo Bielsa’s departure.

The three matches will form part of India’s preparations as Jamil continues to build a squad with the 2027 Asian Cup qualification campaign as the principal target.

Clinical Carlos Alcaraz moved a step closer to making more tennis history after cruising into the US Open quarter-finals.

The Spaniard, still showing no signs of the wrist injury which sidelined him for more than four months before the tournament, dismantled American Tommy Paul in straight sets.

Alcaraz is already the youngest man to complete career grand slam and should he go on to win back-to-back Flushing Meadows crowns he would become the only man in the open era to successfully defend major titles on all three surfaces.

Having won on the grass of Wimbledon in 2023 and 2024 and on the French Open clay in 2024 and last year, the 23-year-old can complete the set on hard courts if he triumphs next Sunday.

Paul, the 20th seed, had talked up his chances before the match, saying “I like to think of myself as somebody who always thinks I can beat those (top) players”.

But a 6-4 6-3 6-4 defeat means Alcaraz has now beaten the 29-year-old six times in a row, winning the last 14 sets they have contested.

He actually faced two set points at the end of the third, but swatted them away with two contemptuous forehand winners on his way to victory in two hours and 21 minutes.

“I played my game, tried to play my style,” he said. “Tommy is such a talented player, his shots are dangerous so I tried to be ready for the battle, to be ready to run and be aggressive.

“I think I did it pretty well. Really happy with the performance today. Am I back to full power? I mean I think so.”

Gianni Infantino will stand in next March’s FIFA presidential election, despite the backlash over his now-abandoned plan to bring private investment into the World Cup, football’s global governing body announced Sunday.

“The FIFA President announced in April that he will stand for re-election in 2027,” a FIFA spokesperson said. “Of course, nothing has changed. Mr Infantino will be standing for re-election.”

The 56-year-old Swiss has taken a pummelling since the announcement in late July of his short-lived FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) plan to bring private investment into FIFA events.

But now for the first time since the plan became public, FIFA has reiterated Infantino’s intention to run for a fourth and final term in next year’s elections.

Should he be re-elected, he will continue to serve as head of world football until 2031.

Read moreUEFA moves to file criminal complaint against Infantino over failed FIFA sell-off

Infantino is in Poland for the Women’s Under-20 World Cup, but refused to answer queries about his future when questioned by journalists on Saturday.

Only candidate

European body UEFA has accused Infantino of “criminal mismanagement” over the scheme and was the ringleader of the initial fightback to the announcement, including threatening to boycott all FIFA competitions, including the men’s and women’s World Cups, if it was not shelved.

If UEFA withdrew its threat to boycott FIFA tournaments on August 27 – ahead of the Women’s Under-20 World Cup in Poland – it remains absolute in its conviction that Infantino must depart his role.

The European body has filed requests in the USA for the disclosure of documents related to the plan from FIFA and partners.

If successful in gaining access to the documents, UEFA had said it intends to lodge a legal complaint in Switzerland, saying it has been assured the case would meet the requirements to be heard in a Swiss court.

It has also found solid support from North American body CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in its actions against Infantino.

The three confederations have kept up the pressure and collaborated on a no-holds-barred joint letter issued last month.

“Leadership in football is not a possession. It is not about holding – or demanding – power to be held,” they wrote.

CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani is widely seen as the likeliest challenger to Infantino – UEFA boss Aleksander Ceferin has ruled himself out.

Read moreUEFA chief Ceferin calls for Infantino to quit but rules out replacing him

Montagliani, a FIFA vice-president, had long been regarded as a close ally of Infantino, but there were signs, even before he distanced himself over the now-scrapped plan to allow private investment into World Cups, that he viewed FIFA’s purpose somewhat differently to the Swiss.

But Infantino is not without friends – 2034 World Cup hosts Saudi Arabia came out in support last month, with African football’s governing body CAF and South America’s CONMEBOL supportive, too.

Earlier in September, FIFA also accused UEFA of a “smear campaign” and a “fishing expedition” against Infantino.

As the only declared candidate so far for the election due to take place in Rabat, Infantino will need a simple majority of votes from the 211 federations affiliated to FIFA to extend his term of office, which began in 2016 and was renewed in 2023.

Candidate nominations for next year’s election must be submitted by November 18.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Once the Washington Huskies’ celebration of beating bitter rival Oregon in the 2023 Pac-12 Championship Game — and clinching a spot in the College Football Playoff — finally calmed down, an awkward reality began to set in.

This was the end of Pac-12 football as we knew it.

Michael Penix Jr. and Washington celebrate winning the Pac-12 Championship in 2023. (Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images)

One of the oldest conferences in college sports, dating back to the formation of the Pacific Coast Conference in 1915, was about to disappear. Its demise had been years in the making, with the inability to secure and improve its media rights deal at the center of the problem. As name, image and likeness transformed college football, the premier programs knew they could no longer afford to fall behind the Big Ten and SEC.

Washington, Oregon, UCLA and USC headed to the Big Ten. Reacting to their departure, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah joined the Big 12. Left hanging, Cal and Stanford scurried to find a home in the ACC. The movement diminished the Pac-12 to a two-team conference of Washington State and Oregon State. 

Gone were the days of Pac-12 basketball tournaments in Las Vegas. The Apple Cup rivalry between Washington and Washington State moved to the beginning of the season. The tradition of staying up late to watch the ever-chaotic “Pac-12 After Dark” ended. 

Now, after two years of the Pac-12 conference essentially ceasing to exist, it’s back. 

So back. 

The new-look Pac-12 in 2026 looks much different than it did in the past. There will still be rivalries, heated competition, and late-night shockers, but it’s no longer viewed as a power conference. Now, a team must be ranked higher than every other Group of Six opponent in the final top 25 to reach the College Football Playoff. 

Another fun fact: Every Pac-12 football team has the word “State” in its name. 

The new members include five teams from the Mountain West — Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State — and one from the Sun Belt Conference, Texas State. They join Oregon State and Washington State to complete the eight-team Pac-12.

The Broncos have long been one of the premier Group of Six programs, and now bring their famous blue field to the bright lights of the Pac-12. Fresno State and Utah State each qualified for bowl games in 2025, while Colorado State will look to turn things around under former UCLA coach Jim Mora. Texas State, meanwhile, has won a bowl game in each of the past three seasons.

One wrinkle: Gonzaga will join the conference for college basketball, bringing the Pac-12 to nine members in that sport. The Bulldogs have qualified for the NCAA Tournament in each of the past 17 seasons, including trips to the national championship game in 2017 and 2021.

The new-look Pac-12 might not have the luster or level of competition of its predecessor, but it should be one of, if not the, strongest Group of Six conferences in both football and basketball.

Conference shake-ups have taken some college football rivalries away, but fans in Washington don’t have to worry about the rivalry between its state teams disappearing in 2026. The Washington State Cougars and Washington Huskies will face off in the 2026 Apple Cup, with Sunday’s kickoff at Husky Stadium set for 4 p.m. ET. The Huskies have won 10 of the last 12 meetings in this rivalry, including a 59-24 rout in Pullman last season. Both of Washington State’s victories over those 12 games have come in the past five seasons. Washington is favored by 23.5. Bet on Washington State vs. Washington in Week 1 college football at DraftKings and get $200 in bonus bets when you spend $5+:

Kirby Moore takes over as Washington State’s head coach after three seasons as Missouri offensive coordinator. He takes over a team that won seven games in 2025, capping the season with a bowl win over Utah State. Jedd Fisch enters his third season at Washington and hopes to lead the team to a College Football Playoff spot after the Huskies won nine games in 2025.

Washington State vs. Washington betting odds (via DraftKings)

Washington State vs. Washington betting preview

The first big question for Moore will be whether transfer quarterback Caden Pinnick can elevate this offense. He’ll have some help with Kirby Vorhees returning at running back and Tony Freeman stepping up as the team’s presumed top receiver. If Pinnick and fellow transfer Darrius Coleman hit, Washington State could be at the top of the new-look Pac-12. Another big question will be Washington State’s defense, which was one of the best in the country in terms of yards allowed and points allowed. The Cougars bring in a lot of transfers, so that could lead to some regression on that side of the ball.

Washington was embroiled in some controversy surrounding quarterback Demond Williams Jr., who entered the transfer portal despite seemingly having an agreement in place with the Huskies. Williams is back in the fold though, which elevates Washington’s ceiling in 2026. Dezmen Roebuck should take on a bigger role at receiver, and we’ll see if Oregon transfer Jayden Limar can explode in a featured running back role. Washington’s defense brings back plenty of key contributors, headlined by Alex McLaughlin, Xe’ree Alexander and Jacob Lane. If the peripheral contributors can step up to replicate Washington’s takeaway rate while also providing more pressure on opposing quarterbacks, this should once again be one of the better defenses in the Big Ten. Bet on college football games with FanDuel and get up to $350 in bonus bets:

Washington State vs. Washington picks, prediction

Washington State +23.5

The SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, sees value on taking the Cougars on the money line as they win in 22% of simulations. I’m not necessarily going to go that far, but I do think Washington State will bring the energy in this rivalry game. The Cougars were cast aside in the Pac-12 exodus, and they’ve been waiting to relaunch the conference. The Huskies may have won by 35 points a year ago, but most of these Apple Cup games are close. Two of the last three contests were decided by one possession, and Washington State would’ve covered a 23.5-point spread in six of the last seven games.

Hang on. We’d seen that goal before, hadn’t we? We’d seen Martin Odegaard just there, lurking undetected in a pocket of space between defence and midfield. We’d seen Christos Tzolis drive inside and fire that exact pass into the centre. We’d seen Riccardo Calafiori’s decoy run and Kai Havertz intelligently leave it. We’d seen Odegaard’s little dart, the velcro control, the poise as he waited just a beat before pulling the trigger.

If Odegaard’s winning goal against Chelsea felt familiar, that’s because he’d scored a carbon copy against Manchester City in the Community Shield three weeks earlier. The same players, the same movements, the same outcome, with a world-class goalkeeper – then Gianluigi Donnarumma, now Emiliano Martinez – left beaten on the ground as the ball hit the net.

The prevailing question at the start of the season was not who would win the league so much as how Arsenal would win it. Will they roll out the 2025/26 blueprint, bludgeoning teams to death by a thousand corners, strangling possession, smothering all routes to xG? Or would we see something altogether more free-flowing and spontaneous now the weight of a 22-year wait had been lifted?

You can already feel a buzz in the air outside the Emirates, a sense that the brittleness of past years has disappeared in the wind. Music blaring from the megastore DJ could be heard down every road leading to Armoury Square three hours before kick-off. Inside, hundreds queued to buy an Arsenal scarf or pyjamas or a cushion with Declan Rice’s face on. Outside, content creators jostled for space while fans videoed fellow fans being interviewed by other fans on YouTube.

It is that strange time of the season when the leaves are still green and summer is clinging on. The transfer frenzy has only just ended and, really, we don’t know anything yet. The sample sizes are small and in this twilight window, we inevitably draw bad judgments. At exactly the same stage last year, three games in, the champions Liverpool beat the pretenders Arsenal and the title race was surely over.

What sort of Arsenal might we get? The first few games of the season had not served up a definitive answer, but this game felt different. It was no doubt influenced by Chelsea’s decision to play basketball, by Morgan Rogers’ early goal which forced Arsenal to show urgency, by Martinez, chief s***house of the Premier League, whose presence poked the Emirates into furious noise. Even so, this was a performance full of roving positions, slick interchanges and seamless rotations which felt thrilling at times, and Chelsea struggled to follow them.

There was a moment late in the first half when Havertz was on the right wing, Calafiori was galloping into the right half-space, Odegaard was the striker and Bukayo Saka was inside as the No 10. Only David Raya, Ezri Konsa and Gabriel Magalhaes could claim to have been at their stations. And Odegaard’s goal was a product of a higher tempo that this Arsenal side had at times abandoned in the final months of last season, understandably so through tension, through fatigue, perhaps even through sheer fear at what they might lose.

It didn’t help that Arsenal played without this version of Odegaard last season, a campaign derailed by injury. He rediscovered his flow captaining Norway at the World Cup and has continued that form with three goals in four Arsenal games, if you like to count the Community Shield as a game. Where he has sometimes fallen into a rhythm of taking the easy option, being Arsenal’s playmaker on the fringe of a match, here there was a boldness to his runs, getting closer to Havertz, nearer the goal, demanding the ball in tight spaces where his close control can hurt opponents.

“He’s fit, his confidence is one of the highest that I’ve seen him and he has a point to prove,” said Arteta. “Kai the same, Bukayo the same. We missed so many attacking players last season for long, long periods, and I don’t know how many times they’ve played together, those three, in the last few years. Probably not much. You feel the chemistry that they have between them and what they can produce. You have to play with real intent and that’s what I loved seeing today. He was running forward, he took shots, he created so many situations for his teammates.”

Are Arsenal about to unleash a season of wild, entertaining chaos-ball? Probably not. Arteta is not about to abandon the positional principles that have served his coaching career so well. Arsenal will not play a team as frantic as this Chelsea side every week. But there is a paradox here, that the cohesion and connections in this team are so well honed by now, so sharply refined, that Arsenal can produce pre-planned patterns as mesmerising to watch and difficult to defend as anything off the cuff.

Perhaps this is the next evolution of Arteta’s team, to be as meticulously well-drilled in the disorder of open play as they are standing over the certainty of a set-piece. The fact Odegaard scored the same goal twice in a month suggests that, even within the confines of their manager’s highly tuned system, Arsenal might be unlocking some new attacking verve.