NFL

Bears, wide receiver DJ Moore reach 4-year, $110M extension

Comments Disabled

The Chicago Bears and wide receiver DJ Moore reached agreement on a four-year, $110 million contract extension, the largest in franchise history, his agents stated Tuesday.

The deal — negotiated by Drew Rosenhaus, Jason Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey — includes $82.6 million guaranteed, which ranks third for a wide receiver on a single contract in NFL history (Justin Jefferson $110 million guaranteed, A.J. Brown $84 million). All three players agreed to their deals this offseason.

Moore, 27, had two years left on the extension he signed at the end of his rookie contract with the Carolina Panthers and was set to hit free agency in 2026. He is now under contract with the Bears through the 2029 season and headlines a wide receiver room with 12-year veteran Keenan Allen and the draft’s ninth overall pick, Rome Odunze.

Get all the latest Betting and Sport News updates on your social media outlets.

A former first-round pick, Moore was the focal point of a 2023 trade that sent the No. 1 overall selection from Chicago to Carolina in exchange for Moore and four draft picks. At the time of the trade, Chicago general manager Ryan Poles said he was “over the moon” about receiving Moore in the haul from the Panthers and was worried the receiver wouldn’t be available had the Bears waited past the date they executed the trade March 10, 2023.

In his first season with the Bears, Moore put together a career year, leading the team in receptions (96), receiving yards (1,364), receiving yards per game (80.2) and touchdowns (8). He accounted for 39.9% of Chicago’s receiving yards, the highest percentage for any player for a team in 2023.

In one season, Moore changed the trajectory of the Bears offense.

His 1,364 receiving yards were the fourth most by a Bears player in franchise history, trailing only Brandon Marshall (2012), Alshon Jeffery (2013) and Marcus Robinson (1999).

Since entering the league in 2018, Moore has caught a pass from 12 different quarterbacks — yet still ranks seventh in the NFL in receiving yards over that span despite playing with a rotating cast of QBs.

“Our best player has got to be our hardest workers and they’ve got to be our best finishers and they’ve got to be available to practice out there, and DJ certainly is that,” Chicago coach Matt Eberflus said in June. “He’s as tough as they come and he is a great teammate and he is our hardest worker and one of our most talented guys.”

The Bears rewarded Moore with an extension earlier than they have for players under Poles’ direction. Last summer, Chicago extended tight end Cole Kmet going into the final year of his rookie deal. The team let cornerback Jaylon Johnson play out the final year of his rookie contract in 2023 before signing him to a four-year extension this offseason, after using the franchise tag as a placeholder for negotiations.

In March, Poles said he wanted to be “intentional with the order that we do negotiations,” which eventually meant that Moore would leapfrog other Bears players who are headed for contract years in 2024.

Allen, who was traded to the Bears from the Los Angeles Chargers, has one year left on his deal. Left guard Teven Jenkins is entering the final year of his rookie contract and said the Bears told him and his agent that he would have to wait until after Chicago’s Week 7 bye to enter negotiations.

By extending Moore, Poles now has the team’s offensive core locked down for quite a while; Chicago has its first overall quarterback (Caleb Williams), two first-round wide receivers (Odunze, Moore), a top-10 pick offensive tackle (Darnell Wright) and starting tight end (Kmet) all under contract for at least the next four years (including fifth-year options on first-round contracts).

Moore is the latest to cash in during a summer of mega contract extensions for wide receivers. His deal makes him the second-highest-paid wide receiver behind Minnesota’s Jefferson, who signed the richest contract in NFL history at the position (four years, $140 million) in June.

Check WagerWeb and find the best online betting site.

Tennis

No. 1 Iga Swiatek on track for gold, into quarters at Paris

Comments Disabled

For almost five full games at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday, No. 1-ranked Iga Swiatek’s high-bouncing topspin shots were being sent back over the net by No. 52 Wang Xiyu of China with crushing baseline groundstrokes of her own.

Wang even held a break point that would have given her a 3-2 lead in the opening set.

Then Swiatek restored the expected order on Court Philippe Chatrier — the site of her four French Open titles — and won four consecutive games to close out the first set along the way to advancing to the quarterfinals with a 6-2, 6-4 victory amid stifling conditions.

“It’s never about only one player,” Swiatek said. “I was aware that she can play great tennis. And I accepted that some points she can really take advantage. But I wanted to really be intense and push in the right moments. Also be patient and not slow down. So I think my intensity worked and in important moments I was the one that was more solid.”

Get all the latest Betting and Sport News updates on your social media outlets.

In part because of Swiatek’s dominance on the red clay at Roland Garros, where the Olympic tennis tournament is being held, the 23-year-old from Poland is favored to add a gold medal to her growing collection of big titles.

Swiatek’s quarterfinal opponent will be eighth-seeded American Danielle Collins, who eliminated Camila Osorio of Colombia 6-0, 4-6, 6-3.

Second-ranked Coco Gauff was left fuming over a perceived missed officiating decision in a 7-6 (7), 6-2 loss to Donna Vekic of Croatia.

Angelique Kerber, the 36-year-old German who has won three Grand Slam titles and used to be ranked No. 1, beat 2021 US Open runner-up Leylah Fernandez of Canada 6-4, 6-3 to become the oldest women’s quarterfinalist since tennis returned to the Olympics in 1988. Kerber has stated the Paris Games will be the final tournament of her career.

Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia eliminated Jasmine Paolini — the Italian who was the runner-up at the French Open and Wimbledon this year — 7-5, 3-6, 7-5.

Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine rallied past seventh-seeded Maria Sakkari of Greece 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4.

“I don’t have this pressure of points, ranking, money. Whatever there is (on tour) is not here,” Kostyuk said. “So here you really come out and play with your heart.”

The full women’s quarterfinal lineup is: Swiatek vs. Collins, Kerber vs. Zheng Qinwen, Barbora Krejcikova vs. Schmiedlova, and Vekic vs. Kostyuk.

Temperatures in Paris hit 36 degrees Celsius (97 Fahrenheit), leading organizers to activate the first step of an “extreme weather” protocol, giving athletes in singles matches the chance to request a 10-minute break before third sets.

In men’s action, Alexei Popyrin of Australia eliminated three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 7-5.

“I think it’s probably one of the hottest conditions I’ve ever played in — and I’m from Australia, so that’s saying something,” Popyrin said.

The 39-year-old Wawrinka is nearing the end of his career but hasn’t set a retirement date.

“We’ll see at the end of the year,” Wawrinka said.

Popyrin next plays Tokyo gold medalist Alexander Zverev of Germany, who beat Tomas Machac 6-3, 7-5.

Americans Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul both advanced. Fritz rallied past Jack Draper of Britain 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-2, and Paul beat 18-year-old Czech player Jakub Mensik 6-3, 6-1.

In doubles, Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz advanced into the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-7 (2), 10-2 match tiebreaker victory over Tallon Griekspoor and Wesley Koolhof of the Netherlands.

Nadal was coming off a loss in singles a day earlier versus Novak Djokovic, who is in action Wednesday against Dominik Koepfer.

Andy Murray also won in doubles. He and British partner Dan Evans saved two match points to beat the Belgian pair of Sander Gille and Joran Vliegen 6-3, 6-7 (8), 11-9 after saving two match points.

Murray has announced he will retire after the Olympics.

Check WagerWeb and find the best online betting site.

NBA

Victor Wembanyama, France edge Japan in OT in Olympic basketball

Comments Disabled

France got a game-tying four-point play by Matthew Strazel at the end of regulation, and Victor Wembanyama scored eight of his 18 points in overtime to lift France over Japan 94-90 at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday.

Strazel, whose four-point play tied the score with 10.2 seconds left in regulation, scored 17 points to help France remain unbeaten in Group B play and clinch a spot in the quarterfinals.

“The shot of his life,” Wembanyama said of Strazel’s game-tying effort.

Wembanyama scored the first eight points of overtime to give France a 92-84 cushion. Japan battled back and got it within 92-90 but the home team was able to close it out at the free throw line.

Get all the latest Betting and Sport News updates on your social media outlets.

“The realization, the dynamic of the game,” Wembanyama said when asked what changed in overtime. “They were playing like underdogs and we were waiting for them to punch a little bit too much. I wanted to make a point and punch first in overtime. And it worked.”

Officially joining France in the quarterfinals will be Germany (2-0), who defeated Brazil 86-73 on Tuesday, and Canada (2-0).

The winner of Wednesday’s game between Team USA and South Sudan also will have a spot locked up for next week’s knockout round in Paris.

There are three different groups of four teams in the Olympic tournament; the top two finishers in each group make the quarterfinals, and the final two spots in the next round go to the best third-place teams in group play.

Grabbing at his lower right leg after a quick trip off the court late in the first quarter, then grabbing at his left hip a couple of times later in the game, Wembanyama seemed to be laboring at times in France’s second game of the Paris Olympics.

After the game, Wembanyama said it wasn’t his hip that was bothering him, but “other places.”

Wembanyama wasn’t much of a factor in the last 3½ quarters of regulation, but the start of the game — he had eight points in the first 3:20 — and overtime was all Wemby.

“Champion maturity. Champion mentality,” France coach Vincent Collet said. “He was not good in the second half, but he didn’t lose confidence. And he made the tough plays.”

Japanese star Rui Hachimura, who had 24 points, was ejected early in the fourth quarter after his second unsportsmanlike foul of the game.

Hachimura’s teammates pressed on anyway, nearly pulling off a stunner.

“We lost Rui but never gave up,” said 5-foot-8 Japan guard Yuri Kawamura, who led all scorers with 29 points. “That’s it.”

Wembanayma also finished with 11 rebounds and six assists.

“I don’t know why he has to prove more,” France forward Bilal Coulibaly said. “He was being himself, a great teammate, a great player. Proud of him.”

Check WagerWeb and find the best online betting site.

Sports

Sean O’Malley, Alexa Grasso set to defend titles at Noche UFC

Comments Disabled

Two title fights will headline UFC 306 at the Sphere in Las Vegas on Sept. 14 as Sean O’Malley will defend the bantamweight title versus top contender Merab Dvalishvili, and Alexa Grasso will put her women’s flyweight championship on the line in a trilogy fight versus Valentina Shevchenko.

UFC president Dana White announced the 10-fight card, which has been rebranded as Noche UFC, on Friday evening for the promotion’s most ambitious event to date.

This event at The Sphere will be a “one and done,” according to White, and will become the most expensive production the UFC has put together. The UFC has also taken on a title sponsor for the first time with Riyadh Season being attached to the event.

Get all the latest Betting and Sport News updates on your social media outlets.

O’Malley will be making the second defense of his title. After knocking out Aljamain Sterling to claim the championship last August, he went on to avenge a loss to Marlon Vera with a unanimous decision victory in March.

The title defense against Dvalishvili, winner of 10 consecutive fights, has long been rumored and will finally come to fruition in September.

Dvalishvili is coming off a dominant decision win over former two-division champion Henry Cejudo in February.

Grasso and Shevchenko will meet for a third consecutive time in the co-main event. Grasso stunned Shevchenko with a fourth-round submission to win the title in March 2023. The two met again last September with the fight ending in a controversial split draw.

The two were tabbed as head coaches on “The Ultimate Fighter” series, with the expectation that they would meet after the conclusion of the season.

Also featured on the card will be a featherweight clash between Diego Lopes and Brian Ortega. The two were set to meet at UFC 303, but Ortega fell ill the day of the fight and was replaced by Dan Ige. Lopes would go on to win and targeted Noche UFC for his next fight. The UFC obliged and rebooked what is likely a featherweight eliminator fight.

The 10-fight card will take place during Mexican Independence weekend, just minutes away from the recently announced boxing match between Canelo Alvarez and Edgar Berlanga at T-Mobile Arena.

Check WagerWeb and find the best online betting site.

Sports

Arsenal not planning Declan Rice-level move this summer

Comments Disabled

To build his dream midfield, Mikel Arteta might ideally want two Declan Rices. One to mop up in front of the back four, one to break forward into the opposition box.

A goal and assist in Saturday’s 3-0 home win against Bournemouth took Rice to 15 goal contributions in the Premier League during his debut Arsenal season: seven scored, eight assists.

That figure takes him beyond Granit Xhaka, who recorded seven of each in the top flight last season before leaving for Bayer Leverkusen. What’s all the more remarkable is that Rice has achieved those numbers while alternating between playing as a No 8 and as a No 6.

Rice has made 35 starts in the Premier League this season, 23 of them as a No 6. As the campaign has worn on, he has increasingly been used in a more advanced role, and he has now started 12 league matches as Arsenal’s left No 8.

Arteta is a huge believer in the breadth of Rice’s talent. Even so, the England international’s effectiveness in the final third has taken his manager somewhat by surprise.

“We thought (his goal output) was going to be very related to the spaces he was going to occupy on the pitch,” explains Arteta. “But then it’s something else to do it in this league. He’s done it. Credit to him. Even when we’ve changed him from position to position, it’s not easy to adapt to that, so I think he deserves a lot of credit for that.”

Get all the latest Betting and Sport News updates on your social media outlets.

Rice has never hidden his preference for playing at the base of midfield. But his sheer athleticism makes him a difficult force to contain when he ventures into the opposition half.

“With No 8, the manager is massive on making runs (off the ball), threatening behind, occupying zones, and that’s unnatural to me,” Rice told The Athletic this week. “I’ve never done that in my life, so it’s my first year learning that, which has been really different.”

It may not be Rice’s natural game, but he clearly has an aptitude for it.

Playing as a No 8, he is granted the freedom to drive forward, bulldozing between opposition lines. Few midfields can live with him. And if he can deliver these results after less than one season of experience, it’s tempting to imagine what he might be capable of given more time.

On the eve of the Bournemouth game, Arteta suggested he feels Rice has the potential to score even more regularly.

“I think there is much more there,” he said in his pre-match press conference. “We have to put him in more situations for him to explore that talent he has. He needs to recognize as well certain situations earlier, in order to build that relationship and chemistry within the unit that he’s playing with — something that is still quite raw, especially with the amount of changes that we made on that left side this season.

“All of this is going to contribute to his development, and hopefully we can see much more.”

Rice is also developing that hunger to score which is an integral part of any true box-to-box midfielder. “I missed a sitter (in the first half), and I was fuming,” he told TNT Sports, the UK broadcaster of the Bournemouth match. “I couldn’t let it go, and I knew there was a chance for me today to score and assist.

“Even for my goal, I was back in my own half and I just sensed it. All their players were out on their feet and I just kept going and going and arrived in a position that I’ve done quite frequently today.”

He is gaining that nose for goal. He has the legs. He has the ball-striking technique — as he’s proved with his excellent set-piece delivery this season. All the ingredients are there.

Rice also showed good awareness and technique to create the game’s second goal for Leandro Trossard, suggesting that Arsenal’s left side is now developing the solid relationships it has lacked for much of the season.

It leaves Arteta with an intriguing conundrum: in his grand plan, is Rice a No 6 or a No 8?

That decision will have an effect on the club’s transfer business. With doubts over the future of Thomas Partey and with Mohamed Elneny set to be out of contract, Arsenal will need to bring in a central midfielder this summer. It makes sense to target someone who can complement Rice in the long term — but are they intending to pair their record signing with a holding midfielder or somebody who offers more of an attacking threat?

David Ornstein of The Athletic has reported on Arsenal’s admiration of Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes, as well as Martin Zubimendi of Spanish side Real Sociedad. Both players are seen as No 6s. Were either to move to the Emirates Stadium, perhaps we might see more and more of this unshackled Rice.

Or perhaps Rice’s flexibility will prove his strength.

One attribute last summer’s outfield signings Rice, Jurrien Timber and Kai Havertz all share is their versatility. If Arsenal can add another multi-functional player, Arteta will have a host of options at his disposal.

Defining Rice as a No 6 or a No 8 may prove unnecessarily reductive: under Arteta’s guidance, he is becoming the complete midfielder.

Check WagerWeb and find the best online betting site.

MLB

Cardinals get Erick Fedde in 8-player deal with Dodgers, White Sox

Comments Disabled

The White Sox, Cardinals and Dodgers reached a three-team, eight-player trade Monday that saw St. Louis land starting pitcher Erick Fedde and outfielder Tommy Pham, and Los Angeles get super-utility man Tommy Edman and reliever Michael Kopech.

Three former Dodgers infield prospects — Miguel Vargas, Alexander Albertus and Jeral Perez — are headed to the White Sox along with a player to be named later or cash.

Los Angeles also get 17-year-old right-hander Oliver Gonzalez from the Cardinals, while St. Louis will get cash from the White Sox and either cash or a player to be named later from the Dodgers.

The Cardinals, who started the week just one game out of a wild-card spot in the National League, had been looking for a starter to pair with Sonny Gray at the top of the rotation and are landing one of the best arms available.

Get all the latest Betting and Sport News updates on your social media outlets.

“You always want to be in a position to add and you always want to be in a position to make your team better,” Cardinals veteran infielder Matt Carpenter said.

Fedde, 31, signed a two-year, $15 million contract coming off a stint in South Korea and has gone 7-4 with a 3.11 ERA and 108 strikeouts while making 21 starts for the last-place White Sox this season.

Selected by Washington in the first round of the 2014 amateur draft, Fedde is 28-37 with a 4.92 ERA in 123 big league games, including 109 starts.

“I’m definitely happy for it to be done,” he said. “It’s tough leaving a lot of my friends. I’m really excited to go make a push for a deep run in October.”

Pham, 36, didn’t sign until the middle of April but has slashed .266/.330/.380 with five homers and six stolen bases in 70 games for the White Sox.

Edman, 29, heads to the Dodgers after missing the entire first half of this season following offseason wrist surgery and then suffering a sprained ankle. He has since played eight games in a rehab assignment and could be nearing his return.

“I’m feeling good,” Edman said. “I’ve gotten a couple weeks of rehab under my belt. The ankle’s feeling a lot better. I’m going to get reevaluated out in L.A.”

The switch-hitter slashed .259/.313/.395 with 37 homers and 89 stolen bases in 449 games from 2021 to 2023 and brings versatility to a Dodgers team that has suffered a slew of injuries, with experience playing shortstop, second base, third base and all three outfield spots, most notably center field.

Kopech, 28, has posted a 4.74 ERA in 43 appearances in his transition to the bullpen this year, striking out 59 and issuing 24 walks in 43⅔ innings.

“A lot of mixed emotions but excitement for a fresh start in my career,” Kopech said. “I’ve heard a lot of great things about the organization over there, especially when it comes to developing pitchers. I am eager to see how things are there.”

Vargas, 24, has slashed .201/.294/.364 with 11 homers in 129 major league games over the past three years and is a seen as a high-upside hitter with defensive limitations. Albertus and Perez, both 19, were obtained out of the international market and had been playing at the Dodgers’ Single-A affiliate together.

Check WagerWeb and find the best online betting site.

Boxing

Derek Chisora stuns Joe Joyce with unanimous victory

Comments Disabled

Derek Chisora defeated Joe Joyce via unanimous decision in London on Saturday in a remarkable upset triumph following 10 grueling rounds between two British rivals.

Joyce was knocked down in the ninth round after taking on a barrage of punches throughout the fight he was largely expected to win.

The result leaves Joyce’s career at a crossroads after three defeats in his last four fights.

Chisora, clearly keen for a brawl, came out swinging from the opening bell, but Joyce absorbed everything and continued to come forward.

The inevitable gripping slugfest everyone had anticipated was soon in motion.

By the fourth round as his shots kept coming, the crowd was well and truly on Chisora’s back, willing him to bite down on his gum shield and continue. He of course duly obliged.

Get all the latest Betting and Sport News updates on your social media outlets.

Whenever it looked as though Joyce may be starting to gain some control, Chisora, 40, came out swinging again and landed clean punch after clean punch.

He proved a tricky target for Joyce, but he was clearly fatigued by round five.

The toll was clear as he collapsed onto his stool at the end of round seven, gasping for air.

Chisora was cheered on by undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, who was barking advice and encouragement from ringside at one stage.

In round nine, the arena stormed to its feet as Joyce was knocked down.

Chisora would have been grateful for the breather more than anything. His experience showed as he danced around the ring to see out the remainder of the fight and score an incredible victory.

In his 10th and potentially final fight at The O2 Arena, there was a warm affection from the London crowd at the end for Chisora, a cult hero of British boxing, as he closes in on 50 professional fights.

Joyce insisted after the fight he will continue, but this was seen as a must win by many.

Chisora, meanwhile, will bask in the glory of his win for some time to come, and will almost certainly want more after another spirited victory.

“I knew he [Joyce] was tough, but Jesus Christ, that guy is tough,” Chisora told his post fight news conference.

“For a couple rounds, I was moving back my legs were just all over the place. But, you know, it was just two big guys in there bro. The whole point is to stay up and just keep moving.

“It was beautiful and tough at the same time. Yeah, it was hard.”

Asked what Usyk was telling him during the fight, Chisora said: “He was saying ‘move, move, move,’ but everybody was telling me to move, bro. I wanted to move but my legs didn’t want to move. They were like ‘nah mother—–.'”

Promoter Frank Warren hailed the efforts of both men and said he’d never seen anything like the clash before.

“So were you entertained or what tonight?” Warren asked his post-fight news conference.

“I didn’t think it would go to distance. I thought that obviously the favorite was Joe. [But] you know, it takes two gladiators to create a fight like that. Both of them, you’ve got to take your hat off to them.

“I thought it was the last two rounds which decided it in Derek’s favour, it was a very close fight, but amazing. Look at their ages … I don’t know how Derek does it, I don’t know how Joe does it.

“They did not miss at each other at times. Every punch they were throwing was connecting.”

Asked what would be next for Joyce after another defeat, Warren said: “It’s too soon [to say]. I’ve said that I felt the loser in this fight would have nowhere to go. But I never predicted or thought it would be a fight like this. I thought it would be competitive, but I didn’t think it would be like this million years.”

Check WagerWeb and find the best online betting site.

Sports

Belal Muhammad wrestles away Leon Edwards’ crown at UFC 304

Comments Disabled

Belal Muhammad’s nickname is “Remember the Name.”

After Saturday night’s triumph, they won’t forget it.

Muhammad stunned Leon Edwards with an authoritative performance that mixed stifling grappling and much-improved striking to win the welterweight championship by unanimous decision Saturday in the main event of UFC 304 at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, England.

The judges scored it 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46.

The fight was a rematch of their 2021 meeting that ended in a no-contest after Muhammad suffered an accidental eye poke and was unable to continue. Muhammad had to wait patiently for the rematch and made good on the opportunity when it finally arrived with a career-defining performance versus the hometown hero who sought to send the fans home happy.

“We have a real champion in Chicago now,” Muhammad said after extending his unbeaten streak to 11.

Get all the latest Betting and Sport News updates on your social media outlets.

UFC president Dana White stated afterward that an immediate rematch between Muhammad and Edwards was unlikely, saying that Saturday’s fight “wasn’t a barnburner.

The fight couldn’t have started any better for Muhammad (24-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC), who wasted little time swooping in and taking Edwards to the canvas. However, Edwards worked his way back to his feet as the Manchester crowd erupted. Edwards went to work with his striking, drilling Muhammad with a knee to the midsection and landing a hard left uppercut. But Muhammad broke through with an uppercut and mixed in a slam for a second takedown to close the round.

It was a stark difference from their previous meeting, in which Edwards (22-4 MMA, 14-3 UFC) methodically picked Muhammad apart in the opening round before the eye poke ended the fight. This time around, it was Muhammad picking apart Edwards. Muhammad also took his grappling to another level, courtesy of having former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov in his camp to help him prepare for the fight.

The Palestinian American started quickly in the second round, matching Edwards in hand speed and eventually taking him down.

Edwards managed to stand up, but Muhammad dumped the champion headfirst on the canvas and quickly took his back. Desperately needing a shift in momentum, Edwards got to his feet and took Muhammad down at the end of the round.

In the third round, Edwards turned the tables on the grappler by securing a takedown and taking Muhammad’s back. The champion tried to lock in a rear-naked choke as Muhammad desperately fought off the attempts for the duration of the round. But that was the only noteworthy moment that Edwards could find in a fight that was solidly in Muhammad’s grasp.

Edwards opened the fourth round stinging Muhammad with a left hook. But Muhammad held his own, landing a combination that got Edwards’ attention before getting another takedown and flipping the script from the previous round. Edwards reversed position with 25 seconds left in the round, but it wasn’t enough to pull the fight even.

With coach Dave Lovell passionately urging him to conclude the fight, Edwards sought a fight-ending sequence to retain his title. But Muhammad kept up the pressure and swarmed in for yet another takedown, his ninth of the fight, and again controlled him for nearly the entire round.

With time running out, Edwards desperately reversed position and blasted Muhammad with an elbow that opened a gaping cut. It was too little, too late. A new champion was to be crowned in hostile territory.

The loss ended Edwards’ 13-fight unbeaten streak, the first blemish on his record in over eight years.

“He said I’m no Khabib [Nurmagomedov] or Georges St-Pierre. I’m Belal Muhammad,” Muhammad said. “I’m my own man. Now the world knows it and sees it, now they have to respect it. I’m a world champion.”

Check WagerWeb and find the best online betting site.

NFL

Dallas Cowboys lose DE Sam Williams for season

Comments Disabled

Before the Dallas Cowboys even held their first padded practice of training camp, they had a blow to their defense with pass rusher Sam Williams suffering a torn ACL in his left knee.

Williams also suffered a partial MCL tear, a source said, and the injuries have ended his season before it started.

Williams was injured during the special teams portion of practice after he was engaged in a blocking drill. He remained down for several minutes as he was attended to by the Cowboys’ medical staff. He could not put any weight on his left leg as he got on a cart and was taken to the locker room.

Get all the latest Betting and Sport News updates on your social media outlets.

After practice, owner and general manager Jerry Jones said, “We didn’t like what we saw,” before Williams headed off for an MRI.

The Cowboys were banking on Williams being a major part of their pass rush behind DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons.

In free agency, Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler Jr. joined former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn with the Washington Commanders.

They combined for 11.5 sacks last year.

Williams has 8.5 sacks in his first two seasons. He was third on the team in sacks with 4.5 in 2023, but he played just 28.3% of the snaps on defense. The Cowboys chose Williams in the second round in 2022 out of Ole Miss.

The Cowboys selected Marshawn Kneeland in the second round this year and have been impressed with his early work in training camp.

“Impressive. Very impressive. Very mature,” coach Mike McCarthy said before Sunday’s practice. “Love his physicality, motor, just like we did during the draft process. He’s off to a good start. He’s very comfortable, picks it up in the classroom. Outward personality, which is important. He’s off to a good start.”

The Cowboys have Viliami Fehoko Jr., Tyrus Wheat and Durrell Johnson as full-time defensive ends at camp, but they did not record a sack last year. Chauncey Golston can play end and tackle and had 1.5 sacks last season.

Check WagerWeb and find the best online betting site.

NBA

Team USA must raise intensity for Paris Olympics

Comments Disabled

After games on three continents and a whirlwind of ceremonies and travel, Team USA has finally arrived in the Olympics’ host city.

And coach Steve Kerr had a corresponding message: It’s time to act like it.

After a sobering film session Thursday that showed clips of some lackadaisical play, Kerr put Team USA through its most aggressive practice since coming overseas, hoping to ignite more spirit ahead of its Olympic opener Sunday versus Serbia.

“That’s what today is about. It’s the reminder. It’s time. We’re here,” Kerr said. “So it’s got to be 40 minutes of force and attention and focus, and we can’t let teams outplay us effort- and energy-wise like we did the other night against Germany, like we did against South Sudan.”

Get all the latest Betting and Sport News updates on your social media outlets.

Kerr specifically felt the team played slowly and didn’t take advantage of its depth in those two matches.

Germany especially was beating the U.S. to loose balls, and the extra possessions were a major factor. The U.S. won by just four points against Germany after surviving three last-second shots to defeat South Sudan.

The Americans are significant favorites in Paris, as usual, but Kerr and the coaching staff are emphasizing how fragile the nature of the Olympic tournament can be. The U.S. could likely afford a loss in the three-game pool play — it had them in 2004 in Athens and 2021 in Tokyo and advanced to the medal round both times — but after that, it’s single-elimination for the gold.

The way Team USA played in London was not the type of energy required for such a reality.

“It’s literally six games and, watching the tape, we’re jogging through some possessions,” Kerr said. “We’re not hitting bodies on boxouts. And so it’s time. It’s time to lock in on that.”

The Americans started their preparation for Serbia by walking through some sets Wednesday. Serbia is a legit threat to win the gold with Nikola Jokic at center and NBA-quality guards.

In the exhibition games, there wasn’t as much attention placed on opponent personnel as Team USA focused on its own operations. But that is at an end as well. Team USA deployed scouts around Europe to watch and evaluate pre-Olympic matches to help prepare game plans.

Kerr, a four-time champion as NBA coach and an assistant on the gold medal-winning team in Tokyo, and his staff are raising their games and expecting the players to follow.

“We have another level. I think we have another two levels that we can get to, but it’s a collaboration always,” Kerr said. “So we can show the strategic stuff on the tape walk-through. We can show them, ‘Let’s do this, let’s do that. Let’s learn personnel.’ We got to know the shooters, know the non-shooters, all that stuff. So that’s where we can help them. Where they can help themselves is just effort and energy play after play, after play. This is different.”

Friday will be a special day as the players will visit the Olympic Village to spend time with their fellow American Olympians. Then they will ride on the Team USA boat for the opening ceremony down the River Seine through the heart of Paris in a truly unique and historic event.

Then it will be all basketball.

“You tend to just stay in the moment and realize this is a special time,” Kevin Durant said Thursday. “It’s just been cool being around all of these great players and seeing ’em in a different element outside of just being competitors. As teammates, you always got that competitive fire.”

Said Kerr: “This should be one of the great experiences of our lives. But the best way to make it an incredible experience is to win a gold medal.”

Check WagerWeb and find the best online betting site.

1 2 3 … 484