EXCLUSIVE Boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez makes shock retirement confession ahead of blockbuster Terence Crawford clash
Canelo Alvarez knows exactly who he is when the gloves are on. A champion. A global superstar. The face of boxing.
But the question that lingers now, quietly, persistently, is who he'll be when they come off for good.
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Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
WNBA rookie Paige Bueckers' romance with UConn star Azzi Fudd seemingly confirmed
UConn basketball star Azzi Fudd has appeared to confirm her relationship with ex-teammate Paige Bueckers in a new social media post. Fans have long speculated that the close friends - who spent four seasons playing together for the Huskies - were romantically involved, as Fudd accompanied Bueckers to the WNBA Draft this spring. And Fudd has given the strongest indication yet that the basketball players are indeed an item, as she showed off an extremely telling phone case. Fudd posted a mirror selfie of her getting her hair styled, and fans realized that her phone case read: 'paige bueckers' girlfriend.' Fudd is smiling wide in the Instagram story, though no other explicit mention to Bueckers is made in the post. The pair previously 'hard launched' their relationship in the eyes of some fans after Fudd posted a TikTok of her getting the 'princess treatment' with Bueckers in May. In the short clip, Fudd can be seen mouthing the words, 'How much was it?' after being treated to a $200 meal. Bueckers jokingly crossed her arms in dismay when Fudd said 'that's not bad', after learning the price of the meal. And Fudd captioned the clip: 'Princess treatment every time I'm with her #spoiled.' Fans went wild on social media in response to Fudd's most recent post featuring her Bueckers-themed phone case. 'GOOD F******G MORNING TO ME,' one wrote on X. 'she got tired of being called best friend,' another said. 'and she made sure that IT SHOWS,' a third added. And a fourth said: 'HAPPY PRIDE MONTH.' The incoming fifth-year senior made the trip to New York for Bueckers WNBA Draft Day in May, as she was selected No. 1 overall by the Dallas Wings. And the pair shared an emotional hug after Bueckers heard her name called at The Shed on April 15. Just nine days before, the pair helped lead UConn to an emphatic national championship win over South Carolina, defeating their opponents 82-59. Fudd was extremely impressive in the win, scoring 24 points and hauling in five rebounds, while Bueckers added 17 points and six boards in the win. The 23-year-old is thriving in her debut season in the WNBA as she's averaged 18 points, 4.1 rebounds and 5.8 assists in 10 games thus far. Her Wings will face the Washington Mystics on Sunday.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Briton Yafai stunned by Rodriguez in first pro loss
Galal Yafai's world title ambitions suffered a major setback as the British flyweight was dropped in the final round in a shock points loss to Francisco Rodriguez Jr in in his home city, the 32-year-old Olympic gold medallist was rocked early and struggled to handle the relentless pressure and punch volume from the Mexican in a high-tempo had moments of success and showed resilience, but was repeatedly hurt, notably in the seventh and ninth, before hitting the canvas in the he beat the count, he was clinging on until the end and there was no dispute over the result with scores of 119-108, 119-108 and is defeated for the first time in 10 professional bouts and loses his WBC interim title. Once tipped for a rapid ascent to full world honours, the Tokyo 2020 champion now faces a significant rebuilding job."[Rodriguez] was relentless tonight. Yafai couldn't have got into a worse start but I'm so proud of him," Yafai's promoter, Eddie Hearn, said. Fast start from Rodriguez sets the tone Rodriguez burst out of the blocks, rattling the champion early and buckling Yafai's legs with a sharp left uppercut. Yafai struggled to fully recover as Rodriguez's quick hands continued to find the mark through the early rallied in the fourth, landing clean with his backhand, but was hampered by blood pouring from a cut above his left eye. Rodriguez also suffered a cut later in the Birmingham fighter – who cruised past Sunny Edwards in November – looked second-best throughout, his body language offering little encouragement to the home crowd. He frequently dabbed at the eye and found it difficult to match Rodriguez's had his fired-up corner roaring in the seventh when Yafai was floored, although it was ruled a slip. The damage, however, had already been done earlier in the round, with the 31-year-old away fighter landing a flurry of punches. A crisp straight right and uppercut connected in the eighth, with Yafai showing heart and toughness to stay in the fight. Both men were inspected by doctors before the ninth due to cuts, but it was Rodriguez who continued to dominate, hurting Yafai again as blood stained the referee's the championship rounds, Yafai looked increasingly resigned to his fate. A clean left-right combination dropped him in the 12th. He rose with a wry, deflated smile before moments later leaving the ring without giving a post-fight interview.A world title shot against Japan's unified champion Kenshiro Teraji had seemed within touching distance but instead Yafai's dream of becoming an Olympic and world champion is paused for now."He failed on the hurdle to elite level and that's sometimes what happens. He'd only had nine fights," Hearn added. 'The new Katie Taylor' stars on debut Earlier, Britain's Tiah Mai Ayton announced herself to the professional ranks in style by stopping Hungary's Sara Orszagi in a ferocious "the next Katie Taylor" by Hearn, the 18-year-old super-bantamweight rocked Orszagi with crisp right hands from the opening dropped her in the third, then ended it seconds later with a clean shot. As the referee waved the fight off, a smiling Ayton strutted back to her corner, poking her tongue out to her team."Eddie's been bigging me up, so I had to show what I'm about," said Bristol's Ayton, a flawless 21-0 as an amateur.A beaming Hearn added: "She's born for this. She's built for this. She's a special talent."On a strong night for Matchroom's prospects, Manchester's 2024 Olympian Pat Brown secured his second professional win with a brutal second-round stoppage of Croatia's Ivan Duka. A sharp right hook to the body, followed by a thudding left hook and a crisp left uppercut brought an early end to Duka's 25, will be back in the ring in just two weeks' time on 5 July in on the card, super-bantamweight Peter McGrail earned a hard-fought majority decision over Romania's Ionut Baluta, and British welterweight champion Conah Walker retained his belt with a seventh-round stoppage win over Liam Taylor.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Jasprit Bumrah entered the arena like a gladiator and we stood still in the presence of greatness, writes OLIVER HOLT after India bowler dismantles England's top order at Headingley
The floodlights came on at Headingley in the early afternoon of an oppressive June day, the better to illuminate the scene. It bore its moment in the spotlight, too, because it presaged one of the most gladiatorial entrances of any sport: the arrival of the great fast bowler. When Jasprit Bumrah stood at the top of his mark at the Kirkstall Lane End, everything seemed to stop. The hum of the hordes on the Western Terrace quieted. Even the proud brick houses on Cardigan Road, their attic windows open in the heat, gazed down on the contest. Whatever else happens in this summer of sport, the sight of Bumrah bowling at English batsmen will be one of its highlights. Because you need know little about cricket to recognise when you watch him, and when you watch the effect he has on opponents, that you are in the presence of greatness. Only 86 bowlers have taken more than 200 Test wickets and none have done so at a lower average than Bumrah's 19.4. His slingshot action makes him an enigma, too, difficult to read, difficult to play against. It adds to the compelling nature of the spectacle. The contest between Bumrah and Joe Root, England's best batsman of this era, and perhaps of any era, may yet come to define this five-Test series but the first five-over spell of his visit to England was a wonderful glimpse of the dramas and dangers and alarms and unease that his bowling will plunge England into. Part of the theatre is the idiosyncrasy of his technique. He starts his run-up like a nag, halting and reluctant, not looking like he wants to continue, seeming as if he might give it all up and start again. And then he accelerates into it. And by the time he arrives at the crease, he is almost dancing. Now he's not a nag. He's a Lipizzaner, prancing and snorting, elegant and imperious, the best bowler in the world. 'Bumrah's first half a dozen steps to the crease aren't even running,' former England spinner Phil Tufnell said on Test Match Special. 'He bowls 90mph off about four paces.' The ball's trajectory, coming from behind the perpendicular, makes his deliveries even more difficult to face. Zak Crawley had the misfortune to face him first. He looked trapped before the ball had left Bumrah's right hand. He edged the fourth ball of England's innings past the slips for a four to third man. That was as good as it got for Crawley. Bumrah's sixth ball was a Jaffa. It did Crawley all ends up. The England opener tried to get behind it, tried to fend it off, but it turned him inside out and caught the edge of his bat. It flew straight to Karun Nair at first slip and he caught it without alarm. Only when Mohammed Siraj came on did Duckett and new batsman Ollie Pope find any respite. Facing Siraj felt like freedom compared to facing Bumrah. They loosened up and played their shots. They were in charge. When Bumrah returned, Duckett and Pope were in captivity again. Bumrah's seventh ball was an outswinger. Duckett swiped at it outside his off stump. Bumrah had deceived him. The ball fell just in front of gully. It was an escape. Bumrah's 10th ball was a yorker, a brilliant yorker. His yorker is a thing of legend, a delivery perfected by India's equivalent of kicking a football against a garage door again and again and again to hone technique. Bumrah perfected his yorker as a kid by bowling a cricket ball into the skirting board at his home in Ahmedabad. 'Summers in India can be really hot in the afternoon,' Bumrah told The Guardian earlier this year, 'and parents don't let kids out. I was a hyperactive kid, lots of energy, but my mother would sleep in the afternoon. 'Then I found that if I bowled a ball into the skirting board, it didn't make a sound. So I could bowl without disturbing her. I did not imagine at the time it would develop into a yorker, I really didn't know what one was.' This yorker did not hit a skirting board. It hit Duckett's boot. Bumrah was convinced it was out but the umpire disagreed. India reviewed it. The ball had pitched outside leg. Duckett was reprieved. Bumrah's 14th ball found late swing. Pope flailed at it. It flew at catchable height through the gap where a fourth slip would have been. By the end of the over, Bumrah would be bowling to five slips and a backward point. Four balls later, Bumrah found Duckett's edge again. The ball flew past Yashasvi Jaiswal at gully. If you were to be uncharitable, you would have said it was a drop. India's fielders put their hands on their heads in despair. Bumrah smiled. With the last ball of his fourth over, Bumrah got the better of Duckett yet again. The England opener drove at the ball but could not keep it down and it flew to Ravindra Jadeja at backward point. Jadeja is one of India's best fielders. It was a comfortable chance. To general astonishment, he put the ball down. This time, Bumrah did not smile. He beat the air in frustration. England's torture was almost over. Bumrah's fire finally began to dim. With the last ball of his final over of the spell, Duckett drove him through the covers for four. It was the first time any of England's top three batsmen had looked comfortable in Bumrah's entire opening salvo. It had been a treat, frankly, an opportunity to see the best Test bowler in the world at the top of his game, exhibiting his craft. He could have taken five wickets but one was enough to show us what this summer holds. He did eventually bowl Duckett later in the afternoon. The batsman had almost had his nine lives by then. And a minute or two after 5.30pm, Bumrah bowled his first ball of this series to Root. He found an edge. It did not carry.
