Author: Shekari Philemon

Henry Cejudo will make his professional boxing debut against Javon Walton on Sept. 26 at James L. Knight Arena in Miami after the originally scheduled opponent withdrew due to injury, Misfits Boxing announced. Cejudo, a former two-division UFC champion and Olympic gold medalist, will face the 20-year-old best known for playing Ashtray in the HBO series Euphoria, who holds a professional boxing record of 3-0-1 with one knockout. The bout is the main event of the Misfits Boxing card. Cejudo’s original opponent, influencer boxer Nurideen Shabazz, was forced out due to injury. In a statement, Cejudo said the withdrawal did…

Max Verstappen said it would be quite embarrassing if any of the 100 competitors he faces in Wednesday’s go-karting event at Silverstone turns out to be faster than him, but acknowledged the challenge ahead as he prepares to start from the back of the grid with the goal of passing all of them. The four-time Formula 1 champion will begin at the rear of a 101-kart grid, working through the field over 30 laps while the other competitors drive identical karts to keep conditions equal. Rivals come from around the world and include Red Bull athletes, content creators, journalists and…

The US Open men’s final between Alexander Zverev and Ben Shelton averaged 3.2 million on ABC, the largest audience for that match since ESPN’s family of networks began televising the tournament in 2009, ESPN announced Tuesday. The women’s final, won by Elena Rybakina over Aryna Sabalenka, averaged 2.7 million and was up 13 percent from last year. The all-American men’s semifinal between Shelton and Frances Tiafoe averaged 3.1 million, the largest men’s semifinal audience in ESPN’s US Open coverage history. The Shelton-Carlos Alcaraz quarterfinal, the latest-finishing match in US Open history, averaged 1.6 million across the full broadcast. Nearly 967,000…

Attorneys representing the former girlfriend of Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs filed a motion Tuesday to permanently seal discovery materials in his criminal case, citing their client’s privacy interests. Attorneys Ramses Jalalpour and Amir Tahmassebi said in a statement that the motion is consistent with their client’s desire to protect her privacy, particularly in light of him taking responsibility for his actions in the criminal proceeding. The statement identifies the woman as ANM, consistent with how she was identified in the criminal complaint. Brown County Circuit Judge Marc A. Hammer temporarily sealed court materials last Thursday after Jacobs…

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the investigation into the Los Angeles Clippers and Kawhi Leonard is closed, addressed expansion plans for Las Vegas and Seattle, discussed the Lakers’ ownership sale, and spoke about the future of a European NBA league and the incoming WNBA commissioner at a news conference Tuesday following the league’s board of governors meeting. The Clippers case He called the landmark penalty that included suspending owner Steve Ballmer for a year, fining the Clippers $30 million and stripping the franchise of five future first-round picks part of the league’s core responsibility to enforce rules that everyone agrees…

Taj Gibson announced his retirement Monday after 17 seasons in the NBA and will immediately join the Chicago Bulls coaching staff as an assistant under new head coach Tiago Splitter. Gibson wrote on social media that he can honestly say he gave the game everything he had and that he is grateful for every moment, every teammate, every coach and every person who believed in him. Over 17 seasons with Chicago, New York, Minnesota, Washington, Charlotte, Oklahoma City, Memphis and Detroit, he averaged 8.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game. His Chicago connection Gibson spent eight of his…

Ben Shelton is not taking much time off after his run to the US Open final. Less than 24 hours after losing to Alexander Zverev on Sunday, he was confirmed for the United States Davis Cup team that will play the Czech Republic in Prague this week. Shelton will then join Team World for the Laver Cup in London the following weekend. He reached a career-high No. 4 in the ATP rankings on Monday following the US Open final. It will be Shelton’s second Davis Cup appearance and first since the 2024 finals. Also named to the U.S. squad were…

The trade sending Kawhi Leonard from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Toronto Raptors has been finalized after a delay of more than two months, the teams confirmed Monday, with Kawhi Leonard waiving a $7.45 million trade kicker to help the deal clear cap space constraints. The teams initially agreed on June 30, but the trade was paused while the NBA investigated whether cap rules were violated in signing Leonard as a free agent. The investigation concluded earlier this month with severe punishments for the Clippers, including the loss of five future first-round picks, a $30 million fine and a…

Travis Kelce passed Jason Witten to move into second place on the all-time receiving yards list for tight ends Monday night, recording three catches for 71 yards in the Chiefs’ 31-10 win over Denver and finishing with 13,073 in his career. He entered the game needing 44 yards to surpass Witten’s total of 13,046. He reached the milestone in style, with a third-quarter catch against the Broncos’ blitz, breaking a tackle and sprinting 59 yards for the game’s longest reception to that point. He credited the blockers downfield and said he just had to find a way to get to…

Kenneth Walker III ran for a career-high 173 yards and two touchdowns in his Kansas City debut, and Patrick Mahomes scrambled for a 15-yard score in his return from a torn ACL, as the Chiefs opened the season with a 31-10 win over the Denver Broncos on Monday night at Arrowhead Stadium. Walker, the reigning Super Bowl MVP acquired from Seattle in the offseason, and Mahomes, a two-time league MVP returning from a nine-month rehabilitation, combined to give the Chiefs a backfield that produced 26 touches, 191 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns from Walker alone. Kansas City ran the ball…