Author: Charles

As we’re approaching the championship months of another year, the boxing schedule is beginning to spark into life just in time for fighters to lobby for their spot in Uncrowned’s year-end awards.

Philadelphia and Sheffield, England take center stage this Saturday as Matchroom Boxing and DAZN serve up a double-header on either side of the Atlantic, headlined by Jaron “Boots” Ennis and Dave Allen — though not fighting each other, thankfully.

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1. Is Jaron ‘Boots’ Ennis at home at 154 pounds?

“Boots” Ennis is the latest in a long line of “future pound-for-pound stars” that Eddie Hearn has attempted to talk into existence.

It’s all about manifestation, as Gen-Z will tell you.

But this one looks like the most likely to stick.

The 28-year-old jumps up to 154 pounds for the first time this weekend, and those around him have repeatedly assured that this will not only be Ennis’ natural home, but also offer him the biggest and best opportunities to dominate the next generation. After all, the three superstars that sit atop the sport’s current pound-for-pound rankings combine to 108 years in age.

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Ennis’ opponent for the WBA interim super welterweight title, Uisma Lima, is underwhelming on paper, but that probably doesn’t matter. The foundations are there for Ennis after graduating from the welterweight division as a depleted but undefeated champion, and this fight is being treated more as a coming-out party than any higher barometer.

Ennis has admitted that he doesn’t know much about Lima — nobody does — but feeling the “healthiest” and “strongest” he has in years, Ennis 2.0 could become the fighter in 2026 many have long predicted.

2. Will the Dave Allen fairytale continue?

It’s fitting that Dave Allen fights in his biggest career outing on the weekend after Ricky Hatton’s funeral.

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Hatton thought of Allen as a mate, vice versa, and both men showed an ability to tap into the heads and hearts of British fight fans in their own unique way.

“The White Rhino” would, rightfully, wince at any true comparison with the Mancunian great, but expect a similar atmosphere inside the Sheffield Arena this weekend to those that became so synonymous in Manchester during Hatton’s reign.

I wrote in length about the feeling of a Groundhog Day with a difference for Allen this weekend, as he once again looks to smash through his own heavyweight glass ceiling.

A win over Arslanbek Makhmudov would be another fairy-tale night for Allen, but not necessarily a fairy-tale ending. Deontay Wilder and Anthony Joshua’s names have been cited in reference to what could be around the corner for Allen — bouts that were simply unthinkable 12 months ago.

3. Should we still be scared of Arslanbek Makhmudov?

The Arslanbek Makhmudov mask might be slipping.

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First, we saw him stopped to the body by Agit Kabayel in 2023, then we saw him defeated by Italian gatekeeper Guido Vianello in 2024, and finally — perhaps most shockingly — we saw him speaking quite courteously to Dave Allen this fight week.

That’s not what we signed up for when we all paid for our Makhmudov subscription.

He’s been painted as this superhuman, bear-wrestling, monster-punching behemoth over the past few years, but what if he’s just a gentle giant?

Thankfully, it won’t be me finding out — Allen is the man tasked with slaying whatever is left of Makhmudov’s facade.

4. What does Reece Bellotti have left?

At age 34, this weekend is make-or-break for Reece Bellotti. He’s said it himself — another loss, and retirement might be the only road left to walk.

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July brought heartbreak. Ryan Garner stopped the Watford fighter in the final round, snatching away what looked for so long like a hard-earned resurgence, and it’s impossible to tell how much that loss took out of the “Bomber.”

Bellotti now has six losses on his record in just 26 bouts. Up next is Josh Padley, whose story, by comparison, is only just starting after he packed up his tools to concentrate on the sport full time.

Padley is younger, fresher, on the way up — everything that Bellotti is not, and his team might need reminding of this if their charge gets into hot water on Saturday night in Sheffield, England.

5. Can 41-year-old Victor Postol pick up another trinket?

Did anyone have Victor Postol fighting for the vacant IBO International super lightweight title in Kyiv on their 2025 bingo card?

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Just me? OK.

The 41-year-old’s career looked to be coming to an abrupt halt following three back-to-back-to-back losses at the hands of Jose Ramirez, Gary Antuanne Russell and Elvis Rodriguez. But 2025 signaled a return to his war-torn motherland of Ukraine, and now Postol fights on out of defiance in more ways than one.

Postol takes on 32-year-old Spaniard Alejandro Moya in a scheduled 10-rounder on Saturday night inside Kyiv’s Sport Palace. (Live on Kyivstar TV!)

The card will also feature six fights involving Ukrainian servicemen, including an official boxing match between veterans in wheelchairs.

Ducey’s prediction: The Tigers will move on to the ALCS behind the arm of Tarik Skubal.

Oct 10, 2025 • 15:45 ET

• 4 min read

The Detroit Tigers have successfully pushed this series to a deciding fifth game with a commanding win over the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday, and now they’ll have the opportunity to advance to the ALCS if their ace can continue to shove.

My Tigers vs. Mariners predictions explain why Seattle’s arms will ultimately fall short in what should be a thrilling Game 5.

Without further ado, let’s hand out some MLB picks for Friday, October 10.

Tigers vs Mariners Game 5 predictions

Who will win Tigers vs Mariners Game 5

The Tigers will have the easy job here — get a few runs on the board for Tarik Skubal. The Mariners, meanwhile, will be deploying an unknown pitching plan that will likely feature some up-and-down mid-rotation guys. Detroit’s offense hasn’t been great in this series, but Seattle’s has been equally bad. I think the Tigers eke this one out behind their ace.

Tigers vs Mariners best bet

Tigers moneyline (-135)

October isn’t usually a time where offenses thrives, so perhaps we shouldn’t make a mountain out of both these teams hitting .218 and .219, respectively. With that said, the Detroit Tigers have looked like a slightly better group at the plate with a 9.2% walk rate and 0.35 strikeout to walk ratio this postseason, which is fifth among the 12 teams to play this month.

Detroit has at least been able to get some baserunners, and while this Seattle Mariners staff hasn’t walked a ton of guys, it hasn’t seemed to matter. The Tigers walked four times against Luis Castillo in Game 2 of this series with just three strikeouts, and it would seem they’ll see Castillo again here — albeit behind George Kirby in the most likely scenario.

The expected numbers haven’t indicated any sort of bad luck for the Tigers, but this is a team which ran the bases well in the regular season. While they finished on a sour note at the plate. this team does possess a ton of power.

They rank 12th against fly-ball pitchers this year as opposed to 28th against ground-ballers, which is crucial given Kirby and Castillo both pitch to a ton of fly balls — much like their teammates.

Kirby hasn’t been one of my favorite starters with a high .257 expected batting average and a ton of quality contact against him, and it’s been his strikeout and walk numbers which have taken him through games. He’s also leaned on his home park, where he has quality 3.38 ERA, but that may not be good enough with Tarik Skubal on the bump for the Tigers.

Other than Jorge Polanco’s two solo homers in Game 2, nobody has really been able to touch the lefty this postseason. He’s allowed just eight hits in 14 2/3 frames with 23 strikeouts and four walks, and only one of those came against Seattle, which has shown it will swing early and often.

The Tigers have an excellent matchup here with two fly-ball pitchers projected to throw, and there’s no doubt their pitching plan is superior with Skubal able to throw deep into games. You’ve got to love the road favorites.

Tigers vs Mariners Game 5 same-game parlay (SGP)

There are two men I clearly want to highlight here — the first of whom is an overlooked superstar in this league.

Riley Greene has been a machine this postseason, batting .259 with a hit in all but two of his seven games and a beefy .265 xBA and .593 expected slugging. He’s mashed righties to the tune of a .276 average this season, and did also favor fly-ballers over ground-ballers.

Jorge Polanco’s success against Skubal also can’t be overlooked. He’s now 9-for-29 lifetime with a .280 xBA in his 29 at-bats — and he’s also walked in none to just five strikeouts which should mean the ball’s coming back into play here.

He’s been quiet since Game 2, but now he’ll face his old friend.

Tigers vs Mariners SGP

• Tigers moneyline
• Riley Greene 1+ hits
• Jorge Polanco 1+ hits

Tigers vs Mariners home run pick for Game 5

Dillon Dingler (+700)

I’ve been on Dillon Dingler to homer in every game this series, and he’s come painstakingly close. He flew out to the track early in Game 4 and has now compiled a .465 xSLG and stellar 46.7% hard-hit rate in 15 at-bats to stand as the most dangerous home run weapon on this team at the moment. 

Homers are hard to come by at T-Mobile, but there’s an incredible amount of value to be found here. The guy keeps scorching the ball.

Tigers vs Mariners Game 5 odds

• Moneyline: Detroit -135 | Seattle +115
• Run line: Detroit -1.5 | Seattle +1.5
• Over/Under: Over 6 | Under 6

Tigers vs Mariners trend

The Tigers have covered the F5 run line in 12 of their last 18 away games (+5.05 Units / 23% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for Tigers vs. Mariners.

How to watch Tigers vs Mariners and Game 5 info

Tigers vs Mariners latest injuries

Tigers vs Mariners weather

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Jose Iglesias has been suspended one game and Xander Bogaerts has been fined an undisclosed amount by MLB for their actions towards umpires following Game 3 of the San Diego Padres’ wild card round loss to the Chicago Cubs.

[Yahoo Sports TV is here! Watch live shows and highlights 24/7]

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After eight innings of getting shut down, the Padres got on the board in the ninth with a solo homer from Jackson Merrill. The next batter, Bogaerts, worked the count full against reliever Brad Keller, whose payoff pitch was tracked as a ball.

Bogaerts certainly seemed to think it was a ball, as he started walking across home plate before home plate umpire D.J. Reyburn punched him out. Bogaerts then had words for Reyburn and was briefly joined by Padres manager Mike Shildt before walking to the dugout.

That call wound up being pretty significant. Keller hit the next two batters to put two runners on base with one out and a two-run lead. Had Bogaerts reached base, it would’ve been bases loaded and no outs. At that point, Andrew Kittredge entered the game for Keller and got the next two batters out, ending the Padres’ season with a 3-1 Cubs win.

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The following day, a video surfaced of Bogaerts and Iglesias getting in a heated confrontation with Reyburn as the latter exited the field through the San Diego dugout at Wrigley Field.

Bogaerts was still upset about the call after confronting Reyburn, telling the San Diego Union-Tribune he was grateful for the advent of ABS:

“Talk about it now: What do you want me to do?” Bogaerts said. “It’s a ball. Messed up the whole game, you know? I mean, can’t go back in time and talking about it now won’t change anything. So it was bad, and thank God for ABS next year, because this is terrible.”

Barring an appeal, Iglesias will serve his suspension during the first 2026 regular season game he is considered an active player on an MLB roster. Currently scheduled to become a free agent, he may end up sitting out with a new team.

Keith Thurman will have to wait even longer for a super welterweight title fight.

WBC super welterweight champion Sebastian Fundora has sustained a hand injury, forcing him out of his Oct. 25 title defense against former unified welterweight champion Thurman.

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Fundora and Thurman were scheduled to clash in the featured bout of a Premier Boxing Champions pay-per-view event on Amazon Prime Video from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The event has been cancelled due to Fundora’s injury, Uncrowned confirmed Friday. Fundora vs. Thurman and the WBC super featherweight title fight between O’Shaquie Foster and Stephen Fulton will be rescheduled for a later date.

Ironically, it was Tim Tszyu and Keith Thurman who were supposed to headline PBC’s first pay-per-view event on Prime in 2024, however Thurman withdrew from the event around 10 days prior due to injury. On that occasion, it was Fundora who stepped in on short notice to replace Thurman and upset Tszyu.

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Thurman has since beaten Tszyu as well — a win that has rekindled his career at the world level.

Now it is Fundora who is injured and Thurman left without a dance partner, but the show will not go on this time.

The fight would’ve marked a third title defense for Fundora in 2025. “The Towering Inferno” stopped Chordale Booker early this past March and dominated Tim Tszyu for an eighth-round finish in their July rematch on the undercard of Manny Pacquiao vs. Mario Barrios. Also in March, Thurman ended a three-year layoff with a knockout win over Brock Jarvis in Sydney, Australia.

Vicente Luque says welterweight will be a rude awakening for Joel Alvarez.

World Cup 2026: Senegal humiliate South Sudan and stay on course

Senegal showed no nerves. Facing South Sudan this Friday, the Lions of Teranga put on an attacking masterclass to secure a commanding 5-0 victory, reaffirming their position as leaders of Group B in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

The Senegalese side took control from the opening half. Ismaïla Sarr broke the deadlock in the 29th minute, before Sadio Mané—once again rising to the occasion—doubled the lead right after the break (46’). Ismaïla Sarr, in brilliant form, then bagged his brace (54’).

Nicolas Jackson converted a penalty won by Sadio Mané (60’), before Chérif Ndiaye put the finishing touch on the game (75’). A resounding and flawless victory that showcased Senegal’s dominance from start to finish.

Thanks to this triumph, Senegal now boasts 21 points, still leading the group ahead of DR Congo. Unbeaten since the start of the campaign, the Lions head into their final fixture against Mauritania, scheduled for October 14, with just one mission: to definitively secure their ticket to the 2026 World Cup.

A number of former boxing world champions were among the thousands of people who paid tribute to “people’s champion” Ricky Hatton at his funeral in Manchester on Friday.

Former world heavyweight champions Tyson Fury and Frank Bruno, former world featherweight champion Barry McGuigan and two-weight world champion Amir Khan were also among those who paid their respects.

The former champions mingled with celebrities at the service to remember a down-to-earth local hero who never changed despite fighting his way to fame and fortune.

“He was a fantastic fighter, one of the best out there, Khan said.

“He obviously inspired so many fighters like us.

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“He’ll be definitely remembered as one of the greatest to come out of Britain. (He was) very jolly, very fun, a very respected person and very nice. He was always a people’s champion.

“It’s great to be here to see so many of the boxing community come together to show our respect. Hundreds on the streets – that shows he was a popular man.”

McGuigan said Hatton always led by example during his ascent from a highly promising amateur to a world champion who led thousands of supporters to Las Vegas for epic battles with the likes of Floyd Mayweather and Jose Luis Castillo.

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Referencing the large turn-out of fans, many clad in the light blue of Hatton’s beloved Manchester City, McGuigan said: “It’s amazing but it’s not surprising to me because he was such a star, such a great human being.

“I’m up here with my two boys because he demands the respect that a hero in boxing demands. He’s an amazing guy, and he was a phenomenal fighter, just incredible. He brought people together.”

Former world cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew revealed how Hatton inspired him to fight his way up the rankings and ultimately achieve his lifelong dream.

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“For someone who rose to the levels of Ricky Hatton and to remain just one of the normal people, is unbelievable,” he said.

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“The best memory I have was going to the gym, watching him train for the first time. I was an amateur boxer at the time, just won the ABA title. I watched him train.

“I’ve watched thousands of fighters train over the years, hundreds of thousands, but after watching him, it’s the only fighter I’ve ever thought of and been in awe of them and thought, ‘that’s the standard’.

“An unbelievable person, an unbelievable father and person, always a laugh. He was usually the worst dressed, but he’d still find a way to tear the back out of you.”

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Myles Turner says coming so close to a championship last year made him that much hungrier to win it all.

In that regard, Turner made an interesting decision when he left the Indiana Pacers in free agency to sign a four-year, $108.9 million contract with the Milwaukee Bucks. His former team beat his new team in the first round of the playoffs each of the last two seasons.

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His change of address isn’t changing his expectations.

“There’s so many years you felt like that was such a long shot, to get there,” the 6-foot-11 center said. “Now that I’ve actually experienced it and know what it’s like to be in that room, be so close, it’s something that drives me more now.”

Turner cites the Bucks’ championship background from winning the 2021 title. The only current Bucks players who were part of that championship team are two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis and Thanasis Antetokounmpo.

“Being in an organization that’s done it before, I understand what their mentality is and what they want to get back to,” Turner said. “The fact we share similar mindsets is everything.”

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The Bucks made a big bet on Turner as they attempted to get younger and more athletic. They’re trying to bounce back from three straight first-round postseason exits and show they’re still capable of contending.

Giannis Antetokounmpo believes Turner’s arrival should help in that regard.

“I am very, very excited that he’s on the team,” Antetokounmpo said. “He’s one of the bigs that I feel like, we could fit so well together. I think he gives our team so much depth. He’s one of the best bigs in the league. He can shoot. He can take you off the dribble. Great defender. I feel he’s an unbelievable guy in the locker room, very high-character guy. I’m very, very excited for him. I think that was an incredible and great move by the Bucks.”

It certainly was a bold move.

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The Bucks created the cap room to sign Turner by waiving seven-time all-NBA guard Damian Lillard and agreeing to pay him just over $20 million over the next five seasons via the NBA’s stretch provision. Lillard isn’t expected to play this season after tearing his Achilles tendon in Milwaukee’s playoff loss to Indiana.

Bucks officials said they were willing to absorb the long-term financial hindrance that came from waiving Lillard and stretching his contract if it enabled them to land a player of Turner’s caliber.

“Myles has been someone who’s been at the top of our board for a long time, in terms of where he’s at in his career age-wise, style of play,” general manager Jon Horst said.

Turner was vacationing in Hawaii as everything came together. He would be changing teams for the first time after spending 10 seasons with the Pacers.

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“I had a chance to reach out to everybody on the (Pacers) team through our group message and what not,” Turner said. “It’s kind of bitter, you know what I mean? You go through war with these guys. These guys are your brothers, and you don’t realize that’s the last bus ride you’re going to have with these guys. You don’t realize it’s the last meal you’re going to share with these guys, that stuff. Unfortunately, it is a business. That’s something I’ve learned over the years.”

Turner never made an All-Star team during his decade with the Pacers, but he developed into a reliably versatile big man who combines rim protection with 3-point shooting. That makes him an ideal replacement for Brook Lopez, who signed with the Los Angeles Clippers after spending seven seasons in Milwaukee.

The 29-year-old Turner is eight years younger than Lopez. He’s a two-time NBA blocked shots leader who has a career average of 14.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.

He had 15.6 points per game last season while making a career-high 156 3-pointers.

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“Hopefully we can get him even more 3’s this year,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “I felt one of the things that Myles is really going into is he punishes switches. If you switch a guard on him, he’s going to go and put his head under the basket and punish you for it. I think that’s something we want to use.”

Rivers also noted that the Pacers seemed to have positioned on the elbow in a passing role more often than before last season. Rivers expects to use him that way as well.

“I think there are parts of my game I’ll be able to embrace more now, that I haven’t been able to embrace in the past,” Turner said. “I think I might be asked to do more now than I’ve done in the past.”

The Bucks will need Turner to produce at that level if they’re going to get back to competing for titles.

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“At the end of the day, Myles really, really wants to win,” Horst said. “He was right there on the verge of doing it. He tasted that and wants it more than anything. He chose us for the opportunity to do that.”

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

Is Bill Belichick’s coaching career coming to an end?

College football season in Chapel Hill took a turn for the worse last Saturday, when UNC lost 38-10 to preseason ACC favorite Clemson.

Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo spoke with reporters before practice on Thursday, reflecting on the last drive of the Week 5 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.