Claudio Braga and Stephen Kingsley were on target as resurgent Hearts won 2-0 away to misfiring Falkirk to move six points clear at the top of the William Hill Premiership.
Tag: boxing
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Jake Paul Is ‘Ready to Die’ Fighting Anthony Joshua on Netflix
Photo: Eva Marie Uzcategu/Getty Images for Netflix
Jake Paul is being very emo in his pre-bout trash talk. “I want him to cut me up, I want him to break my face,” he said of upcoming opponent Anthony Joshua, “but guess what, he’s gonna have to kill me to stop me, and I’m ready to die. Seriously, ready to die in the ring to win this fight.” Do you still technically win a fight if you’re dead? Sure there’s that ancient Greek wrestler, but that story seems apocryphal at best. TMZ reported the press conference, held ahead of their December 19 fight in Miami.
Paul was originally scheduled to fight WBA lightweight champ Gervonta “Tank” Davis last Friday, but that match was called off after Davis was accused of intimate partner violence in a lawsuit. It’s a big change for Paul, who had been expecting to box against someone much smaller than him in an exhibition match. He’s now going into a sanctioned heavyweight fight against someone bigger and more experienced than him. Joshua is a former Olympic gold medalist and two-time unified heavyweight champion.
Joshua is on-board with Paul’s plan of getting his face broken. “If I’m being honest, I’m going to break his face,” he said, “I’m going to break his body up, I’m going to stomp all over him.”
You can watch this all-over stompage live on Netflix, by the by. The pair will face off at Kaseya Center in Miami. The live-streamed fight is scheduled for eight 3-minute rounds. Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, doesn’t like Paul’s odds. “They say be careful what you wish for, kind of feel like that’s all I need to say,” Hearn said in a statement obtained by ESPN. “Two of the biggest names in the sport will collide on Dec 19. Whilst I admire Jake’s balls, he’s going to find out the hard way in Miami.”
Bethy Squires
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Scorecard: Australia vs England, first Ashes Test
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Alleged plot to bribe a juror with $100,000 upends former heavyweight boxer’s NYC drug trial
NEW YORK — Three men were arrested Monday for allegedly trying to pay up to $100,000 in cash to a juror at the Brooklyn drug trial of a former heavyweight boxer, leading a judge to abruptly dismiss the jury as it was about to hear opening statements.
John Marzulli, a spokesperson for federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, said an anonymous jury will be chosen when the trial of Goran Gogic resumes in a month.
Gogic, of Montenegro, was set to stand trial for allegedly conspiring to smuggle 20 tons (18.1 metric tons) of cocaine to Europe from Colombia through U.S. ports using commercial cargo ships. He has pleaded not guilty. His lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Law enforcement officials have described Gogic as a “major drug trafficker” and said he operated on a “mammoth scale.”
A former heavyweight boxer, Gogic fought professionally in Germany from 2001 to 2012, compiling a 21-4-2 record, according to boxing website Sport & Note. He was listed as 6-foot-5 (1.96 meters) and weighed in at anywhere from 227 pounds (103 kilograms) to 250 pounds (113 kilograms).
In a criminal complaint in Brooklyn federal court, an FBI agent wrote that the bribery scheme unfolded between Thursday and Sunday.
According to the court papers, one of the men charged in the plot — Mustafa Fteja — already knew a juror described in the complaint as “John Doe #1” and called him multiple times on his cellphone Thursday before the juror agreed to meet him in Staten Island.
During the meeting, which took place Thursday, Fteja told the juror that associates in the Bronx were willing to pay him to return a not guilty verdict, the complaint said.
Two days later, Fteja told the juror during a second meeting that they were willing to pay him between $50,000 and $100,000 to corrupt the trial, the complaint said.
It was not immediately clear who will represent Fteja and two others accused in the alleged jury tampering scheme when they appear in court later Monday.
According to the complaint, investigators secured several recorded conversations of the defendants planning the juror corruption plot as the men spoke in Albanian and English.
At his trial, Gogic is charged with violating and conspiring to violate the Maritime Drug Law Enforcement Act. If convicted, he faces a sentence of 10 years to life in prison.
According to prosecutors, Gogic and his co-conspirators worked with the ships’ crew members to smuggle cocaine in shipping containers, hoisting loads of the drug from speedboats that approached the cargo vessels along their route, including near ports in Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
Three shipments were intercepted by U.S. law enforcement agents, prosecutors said, including 1,437 kilograms (3,168 pounds) of cocaine aboard the MSC Carlotta at the Port of New York and New Jersey in February 2019 and 17,956 kilograms (39,586 pounds) of cocaine — with a street value of over $1 billion — aboard the MSC Gayane at the Port of Philadelphia in June 2019.
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Checkmate or knockout: The sport of chess boxing combines brains and brawn
When we first heard about chess boxing, we thought it was a joke. Chess boxing? Could it really be a thing? Turns out, it is, and it’s just what it sounds like: alternate rounds of chess and boxing. You can win by knockout or checkmate – whichever comes first. Don’t laugh – this odd couple made it to the Paris Olympics as an exhibition match. Russia is the reigning champ. But this year an upstart American team swung for the medals. Still think we’re kidding? Come with us to the World Chessboxing Championships in Serbia.
It’s a quiet September Sunday in Loznica, a sleepy Balkan town in western Serbia. But inside the local sports arena, the bells are ringing for a different reason.
The German comes out fast, jabbing and punching. He batters his Russian rival until a roundhouse sends him down. Fighters from 18 countries are here trying to knock each other’s heads off. There’s the bell. But wait, now the fighters strip off their gloves and sit down – it’s chess time. Competitors have three minutes to vanquish their enemy on the board. If they don’t, it’s back to the slugfest for three more minutes. It’s gloves on, gloves off – until checkmate, knockout or judge’s decision.
This is chess boxing, where knuckle meets nerd.
Bill Whitaker: When you first heard about it, did you know that it was a real sport?
Matt Thomas: No, I thought it was, like a “Saturday Night Live” skit. It was so absurd to me that someone would combine these two things.
60 Minutes
Bill Whitaker: I have to admit when I first heard about it, I laughed. It sounds crazy.
Matt Thomas: It’s the best thing about the sport. Chess is battle on a- on a board. And boxing is chess with my body. So when someone combined those two I was like, “Yes, here’s my yin and yang. Here’s what I was made for.”
Matt Thomas: Ladies and gentleman, chess boxing fans around the world thank you for being here
Matt Thomas is a chess boxing evangelist and coach of Team USA. He’s built a squad of 15 American contenders from all walks of life: there’s the lawyer, a Cornell math major, a military veteran. In 2018, Thomas became the first American to compete for a world chess boxing title.
Bill Whitaker: And you won.
Matt Thomas: And I won. Which the person who was the most surprised about that was me.
Bill Whitaker: So did you win by hook or by rook?
Matt Thomas: Good question. It was actually by rook, yeah.
Thomas dropped out of law school and went all in. He’s a promoter, commentator and fundraiser for a sport hardly anyone has heard of. No wonder. Chess boxing started out life in a French graphic novel. It was pure fiction until 2003 when it turned into fact at a real-life match in Berlin. It was an instant hit, especially in Russia. Now America is catching up, one fighter at a time.
William Graif: I had the body of a chess player. I was just like a scrawny kid, you know.
Meet William “Gambit Man” Graif, a New York State chess champ. He’s been playing competitive chess since the age of five. We saw his take-no-prisoners approach when he demolished four of us at once – just for fun
Bill Whitaker: “How’d I get into this horrible position?”
Bill Whitaker: “Checkmate”
William Graif: “Checkmate”
Graif told us he added 30 pounds of muscle to become a chess boxer. He’s still only 160 pounds.
Bill Whitaker: Are you scared in any way?
William Graif: I would be a little crazy not to be terrified.
60 Minutes
Bill Whitaker: But why are you willingly deciding to step into a ring where you can get your head beaten in?
William Graif: Yeah, you sound like my mother. One of the things is sorta the opportunity to tell my story here, of, like, a kid who played chess growing up throughout school and was to an extent ridiculed and ostracized.
Bill Whitaker: For being a scrawny chess player?
William Graif: Exactly. Ok, you know I’ve been doing chess for a very long time. What better time to sort of try something new and challenge myself?
Like his teammates, Graif paid his own way to get here. There’s no prize money in chess boxing – just the warmth of your country’s flag. Matt Thomas told us that was enough to unite his ragtag team against the 800-pound gorilla: Russia.
Matt Thomas: We’re by far the underdogs. We’re coming in with the red, white and blue, trying to upset people. You know, no one thinks we’re gonna do well. No one thinks we’re gonna win.
Bill Whitaker: The Russians are the best
Matt Thomas: By a long shot, yeah so-
Bill Whitaker: But why? What makes them so good?
Matt Thomas: They have it in over 500 schools and universities –
Bill Whitaker: Really?
Matt Thomas: – where kids are growing up with chess boxing. It is their sport, their focus.
Matt Thomas: Making his chess boxing world championship debut, Wayne Clark:
Wayne “GodKing” Clark was about to run into that Russian machine. A former Harlem Globetrotter, Clark traded hoops for the ring 11 years ago. He’s got the stare down perfected. His chess? A work in progress.
60 Minutes
We first met GodKing in Times Square, where he’d taken out a billboard to drum up interest in the sport. Clark told us he had one uncle who was a boxer and another who was a chessmaster.
Wayne Clark: And the next thing you know the chess board would roll out, and they would be playing chess till one and two o’clock in the morning. And I was just always around it. So when I heard of chess boxing I knew I was destined for it, yeah.
Bill Whitaker: So chess and boxing are part of your family’s DNA?
Wayne Clark: Absolutely
Bill Whitaker: And have you seen this becoming more popular? More well known?
Wayne Clark: Yes, you know, we’ve actually are doing a chess boxing tour in schools right now. So we started this last year. And then the hope was that we can grow that all throughout the United States and introduce it to students, brains and brawn, and how they both work together.
In Serbia, we watched on the big screen as Clark made his opening moves. The chess boxing crowd cheers as loudly for a captured queen as an uppercut. And they’re not shy with advice.
Clark knew he had to win at boxing. But in the ring, his mojo deserted him. There was more wrestling than boxing. The Russian coach spurred his fighter on. Without a knockout, it was back to the board. Headsets on to block out coaching from the crowd. Clark tried valiantly to fend off the Russian attack. Too late. Checkmate.
Bill Whitaker: How you feeling right now?
Wayne Clark: I didn’t do my game plan. I didn’t stick to my game plan at all. I wasn’t the Wayne Clark I know I am in boxing at all.
Bill Whitaker: Is this harder than you thought it would be?
Wayne Clark: The chess, yeah. The boxing was just stupid errors. I take fully accountability for that
Through 75 fights, Russia won victory after victory. But there were other contenders too. We saw knockdowns and knockouts. There was a little blood, a lot of sweat, but no tears. We saw fighters who flexed and grizzled veterans who tried. We saw nervous newbies and women fighters who pulled no punches.
Matt Thomas: Immediately a knockdown to start the fight by France
Then it was show-time for chess master William Graif. Coach Matt Thomas told us chess players may look meek, but they’re cutthroats.
60 Minutes
Matt Thomas: Those guys are Mike Tyson, but in the head. They want to tear you apart and make you doubt yourself and want to quit. In the same way that a boxer would pick someone apart, they’re picking you apart with their brain.
In his first match, Graif shredded his french opponent.
Matt Thomas: Checkmate on the board William Graif!
Now, he was facing a German champion.
Graif attacked, lightning-fast chess moves setting him up for the win. When they got to the ring, Graif channeled his inner Rocky and let loose with a flurry of punches. But it wasn’t enough. He lost on points.
William Graif: I am really proud that I did this. I’m really proud of the way I went out. I’d do it all over again.
As Iron Mike Tyson once said – everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.
Matt Thomas: Most people on the surface when they hear about chess boxing they think that the battleground is the chess board or the boxing ring. And it is. You have to be good at both. But the real battlefield is the minute in between rounds.
Thomas told us the best chess boxers learn how to control their breathing to switch from a high-octane fight to cold calculation.
Matt Thomas: So the more that you can down regulate, lower your heart rate, dump the adrenaline out of your system, and let your amygdala chill out for a round – the more of your potential chess strength you’re gonna be using in the chess round.
Bill Whitaker: So this transition- this is key?
Matt Thomas: Key. It’s still to this day a competitive advantage that I think Team USA has over the rest of the world. Not as many people are putting as much time, effort and preparation into the minute in between rounds.
Halfway through the tournament, the scrappy underdogs of Team USA had two gold medals.
But the Russian march to first place continued.
Peter Zhukov: We are this great rival for everybody.
60 Minutes
Peter Zhukov is a Russian businessman and the founder of the Russian Chess Boxing Federation. He told us chess and boxing are hard-wired into Russia’s history.
Peter Zhukov: In Soviet old school Russian boxing gyms they would play chess after boxing training. They would just do it to develop certain qualities in their fighters. They played chess and checkers.
Bill Whitaker: To work a different part of your mind?
Peter Zhukov: Yeah
Zhukov was ringside for the last and most coveted title of the championships: the super heavyweight final. no surprise to see a Russian fighter here. His challenger?
Matt Thomas: Hailing from the United States of America, James Canty III
Michigan’s James Canty was the last American standing. A professional chess player, Canty has been boxing for only two years. He was up against a brawler with years in the ring. Canty knew the Russian would be looking for his head. The Russian charged, lashing out with a punishing right hook. Canty danced and dodged, taking blow after blow.
But he hung on.
And on.
And then in the third round of chess – checkmate. James Canty III had beaten the odds to become the new super heavyweight chess boxing champion of the world.
He needed a chair.
60 Minutes
Bill Whitaker: It’s like when you went back in for that second round –
James Canty: Yeah
Bill Whitaker: It’s like the longest three minutes you ever went through
James Canty: Of my life, bro. Longest three minutes of my life. I ain’t gonna lie.
Bill Whitaker: But you took a lickin’ and kept on tickin’
James Canty: I did.
Bill Whitaker: You did
James Canty: I did and I’m a world champ
Bill Whitaker: And you’re a world champ.
Coach Matt Thomas was giddy with excitement.
Matt Thomas: I couldn’t be prouder
James Canty: Thank you
Matt Thomas: I mean to have a USA Russia final to close out the seventh chess boxing world championship and to beat Russia for a gold –
Matt Thomas: Let’s go baby!
Russia blitzed the medals for first place, but Team USA took nine – enough for second, surprising everyone. Already hyped for next year’s slugout, they were going home on a high.
Matt Thomas: I love a happy ending, don’t you?
Produced by Heather Abbott. Associate producer, Paulina Smolinski. Broadcast associate, Mariah Johnson. Edited by Warren Lustig.
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Inside a chess boxing bout, where brain meets brawn | 60 Minutes
Chess boxing, a sport testing both brains and brawn, has been steadily rising in popularity. It’s been a big hit in Russia, with the U.S. now catching up, one fighter at a time.
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Prizefighter Christy Martin on facing her biggest battle outside of the ring
[This story previously aired on June 26, 2021. It was updated on Nov. 8, 2025.]
Opponents feared boxer Christy Martin in the ring. However, it was at home where she fought her biggest battle – the one for her life
Christy Martin was a worldwide sensation in the boxing ring and was even on the cover of Sports Illustrated. She won 49 fights and was heading for 50. Away from the ring, however, Martin says she faced a different fight because her husband and trainer, Jim Martin, was abusive and controlling.
“I keep thinking of the people who will watch this and say, ‘How does a woman who’s so powerful … how is she not able to stand up for herself at home,’” asks correspondent David Begnaud.
“I know that people think that. But I didn’t have the same type of mental strength to overtake him,” Martin responds.
When Christy Martin finally tried to end the marriage – she says Jim went on the attack, beating and stabbing her, before pulling a gun. Moments later, he fired one shot into her chest, missing her heart by just inches.
Christy Martin survived that day in their Florida home. Jim Martin would then go on trial for attempted murder. Jim Martin’s attorney maintained it was Christy who attacked her husband, not the other way around.
“The way Jim described it … Christie …was extremely aggressive.,” defense attorney Bill Hancock tells Begnaud. “He was constantly afraid of physical attacks by her.”
Getty Images
Prosecutors also wondered whether a jury would believe that a celebrated boxer would be beaten by her husband.
“She became famous beatin’ the hell out of people,” Begnaud comments to prosecutor Deborah Barra. “So — it’s pretty plausible that she might beat the hell out of her husband.”
“Absolutely,” Barra replies, but she says it’s not that simple.
“I think it’s a remarkable story because you have a world-famous champion boxer and she could still be in a domestic violence relationship, because that isn’t about physical strength. It’s about mental abuse.”
What would the jury believe?
The Coal Miner’s Daughter
On Sept. 5, 2025, Christy Martin walked the red carpet with one of the biggest stars in Hollywood, Sydney Sweeney, who plays Christy in the film about her life.
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CHRISTY MARTIN (to reporter on the red carpet): You know it was one thing to be in a Tyson fight. It’s another thing to be at a premiere with Sydney Sweeney.
Nearly 15 years earlier, life was very different for Christy.
On April 24, 2012, in a courtroom in Orlando, Florida, boxing champion Christy Martin boldly faced down her fiercest opponent yet: her ex-husband, James Martin.
PROSECUTOR RYAN VESCIO [in court]: What was the thought that went through your mind when you saw the defendant with that knife in the bedroom?
CHRISTY SALTERS-MARTIN: I said to him, “are you gonna kill me?”
David Begnaud: The last time you had seen Jim, he’s standing over you with a gun.
Christy Salters-Martin: You know … I thought about it a lot and how am I gonna react to being in the same room with him?
Hundreds of thousands of Court TV viewers watched as a prizefighter known for knocking out 32 opponents, testified that her much older and seemingly frail husband had nearly killed her.
Ryan Vescio: This case rose and fell on the credibility of Christy and Jim.
Prosecutors Ryan Vescio and Deborah Barra were worried that the jury would have their doubts about this matchup.
David Begnaud: She became famous beatin’ the hell out of people.
Deborah Barra: Exactly.
David Begnaud: So … it’s pretty plausible that she might beat the hell out of her husband.
Deborah Barra: Absolutely.
Barra says she believed Christy’s story — the good, the bad, and the bloody.
Deborah Barra: She was very open about her marriage. She was very open about everything. It was just very much matter of-fact, this is who I am.
Christy bared it all, starting with her childhood in the tiny town of Itmann, West Virginia.
Christy Salters-Martin: Itmann, West Virginia is … literally one mile from “Welcome to, Now leaving.”
Her father, John Salters, was a coal miner. As a fighter, Christy would brand herself “The Coal Miner’s Daughter.”
David Begnaud: I was … always out with my dad. We passed football, we passed baseball. I shot basketball.
She says her dad pushed her to dream big—with one excruciating exception: her love-life.
David Begnaud: When did you first realize you were a lesbian?
Christy Salters-Martin: I think I knew that I was attracted to women, fifth or sixth grade.
David Begnaud: Did you confide in anyone?
Christy Salters-Martin: No.
Richard Davidson
Christy lived a double life and kept her first love a secret. Fellow high school athlete, three years her senior, Sherry Lusk.
Christy Salters-Martin: She went away to college. … we tried to keep it together for a while. But distance and time and age and it just doesn’t work.
David Begnaud: Did you ever see circling back with her later in life?
Christy Salters-Martin: Um, no.
She says, eventually, her parents found that out she was gay and could not accept it. So, she moved out, went to college in Athens, West Virginia, and started boxing.
With no formal training, Christy won every amateur fight she entered.
Christy Salters-Martin: Just, you know, got hooked. I loved the sport.
Spotted by a promoter at one of those contests, Christy went pro. A little over a year later, 22-year-old Christy was offered formal training with a boxing coach named Jim Martin.
Christy Salters-Martin: I walked into the gym thinking, that I was going to meet this guy that, you know, wanted to train me. It was just the opposite.
The 47-year-old didn’t think that women belonged in the ring but saw dollar signs.
Christy Salters-Martin: … he thought … “It’ll be a sideshow, but I think I can get her in position where we can make some money.”
Christy says she just wanted to box—and so she put all of her faith—and trust—in her new coach.
David Begnaud: How much did Jim Martin know about your past?
Christy Salters-Martin: Jim Martin knew everything about my past. … I looked at him like … this guy’s gonna be my coach. And an athlete and a coach to have a really good bond … like they have to be able to get in your head. They have to know what makes you tick — in order to make you perform.
David Begnaud: Tell me about when the relationship with Jim went from professional to personal.
Pat Orr
Christy Salters-Martin: It was ah, a few months … I was getting a lotta pressure from my family … to not be gay. It just seemed like it was easy.
But Christy also had a girlfriend in town. That is, until Jim found out.
Christy Salters-Martin: He said that he had called my dad. And my dad told him to just throw my stuff … in the ocean. … they didn’t want me. And so … I went the next day and married Jim.
David Begnaud: Really?
Christy Salters-Martin: Yeah. Because I felt like I had to.
The couple moved to Apopka, Florida, outside Orlando. They opened a boxing gym and worked on Christy’s career. Still living a double life, Christy was always dressed in pink.
Christy Salters-Martin: Jim, being very homophobic, would always tell me … at a press conference, if I’m fighting some girl that’s clearly there with her girlfriend ah, “Make sure you say somethin’ derogatory about her — sexuality.”
CHRISTY SALTERS-MARTIN [at a fight press conference]: You big steroid d— bitch!
David Begnaud: Why did you continue to listen to him?
Christy Salters-Martin: Jim Martin convinced me that the world hated me. … I’m talkin’ about family, friends, the boxing world.
Then, her career took off. Spotted by a trainer who worked for the world-famous boxing promoter Don King, Christy became his first female fighter.
Christy Salters-Martin: I mean, to go to fight in Las Vegas … and King’s the promoter?
Christy Salters-Martin: That’s bigger than I could’ve ever dreamed.
But that was just the start.
Jed Jacobsohn/Allsport
In 1996, King featured Christy in a fight on a pay-per-view event headlined by Mike Tyson. With tens of millions of people watching, Christy stole the show.
Her nose was split open and bloody by the third round, but Christy won.
Christy Salters-Martin: That was the most profitable bloody nose in boxing history. I mean … I’m bleeding everywhere. … and people are startin’ to take notice. “Wow, look at this woman. … she’s still fighting. … and she’s winnin’ the fight.”
Christy became the first female boxer to ever make the cover of Sports Illustrated. But with the fame, she says, came a tightening of Jim’s already firm grip.
Christy Salters-Martin: He would always say, “I’m gonna tell the world you’re a lesbian.” And for whatever reason — you know, I just wasn’t strong enough in me to say, “Go ahead …”
David Begnaud: I keep thinkin’ of the people who will watch this and say, “How does a woman who’s so powerful and strong and successful at being aggressive, how is she not able to stand up for herself at home?”
Christy Salters-Martin: I know that people think that. … that I should be strong and tough and all those things. But … I didn’t have that same type of mental strength to overtake him.
In 2001, Christy parted ways with Don King. By 2007 her career was on the ropes and, according to Christy, Jim had spent all of their money. Feeling that she had nothing left to live for, Christy tried some cocaine that Jim allegedly brought home.
Christy Salters-Martin: He throws a baggie down on the table. And he said one of the fighters gave it to him. … because … He was gonna get clean. And I let it lay there for a couple days. And then finally, I was, like, “You know what? Might as well just do this.” … And then it just — it was every day, all day.
She claims Jim became her supplier. She also says he had hidden cameras around their house, documenting her addiction.
Christy Salters-Martin: So, you know, it was all about blackmail.
David Begnaud: Do you believe that Jim was controlling?
Bill Hancock: To the extent that he was trying to help her with a drug problem, I do.
Jim Martin’s defense attorney Bill Hancock says if there were tapes of Christy doing drugs, they were meant to show her how aggressive she was when she was high.
Bill Hancock: He was a boxing coach, not a boxer. … he was always in fear of her aggression.
David Begnaud: Did you ever beat him?
Christy Salters-Martin: Did I fight back sometimes?
David Begnaud: Yeah.
Christy Salters-Martin: Absolutely. Yeah.
After 19 years of feeling controlled, Christy says she kicked the cocaine, and threw in the towel on the marriage.
Christy Salters-Martin: And I told him. I said, “I want out. I’m done –“
Christy had already consulted a divorce attorney, when she says she told Jim there was someone else: that high school sweetheart she thought she’d never see again, Sherry Lusk.
Christy Salters-Martin: When I told him, “I’m goin’ to see Sherry,” he said, “If you leave me, I will kill you.” And I stopped. I turned. And I looked at him right in his eyes and told him, “Do what you have to do.”
The Attack
Christy Salters-Martin: For 20 years, he told me that if ever I left, he would kill me.
Christy Martin says she knew she was signing up for a life-or-death battle with her husband Jim Martin when she reunited with her high school sweetheart Sherry Lusk in November 2010.
David Begnaud: So, in the days leading up to the attack, you saw Sherry several times, right?
CBS News
Christy Salters-Martin: Yes. … I told him that I was leaving to go see Sherry. … And I told him I wanted a divorce.
The day before she was stabbed and then shot, Christy drove to Daytona, to spend the night with Sherry. Jim followed her there and then started texting and calling.
Christy Salters-Martin: He said to me that … he saw me greet her. … He also said that he was so close, he could touch me.
Jim’s trial attorney Bill Hancock says his client admits he was in Daytona that day, but he claims he was there to protect his wife.
Bill Hancock: Jim had to intervene one time previously because Christy was going to Daytona for her drug connection.
The next day, Christy decided to head home.
Christy Salters-Martin: I have to go back and either live or die, because I’m not gonna look over my shoulder for the rest of my life … So, I had no choice.
She says Jim was there when she arrived home.
Christy Salters-Martin: And so, I said, “My head’s killin’ me. I’m gonna lay down. Just as soon as my head stops hurting, I’m gonna go work out.”
She says she was lying on the bed, when she heard Jim talking.
Christy Salters-Martin: He’s on the phone with people tellin’ ’em, you know, that I’m a lesbian, that I’ve left him for a woman. … The entire time, he’s sharpenin’ a knife. … I can hear the knife sound [mimics sound].
Unable to sleep, Christy says she was putting on her running shoes, when Jim walked in and said he had something to show her.
Christy Salters-Martin: And then he … put his hand behind his back. … I, like, lean around … And I see that he has a knife stuck down his shorts. And I said, “What are you gonna do, kill me?” And it was, like, bam, instantly he stabbed me. Bam, bam, bam. … The fourth stab went through my breast. … And so … I try to kick him away from me. When I kicked him … he cut my calf muscle almost completely from my leg. … I’m trying to still fight with him … And at this time, I could feel he has a gun in his pocket.
Office of the State Attorney, Ninth Judicial Circuit of Florida
It was a pink 9mm gun, and it belonged to Christy.
Christy Salters-Martin: I can’t get it away from him. … he’s too strong. … He gets the gun out of his pocket and he starts to beat me. Bam, bam. He’s beatin’ my head. … And bam, just like that, the switch flipped. I told him “You cannot kill me.” … right then, it changed. I have to live.
She says Jim stopped to tend to a cut on his hand, and then she started begging.
Christy Salters-Martin: You know, I tell him everything. “I love you, I’m sorry.” You know,” I’ve always loved you.” I — I’m pleading for my life.
Christy was interviewed by investigators, while in the emergency room fighting for her life.
CHRISTY SALTERS-MARTIN [crying on video]: Don’t let me die, please don’t let me die … I just kept begging, don’t let me die.
Christy Salters-Martin: Finally, I realize, “he can’t let you live.” He gets the .9 millimeter. Stands at my feet. And I tell him, “You don’t have the balls to shoot me.” And he shot me. He missed my heart by three inches. … I passed out. And he thought I was dead.
An hour had passed since the stabbing started, when Christy says she regained consciousness, heard Jim taking a shower, and decided she was not down for the count.
Christy Salters-Martin: I picked up the gun because he had … cleaned the gun off, laid it down. … And picked up the car keys.
With a punctured lung, a bullet lodged inches from her heart and her leg split wide open, Christy says she got up and left.
Christy Salters-Martin: But I get to the car … It’s the wrong keys. … There’s no way in hell I’m goin’ back in that house.
She ran into the middle of this road, where Rick Cole pulled over.
Office of the State Attorney, Ninth Judicial Circuit of Florida
Rick Cole: And before I could even say hello … handin’ me something through the window. … It was heavy. And she said, “that’s my gun.” … and I’m like, “OK, wait a minute, what’s really going on here?” Because she’s the one with the bloody gun.
Christy Salters-Martin: I took the gun so I could show somebody this is what he shot me with.
Rick Cole rushed Christy to the emergency room, where she was stabilized and then airlifted to a nearby trauma center. Meanwhile, Jim had vanished.
Ryan Vescio: He goes on the run.
Prosecutor Ryan Vescio says it took the police seven days to find Jim Martin. He had been hiding in a friend’s shed, across the street from the crime scene—and with the buck-knife used to stab Christy. This is what he told the police:
JIM MARTIN : I saved that knife on purpose cause I know Christy’s fingerprints got to be on that knife.
Jim claimed he had spent the week slipping in and out of a diabetic coma.
JIM MARTIN : I didn’t know how long I was there because I was just out.
Bill Hancock: He ran in the shed to protect himself. He was afraid she was going to continue to come after him.
Bill Hancock believes that Jim was the victim, not the aggressor.
Bill Hancock: I think Christy had come home … not in a great mood. She indicated she was suffering from a migraine, and Jim went in concerned about her health and got attacked.
JIM MARTIN : And she jumped up, grabbed the knife that was laying there. I grabbed the knife blade. We’re struggling with the knife blade.
Jim says it was Christy who brought out the gun.
JIM MARTIN : I guess she must have reached under her pillow. She come out with the pink gun.
David Begnaud: So, you think they’re fighting over the gun, right?
Bill Hancock: Yes.
David Begnaud: And the gun goes off.
Bill Hancock: Yes.
Office of the State Attorney, Ninth Judicial Circuit of Florida
Jim was charged with attempted first-degree murder and pleaded not guilty. But to claim self-defense, he would have to admit that he stabbed and shot his wife, to save himself.
Deborah Barra: He comes into the courtroom all feeble like. … So, we thought, OK, here we go.
The Court Battle
A little more than six months after nearly bleeding out on her bedroom floor, Christy Martin got back in the boxing ring with Dakota Stone. Christy was hoping for her 50th win.
Christy Salters-Martin [watching the video of the fight] Down goes Dakota Stone for the only time in her career.
Getty Images
Instead, the fight was called when Christy broke her hand in nine places. She had to be rushed to the emergency room again, and then she had a stroke.
Christy Salters-Martin: I can’t walk. I can’t really talk. And I can’t see.
Prosecutor Ryan Vescio was worried: would Christy be able to testify at the trial?
Ryan Vescio: She is the only live witness to what occurred. This entire case completely fell on her shoulders.
Determined to take that stand, Christy approached physical therapy like she was training for the match of her life.
Ryan Vescio: The fight is on. And it’s going to be the fight of public opinion … in a courtroom.
Jim Martin, who had been denied bail, was doing everything he could to discredit his wife.
Ryan Vescio: We intercepted a jail telephone call from Jim to one of his friends that they were trying to blackmail Christy even while Jim was incarcerated pending trial.
JIM MARTIN [phone call]: I’ve got some tapes. You know, I’ve got some awful, awful dirty, dirty tapes of her.
Ryan Vescio: They were trying to sell these sex tapes to media outlets.
The tapes never sold. But that didn’t stop Jim Martin, who told the media that he was the victim.
Deborah Barra: I thought, “thank you. I like it when defendants talk.”
Jim’s defense became pretty clear in April 2012 when the trial began, and his attorney Bill Hancock set Christy up as the aggressor.
BILL HANCOCK: James Martin was about two or three weeks away from his 68th birthday … Christy Martin was 43 years old, training for her upcoming boxing match that was gonna begin her comeback in boxing.
Ryan Vescio declared that the evidence would show Jim Martin had tried to kill his wife.
RYAN VESCIO: We believe, ladies and gentlemen, that this case at its essence, is about a man losing control.
The prosecution called Christy’s friend and hairdresser Deanna Gross, who testified that she saw Jim be controlling.
DEANNA GROSS: Um, He would look through her phone.
DEBORAH BARRA: So, you would see him actually walk over, pick up her phone and go through it?
DEANNA GROSS: Yes.
Sherry Lusk testified about that reportedly terrifying afternoon in Daytona, when Jim seemed to be lurking in the shadows.
SHERRY LUSK: We didn’t know what to do. It’s hard to explain how you’re shaking so bad when you think you’re about to get shot.
The jury saw photos of Christy’s injuries and heard from the doctors who saved her life.
RYAN VESCIO: Is it fair to classify the lung injury or the chest injury as a life-threatening or critical injury?
DR. LUBE: Yes, yes that’s correct.
Deputy Sheriff Todd Moore testified about Jim going missing for seven days, and said he was found wielding the knife used to stab Christy — forcing Deputy Moore to draw his gun and give a warning.
DEPUTY SHERIFF TODD MOORE: … and if he didn’t drop the knife that I was gonna shoot him.
But the main event was clearly when Christy got up on that stand.
Ryan Vescio: The size of that courtroom is about the size of a boxing ring.
Court TV
Ryan Vescio: You could feel Christy’s intensity. … She did not stop from staring down Jim.
With Ryan Vescio questioning her, Christy calmly gave her account of the attack.
CHRISTY SALTERS-MARTIN: He stabbed me three times under, under my left arm.
She described Jim’s only significant wound — that cut on his hand.
Office of the State Attorney, Ninth Judicial Circuit of Florida
CHRISTY SALTERS-MARTIN: When he stabbed me, I think it was one of the times of the three on my side, his hand slid up the knife and it cut his hand.
But, according to Bill Hancock, Jim got that cut while defending himself.
Bill Hancock: The only way you can get that cut on your hand is defending against someone who’s wielding the knife.
David Begnaud: But she was cut up … one side to the other.
Bill Hancock: It doesn’t mean that he wasn’t defending himself.
Hancock hammered home that argument in his questions to Christy.
BILL HANCOCK: Did you try to shoot Jim Martin?
CHRISTY SALTERS-MARTIN: No sir.
But Hancock pointed out that when police interviewed Christy, she asked if Jim was dead.
BILL HANCOCK: Do you recall responding to Detective Evans you were pretty sure you heard one gunshot and then asking if he was dead?
CHRISTY SALTERS-MARTIN: No sir.
This is audio from that police interview recorded at the emergency room, right after the attack when Christy was fighting to survive:
Office of the State Attorney, Ninth Judicial Circuit of Florida
DETECTIVE : You OK to still talk for a little bit?
DETECTIVE: Can you tell where he got the gun?
CHRISTY SALTERS-MARTIN: Is he dead?
DETECTIVE: Ah, we’re still trying to find him …
And then there was this:
BILL HANCOCK: Detective Evans says, “OK, what did you try to do?” And your answer was “I tried to shoot him, but I was too scared of him, pointed a gun at him and if I missed or something.”
The day after the attack, while on painkillers in a hospital bed, Christy told investigators this:
CHRISTY SALTERS-MARTIN [police audio]: I got the gun out of his pocket and, the pink 9-millimeter. And, and like pointed it at him but then I was scared to, like, I was scare to shoot.
BILL HANCOCK: Did you tell her that?
CHRISTY SALTERS-MARTIN: I really don’t remember.
David Begnaud: Christy’s in the hospital. A police officer interviews her and she says to him, “is Jim dead?” Sounds to me like the woman wanted him dead.
Ryan Vescio: It’s not a good fact to have to deal with.
On day four, the state rested. And now it was Jim’s turn to tell his story. But the prosecution was worried. Would the jury believe him?
Jim Martin’s Defense
Defense attorney Bill Hancock insists that his client Jim Martin was a loving and devoted husband.
Bill Hancock: I think Jim was trying to work on the marriage. … I think Christie was trying to create a situation to where she could … proceed with whatever divorce paperwork she was starting.
Jim claims Christy is the one who was armed that day, with her gun and the knife.
Bill Hancock: I know she says he brought it into the room, um. He’s like, “no, she had it. “
And that bullet that just missed Christy’s heart? That was an accident, Hancock says, while wrestling over the gun.
Bill Hancock: The fact that Christy got shot with her own gun I think bolsters the fact that Jim was just trying to defend himself and they fought over the gun.
Court TV
But remember, to tell that story and claim self-defense, Jim would have to admit that he stabbed and shot his wife, to save himself.
Christy Salters-Martin: Jim is such a control freak … and … believes in himself so much, that he would think that he could convince anybody of anything.
But first, Hancock tried to present a different view of the Martin household, from friend and neighbor Scott Selkirk.
BILL HANCOCK: And did you know your neighbors Christy and Jim Martin?
SCOTT SELKIRK: Yes, I did.
BILL HANCOCK: Was there ever times that you witnessed Jim Martin in a controlling manner over Christy Martin.
SCOTT SELKIRK: No.
Selkirk testified that just days before the attack, Jim came over to his house to ask if he could store his gun collection there. In Selkirk’s words, it was to “avoid a hostile situation.”
BILL HANCOCK: Had Mr. Martin brought his gun collection to your house before?
SCOTT SELKIRK: Yes.
BILL HANCOCK: How many times?
SCOTT SELKIRK: Probably, three.
Selkirk also said he saw Jim the day of the incident, and he seemed fine.
BILL HANCOCK: Was he angry or aggressive?
SCOTT SELKIRK: No.
Later that evening, he says Jim showed up at his door, bleeding.
BILL HANCOCK: And what did he tell you?
SCOTT SELKIRK: That he had been shot and stabbed.
BILL HANCOCK And then what did he do?
SCOTT SELKIRK: He turned and left.
Selkirk says he gave chase, but Jim disappeared.
Then, it was the state’s turn to question Selkirk.
PROSECUTOR DEBORAH BARRA: Sir, you’re actually really good friends with Jim, correct?
SCOTT SELKIRK: We’re good friends, yeah.
DEBORAH BARRA: OK, would you describe your relationship almost like brothers?
SCOTT SELKIRK: Good friends.
DEBORAH BARRA: OK.
Barra pointed out that when police arrived at the crime scene, Selkirk refused to share Jim’s cell phone number.
DEBORAH BARRA: Sir, isn’t it true that you said to Sergeant Callahan “Jim is my friend and I don’t want to get him in any trouble so I’m not going to say anything.”
SCOTT SELKIRK: I can’t recall that.
DEBORAH BARRA: Sir, do you remember being on the phone with somebody else while the police were in your residence and you indicated to the person on the phone, “I’ve got some cops out here and they’re acting like —- heads.” Do you remember …
SCOTT SELKIRK: Oh, I probably said that.
DEBORAH BARRA: You, you remember saying that?
SCOTT SELKIRK: Oh, I’m sure I said that.
Selkirk pushed back when Barra asked about a trail of Jim’s blood that led to Selkirk’s front door and beyond.
DEBORAH BARRA: Sir, isn’t it true that the blood went further into your house — Into your kitchen area?
SCOTT SELKIRK: No. No, I don’t know where you got that.
Barra got that from a police report, and photos of blood found in Selkirk’s kitchen.
JUDGE: Sir, you are free to go about your business.
SCOTT SELKIRK: Thank you, sir.
Office of the State Attorney, Ninth Judicial Circuit of Florida
Now the jury didn’t hear this, but it was Selkirk’s shed that Jim Martin admits he was in, when he went missing for seven days.
Hancock’s second witness was Chris Guerra, another friend who testified that he never saw Jim be aggressive. He also said he had Jim over for dinner the night before the incident, and he seemed calm.
BILL HANCOCK: Was there anything unusual about Jim that evening when he was at your home for dinner?
CHRIS GUERRA: No.
Guerra was on the stand for only four minutes, with no cross examination. Then, Hancock surprised everyone and rested his case after calling just two witnesses. Jim Martin would not be going toe-to-toe with his ex-wife.
Deborah Barra: Ryan and I looked at each other and we were just like, he didn’t get it. … you have a world champion boxer who is in much better physical shape. … So, we thought … “What is he gonna say?” And it was nothing.
Bill Hancock: As we got into the trial, I think Jim became … more fearful about testifying and concerned about how his words would be twisted.
Deborah Barra: I personally think it was just that Jim couldn’t bring himself to tell the world that he needed to protect himself from Christy Martin.
BILL HANCOCK: Members of the jury, it has been difficult I’m sure …
In his closing, Hancock reminded the jury that the pink gun belonged to Christy — and he insisted once again that she was the one with the knife.
BILL HANCOCK: Whose blood is on the blade? James Martin. Any contribution or any DNA from Christy Martin? No.
PROSECUTOR RYAN VESCIO: That is nothing more than asking you to speculate …
Office of the State Attorney, Ninth Judicial Circuit of Florida
Ryan Vescio reminded the jury that the knife was in Jim’s possession for seven days after the incident. And he insisted that the evidence showed, Christy never even had a chance to defend herself.
Ryan Vescio: There’s no evidence of a struggle. There’s no evidence that this was ah, ah an equal force fight.
David Begnaud: Did you think a guilty verdict was a given?
Ryan Vescio: Nothing’s ever a given in a courtroom.
The Jury’s Decision
After five hours of deliberating, the jury in the trial of Jim Martin had a decision.
Christy says she was worried.
Christy Salters-Martin: It was the first time ever I realized maybe they didn’t believe me.
COURT DEPUTY [reading verdict]: State of Florida vs. James V. Martin. Jury as to count one: We the jury find the defendant guilty of the lesser included offense of attempted second-degree murder.
Guilty of attempted murder, but not pre-meditated.
David Begnaud: You had prosecuted for first-degree attempted murder. They said…
Deborah Barra: Second degree … attempted murder.
David Begnaud: Did that feel like a loss?
Deborah Barra: No … I felt that was a, a good verdict. I knew that he would be facing substantial prison time. And I knew that would kind of vindicate Christy.
Christy says hearing the word “guilty” was a huge relief, but insists the verdict was only half right..
David Begnaud: Do you think Jim’s attack on you was premeditated?
Christy Salters-Martin: Absolutely. Without a doubt.
Bill Hancock says he accepts the jury’s decision, but he also disagrees.
David Begnaud: Do you think Jim Martin is innocent?
Bill Hancock: I believe my client.
Nine weeks later, at Jim Martin’s sentencing, Christy took the witness stand one last time.
She wanted the judge to know that she was still terrified.
CHRISTY SALTERS-MARTIN: Judge Thompson, Jim threatened my life for over 20 years …
CHRISTY SALTERS-MARTIN: He would also tell me that he knew people that could “make me disappear.”
Then, she turned and called out the man now convicted of trying to kill her.
CHRISTY SALTERS-MARTIN: Look at me, Jim.
Christy Salters-Martin: The entire time I testified I looked him straight in the eyes. And when he would look away from me, I would say, “Mother—— look at me.”
CHRISTY SALTERS-MARTIN: You shot me. With my own gun. Basically, point blank. And guess what mother——, I walked out.
David Begnaud: On the stand you said that?
Christy Salters-Martin: From the stand … One time the judge told me to be quiet and I just kept talkin’ cause what’s he going to do, put me in jail?
CHRISTY SALTERS-MARTIN: Judge, I hope that you’ll see fit to sentence Jim to the maximum of life in prison.
As she left the stand, Christy had one more thing she wanted to say to Jim.
Court TV
Christy Salters-Martin: I walked right directly at him and said, “Mother——, I hope you burn in hell.”
Christy Salters-Martin: To me, it was tellin’ him, “I don’t fear you anymore.”
But Christy didn’t get the last word.
BILL HANCOCK: Judge, at this time Mr. Martin would like to address the court.
Jim Martin finally took the stand, turned to the judge and once again, claimed he was the victim.
JIM MARTIN: Outside the ring I was scared of Christy, you know, because I never wanted to do anything to make her mad.
His fear of Christy, he said, also explained why he fled the crime scene.
JIM MARTIN: Christy was gone. I ran through the house looking for her and then I got to thinking, Christy’s got the gun.
Court TV
Then, Jim Martin apologized — but not for attacking his wife.
JIM MARTIN: I’m very sorry for that day. And I apologize. I should have just turned, walked off and whatever happened, what happened. I got stabbed I should have just turned and walked away. I never even would have turned her into police ’cause that’s not me. Cause I loved her so much.
David Begnaud: Do you believe he loved you?
Christy Salters-Martin: No. He loved what I gave to him. … I mean, the man never had a job. … I was his personal ATM.
Ryan Vescio says to this day, he remains surprised that Jim never properly claimed self-defense.
David Begnaud: Because in your opinion, that would have been the most predictable defense?
Ryan Vescio: Oh, it would have been most likely a successful defense.
Vescio asked the judge to sentence Jim Martin to the maximum: life in prison.
JUDGE: Do you have any questions Mr. Martin?
JIM MARTIN: No sir.
But, like the jury, the judge pulled his punch and handed down the minimum mandatory sentence: 25 years.
Ryan Vescio: Jim Martin will serve every single day of those 25 years. …There is no parole in Florida.
Christy Salters-Martin: The chances are he’s probably not gonna live the 25 years. So — was it a life sentence? Probably. So, am I OK with it? Yes.
Christy was left to pick up the pieces. And while she tries to stay in shape, doctors have recommended no more competing or she may die.
Getty Images
So, Christy followed in the footsteps of the legendary Don King and became a boxing promoter. This past July, in the middle of the pandemic, Christy held a 14-fight event in Daytona Beach.
Christy Salters-Martin: As a fighter, I didn’t settle. And I’m not gonna settle as a promoter.
Ryan Vescio: What’s remarkable about Christy today is getting to see how she’s living her second lease on life. And she’s able to be who she is, doing what she loves.
And loving who she wants to love. In November 2017, Christy married fellow boxer, and one-time opponent, Lisa Holewyne.
CBS News
Lisa Holewyne: She is — one of the most genuine human beings I’ve ever met. … there is — a sweetness to her that, no matter … all the awful things she’s been through, is still there.
Christy now goes by her maiden name of Salters, and advocates for victims of domestic abuse through her non-profit “Christy’s Champs,” and she donates a portion of her fight proceeds to the cause.
Deborah Barra: I think it’s a remarkable story because you have a world-famous champion boxer and she could still be in a domestic violence relationship, because that isn’t about physical strength. It’s about mental abuse. … but you can always survive it.
Christy says she can now look back and see that she did get that fiftieth win—just not in the boxing ring.
Christy Salters-Martin: Finally, I have been able to come with– to terms with I got the 50th win when I got up off the floor November 23rd, 2010 and got outta my house. That was my 50th win.
In 2025, Christy added a Hollywood film to her credits, with one of the hottest stars on the red carpet playing the leading role.
SYDNEY SWEENEY (at the Toronto International Film Festival): Christie, you are absolutely incredible and I’m so honored … you’re so inspirational … it was incredible being able to embody such a powerful woman.
CHRISTY SALTERS-MARTIN (selfie video): And I thank all of the boxing fans for their support throughout the years and the people that are out there, the domestic violence survivors, their families. It’s so important that this movie exposes everything. Domestic violence, sexuality, being the ultimate underdog. Because that’s who I am. And I made it.
On Nov. 26, 2024, Jim Martin died in custody. He was 80 years old.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE [7233]
Produced by Judy Rybak. Danielle Arman is the associate producer. T. Sean Herbert is the location producer. Jud Johnston and George Baluzy are the editors. Peter Schweitzer is the senior producer. Nancy Kramer is the executive story editor. Judy Tygard is the executive producer.
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New Zealand v England scorecard
New Zealand v England – third ODI: live scorecard and commentary
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New Zealand v England scorecard
New Zealand v England – second ODI: live scorecard and commentary
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Steph Curry exclusive: Golden State Warriors superstar opens up on free agency in 2027 and preparing for the 2025/26 season
Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry speaks exclusively to Sky Sports to discuss 2027 free agency
Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry has opened up on his plans for free agency in 2027 after admitting situations change “really fast” in the NBA.
The prospect of Curry, a two-time league MVP and 11-time All-Star, playing for any franchise other than The Dubs is a strange one.
After being drafted with the seventh overall pick in 2009, Curry has gone on to revolutionise the game of basketball, helping himself to four championships, one finals MVP and the NBA record for most three-pointers made with 4,058 to add to his overall tally of 25,386 points.
All while wearing No 30 for the Warriors.
- 4 x NBA champion
- 2 x NBA MVP
- 2022 NBA Finals MVP
- 11 x NBA All-Star
- 2 x NBA All-Star MVP
- 11 x All-NBA Team selection
- 2024 NBA Clutch Player of the Year
- 2 x NBA Three-Point Content champion
- Most three-pointers made in NBA history
Curry signed a one-year extension with the team in 2024, worth a reported £47.5m ($62.6m) and ending growing speculation around his future in the process, keeping him in San Francisco until 2027.
Two years from now, when that deal expires, the greatest shooter of all time will be 39.
After averaging just under 25 points, six assists, and over four rebounds in his 16th season, as well as longevity being more prominent than ever in the league, it is clear to see that his time in the NBA is far from over.
But could the next chapter in his illustrious career lie away from Chase Center? Do not rule it out.
“What I have learned about this league is that things change really fast,” Curry told Sky Sports while discussing Underrated Golf, a programme set up by the point guard to break down barriers to entry and increase diversity in the game of golf.
Underrated Golf is an initiative led by Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry to create a pathway into the sport for young athletes from underrepresented communities.
The programme aims to break down barriers in the game of golf to give prospects a level playing field, in a bid to create a more inclusive and accessible environment for young golfers.
“What you might feel like in two years from now could be totally different. I try to stay in the moment as much as possible; it’s not the glitziest answer but it allows me to enjoy what is happening now.
“I do want to play for only one team, let’s keep that pretty clear. Being at the Warriors has been unbelievable and I feel blessed to have only played for one franchise and to have accomplished what we have.
“So if I could have the best of both worlds and continue to be championship relevant over the next couple of years, that would be great but this league is wild. You kind of just stay in the moment.”
Despite a decision on his future looming as we approach 2027, Curry’s full focus remains on securing more success with the team he holds so dear to his heart in the upcoming 2025/26 season.
The arrival of six-time All-Star Jimmy Butler in February has shown early signs of promise after the Warriors reached the Western Conference semi-finals last time out, only to be denied the opportunity to show their title-winning credentials following a Grade 1 hamstring strain for Curry in game one against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
A 4-1 defeat in the series would follow but heading into 2025/26, the roster has been bolstered by a new two-year deal for Jonathan Kuminga, as well as the arrival of 2024 NBA champion Al Horford,to run alongside long-term teammate Draymond Green in the frontcourt.
Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler (left) Stephen Curry (centre) and forward Draymond Green (right)
With Curry now back to full fitness and fresh depth surrounding him, the intentions from the Warriors have been clear from pre-season.
The Dubs are 3-1 in games Curry has featured in, beating the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers twice, with attention now turning to the season opener against the Lakers on October 21, live on Sky Sports.
When asked what aspects of the game still motivate a player who has already achieved so much in the sport as we approach a new 82-game season, Curry added: “I talk about championships, and that drive – it allows every part of the journey to matter.
“Even in the off-season, how you prepare for the year, come in and try and build chemistry with your teammates and how you get through the emotional rollercoaster of an 82-game season.
“All of that is built into being at your peak come playoff time in April.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry during the pre-season game against the Los Angeles Clippers
“Individual accolades take care of themselves. When you win, everybody is rewarded. As long as I’m taking care of championship motivation, everything else takes care of itself. Whether you win or not, you just lay it all out there.
“We have a brand new team again. We’ll all try and stay healthy and try and get to the finish line. That’s our goal.”
The Warriors have won seven championships in total across their 78-year history, with Curry leading them to more than half of that total.
If the franchise is to add an eighth banner to the rafters in 2026, their point guard will be the man to lead them there.
His powers at the highest level are showing no signs are waning, with the 37-year-old looking to replicate the successes of the likes of LeBron James and Kevin Durant by “redefining” what it is to be playing at a high level towards the latter stages of their respective careers.
“I feel like I’ve got some good basketball ahead of me. I’m trying to redefine what it is to be playing at a high level at this age,” said Curry when the question of his timeline leading the roster was posed.
“I still love the work that goes into it and playing the game; hopefully, that will carry me. I don’t want to put any limits on it.”
Watch the Golden State Warriors against the Los Angeles Lakers live on Sky Sports + on October 21, tip-off 3am UK time.
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Filipino boxing legend
Most people, even non-boxing fans, have heard of Manny Pacquiao, who is considered the most famous fighter from the Philippines, becoming the only boxer to win a world title in eight different divisions, with a total of 12 world championships.
But long before Pacquiao, a fighter named Francisco “Pancho Villa” Guilledo was putting Filipino boxers on the global map, when he became the first fighter from the Philippines to win a world title in 1923.
For the past 15 years, artist and boxing enthusiast Joe Aquilizan has been learning about his culture and its connection to the “sweet science” by collecting hundreds of pieces of memorabilia and archival photos of Pancho Villa.
“To me, these are priceless,” said Aquilizan. “I feel like I’m now the caretaker of this collection.”
The collection of artifacts paints a picture of the young fighter’s journey to America, where Pancho Villa became a sensation on the boxing circuit.
“He kind of changed the boxing game,” said Aquilizan. “He introduced speed and power at the same time. Little guys should not be knocking out other fighters.”
During his career, by some accounts, he recorded 90 wins, eight losses, four draws, and two no-contests, with 22 KOs. But his most impressive win came in June of 1923, when he knocked out Welsh-born Jimmy Wilde in New York City to become the first Filipino to win a World Flyweight Title.
“And they really respected him in the height of, like, racism back in 1920s,” said Aquilizan. “This Asian guy, this brown guy came and showed the world that we matter, we are somebody.”
Dr. Bernard Remollino, an associate professor of Asian American and Pacific American History at San Joaquin Delta College, had already been working on his dissertation on the history of Filipino and Filipino American boxers when he had the chance to meet Aquilizan and view his collection.
“I was geeking out, I was really excited, I think my palms started getting sweaty,” said Remollino. “Here was tangible evidence this Pancho Villa actually moved through these spaces in the 1920s.”
Together, they decided that they needed to tell the story of this Filipino hero, and wrote a book titled “Pancho Villa: World Champion, 1923” that was released this summer.
“It felt like we were driven by something greater than us,” said Remollino. “We can think of Pancho Villa and the winning of the flyweight championship in 1923 as a watershed moment in the history of sport, in the history of boxing, and Filipino American history, and that speaks of the cultural importance, and it speaks to the social impact that that was having.”
An impact that would eventually open the door for other great Filipino fighters, from Gabriel “Flash” Elorde, Ceferino Garcia, Small Montana, and, of course, Manny Pacquiao.
“I think [Pancho Villa] is greater than Manny Pacquiao, but Manny Pacquiao to me is probably the greatest fighter, but Pancho Villa opened that door so Manny can come in there,” said Aquilizan. “The first one is always the hardest one.”
“If we are looking at the long historical thread of how Filipinos show up in the popular imagination of viable fighter, Pancho Villa really ignited the imaginations,” said Remollino.
But Pancho Villa’s career as a boxer was cut short. After defending his title several times, his final fight was on July 4, 1925, at the old Oakland Oaks Ballpark in Emeryville. He lost to Jimmy McLarnin by decision after having a bad tooth pulled, and during the following days, he developed a serious infection, passing away ten days later at the age of 24.
And while the book is meant to educate the public on history of Pancho Villa, both Aquilizan and Remollino admit they wrote it for their people.
“We have to take care of our stories,” said Aquilizan. “I have to make sure the community gets to see what I have, and that I’m not just hoarding these images. I want to share it with my people.”
Soon, part of Aquilizan’s collection will be seen by a broader audience. This summer, the Smithsonian in Washington D.C., curated a large portion of his collection for an upcoming exhibit on the Filipino American experience that is set to open in November.
Ryan Yamamoto
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Jaron Ennis vs. Uisma Lima Livestream: How to Watch the Super Welterweight Fight Online
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There’s an epic fight in “The City of Brotherly Love” tonight! American Jaron “Boots” Ennis (34-0-0) takes on Angolan boxer Uisma “Monstro” Lima (14-1-0) in a highly-anticipated super welterweight on Saturday, Oct. 11.
Ennis, who moved up a weight class for this bout, takes on Lima at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with a start time of 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The main event is scheduled for 12 rounds on DAZN.
How To Watch Jaron Ennis vs. Uisma Lima Online
If you’re not a subscriber, then you can sign up for a monthly subscription starting at $19.99/month for 12 months. As a DAZN subscriber, you’ll also have access to more than 100 live fights all year long, as well as fight re-plays, highlights and documentaries.
Tickets to the bout are still available on Ticket Network, VividSeats.com and SeatGeek. In fact, you can save $150 off when you spend $500 with promo code VARIETY150, or $300 off when you spend $1,000 with promo code VARIETY300 at TicketNetwork.com.
In addition, you can use code VAR30 to take $20 off your ticket purchase at VividSeats.com, or you can use promo code VARIETY10 to save $10 at SeatGeek.com.
Jaron Ennis vs. Uisma Lima Odds & Predictions
For the main event, Ennis is the favorite to win the bout against Lima. BetMGM’s oddsmakers give Jaron Ennis a -1430 moneyline, while Uisma Lima received a line of +800 as the underdog. Want more odds? Check out the complete odds and wagers at BetMGM.com online here.
Taking place on Saturday, Oct. 11, Jaron Ennis vs. Uisma Lima is available to livestream on DAZN starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
Matchroom Boxing: Fight Card, 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT
- Super Middleweight: Jaron Ennis vs. Uisma Lima — Main Event
- Light heavyweight: Khalil Coe vs. Jesse Hart
- Heavyweight: Alexis Barreire vs. Guido Vianello
- Welterweight: Tahmir Smalls vs. Jose Roman
- Super bantamweight: Dennis Thompson vs. Sean Diaz
- Super featherweight: Zaquin Moses vs. Antonio Dunton-El Jr
- Super featherweight: Giorgio Visioli vs. James Wilkins
- Lightweight: Harley Mederos vs. TBD
- Lightweight: Justin Palmieri vs. Naheem Parker
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Don Lemon suggests blame for Imane Khelif’s infamous Olympic beatdown falls on female opponent
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Left-wing political commentator Don Lemon suggested Italian women’s boxer Angela Carini was responsible for the beatdown she received at the hands of Algeria’s Imane Khelif, who previously failed sex eligibility tests.
Khelif punched Carini so hard at the Paris Olympics last summer that Carini had to withdraw from the match in tears after less than a minute.
But Lemon asked “Whose fault is that?” regarding Carini’s bout with Khelif.
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Former CNN anchor Don Lemon. (Photo by Paul Marotta/Getty Images)
“If you put yourself in the arena to be hit and someone hits you hard, then whose fault is that?” Lemon said in an interview on “Piers Morgan Uncensored.”
“I’m sure whoever was in that competition understood who they were going into the ring with. And if you put yourself in that competition in the middle of a ring where punches are being thrown, then you can expect to get hit hard, whether it is a man or a woman. And that’s all I have to say about that.”
Carini recently alleged she has suffered online abuse in the aftermath of her infamous defeat.
Carini published a video on Instagram with screenshots of messages of abuse she has received on social media — some begging her not to go to the Olympics again, others calling her “a coward” and “the shame of the Italy team” — and a voiceover of the 26-year-old explaining how she felt.
“Have you ever wondered how hard it was for me to face these words? What I had to endure and endure day after day? What I had to face in my silence, while preserving my health from a stupid social network, from people who speak and say words without thinking twice?” Carini said. “Because for them it’s just a sentence, it’s just a word, it’s just fun, it’s just wanting to follow the crowd.”
Carini’s decision to quit the fight fueled a discussion far beyond Paris about whether Khelif should have been allowed to compete, with President Donald Trump and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni speaking out.
She said the incident has “destroyed” her career.
FORMER UPENN SWIMMER REFLECTS ON BEING TEAMMATES WITH LIA THOMAS
Algeria’s Imane Khelif, right, looks at Italy’s Angela Carini, following their women’s 66kg preliminary boxing match at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
“For many it is easy to forget the past, but for me it wasn’t,” Carini said in her video. “That past that marked my life. That past that left wounds inside me that I try to heal day after day, but like an infected wound, it bleeds and hurts.
“That past that changed and destroyed my career, built year after year with sacrifices, dedication, tenacity and a lot of passion…. That career that is underestimated and belittled by those who preferred to have a laugh for a few moments, preferred to throw the stone.”
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) defended the results of the Paris Games, stating that Khelif and another boxer that faced gender eligibility concerns were the victims of a “sudden and arbitrary decision by the IBA.” Khelif has also publicly denied being transgender.
International Boxing Association (IBA) President Umar Kremlev demanded in July that Khelif’s Olympic gold medal be stripped in an effort to achieve “transparency and openness.” Khelif was previously disqualified from the IBA for failing a gender eligibility test. Kremlev claimed at the time that unpublished DNA test results showed Khelif had XY chromosomes.
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Angela Carini of Team Italy reacts after abandoning the Women’s 66kg preliminary round match against Imane Khelif of Team Algeria in the first round on day six of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at North Paris Arena on Aug. 1, 2024, in Paris, France. (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
World Boxing, the international governing body for the sport, announced a new policy in August that introduces mandatory sex testing to ensure only females compete in the women’s category. Khelif has appealed the new policy that will keep the athlete out of any competitions pending the results of genetic testing.
Trump previously said there will be a “strong form of testing” when asked about potential genetic testing for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics at a press conference on Aug. 5.
New IOC president Kirsty Coventry has initiated a task force to look at gender eligibility issues.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Muhammad Ali’s unsigned draft card, a piece of Vietnam-era history, will be auctioned
Muhammad Ali’s refusal to sign his Vietnam-era military draft card upended the boxing champ’s life and added a powerful voice to the anti-war movement. Now that piece of history is coming up for sale.
There’s a blank line on the card where Ali was supposed to sign in 1967 but refused to do so — a polarizing act of defiance as the Vietnam War raged on. It triggered a chain of events that disrupted his storied boxing career but immortalized him outside the ring as a champion for peace and social justice.
“Being reminded of my father’s message of courage and conviction is more important now than ever, and the sale of his draft card at Christie’s is a powerful way to share that legacy with the world,” Rasheda Ali Walsh, a daughter of Ali, said Thursday in a statement issued by the auction house.
The auction house said it will hold the online sale Oct. 10-28, adding the card came to it via descendants of Ali. A public display of the card began Thursday at Rockefeller Center in New York and will continue until Oct. 21. The document could fetch $3 million to $5 million, Christie’s estimated.
“This is a singular object associated with an important historical event that looms large in our shared popular culture,” said Peter Klarnet, a Christie’s senior specialist.
Ali, the three-time heavyweight boxing champion, died in 2016 at age 74 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. An estimated 100,000 people chanting, “Ali! Ali!” lined the streets of his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, as a hearse carried his casket to a local cemetery. His memorial service was packed with celebrities, athletes and politicians.
The draft card, typewritten in parts, conjures memories from when Ali wasn’t universally beloved but instead stood as a polarizing figure, revered by millions worldwide and reviled by many.
For refusing induction into the U.S. Army, Ali was convicted of draft evasion, stripped of his boxing title and banned from boxing. Ali appealed the conviction on grounds he was a Muslim minister. He famously proclaimed: “I ain’t got no quarrel with them Viet Cong.”
During his banishment, Ali spoke at colleges and briefly appeared in a Broadway musical. He was allowed to resume boxing three years later.
He was still facing a possible prison sentence when in 1971 he fought Joe Frazier, his archrival, for the first time in what was labeled “The Fight of the Century.” A few months later the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the conviction on an 8-0 vote.
The draft card was issued the day the draft board in Louisville ordered Ali to appear for induction, Christie’s said Thursday in a news release. The card was signed by the local draft board chairman but pointedly not by Ali.
The card identified him by his birth name — Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. — but misspelled his given middle name. Upon his conversion to Islam, he was given a name reflecting his faith, the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville says on its website. Meanwhile, the top of the draft card reads: “(AKA) Muhammad Ali.”
The Ali Center features exhibits paying tribute to Ali’s immense boxing skills. But its main mission, it says, is to preserve his humanitarian legacy and promote his six core principles: spirituality, giving, conviction, confidence, respect and dedication.
Now an artifact reflecting how Ali personified some of those principles will be up for auction.
“This is the first time collectors will be able to acquire a vital and intimate document connected to one of the most important figures of the last century,” Klarnet said Thursday.
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Ricky Hatton, former world boxing champion, found dead in his home at age 46
Ricky Hatton, the former world boxing champion who rose to become one of the most popular fighters in the sport, has died. He was 46.
Hatton was found dead at his home in Greater Manchester, CBS News partner BBC News and Britain’s Press Association reported Sunday.
The World Boxing Association mourned Hatton’s death on social media Sunday.
“With deep sadness, the WBA mourns the passing of Ricky ‘The Hitman’ Hatton,” the WBA wrote. “A true champion, an indomitable spirit, and a legend of the sport. Your legacy will live on in every fight and in the hearts of boxing fans around the world.”
Police said they were not treating the death as suspicious.
“Officers were called by a member of the public to attend Bowlacre Road, Hyde, Tameside, at 6:45am today where they found the body of a 46-year-old man,” Greater Manchester Police said in a statement to BBC News. “There are not currently believed to be any suspicious circumstances.”
Police would not reveal the identity of the man, but said they were working with his family to provide a statement for the media.
Friends of Hatton were quick to pay tribute Sunday morning.
Jon Super / AP
“Today we lost not only one of Britain’s greatest boxers, but a friend, a mentor, a warrior, Ricky Hatton,” former world champion Amir Khan posted on X.
“Rip to the legend Ricky Hatton may he rip,” former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury said in an Instagram post, with photos of the pair together. “There will only ever be 1 Ricky Hatton. can’t believe this so young.”
News of Hatton’s death comes two months after he announced he would make a return to boxing in December in a professional bout against Eisa Al Dah in Dubai.
Hatton won world titles at light-welterweight and welterweight.
He rose through amateur and domestic levels and at the height of his career shared the ring with the best boxers of his generation, including Kostya Tszyu, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.
Junior Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge/File Photo
Hatton’s down-to-earth demeanour also endeared him to fans across the world, and he was open about the mental health issues he endured upon his retirement from the ring.
“As fighters, we tell ourselves we’re strong – we train, we sweat, we take hits, we get up. But sometimes the hardest fight happens in silence, in the mind,” Khan added on X. “Mental health isn’t weakness. It’s part of being human. And we must talk about it. We must reach out. We must lean on each other.”
Hatton’s all-action style added to his popularity. He built up a passionate following in the UK before truly announcing himself on the world stage with his epic victory against Tszyu for the IBF world super lightweight title in 2005.
Pound for pound, great Tszyu had only lost twice before, but was forced to retire on his stool in front of 22,000 fans in Manchester.
Hatton later described it as his greatest win but it was just the start of a period when he fought at the top of the sport, with thousands of fans following him to America for huge fights.
In a post on X, his former manager, Frank Warren, described him as a “superbly talented fighter who inspired a generation of young boxers and fans in a way very few had done before,” adding he will “rightly go down as one of the modern greats of this sport.”
Hatton lost for the first time in his career against Mayweather at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in 2007.
After a sold-out homecoming at Manchester City’s stadium a year later, he worked his way back to the top of the sport to take on Manny Pacquiao in 2009, losing inside two rounds.
Hatton retired after that defeat, but made a remarkable comeback four years later after piling on weight and enduring issues with depression and drinking, as well as allegations of drug use.
While he lost to Vyacheslav Senchenko, the very fact that he managed to return to the ring was seen as a personal triumph.
Speaking to the BBC in 2022, Ricky Hatton discussed his struggles with his mental health over the years. After his knockout in 2009 he knew his career was over, despite a short-lived comeback in 2012.
“I had no boxing. My career was over. I’d fallen out with my parents. I’d fallen out with my trainer Billy Graham. That’s when it got to rock bottom,” he said. “I just went out on the warpath. It was horrible for people to see.”
He became an ambassador for the mental health charity Campaign Against Living Miserably in 2023, according to the BBC.
“If a boxer can come out and say they’re struggling and crying every day, it’s going to make a huge difference,” he explained to the BBC in 2020.
“Having gone through it, I now see it as my job to help those suffering with mental health.”
Outside of the ring, Hatton was a lifelong fan of Manchester City.
The club said there would be a minute of appreciation for Hatton at Sunday’s derby against Manchester United.
“Ricky was one of City’s most loved and revered supporters, who will always be remembered for a glittering boxing career that saw him win world titles at welterweight and light-welterweight,” City said in a statement. “Everyone at the Club would like to send our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends at this difficult time.”
The announcement of Hatton’s return to the ring later this year came after he had enjoyed success as a trainer, coaching Zhanat Zhakiyanov to a world bantamweight title win in 2017.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or a suicidal crisis, you can reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. You can also chat with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline here.
For more information about mental health care resources and support, The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) HelpLine can be reached Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. ET, at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264).
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Ricky Hatton, former world boxing champion, dies at 46
Former world boxing champion Ricky Hatton, who rose to become one of the most popular fighters in the sport, has died. He was 46.Hatton was found dead at his home in Greater Manchester, Britain’s Press Association reported Sunday.Police said they are not treating the death as suspicious.”Officers were called by a member of the public to attend Bowlacre Road, Hyde, Tameside, at 6:45am today where they found the body of a 46-year-old man,” Greater Manchester Police said in a statement. “There are not currently believed to be any suspicious circumstances.”Police would not reveal the identity of the man, but said they were working with his family to provide a statement for media.Friends of Hatton were quick to pay tribute Sunday morning. “Today we lost not only one of Britain’s greatest boxers, but a friend, a mentor, a warrior, Ricky Hatton,” said another former world champion, Amir Khan on X.”Rip to the legend Ricky Hatton may he rip,” former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury said in an Instagram post, with photos of the pair together. “There will only ever be 1 Ricky Hatton. can’t believe this so young.”News of Hatton’s death comes two months after he announced he would make a return to boxing in December in a professional bout against Eisa Al Dah in Dubai.Hatton won world titles at light-welterweight and welterweight.He rose through amateur and domestic levels and at the height of his career shared the ring with the best boxers of his generation, including Kostya Tszyu, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.Hatton’s down-to-earth demeanor also endeared him to fans across the world, and he was open about the mental health issues he endured upon his retirement from the ring.”As fighters, we tell ourselves we’re strong — we train, we sweat, we take hits, we get up. But sometimes the hardest fight happens in silence, in the mind,” Khan added on X. “Mental health isn’t weakness. It’s part of being human. And we must talk about it. We must reach out. We must lean on each other.”Hatton went on to become a trainer, coaching Zhanat Zhakiyanov to a world bantamweight title win in 2017.
MANCHESTER, England —Former world boxing champion Ricky Hatton, who rose to become one of the most popular fighters in the sport, has died. He was 46.
Hatton was found dead at his home in Greater Manchester, Britain’s Press Association reported Sunday.
Police said they are not treating the death as suspicious.
“Officers were called by a member of the public to attend Bowlacre Road, Hyde, Tameside, at 6:45am today where they found the body of a 46-year-old man,” Greater Manchester Police said in a statement. “There are not currently believed to be any suspicious circumstances.”
Police would not reveal the identity of the man, but said they were working with his family to provide a statement for media.
Friends of Hatton were quick to pay tribute Sunday morning.
“Today we lost not only one of Britain’s greatest boxers, but a friend, a mentor, a warrior, Ricky Hatton,” said another former world champion, Amir Khan on X.
“Rip to the legend Ricky Hatton may he rip,” former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury said in an Instagram post, with photos of the pair together. “There will only ever be 1 Ricky Hatton. can’t believe this so young.”
News of Hatton’s death comes two months after he announced he would make a return to boxing in December in a professional bout against Eisa Al Dah in Dubai.
Hatton won world titles at light-welterweight and welterweight.
He rose through amateur and domestic levels and at the height of his career shared the ring with the best boxers of his generation, including Kostya Tszyu, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.
Hatton’s down-to-earth demeanor also endeared him to fans across the world, and he was open about the mental health issues he endured upon his retirement from the ring.
“As fighters, we tell ourselves we’re strong — we train, we sweat, we take hits, we get up. But sometimes the hardest fight happens in silence, in the mind,” Khan added on X. “Mental health isn’t weakness. It’s part of being human. And we must talk about it. We must reach out. We must lean on each other.”
Hatton went on to become a trainer, coaching Zhanat Zhakiyanov to a world bantamweight title win in 2017.
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Canelo Alvarez falls to Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford in historic Las Vegas fight
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Terence Crawford, middle, has his arm raised after defeating Canelo Alvarez by unanimous decision in an undisputed super middleweight championship boxing match in Las Vegas, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/David Becker)
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Terence Crawford, middle, has his arm raised after defeating Canelo Alvarez by unanimous decision in an undisputed super middleweight championship boxing match in Las Vegas, Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/David Becker)
LAS VEGAS — Terence Crawford said several times in his soft-spoken but confident way that he’s proven doubters wrong throughout his boxing career — and he was planning to do it again.
Few listened.
Canelo Alvarez was the bigger name, the one most responsible for helping draw an announced record crowd of 70,482 on Saturday night.
But Crawford is now the unified super middleweight champion. He became the first male boxer to capture three unified division titles when he defeated Alvarez by unanimous decision.
Judges Tim Cheatham and Max DeLuca awarded Crawford (42-0, 31 knockouts) the match 115-113 and Steve Weisfeld 116-112. The Associated Press scored the fight 118-110 in favor of the 37-year-old from Omaha, Nebraska.
Crawford, who moved up two weight classes, went down to a knee even before the decision was announced and then wept after he was named the winner.
“I know what I’m capable of,” Crawford said. “It’s not a surprise. It’s a surprise to y’all because you all didn’t believe in me.”
He won before a pro-Alvarez crowd, but there were significant chants of “Crawford” in the bout’s later rounds, and even Canelo backers didn’t try to boo them down as they had earlier in the night.
This was the first defeat for Alvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs), the 35-year-old champion from Mexico who looked like the older boxer even going against someone his junior, since losing by unanimous decision to Dmitrii Bivol on May, 7, 2022. He was the -185 favorite at BetMGM Sportsbook.
“We knew Crawford is a great fighter,” Alvarez said. “I did what I was supposed to do. I trained really hard. He deserved all the credit. I tried my best tonight and I couldn’t figure out the style.
“He had everything.”
This fight was already being compared with some of the greatest in Las Vegas’ rich history well before the two contestants tapped gloves.
The setting of Allegiant Stadium itself separated this bout because it was the first match at this venue. Never in question was the attendance record for a Las Vegas fight — 29,214 in 1982 for heavyweight champion Larry Holmes’ 13th-round knockout of Gerry Cooney at Caesars Palace’s specially constructed outdoor stadium — would fall on this night. So did the gate gross revenue record, the fight making $47.23 million.
It also surpassed the largest attendance for a sporting event in the 5-year-old stadium. The previous record of 63,969 was set Sept. 1 of last year when Southern California defeated LSU 27-20 to open the college football season.
There was plenty of star power in the stands, including boxing Hall of Famers, Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones Jr., Thomas Hearns and Julio Cesar Chavez. Actors Sofia Vergara, Michael J. Fox and Charlize Theron, comedians Dave Chappelle and Tracy Morgan, and ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith — who was booed — were among the fans.
But this fight’s impact went beyond Las Vegas. Because it was on Netflix rather than pay-per-view, promoters hoped the card would draw in viewing numbers not seen since perhaps the 1970s, when big-time bouts often were on broadcast networks.
This could be more the norm going forward now that UFC President and CEO Dana White is involved in boxing, this being his first card in collaboration with fellow promoter Riyadh Season. The UFC reached a seven-year deal with Paramount last month, choosing to put its product on the streaming service rather than the PPV model that combat sports have used for their most important events.
There was not much action through the first eight rounds, at least not enough to keep a casual boxing fan tuned into the broadcast, though Crawford was the quicker, more athletic and better boxer to that point.
“I was stronger,” Crawford said. “I punched harder.”
The action picked up significantly in the ninth. Crawford went after Alvarez early with several combinations. His momentum got stopped when Alvarez headbutted Crawford, causing a brief timeout 41 seconds into the round. Crawford, nevertheless, was the superior fighter the rest of the way.
That didn’t change the rest of the fight.
“I felt like I was in control,” Crawford said. “I think he was trying to figure me out.”
In the co-main event, Ireland’s Callum Walsh (15-0, 11 KOs) easily defeated Fernando Vargas Jr. (17-1, 15 KOs) of Las Vegas by scores of 99-91, 99-91, 100-90. Hall of Famer Fernando Vargas Sr. was an IBF, IBA and WBC super welterweight champion.
Also, WBC interim super middleweight Christian Mbilli (29-0-1, 24 KOs) of France retained his title after a draw with Lester Martinez (19-0-1, 16 KOs) of Guatemala. Judges Patricia Morse Jarman scored the fight 97-93 for Martinez, Chris Migliore 96-94 for Mbilli and Glenn Feldman 95-95.
Originally Published:
The Associated Press
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World Athletics Championships: Team GB target top-eight finish in Tokyo, while new ‘sex test’ is introduced in world first
Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson is in good form going into the World Athletics Championships
The world’s best athletes will take to the track and field this weekend when the World Athletics Championships get under way in Tokyo from September 13-21.
Many of the stars who shone at Paris 2024 will be there, including Britain’s 800m Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson and USA’s 100m Olympic champion Noah Lyles.
One of the major talking points away from the sport has been the introduction of a mandatory SRY or sex test for athletes who intend to compete in female categories.
All athletes in female category take new ‘sex test’
World Athletics, led by their President Seb Coe, have taken an unambiguous stance for several years when it comes to talking about and defining new rules around the sensitive issues of the protection of female categories, transgender and DSD (Difference of Sexual Development).
They became the first global sporting federation to announce they would introduce a mandatory, once-in-a-lifetime gene test, known as an SRY Test earlier this year.
The test identifies the Y chromosome which causes male characteristics to develop. If an athlete returns a negative result, they are eligible to compete in female categories at world ranking events, including these World Championships.
World Athletics President Lord Coe says the governing body will do ‘whatever is necessary’ to protect the female category in the sport after it approved the introduction of cheek swabbing to determine if an athlete is biologically female World Athletics President Lord Coe says the governing body will do ‘whatever is necessary’ to protect the female category in the sport after it approved the introduction of cheek swabbing to determine if an athlete is biologically female
Coe told Sky Sports he expected every athlete required to take an SRY Test will have done so by the time track and field events get under way in Tokyo, including all French athletes.
In France, the process has been complicated by French law where the SRY gene test is illegal in France due to a 1994 law banning DNA testing for non-medical, non-judicial purposes to protect family integrity, so French athletes have had to undertake the SRY test by travelling outside of France.
Coe confirmed that while it is World Athletics’ stated aim to have all athletes tested by the start of the World Championships next month, the results do not have to be known due to the tight time frame.
For athletes whose national federation hasn’t been able to offer an SRY test yet, World Athletics will step in and offer the test at holding camps in Japan used by athletes prior to competing in Tokyo.
“By and large, the process has gone pretty smoothly, but it’s not been without its challenges,” Coe said. “The vast majority have been pretty straightforward and we’ve (World Athletics) made a contribution of about US$100 per test.”
How important are championships for Coe?
Very.
He has transformed the athletics governing body since his election in Beijing in 2015 from the tarnished old IAAF to the new World Athletics.
He’s serving his third and final term as president and while no doubt still pondering his defeat in March’s International Olympic Committee (IOC) presidency election to Kirsty Coventry, his first love has always been track and field, and during his term as president he has tackled controversial issues like banning Russia and bringing in updated rules on gender eligibility.
Lord Coe accepts defeat to Kirsty Coventry in the IOC Presidential vote and says he welcomes the fact it’s a former Olympic athlete who will take up the role Lord Coe accepts defeat to Kirsty Coventry in the IOC Presidential vote and says he welcomes the fact it’s a former Olympic athlete who will take up the role
While those issues can be divisive, the progress of time has shown that many, if not most, sporting federations have followed athletics’ lead by watching and then following.
It’s interesting to note that the new IOC President, whom he lost out to, is preparing the IOC to greater understand and perhaps even lead on gender eligibility and protections for female sports stars.
He also wants athletics firmly in the position of the world’s second most popular sport behind football by showing off packed out stadia in Tokyo.
The World Championships take place in the 70,000 capacity Olympic Stadium where during the 2020 Olympics not one fan was able to watch the sport on offer due to a strict Covid-19 lockdown in Japan.
Many of the sessions during the nine days of competition are sell-outs and, according to Coe, no session will have fewer than 50,000 people in attendance.
Tokyo heat, humidity and typhoons
World Athletics deliberately scheduled the start of their marquee championships later than they would normally. Two years ago in Budapest, for example, the schedule ran during August.
High temperatures and humidity can be exceedingly high in Japan during the months of July and August, as many athletes who competed at the Tokyo Olympics four years ago will testify to.
The 2025 World Athletics Championships will be held at the National Stadium in Tokyo from September 13-21
However, heat mitigation measures will again be in place as Japan has experienced temperatures 2.36 Degrees Celsius above average between June and August, with local temperatures in Tokyo this week reaching 33 Degrees Celsius.
World Athletics president Seb Coe is of the belief that climate change is not temporary and is here to stay; at these championships, decisions on whether competition will go ahead will not be in the hands of local organisers, but World Athletics.
Information on drinks, ice baths and cooling techniques has been shared widely with athletes and their federations, while plenty of provision will be in place for spectators.
Tokyo and Japan, in general, is prone to typhoons at this time of year, indeed many British and Northern Irish athletes were confined to their hotel at their training camp for a few days due to a typhoon. If such a weather system hits Tokyo during the championships, it will again be a decision for World Athletics to make as to whether to postpone or cancel events.
Where could GB medals come from?
Great Britain and Northern Ireland haven’t been set a medal target, but a top-eight finish in the medal table is the challenge, with an expectation of several of their world-leading track stars to medal and all relay squads to medal.
So who are the stars? The women’s 800m final has been scheduled for the last session of the last day of the championships, as it’s been viewed as being a hot ticket in town. Two Brits could well end up on the podium, both friends and training partners coached by husband and wife duo Jenny Meadows and Trevor Painter – Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson and Georgia Hunter-Bell.
Hodgkinson was one of the stars of Paris last year, streaking home to become Olympic champion and, although she has suffered hamstring injuries this year, she has come back to racing in time and is running ferociously quickly.
Keely Hodgkinson says she is in a good place after receiving her MBE and is fully focused on the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo Keely Hodgkinson says she is in a good place after receiving her MBE and is fully focused on the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo
While perhaps not quite the right time for a tilt at the 800m world record, if Hodgkinson feels it, she’ll go for it.
Elsewhere, medals could come in men’s middle distance, with 1500m runner Josh Kerr defending his world title he won in 2023.
His battles with Norway’s Jacob Ingebrigtsen have already become legendary, with the two not the best of pals. At the Paris Olympics, one of the two should have taken the gold medal, but their attention on one another allowed the USA’s Cole Hocker to shock them both and cross the line first.
George Mills, son of Danny – the former Leeds, Manchester City and England defender – is a serious contender for medals in the men’s 5000m. This season he’s beaten Sir Mo Farah’s long-standing British 5000m record and ran the second fastest 1500m by a Brit, so the 26-year-old is well warmed up.
Katarina Johnson-Thompson is always a threat at major championships, and at Tokyo she will defend the heptathlon world title she won two years ago. She was also crowned world champion in 2019, and took Olympic silver in Paris.
Dina Asher-Smith will make her seventh appearance at a World Championship and, while the competition is fierce in both the 100m and 200m, she is running quickly this season.
“I’m just really happy,” she told Sky Sports. “I think the other week in Zurich is testament to what kind of shape I’m in because, honestly, I knew that I’ve been in good shape for a very long time and I know that I’ve been putting together some great races in the past few months, but to run a 10.90!
!I was picking it out because I know I could have had faster in me that day, but still obviously I’m very happy.”
Could Dina Asher-Smith medal at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo?
Also very quick is Daryll Neita, who finished fourth in the women’s Olympic 100m final in Paris, narrowly missing out on a medal. She did, however, take home an Olympic Silver medal from the 4x100m women’s relay and in Tokyo it is expected that Great Britain and Northern Ireland medal in all five relay disciplines.
Individually, in the men’s sprint events (100m and 200m), Zharnel Hughes should at the very least make finals, as the qualified pilot has run sub-10 seconds in the 100m and sub-20 seconds in the 200m. With age, Hughes seems to get faster, as he broke both British 100m and 200m records in 2023, the same year he took his first ever global medal, a bronze at the last World Athletics Championships.
“Obviously the experience has been taking me into finals and stuff like that,” he said. “I’ve always been one to be reckoned with when it comes to the championships. I’ve always been able to position myself into the finals at every major championship.
“Unfortunately, last year it didn’t get to happen due to injury, but I’m feeling confident and I’m looking forward to getting myself on that podium for sure. I’ll be giving it my very best, I’m filled with determination and I’m quite confident in my ability that I can always catch you at the very end.
“I’m trusting myself and trusting my speed. The work that I’ve put in leading up to this championship has been tremendous. It’s going to be great.”
While the British team is medal heavy on expectation from the track, also keep an eye on pole-vaulter Molly Caudery. She won the 2024 World Indoor title and won the Diamond League meeting in Doha in May.
The Cornishwoman is a huge talent was expected to challenge for the gold at the Olympics last year, but had a shocker and failed to even qualify for the final. The 25-year-old is determined to learn the mental lesson from a year ago.
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Olympic gold medalist Imane Khelif challenges gender test mandate
Olympic champion boxer Imane Khelif is challenging the global boxing federation’s decision to mandate gender testing to determine the eligibility of male and female boxers.
In May, World Boxing said Khelif, an Algerian boxer, would be banned from all World Boxing competitions until she underwent the mandatory test. The decision to mandate testing came in part due to the controversy surrounding Khelif after she won a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
On Monday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport said in a statement that Khelif was challenging World Boxing’s decision. It said the appeal, filed on Aug. 5, also requested that CAS declare Khelif eligible to participate in the 2025 World Boxing Championships from Sept. 4-14 without a test.
CAS said it had dismissed on Monday a request to suspend the execution of the World Boxing testing until the case is heard.
Andy Cheung / Getty Images
Khelif was one of two boxers who sparked a gender eligibility furor at the Paris Games. The other was Taiwanese fighter Lin Yu-ting, who has entered to compete at the world championships that start this week in Liverpool.
Both fighters won Olympic gold medals, but Khelif’s opening bout, when she left her Italian opponent in tears, sparked criticism from a range of commentators, including now-U.S. Vice President JD Vance and “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling.
Khelif boxed for years on the international stage without any gender issues or questions until the year before the Olympics, when she was disqualified from the International Boxing Association’s world championships.
Last month, she denied claims made by her former manager that she was putting her career on hold.
“I would like to make it clear to the public that the reports of my retirement from boxing are false,” the 26-year-old wrote on Facebook.
She accused her former manager, Nasser Yesfah, of “betraying (her) trust and (her) country with his false and malicious statements.”
“This person no longer represents me in any way,” she said.
contributed to this report.
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Boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. to stand trial in Mexico over alleged cartel ties
A judge in Mexico said boxer Julio César Chávez Jr. will stand trial over alleged cartel ties and arms trafficking but could await that trial outside of detention, the boxer’s lawyer said.
Chávez’s lawyer, Rubén Fernando Benítez Alvarez, confirmed that the court imposed additional measures and granted three months of further investigation into the case. He described the claims against his client as “speculation” and “urban legends” following the court hearing on Saturday in the northern Mexican city of Hermosillo.
If convicted, Chávez — who took part in the hearing virtually from a detention facility — could face a prison sentence of between four and eight years, Alvarez said.
Chávez, 39, who had been living in the United States for several years, was arrested in early July by federal agents outside his Los Angeles home for overstaying his visa and providing inaccurate details on an application to obtain a green card. The arrest came just days after a fight he had with famed American boxer Jake Paul in Los Angeles.
Since 2019, Mexican prosecutors have been investigating the boxer following a complaint filed by U.S. authorities against the Sinaloa Cartel for organized crime, human trafficking, arms trafficking and drug trafficking.
The case led to investigations against 13 people, among them Ovidio Guzmán López — the son of convicted drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán — along with some collaborators, hitmen and accomplices of the criminal organization. Guzmán López was arrested in January 2023 and extradited to the U.S. eight months later.
Following the inquiry, the Federal Attorney General’s Office issued several arrest warrants, including one against Chávez.
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum said Chávez was wanted since 2023 in Mexico, but that he wasn’t detained because he spent most of the time in the U.S.
“The hope is that he will be deported and serve the sentence in Mexico,” Sheinbaum said in July.
The boxer, who is the son of Mexican boxing great Julio César Chávez, was deported by the U.S. on Aug. 19 and handed over to agents of the Federal Attorney General’s Office in Sonora state, who transferred him to the Federal Social Reintegration Center in Hermosillo.
The high profile case come as the Trump administration is pressuring Mexico to crack down on organized crime, canceling visas of notable Mexican artists and celebrities and ramping up deportations.
Chávez has struggled with drug addiction throughout his career and has been arrested multiple times. In 2012, he was found guilty of driving under the influence in Los Angeles and was sentenced to 13 days in jail.
He was arrested last year for weapons possession. Police reported that Chávez had two rifles. He was released shortly afterward upon posting $50,000 bail, on the condition that he attend a facility to receive treatment for his addiction.
Abraham Téllez | The Associated Press
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