It added: “This heartbreaking news comes just days after the passing of Shigetoshi Kotari, who died from injuries suffered in his fight on the same card.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the families, friends and the Japanese boxing community during this incredibly difficult time.”
Following the event, the Japan Boxing Commission announced all Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) title bouts will now be 10 rounds instead of 12.
Urakawa is the third high-profile boxer to die in 2025 after Irishman John Cooney passed away in February following a fight in Belfast.
Cooney died aged 28 after suffering an intracranial haemorrhage from his fight against Welshman Nathan Howells.
It took until August, but the starting rotation the Dodgers envisioned in spring training is intact and delivering.
Vowing not to revisit the predicament they found themselves in last postseason, when only two true starters and a stacked bullpen somehow patched together enough innings to win a World Series, the Dodgers added two-time Cy Young award winner Blake Snell to a rotation that already boasted four potential aces and several other candidates coming off injuries or ascending from the minor leagues.
Snell complained of shoulder inflammation April 2 after his second start and took his sweet time recovering — four months, to be precise. But if his performance against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium is a fair indication, the wait was worthwhile.
Snell struck out 10 in five scoreless innings of a 9-1 Dodgers victory, living up to the Snellzilla nickname he stole from his older brother as a brash 11-year-old and still uses as his Instagram handle. In two starts since coming off the injured list, the left-hander has 18 strikeouts in 10 innings.
The Dodgers offense was fueled by the long ball early on, with Max Muncy belting a two-run, opposite-field home run in the fourth inning and Shohei Ohtani absolutely crushing his 40th homer of the season 417 feet to dead center in the fifth with nobody on base.
Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani hits his 40th home run of the season Saturday against the Blue Jays.
(Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)
A six-run rally an inning later put the game away. Two hit batters and two walks set the table, and Dalton Rushing and Mookie Betts each delivered two-run singles with none out. Andy Pages drove in the last two with a two-out double, his second hit of the inning.
The win was the second in a row against Toronto (68-50), which remain in first place in the American League East. The series concludes Sunday with another formidable starter — Tyler Glasnow — taking the mound for the Dodgers (68-49).
Glasnow took a similar if less pronounced path than Snell this season, going on the injured list before the end of April and not returning until July 9. He has given up only one run in four of his five starts since returning and most recently went seven strong innings against the St. Louis Cardinals.
It’s clear that Snell and Glasnow are healthy, their arms as fresh and live as would be expected coming out of spring training. The same is true of Ohtani and Clayton Kershaw, two future Hall of Famers whose recoveries from injuries also were methodical and unhurried. Both are pitching well.
And so is Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the only starter whose health hasn’t cost him time off. He’s made 22 starts, going 10-7 with a 2.51 earned-run average and leads National League starters with eight scoreless outings.
The Dodgers employ a sixth starter to give Ohani and Yamamoto five to seven days off between starts. The job belonged to Dustin May until he was traded to the Red Sox at the deadline, creating an opportunity for Emmet Sheehan, who was impressive over 60 innings as a rookie in 2023, but had Tommy John surgery in May 2024.
He’s pitched well, posting a 3.00 ERA over 30 innings, giving the Dodgers a luxury they haven’t enjoyed in recent memory: trotting out a starting pitcher every night that can prevent runs through the middle innings.
That leaves the bullpen to finish the job, and injuries and inconsistency continue to riddle the relief corps. Roberts said help is on the way, with several key relievers on the mend. If they return as effective as the starters, pitching could be a Dodgers strength entering the postseason.
The Spanish midfielder missed the majority of last season due to injury and will miss the start of the new campaign.
Midfielder Rodri is recovering from a “big injury” sustained during the Club World Cup, likely limiting the Ballon d’Or winner’s playing time in the early stages of the new Premier League season, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says.
Guardiola did not disclose the details of the injury but said the 29-year-old Spain international picked up the problem during City’s 4-3 loss against the Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal in the round of 16 of the Club World Cup in July.
British media reported Rodri has suffered a groin injury.
Rodri only made his return to competitive action in May after eight months out of action due to a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.
“Rodri is getting better, but he had a big injury in the last game against Al Hilal,” Guardiola told reporters on Friday before Saturday’s friendly match against the Italian side Palermo.
“He has trained better in the last few days. Hopefully after the international break [in September], he will be really fit.
“Hopefully in these [first three Premier League] games, he can play some minutes, but what is important is that he doesn’t have pain because we don’t want Rodri coming back injured. We will try desperately to avoid that.
“He has been training the last two sessions with us, and that’s good.”
City, who finished third last season, begin their Premier League campaign away against Wolverhampton Wanderers on August 16.
Manchester City midfielder Rodri has suffered an injury setback and is unlikely to be “really fit” until after the September international break, says manager Pep Guardiola.
The Spain international spent most of the 2024-25 season sidelined as a result of suffering a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament injury last September.
The 2024 Ballon d’Or winner returned to action when he came on as a late substitute in City’s penultimate Premier League game of last season against Bournemouth.
The 29-year-old was also part of Guardiola’s squad at the Club World Cup in the United States during in the summer when City went out at the last-16 stage to Al-Hilal.
Rodri came on as a second-half substitute against the Saudi Arabian side but went off early in extra time with what is thought to have been a groin issue.
“Rodri is getting better but he had a big injury in the last game against Al-Hilal,” said Guardiola.
“He has trained better in the last few days. Hopefully after the international break, he will be really fit.”
ATLANTA — Detroit safety Morice Norris was attended to for about 20 minutes and taken off the field in an ambulance during the Lions’ preseason game Friday night against Atlanta, with the game ending with 6:31 to go after the players let the clock run.
Norris was hurt with 14:50 to go trying to tackle Nathan Carter.
“We’re just praying for Mo and ask that everybody prays for him,” said Lions coach Dan Campbell, who said he had “positive information” from hospital.
“He’s breathing. He’s talking. He has some movement,” Campbell added.
When play resumed, Falcons quarterback Emory Jones took a snap and then held the ball as players from both teams stood at the line of scrimmage and the clock continued to run. Finally, with 6:31 left, an official announced the game had been suspended “per New York.”
The Lions led 17-10 when played was stopped.
Campbell and Falcons coach Raheem Morris made the decision to not finish the game.
“Raheem Morris is a class act,” Campbell said. “He’s the ultimate class act. We agreed it just didn’t feel right to finish that game.”
Lions quarterback Kyle Allen said the decision to not finish the game was easy to make.
“I don’t think anyone on that sideline wanted to play,” Allen said. “We weren’t part of that decision but you could look in anyone’s eyes and see that.”
A day after losing the cornerstone of their offensive line, the mood around the Chargers’ training facility remained the same — somber.
“It’s like a gut punch into the solar plexus — takes the wind out of you,” coach Jim Harbaugh said. “Don’t really have the words or am able to think about anything else. Man, just feel bad.”
It was the first day of moving forward with a new-look offensive line after learning Rashawn Slater ruptured his patellar tendon — an injury that will require him to undergo season-ending surgery.
Even with the need to move forward, Slater remained on everyone’s mind. Harbaugh said he was confident Slater would overcome the setback.
“I also know how he’ll attack the rehab and train, and he’ll be back,” Harbaugh said. “Not this season, but I know he’ll be back.”
For Joe Alt — the other half of one of the best offensive tackle duos in the NFL — it was difficult to accept that the man who mentored him during his rookie season last year would not be playing in 2025.
“I’m praying for him,” Alt said. “I know what he’s going to do. I know he’s going to recover and he’s going to attack it and be back better than ever.”
The mindset in the offensive line room has shifted with Slater out. They are determined to stay focused on honoring him through their play.
“We’re brothers,” Alt said. “Yes, one fell down, and the goal is to play as well as five is one, and the only way we can do that is by moving forward and playing the best we can, to do what he would want us to do.”
Trey Pipkins III, who has moved into a potential starting role at right tackle because of the injury, said he spoke with Slater, whose “spirits are as good as they can be,” adding Slater was “joking around a little.”
Slater’s absence presents an opportunity for Pipkins, who is in the final year of his contract and returning to a position he played for his first five seasons before a brief shift to guard last season.
While Harbaugh said nothing is set, Pipkins — who started at right tackle in both 2022 and 2023 — will get the first look at the spot. Jamaree Salyer, who Harbaugh praised for a strong showing throughout camp, also could challenge for the starting role.
For now, the offensive line consists of Alt moving to left tackle, Zion Johnson at right guard, Bradley Bozeman at center, Mekhi Becton at left guard and Pipkins at right tackle, according to Harbaugh.
With the loss of depth on the offensive line, the team plans to explore the free-agent market and expects to bring in players for workouts Saturday before the preseason game against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
Najee Harris’ status remains unclear
A potential return timeline for running back Najee Harris, who has been on the non-football injury/illness list since a July 4 fireworks incident, remains unclear.
Harris began walking laps at practice on Aug. 2, wearing a helmet with a visor and cleats, but has yet to progress further in his recovery. Harbaugh remained vague about when Harris might practice or play for the Chargers.
When asked if Harris would be ready for the Chargers’ season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs in Brazil — which Harris’ agent, Doug Hendrickson, said he expects — Harbaugh replied, “There is a chance.”
Like with most player injury updates, Harbaugh deferred to his lack of medical expertise when asked if the injury was still just “superficial,” as first reported, or something more serious.
Two days ago, Harris posted a photo on Snapchat showing his left eye completely shut, captioned: “WE AT IT.”
“I don’t comment on it because I am not a doctor,” Harbaugh said. “I’m not Mr. Harris’ agent, either. I’m talking about what I know, and can he open his eye? Yeah. I’ve looked into his eye.”
Rashawn Slater, the Chargers’ star left tackle who became the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history last month, sustained a torn patellar tendon in practice and will undergo season-ending surgery, the team announced Thursday.
Slater went down in team drills after going up against edge rusher Tuli Tuipulotu. As Slater planted his left foot, he collapsed to the ground and immediately grabbed his leg.
A quiet hush fell over the Chargers’ facility while Slater stayed down for several minutes before trainers and teammates helped him onto a cart. Slater appeared visibly distraught — throwing his helmet, slamming his hand on the cart and burying his face in his hands. Several teammates walked over to console him before he left the field.
Two trainers supported him as he entered the team facility. He was unable to put any weight on his left leg.
“I didn’t really see anything — I kind of just turned around and boom,” Tuipulotu said of the play. “We’re praying for him.”
The injury is a significant setback for a Chargers team that was hoping to have Slater anchor an offensive line that was hampered by injuries and struggled, at times, to create opportunities for the running game last season. The injury comes as the Chargers are already dealing with depth concerns along the line, with Mekhi Becton being sidelined since July 28 because of an undisclosed injury.
Slater played a valuable role in helping the Chargers set a franchise record for the fewest offensive turnovers (eight) in a season. He also finished 2024 with the second-best overall grade and the third-best pass-blocking grade at offensive tackle, per Pro Football Focus.
Joe Alt slid over to left tackle for the remainder of practice Thursday. Trey Pipkins III subbed in at right tackle — where he started in 2022 and 2023 — before spending most of last season at right guard, starting 15 games. With Slater out, Alt likely will be Justin Herbert’s blindside protector this season.
Keenan Allen always envisioned a return to the Chargers. Once his brief stint with the Chicago Bears ended, he saw himself coming back to the franchise that drafted him.
“It was close to home and family,” Allen said. “This is what I’m used to. The organization, the people around the building — it just feels like home.”
Thursday marked Allen’s first day back in powder blue and gold — a welcome sight for fans who watched his climb over 11 seasons.
On his first snap of full-team drills, Allen hauled in a strike over the middle from Justin Herbert, reigniting a familiar connection that lasted four seasons.
The two began rebuilding their chemistry last Friday, when Herbert threw to Allen during a private workout. Allen said they stayed in touch throughout the process leading up to his return.
Allen said he missed being on the receiving end of Herbert’s throws and is “just happy to be back.”
“This is where I’m supposed to be,” Allen said.
He is the veteran leader of a receiving room that looks much different than the one he left, with Quentin Johnston and Derius Davis the only holdovers from two seasons ago.
“[It’s] much better than what I’m used to seeing in a training camp this early,” Allen said of his first impressions. “The technique, the way they’re getting downfield, the way they’re pressing coverages — I think it looks great.”
Allen shared how impressed he’s been with Ladd McConkey, who broke his franchise rookie receiving records, joking, “He had a few more games.”
“You’ve got two guys who love to play football and compete,” said Allen, on sharing the field with McConkey. “You can put us anywhere. … And obviously, he showed that last year.”
Throughout the offseason, Allen felt teams “downplayed” his value. Entering his 13th season, he’s out to prove he can still perform at a high level at 33.
“Still got a little hunger, little chip on my shoulder and still want to go out there and play ball,” Allen said.
England pace bowler Chris Woakes looks likely to be ruled out of the remainder of the decisive fifth Test against India after suffering a shoulder injury on the opening day at The Oval.
Woakes was tumbling to make a boundary stop late on Thursday when he landed awkwardly. He went from the field with his left arm in a makeshift sling, in obvious discomfort.
The Warwickshire man is likely to have a scan overnight and England will provide an update on Friday.
“It doesn’t look great,” fellow pace bowler Gus Atkinson told BBC Sport. “I will be surprised if he takes any part in the game.”
Atkinson added: “It’s the last game of the series and when anyone gets injured it’s a shame. We’re hoping it’s not too bad. Whatever it is, he will get full support from everyone.”
Woakes was still at the ground after India closed Thursday on 204-6, undergoing treatment and assessment from the England medical staff.
It is cruel on Woakes, the only England pace bowler to have featured in every Test of the gruelling five-match series.
On flat pitches in the previous four Tests, he struggled to make a impact, taking 10 wickets. On day one at The Oval, Woakes had India opener KL Rahul play on to his stumps before suffering the injury.
Given his poor record away from home, Woakes was already facing a battle to be part of England’s squad for the Ashes tour this winter. At 36, there will be concerns this injury threatens his future in international cricket.
Woakes’ injury is also a huge blow to an England pace attack already depleted by injuries and exhaustion.
Captain Ben Stokes, England’s leading wicket-taker in this series, is missing the final Test with a shoulder injury, while Mark Wood is a long-term absentee. Olly Stone is only just returning to fitness following a knee injury.
Brydon Carse and Jofra Archer were both left out at The Oval following their previous workload in this series.
What was more important, however, was that they didn’t lose their two-way star.
In the Dodgers’ 5-2 defeat to the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park, Shohei Ohtani left the mound alongside a trainer in the fourth inning with what the team later said was only cramping — a worrying scene in the moment, quickly alleviated by a seemingly benign injury announcement.
Ohtani remained in the game as a designated hitter, going 0-for-5 on the night.
The rest of the Dodgers’ lineup didn’t do much better, with Freddie Freeman’s two-run home run in the top of the fourth inning representing their only scoring.
It was a half-inning later that Ohtani’s injury scare occurred.
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UCLA NEWSLETTER
We have a new newsletter! It’s called UCLA Unlocked, and yes, you guess it, it’s about UCLA athletics, from football to basketball to baseball to you name it, it will be covered here.
Get informed and entertained about everything Bruin sports, from takeaways on the latest big game to recruiting buzz. We’ll also remember some of the greatest athletes, coaches and games that made UCLA sports so special.
The newsletter will be interactive, including polls and questions about UCLA sports old and new. It’ll also cover the school’s tradition-rich Olympic sports, highlighting one each week.
The newsletter will be emailed to you every Monday morning.
The Angels acquired relievers Andrew Chafin and Luis García from the Washington Nationals in a trade for left-hander Jake Eder and minor league first baseman Sam Brown.
The Angels announced the deal to bolster their bullpen on Wednesday. The team also designated left-hander José Quijada for assignment to make room on its 40-man roster.
The 35-year-old Chafin joins his eighth major league team after going 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 26 appearances for Washington this season. Left-handed hitters are batting just .147 against him.
The Angels have one of the majors’ highest bullpen ERAs despite the presence of closer Kenley Jansen, who has 20 saves and a 2.93 ERA in another strong season.
Nathan Eovaldi limited the Angels to a run in seven innings, Adolis García hit a two-run homer in the eighth and the Texas Rangers beat the Angels 6-3 on Wednesday night.
Eovaldi (9-3) helped the Rangers avoid a series sweep and snap the Angels’ three-game winning streak. He allowed six hits and struck out four.
Marcus Semien was three for five with an RBI and two runs. He doubled and opened the scoring on Wyatt Langford’s single in the fourth, and had an RBI single in the sixth. Langford was two for five with a double.
For most players, getting to a second contract is challenging. And careers that extend well beyond that milestone are uncommon in a business that churns through talent.
So when Ahkello Witherspoon began his career in 2017, he could not envision that he would be preparing for his ninth season.
Witherspoon, 30, is the most veteran player in a Rams secondary that remains unchanged in personnel from when the Rams advanced to the NFC divisional round.
Gates, who will be enshrined Saturday in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, is the only player to reach that pinnacle without a single snap of college football. He was a basketball star at Kent State, a half-hour up the road from Canton, Ohio, and never seemed to give football a second thought, even though he was a two-sport high school phenom in his hometown of Detroit.
“I never in a million years when he was playing basketball at Kent State thought he would be a professional football player,” said Steve Sefner, the school’s play-by-play announcer when the 6-foot-4 power forward was routinely dominating taller opponents.
“He had an elite first step, point-guard skills, making reads, passing,” recalled Anthony Wilkins, now a basketball assistant coach at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, and then Kent State’s co-captain with Gates. “We could put the ball in Tone’s hands and literally run the offense through him.”
From Ben Bolch: It was 68 degrees and overcast, a cool coastal breeze wafting across the practice fields, when UCLA commenced its first off-campus football training camp in nearly a decade.
San Bernardino, this was not.
With 55 newcomers dotting a roster of 105, not to mention eight new assistant coaches, the Bruins’ camp that started in Costa Mesa on Wednesday morning was more about togetherness than toughness in the triple-digit temperatures of the Inland Empire.
Every offensive player was matched with a roommate from the defense or special teams. A series of bonding exercises was planned inside and outside the nearby team hotel. Everything the Bruins do over the next 2 ½ weeks will be of the get-to-know-you variety.
“I have a lot of tough guys, but it’s more of the connection,” coach DeShaun Foster said. “There’s a lot of new coaches and players, so I just wanted to find a way to make us be able to connect a little bit more, you know? To be able to eat three meals with each other and just get close.”
From Ryan Kartje: Eight weeks ago, on the first day of USC football’s summer workout program, Trumain Carroll hoped to drive home one particular message.
How you do one thing, he told the team, is how you do everything.
Carroll had just been hired as USC’s new strength and conditioning coach, replacing Bennie Wylie, who was abruptly let go in April. The late start for Carroll left him with only so much time to lay a foundation. But this lesson was especially critical. Not only was it one of his core beliefs as a strength coach, it was also one of the main reasons he was brought to USC, where discipline, especially late in games, had often unraveled.
Carroll knew, that first day, that he needed to make clear how much details mattered. So when the team was lacking effort during warm-ups, he made players start again. And again. Soon enough, before the workout even started, they were out of time.
1932 — France beats the U.S. 3-2 for its sixth consecutive Davis Cup championship.
1934 — Britain, led by Fred Perry and Bunny Austin, defeats the U.S. 4-1 at Wimbledon to win the Davis Cup title.
1942 — Jockey Bill Turnbull wins seven of nine races at Rockingham Park in Salem, N.H.
1973 — Julius Erving, the American Basketball Association’s leading scorer, is traded by the cash-strapped Virginia Squires to the New York Nets for forward George Carter and cash.
1983 — Jan Stephenson beats JoAnne Carner and Patty Sheehan by one stroke to win the U.S. Women’s Open.
1993 — Mike Aulby becomes the third player in PBA history to win a tournament by rolling a 300 game in the title game. Aulby beats David Ozio 300-279 in the Wichita Open.
1994 — Sergei Bubka sets a world pole vault record for the 35th time in his career at a meet in Sestriere, Italy. Bubka soars 20 feet, 1¾ inches, adding a half-inch to his mark set in Tokyo in 1992.
2000 — Dorothy Delasin becomes the LPGA’s youngest winner in 25 years by beating Pat Hurst on the second extra hole to win the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic. The 19-year-old Delasin is the youngest winner on the tour since Amy Alcott took the Orange Blossom Classic at age 19 in 1975.
2005 — Grant Hackett becomes the first swimmer to win four straight world titles in the same event, capturing another 1,500-meter freestyle. The Aussie stretches out his own record for world championship medals to 17.
2007 — All-Star Kevin Garnett is traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves to Boston for five players and two draft picks. The Celtics obtain the former MVP and 10-time All-Star from Minnesota for forwards Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes and Gerald Green, guard Sebastian Telfair and center Theo Ratliff and two first-round draft picks.
2011 — Yani Tseng wins the Women’s British Open for the second straight year, beating Brittany Lang by four strokes and becoming the youngest woman to capture a fifth major title. The 22-year-old top-ranked Taiwanese shot a 3-under 69 to finish at 16-under 272.
2012 — Michael Phelps breaks the Olympic medals record with his 19th, helping the U.S. romp to a 4×200-meter freestyle relay victory at the London Games. With 19 medals spanning three Olympics, Phelps moves one ahead of Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina, who got her haul in 1956, 1960 and 1964.
2012 — The team of Gabrielle Douglas, McKayla Maroney, Alexandra Raisman, Kyla Ross and Jordyn Wieber lives up to all the hype, winning the first U.S. Olympic title in women’s gymnastics since 1996.
2021 — Katie Ledecky wins the women’s 800m gold in Tokyo. This is the third consecutive Olympics she has won the race.
THIS DAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1930 — Lou Gehrig drove in eight runs with a grand slam and two doubles, and the New York Yankees outlasted the Boston Red Sox 14-13.
1932 — Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium opened and Lefty Grove and the Philadelphia A’s beat the Indians 1-0 before 76,979 fans.
1934 — The St. Louis Cardinals defeated the Cincinnati Reds 8-6 in 18 innings at Cincinnati as Dizzy Dean and Tony Freitas both went the distance.
1954 — Joe Adcock hit four home runs and a double to lead the Milwaukee Braves to a 15-7 victory over the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field. Adcock’s 18 total bases set a major league record at the time. Adcock homered in the second inning off Don Newcombe, doubled in the third and homered in the fifth off Erv Palica. He connected off Pete Wojey in the seventh and off Johnny Podres in the ninth. Adcock saw only seven pitches and his double off the left-center field fence just missed going out by inches.
1961 — The All-Star Game ended in a 1-1 tie at Fenway Park because of heavy rain.
1981 — The second baseball strike ended after 42 days.
1990 — Nolan Ryan, 43, won his 300th game, reaching the milestone in his second try, as the Texas Rangers beat the Milwaukee Brewers 11-3.
2002 — Mike Mussina became the second pitcher in major league history to give up six doubles in one inning, during the New York Yankees’ 17-6 loss to Texas. Hall of Famer Lefty Grove allowed that many with Boston in 1934 against Washington.
2003 — John Smoltz broke his own record as the fastest pitcher to record 40 saves by pitching a scoreless ninth in Atlanta’s 7-4 win over Houston. Last year, he got his 40th save on Aug. 8, en route to breaking the NL record with 55.
2007 — The New York Yankees tied a franchise record by hitting eight home runs, including two by Hideki Matsui, in a 16-3 rout of the Chicago White Sox. New York last hit eight homers in a game in a doubleheader opener at the Philadelphia Athletics on June 28, 1939.
2010 — Carlos Gonzalez hit a game-ending home run to complete the cycle, and Colorado rallied to a 6-5 win after blowing a three-run lead in the eighth inning to the Chicago Cubs.
2011 — Ricky Nolasco scattered 12 hits, Emilio Bonifacio homered and Florida handed the Atlanta Braves the 10,000th loss in franchise history. With the 3-1 loss, the Braves become the second big league team with 10,000 losses. The Phillies reached that mark in 2007.
2015 — New York’s Mark Teixeira homered from both sides of the plate for the record 14th time, hitting his 10th grand slam and a two-run homer that led the Yankees past the Chicago White Sox 13-6.
2021 — Seby Zavala becomes the first player in MLB history to record his first three home runs in the same game.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
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Whittaker is a former UFC middleweight champion who has won 17 of his 23 fights since joining the promotion in 2012.
He is currently fifth in the UFC’s middleweight rankings, demonstrating sporting longevity at the top which is matched by few.
Although Whittaker says regaining the title – which he lost to Israel Adesanya in 2019 and is now held by Du Plessis – remains a goal, it his not his biggest driver any more.
“I’ve got nothing to prove, there’s just things that I’m working for. I’m leading by example for my kids and any other athlete that wants to look up to me,” says Whittaker.
“I’ve been in the game so long, what drives me to be better and push as hard as I do, is the kids.”
De Ridder is fighting in only his fourth UFC bout after joining the organisation last year.
He is 34 like Whittaker, but has spent much of his career in fellow MMA promotion One Championship, where he is a former middleweight and light-heavyweight champion.
“De Ridder is going to be looking to pressure me and take me down to the ground and make me uncomfortable,” said Whittaker.
“I want to get my hands on him and hope for a quick one but I’ve been training for a 25-minute slugfest.”
From Ryan Kartje: USC star freshman Alijah Arenas will miss at least the next six-to-eight months after sustaining a serious knee injury that will require surgery, leaving his future with the Trojans in question.
An MRI this week found a slight meniscus tear, as well as a bone bruise, according to a person familiar with the situation not authorized to discuss it publicly, dealing a critical blow to both USC and a player it hoped could become a superstar in short order.
“Alijah is a tremendous worker, teammate, competitor and person,” USC coach Eric Musselman said in a statement. “He is understandably disappointed that he will not be able to take the court to start the season, but his health is our No. 1 priority.”
The injury comes just two weeks after Arenas was cleared to practice with USC, and three months after he survived a carwreck in his Tesla Cybertruck. Now it’s unclear how much he’ll play for USC — if at all.
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DODGERS
From Kevin Baxter: For 2 ½ hours of a sun-splashed Wednesday afternoon, the Dodgers were playing up to — or perhaps down to — recent expectations.
Their offense consisted mainly of a Shohei Ohtani home run while the starting pitching kept them in the game, but then everything appeared to go off the rails when manager Dave Roberts went to his bullpen.
This time there was a surprise ending though, with Freddie Freeman lining a two-strike, two-out, two-run single to left field to give the Dodgers a walk-off 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins.
The win was just the second in six games since the All-Star break. But with the team beginning a nine-game, three-city road trip, its longest of the second half, Friday in Boston, Roberts believes the comeback could provide the spark the Dodgers have been missing.
Pete Alonso hit a three-run homer to power the New York Mets to a 6-3 win and series sweep of the Angels on Wednesday.
Alonso, mired in a 2-for-34 slump dating to July 10, homered two batters after Francisco Lindor broke a career-long 0-for-31 drought with an RBI single.
Brandon Nimmo hit his 14th career leadoff homer and Lindor added another RBI single in the fourth for the Mets, who swept a series for the fifth time this season.
Eight years after the Chargers left San Diego, the organization is reintroducing itself to the city with two days of training camp this week. Fans who couldn’t secure tickets to practice at the University of San Diego on Tuesday still clamored for a glimpse from the top of a nearby hill. Jefferson, a San Diego native who grew up rooting for the Chargers, has been happy to see the support grow after the franchise’s contentious departure.
“With any sports team that leaves the city, [fans] feel empty when it comes to that spot,” said Jefferson, who signed with the Chargers last year. “But I think we’re gradually filling that void back.”
Coach Jim Harbaugh’s numerous ties to San Diego and instantaneous winning appeared to smooth out a potential reunion with the city. When team executives approached him about returning to San Diego for training camp, the coach eagerly agreed. He suggested the University of San Diego campus, where he got his head coaching start in 2004 for the Toreros.
From Kara Alexander: Ever since she visited Los Angeles with her national team three years ago, Sveindís Jane Jónsdóttir knew she wanted to play in the National Women’s Soccer League one day.
When the opportunity to play for Angel City presented itself, Jónsdóttir was eager to join the league and play for new Angel City coach Alexander Straus.
“When Angel City came up, I was just really excited about it,” she said. “I know Alex. I played against him when he was at Bayern and so I knew he was a great coach.”
Three new players have joined Angel City (4-3-6) during the past few months, delivering an infusion of talent for a team that sits in 11th place in the 14-team NWSL standings. The league’s top eight teams advance to the playoffs.
From Kevin Baxter: NASCAR is returning to Southern California, only its cars will be racing on the streets of Coronado and not on an oval in Fontana. The stock car racing circuit announced Wednesday it will be hosting a three-day series of races June 19-21, ending in a NASCAR Cup Series race on the U.S. Naval base in Coronado.
NASCAR did not race in Southern California last year for the first time since 1997, with the exception of 2021, when the schedule was hampered by the coronavirus pandemic. For much of that time, the races were held at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, but that track was torn down in 2023 to make room for a giant warehouse complex. NASCAR preserved part of the grandstand and had hoped to built a half-mile oval track on the site, but that project has stalled and is unlikely to be revived.
NASCAR also raced on a temporary quarter-mile oval on the floor of the Coliseum, but that event has also been abandoned.
Next summer’s Coronado race, which came to fruition after years of careful negotiation, is the first NASCAR event to be run on an active military base. It is being timed to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Navy and will feature a race weekend including an Xfinity Series race and a Craftsman Truck Series event.
Sprint specialist Jonathan Milan pounced at the finish to win the 17th stage of the Tour de France after a crash in the last kilometer derailed rivals’ hopes on Wednesday.
Italian rider Milan, the green jersey holder, consolidated his lead in the points classification with an explosive finish to get his wheel just over the line ahead of Jordi Meeus, Tobias Lund Andresen, Arnaud De Lie, Davide Ballerini and others in a rain-soaked sprint finale.
It’s Milan’s second stage win of the Tour after his victory in similar fashion in Laval on Saturday.
But it was arguably more dramatic with rival sprinter Tim Merlier and others involved in a crash under the “flamme rouge” — the triangular red banner over the road signaling the final kilometer.
“The last 25 kilometers were really, really, fast,” said Merlier, who finished 25th, more than a minute behind. “I think I did a mistake. I took one roundabout on the wrong side and I lost a lot of positions. And then I knew I needed to move up. The moment I wanted to move up, I crashed.”
Milan was in trouble earlier in the stage when the peloton split into two groups, finding himself in the second one. He had Lidl-Trek teammates Quinn Simmons and Jasper Stuyven to thank for dropping back to help.
“I didn’t survive alone, I survived with the help of my teammates and I have to appreciate this. Without them, I would still be on one of the climbs, I wouldn’t be here,” said Milan, who clocked 71.1 km/h and is the first Italian to win two stages in the same Tour since Vincenzo Nibali in 2014.
There was no change atop the overall standings with three-time Tour champion Tadej Pogačar maintaining his lead of 4 minutes, 15 seconds over main rival Jonas Vingegaard.
THIS DAY IN SPORTS HISTORY
1908 — John Hayes wins the Olympic marathon in a record of 2 hours, 55 minutes, 18.4 seconds. Italian Dorando Pietri is the first athlete to enter the stadium, but collapses several times before being disqualified when officials help him across the line.
1931 — Paavo Nurmi sets the world record at 2 miles in a meet at Helsinki, Finland, with a time of 8:59.6.
1960 — Jay Hebert beats Jim Ferrier by one stroke to win the PGA golf tournament.
1967 — Don January wins a playoff by two strokes over Don Massengale to win the PGA championship.
1970 — The International Lawn Tennis Association institutes the nine-point tiebreaker rule.
1976 — John Naber of the United States becomes the first swimmer to break the 2-minute barrier in the 200-meter backstroke at the Olympics in Montreal.
1976 — Mac Wilkins of the United States sets an Olympic record in the discus with a toss of 224 feet in Montreal.
1977 — Hollis Stacy wins the U.S. Women’s Open golf championship by two strokes over Nancy Lopez.
1998 — Tour de France riders, angered by the drug scandal that has dominated the event, protest by delaying the start of racing for two hours. Armin Meier, a member of the Festina team who was kicked off the tour the previous week, admits to a French radio station that he used a banned drug.
2005 — Lance Armstrong wins his seventh consecutive Tour de France. All of the titles are stripped in 2012 for doping.
2008 — Nancy Lieberman makes a one-game appearance for the Detroit Shock after the 50-year-old Hall-of-Famer signed a seven-day contract earlier in the day. Lieberman, finishes with two assists and two turnovers, surpassing her own record as the oldest player in WNBA history. Lieberman held the record playing at age 39 in 1997 while playing for the Phoenix Mercury.
2009 — Ron Hornaday Jr. holds off a late challenge from Mike Skinner to win the AAA Insurance 200, making him the first driver in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to win four consecutive races.
2010 — Fourteen-year-old Jim Liu of Smithtown, N.Y., beats Justin Thomas of Goshen, Ky., 4 and 2 to become the youngest U.S. Junior Amateur champion. Liu, who turns 15 next month, is more than six months younger than Tiger Woods when he won the first of his three consecutive U.S. Junior Amateur titles in 1991.
2011 — Cadel Evans wins the Tour de France, becoming the first Australian champion in cycling’s greatest race.
2014 — Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice receives a two-game suspension from the NFL following his offseason arrest for domestic violence. The six-year veteran was arrested following a Feb. 15 altercation in Atlantic City, New Jersey, with then-fiancee Janay Palmer.
2016 — Chris Froome celebrates his third Tour de France title in four years. The British rider finishes safely at the back of the main pack during the final stage, arm-in-arm with his teammates during the mostly ceremonial final stage ending on the Champs-Elysees. Froome, who also won the Tour in 2013 and 2015, becomes the first rider to defend the title since Miguel Indurain won the last of his five straight in 1995. Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven consecutive titles for doping.
2019 — 19-year-old Hungarian swimmer Kristof Milak breaks Michael Phelps’ 10-year-old 200m butterfly record in a time of 1:50.73, 0.78s faster than Phelps.
THIS DAY IN BASEBALL HISTORY
1909 — Nap Rucker of the Brooklyn Dodgers struck out 16 batters in a 1-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
1931 — In an 8-7 loss to Pittsburgh, Babe Herman of Brooklyn hit for the cycle for the second time in the season.
1947 — Jackie Robinson stole home for the first time in his major league career in the Brooklyn Dodgers’ 4-2 win over Pittsburgh.
1948 — Chicago White Sox outfielder Pat Seerey become the first major leaguer to strike out seven times in a doubleheader.
1949 — Cleveland pitcher Bob Lemon hit two home runs to lead the Indians to a 7-5 victory over the Washington Senators in the opener of a doubleheader.
1968 — Hoyt Wilhelm of the Chicago White Sox passed Cy Young’s major league record when he made his 907th appearance. He retired with 1,070 appearances.
1973 — Bobby Bonds homered and doubled to lead the NL to a 7-1 rout of the AL in the All-Star game at Kansas City.
1983 — The “Pine Tar” home run was hit by the Kansas City Royals’ George Brett off New York pitcher Goose Gossage at Yankee Stadium. Brett’s shot came with two out in the top of the ninth to give the Royals a 5-4 lead. Brett’s homer was ruled an out because the amount of pine tar exceeded what was allowed. After a protest by the Royals, the final out and the Yankees’ half of the ninth was completed on Aug. 18.
1993 — Anthony Young of the New York Mets extended his record losing streak to 27 games when he walked in the winning run in the 10th inning for a 5-4 loss to the Dodgers.
1999 — In their biggest victory in 46 years, the New York Yankees routed the Cleveland Indians 21-1 as Chili Davis went 5-for-6 with six RBIs.
2010 — Tampa Bay won in Cleveland for the first time in nearly five years. The Rays snapped an 18-game losing streak with a 6-3 win against the Indians. Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon snapped an 0-21 personal losing streak as the visiting manager that began when he was the Angels interim manager in 1996.
2016 — Ken Griffey, Jr. and Mike Piazza are inducted into the Hall of Fame at a ceremony in Cooperstown, NY. Griffey obtained the highest percentage of the vote ever — 99.3% — in being elected in his first year of eligibility by the BBWAA, while Piazza made it on his fourth try. A crowd estimated at 50,000, the second-largest ever at Cooperstown, is on hand to witness the event.
2022 — The induction ceremony is held for the Class of 2022 at the Hall of Fame. Three of the seven men inducted — David Ortiz, Jim Kaat and Tony Oliva — are present to receive the honor. The others, all deceased, are represented by relatives — Gil Hodges, Minnie Minoso and Buck O’Neil — while Dave Winfield introduces 19th-century Black baseball pioneer Bud Fowler. Over 35,000 persons are present in Cooperstown, NY to witness the ceremony, and Dominican flags and Boston Red Sox gear, in honor of Ortiz, are well in evidence in the crowd.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
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USC star freshman Alijah Arenas will miss at least the next six to eight months after sustaining a serious knee injury that will require surgery, leaving his future with the Trojans in question.
An MRI this week found a slight meniscus tear, as well as a bone bruise, according to a person familiar with the situation not authorized to discuss it publicly, dealing a critical blow to both USC and a player it hoped could become a superstar in short order.
“Alijah is a tremendous worker, teammate, competitor and person,” USC coach Eric Musselman said in a statement. “He is understandably disappointed that he will not be able to take the court to start the season, but his health is our No. 1 priority.”
The injury comes just two weeks after Arenas was cleared to practice with USC, and three months after he survived a carwreck in his Tesla Cybertruck. Now it’s unclear how much he’ll play for USC — if at all.
At best, Arenas may be cleared to return late in his freshman season. But considering his status as a top draft prospect, there could be more to consider surrounding his return to action.
The five-star freshman was expected to step in and play a major role in his first year with the Trojans, despite being a full year younger than most freshmen in the same position. Arenas graduated a year early from Chatsworth High in order to reclassify into the 2025 class and join USC.
“We have no doubt that he will come back even stronger,” Musselman said.
A Love Island star was reportedly taken to hospital recently, with the cast member said to have later returned to the villa ‘bandaged’ up after being checked over
But, when doctors explained how close he came to suffering something so much worse, from when Michael A. Taylor slid into his leg at third base on July 2, even Muncy was amazed by the infinitesimal margins.
“If the timing was just a millisecond different either way,” he was told, “you’re probably looking at surgery, and done for a long time.”
Instead, barely two weeks removed from having the outside of his knee bent inward on that play, Muncy was out doing early work at Dodger Stadium on Friday afternoon; running in the outfield, playing catch with coaches and performing agility drills in front of trainers without any obvious signs of pain or discomfort.
“We’re pleasantly, not surprised, but happy with the spot that I’m in right now,” Muncy said afterward, having also taken swings for the first time since his injury earlier on Friday afternoon. “It feels great. I’m moving well. Progressing quickly. We’re trying to be smart about it, and understand where we’re at, and what it’s gonna take to get back on the field. But we’re in a really good spot … We’re kind of right where we think we should be at.”
If not, it seems, already a few steps ahead.
While Muncy was initially expected to miss roughly six weeks with his left knee bone bruise, manager Dave Roberts struck a more optimistic tone as the Dodgers opened the second half of their season.
“He’s in great shape right now,” Roberts said Friday. “I don’t really know a timeline. But I do know … it’s going to be a lot sooner than anticipated, which is good for all of us.”
Since Muncy — who was one of the hottest hitters in baseball in May and June — got hurt, the Dodgers have not looked like the same offense. In their last 11 games entering Saturday, the club was 3-8, averaging less than three runs per game, and struggling to fill the gaping hole their slugging third baseman has left in the middle of the lineup.
Since the start of July, only the penny-pinching Pittsburgh Pirates have been worse than the Dodgers in batting average (.205) and OPS (.594).
“We’ve still got a lot of good players,” Roberts said. “But yeah, there’s a certain line of demarcation when Max is not in the lineup, what happens to our offense.”
The Dodgers’ problems, of course, go beyond Muncy’s absence. Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman have all been slumping of late (or, in Betts’ case, for much of the season). Teoscar Hernández and Tommy Edman have been nowhere near their typical standard since returning from injuries in May. And the depth options the Dodgers have called upon have provided few sparks of life.
Still, Muncy figures to be a linchpin in the Dodgers’ long-term potential at the plate — with his recovery growing ever-steadily in importance as the rest of the lineup flounders in his wake.
“We got to figure out how to get something going,” said outfielder Michael Conforto, chief among the Dodgers’ underachievers this season. “Every time we go out there, we expect to score, and that’s what we’ve been doing all year. It’s just one of those stretches [where it’s] a little bit tougher to get runs in. But, you know, obviously, we have faith in our guys, and some big names in here that made their careers on scoring runs and driving guys in. I think we’ll be OK.”
Muncy, of course, is one of those proven names.
And in another fortunate stroke with his recovery, he remains confident his injury won’t significantly impact his swing once he does come back.
“If [the injury] was on the inside of the knee, it’d probably be a different story,” Muncy said. “But just being on the outside, I think it’s a good spot, knowing that I don’t feel it at all when I’m pushing off on the backside.”
Muncy tested that theory for the first time Friday, taking some light swings in the cage that he said “felt fine.”
“It’s a lot of work, more work than actually playing in the game, which always sucks,” Muncy said of his rehab process. “But it’s that way for a reason … You don’t want to have any other injuries that are a side effect from it.”
So far, even that latter concern has been quelled, with Muncy noting that “there’s no lingering side effects with it.”
“All in all,” he reiterated, “we’re about as lucky as we could be.”
Chargers running back Najee Harris likely will begin training camp on the non-football injury list, general manager Joe Hortiz said Wednesday, after the running back suffered a minor eye injury during a fireworks incident on July 4.
As veteran teammates reported for camp Wednesday morning, Harris was still getting evaluated by doctors in the Bay Area and was expected to join the team later in the day.
“Everything that’s been relayed to us has been positive,” Hortiz said.
Harris suffered a “superficial” eye injury in a holiday weekend fireworks accident, according to a statement from his agent, Doug Hendrickson, and was “fully expected to be ready for the upcoming NFL season.”
The Chargers’ medical team has remained in contact with Harris and his local doctors, said Hortiz, who reported Harris was in good spirits and more worried for a friend who was more severely injured. While the general manager wanted to save final judgment on Harris’ availability until the prized free-agent acquisition could be seen in person by the Chargers staff, Hortiz didn’t anticipate that Harris would be sidelined for long.
“We’ll let him get himself ready and then he’ll get out there,” Hortiz said.
The Chargers will begin training camp Thursday with five players on the physically unable to perform list, including receiver Mike Williams and safety Elijah Molden. Both key players could return to practice soon, Hortiz said.
Molden missed the offseason program after undergoing knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus, but told reporters in April he was prepared to return fully for training camp.
Williams, who is two years removed from tearing his anterior cruciate ligament, is not sidelined because of a pre-existing injury, Hortiz said, and is working back from an injury suffered during the spring after the 30-year-old returned to the team as a free agent.
“Just working through something small,” Hortiz said, “and he could be out there any day.”
The Chargers, who open the preseason on July 31 in the Hall of Fame Game, are the first team to report to training camp. The early arrival put rookie Tre’ Harris in a precarious position as he became the first holdout in a log-jam of 30 unsigned second-round picks.
The receiver who was picked 23rd in the second round (55th overall) had not reported to training camp yet, Hortiz said Wednesday, four days after fellow Chargers rookies arrived.
As NFL training camps begin soon, the league is in a standoff that began when the Houston Texans signed the second pick of the second round, receiver Jayden Higgins, to a four-year, $11.7-million, fully guaranteed contract in May. It was the first time a pick outside of the first round had inked a fully guaranteed deal. The Browns, who picked linebacker Carson Schwesinger one slot ahead of Higgins in the second round, then followed suit with another fully guaranteed contract.
Now teams, agents and the remaining 30 second-round picks are left waiting for the next domino to fall.
“I wish I could put a crystal ball on it,” Hortiz said when asked of his prediction on when Tre’ Harris’ deal could be done. “I hope it’s done soon. I hope he gets out here in practice. Practice is vital for everyone. Not just him, everybody. There’s a reason we come to camp and you want to hit the ground running Week 1.”
Offensive tackle Rashawn Slater reported for training camp Wednesday amid his own contract negotiations as the star left tackle is in line for a lucrative extension. Coming off his second Pro Bowl appearance, the 26-year-old Slater is due to make $19 million in the last year of his contract, the sixth-highest salary among left tackles this season, according to overthecap.com. He did not join the team for voluntary workouts this offseason, but returned for mandatory minicamp. Hortiz expects Slater to participate in training camp while contract talks progress.
“We’re working through it,” Hortiz said. “Like any high-level negotiation … they just take time. But every conversation’s been great. Both sides, we’re making progress. We’re feeling good about it.”
WNBA All-Star weekend is only a few days away, with the anticipation of hometown favorite Caitlin Clark serving as captain of Team Clark for the game in Indianapolis palpable among fans.
Nothing like a pulled muscle to mute the buzz.
The Indiana Fever superstar guard grabbed her right groin and appeared to be holding back tears as she exited with 39.6 seconds to play in a victory against the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday night.
“[Clark] just felt a little something in her groin,” Fever coach Stephanie White told reporters. ”She’s being evaluated, we’ll see where we are with that, and certainly we’ll have another evaluation, probably a conversation in the morning, and see where we are.”
Teammate Aliyah Boston tried to console Clark as she walked to the basket stanchion and tapped her forehead against it before sitting down and covering her head with a towel. She did not speak with reporters after the game.
This is the fourth leg injury of the season for Clark, who is averaging 16.5 points, 8.8 assists and five rebounds a game. She missed five games — including the Commissioner’s Cup Championship — because of a left groin strain and missed five games with an injury to her left quad. She also missed the Fever’s preseason opener May 3 because of tightness in her quad.
Before this season, Clark, 23, had never missed a game in college or the WNBA because of injury. She played all 139 games at Iowa, then 46 games in a row to start her WNBA career.
“It’s been challenging mentally, just, you know, staying in it,” Clark told reporters July 8 before her return from the left groin injury. “I’ve been here for hours and hours on hours trying to get my body right and do everything I can to put myself in a position to be available the rest of the year.”
The Fever plays the New York Liberty on Wednesday at Barclay Center ahead of the All-Star Game, which will be played Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, the Fever’s home arena. Clark is also scheduled to compete in the 3-point contest Friday.
Clark and Napheesa Collier of the Minnesota Lynx were named captains of the All-Star teams and drafted the rosters after getting the most fan votes. Clark finished with a record 1,293,526 fan votes and Collier received 1,176,020.
Coronation Street star Jacob Roberts has opened up about his character Kit Green’s fate following the police officer’s brutal stabbing at the hands of Mick Michaelis
Coronation Street’s Jacob Roberts hints at Kit Green’s grim fate after injury (Image: ITV)
Coronation Street’s Jacob Roberts may have inadvertently revealed the grim fate of his character, Kit Green, following a recent injury admission on Monday (July 14).
Jacob made his debut on the ITV soap last year as police officer Kit, who has been grappling with numerous challenges of late.
Kit was first introduced to his biological mother, Bernie Winter (Jane Hazlegrove), who had previously given him up for adoption. He later reconnected with his troublesome school mates, Mick (Joe Layton) and Lou Michaelis (Farrel Hegarty).
Mick found himself behind bars after murdering Craig Tinker (Colson Smith) last month, while Lou is currently in custody following her recent assault on Gary Windass (Mikey North).
Jacob, who portrays Kit, appeared on ITV’s Lorraine this morning, where he discussed tonight’s shocking episode with host Ranvir Singh. The episode sees Mick return to the street after breaking out of prison, reports Leicestershire Live.
Jacob Roberts appeared on Lorraine on Monday (July 14)(Image: ITV)
In the hour-long episode, now available for streaming on ITVX, Mick shows up at Underworld in search of his eldest daughter, Joanie (Savanna Pennington).
He traps Sarah Platt (Tina O’Brien) and Tim Metcalfe (Joe Duttine) in the office, while a frightened Sally (Sally Dynevor) hides Joanie on the roof.
Kit soon arrives on the scene, leading to a violent confrontation between the former friends that culminates in Mick stabbing the police officer. A gravely injured Kit is then rushed to hospital, with a horrified Sarah and Bernie looking on.
During his chat on Lorraine, Jacob opened up about a painful incident he experienced while shooting an intense fight scene with his on-screen nemesis.
Kit Green first arrived on the cobbles last year(Image: ITV)
“Me and Mick, Joe Layton who plays him, all our scenes together, we’re pretty much fighting all the time,” Jacob remarked, teasing the tumultuous times ahead for his character.
“And you only have half an hour to do the fight scenes with the fight coordinator, so there’s no time for error in those sort of scenes,” he further divulged.
“He literally lamped me on the chin, and as a true thespian he reacted straight away, like, ‘Oh, sorry’. I wish he’d just carried on… My jaw was hurting for the rest of the day.”
The 35 year old star didn’t shy away from sharing a personal low point that coincided with his Coronation Street debut—the harrowing ordeal of his rescue dog, Bugsy, going missing.
“The first day I was on Coronation Street, I needed someone to obviously mind him, and my dad had taken him out and I think he escaped the leash. He was out for eight hours,” Jacob confided.
“He was terrible at recall when I got him… I was just stressing throughout the day… I finished work and was out for two hours trying to rugby tackle a dog, but he’s good now.”
Chargers running back Najee Harris sustained a minor eye injury during a holiday weekend fireworks accident, but the prized free-agent signing will be ready for the upcoming season, his agent confirmed to The Times on Thursday after reports and online rumors prompted speculation of a more severe injury.
“Najee Harris was present at a 4th of July event where a fireworks mishap resulted in injuries to several attendees,” Harris’ agent Doug Hendrickson said in a statement. “Najee sustained a superficial eye injury during the incident, but is fully expected to be ready for the upcoming NFL season.”
With four 1,000-yard rushing seasons in Pittsburgh, Harris is expected to bring an immediate boost to a Chargers running game that sputtered last season in offensive coordinator Greg Roman’s first year. Harris, who signed a one-year deal worth up to $9.25 million, will pair with first-round pick Omarion Hampton in the backfield as the Chargers hope to make back-to-back playoff appearances for the first time since 2008 and 2009.
The Chargers begin training camp on July 17 as one of the first teams to begin preparations for the upcoming season. The Chargers will play the Detroit Lions in the Hall of Fame Game on July 31 and open the regular season in Brazil on Sept. 5 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Former UFC champion Randy Couture suffered severe burns and other injuries Tuesday when he crashed the car he was driving during practice rides at a racetrack near Kansas City, Mo.
The 62-year-old retired fighter and former Army drill sergeant was airlifted to a burn center and remained there as of Wednesday morning. He is expected to recover.
“If you know anything about Randy — he’s a freak of nature and will survive this like everything else,” Couture’s longtime manager and attorney Samuel Spira said in an email Wednesday afternoon.
No further updates on Couture’s condition will be issued until Thursday, Spira said.
TMZ was the first to report about Couture’s crash and his injuries, which include first- and second-degree burns, trauma injuries and smoke inhalation. The car he was driving was completely wrecked, TMZ reported, and it is unclear what caused the accident.
A state champion wrestler at Lynnwood High School in Washington state, Couture continued in the sport while in the Army in 1982-88 and at Oklahoma State, finishing second in the NCAA Division I championships in 1991 and 1992. He was an alternate for the U.S. Olympic team three times (1988, 1992 and 1996) and a semifinalist at the 2000 Olympic Trials.
Couture went on to become a mixed martial arts superstar, becoming a six-time UFC champion in the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions and was inducted into the organization’s Hall of Fame in 2006.
More recently, Couture has become involved with hot rod racing. Scag Racing announced in April that Couture would drive for the team in the NHRA’s Pro Mod program starting later this year.
Italian top seed Jannik Sinner did not let an elbow injury hamper his performance as he beat American opponent Ben Shelton to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals.
Sinner, 23, who wore a sleeve on his right elbow, occasionally shook out his arm in a 7-6 (7-2) 6-4 6-4 victory but the injury did not hold him back.
The three-time Grand Slam champion had hurt himself after falling in the early part of Monday’s fourth-round match against Grigor Dimitrov, who led by two sets before retiring injured himself.
Sinner made the most of his reprieve with a dominant display against American 10th seed Shelton, who saved two match points on his own serve before succumbing to the third.
“I’m very happy with this performance,” said Sinner, who has reached at least the semi-finals in the past four majors.
“When you are in a match with a lot of tension you try not to think about [any pain]. It has improved a lot from yesterday to today.
“It is no excuse. Three is no better stage to play tennis and I showed this today.”
Sinner’s serve speed returned towards its normal pace and he was not broken, while his returning game was crisp and clinical.
To reach his first Wimbledon final, the world number one will have to beat 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic or Italian 22nd seed Flavio Cobolli in Friday’s semi-final.
