Win lose or draw, Anthony Joshua always seems to come in for criticism.
So far in his 31-fight career, Joshua has lost only three times. The first was an upset against Andy Ruiz Jr in June 2019 which he quickly avenged in December of the same year.
The other two were back-to-back 12-round contests against the soon-to-be undisputed heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk. Despite winning rounds on the cards and not being put down, many people claimed Joshua was done.
He has disproved that by coming back with four wins, three by knockout, and now he is to take on Daniel Dubois as he attempts to become a three-time heavyweight champion.
However, contender Jarrell Miller – who recently lost to Dubois – claims Joshua has only looked good in those fights because the opponents had no power.
Speaking to BoxNation, he was asked if he still thinks he will fight Joshua one day after missing out in June 2019 when he tested positive for banned substances late in the day.
“I think it still happens, but like I said before If I’d got that win against Dubois it would have been me against ‘AJ’ not Francis Ngannou against ‘AJ’. I think it still happens. I get a win under my belt and I’m top two, top three rankings and people want that fight.”
“Look who he’s fighting. He’s fighting guys who don’t really have punching power so it makes him a little more aggressive coming in. He’s fighting guys aggressive who he knows he can fight aggressively cause he knows they’re not scary. When he’s fighting guys who are scary he’s not going to fight the same way.”
Davis and Shields have had a public disagreement in the past, with Davis making derogatory comments about Shields’ appearance and Shields responding by calling him short and saying that he beats up women
Before and after his victory over Artem Harutyunyan this past weekend, Shakur Stevenson expressed great interest in fighting fellow lightweight world champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis.
When asked over the weekend if Stevenson would be ready for that unification bout against “Tank,” Claressa Shields didn’t hold back at all.
“You cannot ask me is Shakur ready for ‘Tank'” and ‘Tank’ couldn’t make it to the Olympics,” Shields began telling FightHype.com. “Shakur went to the Olympics. So, of course Shakur is on the same level as ‘Tank.'”
She added: “Now, they both are great fighters so let them fight and let them figure it out, but I’m always team Shakur and I’m gonna be team Shakur no matter who he fights against.”
Stevenson maintained that fans and critics will see the best version of him as his competition gets stiffer.
“I want to fight the best fighters in boxing,” Stevenson told ESPN after his latest victory. “That’s how you’re going to get to see the best version of me — when you put me in the ring with somebody else that wants to fight back and compete.”
In addition to Davis, Stevenson has also expressed the desire to fight Vasiliy Lomachenko, though he sounded as if he’s not holding his breath for either bout.
“If they don’t fight me, they don’t fight me,” he also told ESPN. “I’m just going to stay in the gym and stay ready.”
Davis, Lomachenko and Stevenson are three lightweight world champions with Denys Berinchyk being the fourth.
Gervonta Davis is one of the most ferocious champions in the sport of boxing having knocked out all but two of his 30 opponents.
Now WBA Lightweight World Champion, ‘Tank’ from Baltimore made his first defence of the belt with a knockout win over previously undefeated Frank Martin.
In his typical fashion of giving away a few rounds to lure his opponent in, the 29-year-old found his opportunity in the eighth to lay fellow southpaw Martin flat on his back.
He is one of four champions in the 135 ranks, joined by Shakur Stevenson, Vasiliy Lomachenko and Denys Berinchyk.
In an interview with The Only Kayla, two-weight undisputed champion Claressa Shields defended Stevenson for hitting back at criticism he has received due to his last two performances. In doing so, she named his as the only fighter who has a chance against Gervonta Davis.
“This boy got three-time division world champion, silver medal at the Olympics, one of the best fighters in the world right now. The only threat to Tank Davis right now is Shakur. And you just told this man he’s a s**t fighter. He spends every day in the gym trying to get better and be a great fighter. You can say that to him, but when he comes back to you and says something now you’re hurt and sad.
One of the most sought after fights in the sport, Davis-Stevenson became more realistic this week.
‘Tank’ was previously in early talks with another champion in Vasiliy Lomachenko but the Ukrainian has decided he is not currently motivated enough to take the fight.
That leaves the door open for Shakur, who recently became a free agent, to step in and negotiate the fight all boxing fans want to see.
Gervonta Davis is moving on from Vasyl Lomachenko.
The pair were deep in negotiations to square off this year in a WBA and IBF lightweight world title unification clash.
It is understood that talks between Bob Arum’s Top Rank (who promote Lomachenko) and Al Haymon’s PBC (who represent Davis) were progressing well for a November fight date.
However, the Ukrainian slickster has opted to take some time out of boxing and won’t return to the ring until 2025.
Davis’ team was understandably taken aback by Lomachenko’s response, who has always sought the biggest fights possible during his 21-fight (18-3) pro career.
But instead of sitting around and waiting for Loma, Davis’ co-trainer Kenny Ellis has indicated that they may target a fight with WBC champion Shakur Stevenson next.
Speaking to Mill City Boxing, he said: “He [Loma] is straight ducking… Hopefully, Shakur won’t duck.
“They keep saying that Tank is ducking Shakur, let’s see. Him and Lomachenko are the only ones left.”
Asked what Davis would do if a fight with Stevenson or Lomachenko can’t be made by next year, Ellis added: “It’s up to Tank and what he wants to do but he might retire.
“If he does I support that, whatever he does I’ll support it. If he said let’s get the next one, I’ll support it.”
This comes after Lomachenko’s manager told boxing reporter Steve Kim: “Loma is not in the mood right now.
“He doesn’t have the motivation at the moment. He’s taking off, he wants to spend more time with the family.
“He doesn’t want to do anything until the end of the year. So he’s definitely not coming to the ring until the end of the year…
“With Loma, just money is not what motivates him. He doesn’t take anything just because of money.
“You can offer him millions, tens of millions of dollars – if he doesn’t have motivation, he’s not ready to prepare for the fight.”
Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens may not be competing in the 2024 Olympics, but he’ll play an important role for his wife, Simone Biles, when they go to Paris for the summer games.
Owens is embracing his “cheerleader” role for Biles heading to the Olympics, all while expressing his excitement to see his partner attempt to make more history in the quadrennial event.
The 28-year-old NFL vet shared as much in a recent interview with People, highlighting that it’s “super exciting” because he gets a “chance to see all the work that she puts in prior to.”
“I love watching [it] from an athlete’s perspective because that’s how you’d be great in any sport, is just being consistent and doing the same thing consistently good every day,” Owens further said on cheering for his wife and watching her train and compete.
“You know what I mean? I love to watch it and I love to be out there and be a cheerleader.”
For what it’s worth, during his years of watching Simone Biles train and compete, Jonathan Owens also took the time to learn about gymnastics in order to fully embrace his role as a “supportive” husband.
“I know the routines. I’m getting the score down. If I’m going to pay attention to it, I have to lock in. I’m going to go full in … So I had to make sure I did some research so I can talk gymnastics language,” Owens shared.
It’s certainly amazing to see how supportive Owens has been for Biles. Without a doubt, he’ll bring some extra motivation for his Olympian wife later this July when the Paris games officially commence.
Keep scrolling down to find out all about the release date, trailer, and more of the upcoming sports documentary Simone Biles Rising. The series showcases the inspiring story of the American gymnast and her magnificent return to the game after her shocking withdrawal from the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics four years ago, due to mental health issues.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Release date — when is Simone Biles Rising coming out?
Simone Biles Rising’ release date is July 17, 2024.
Tudum by Netflix has recently dropped the release date for the much-anticipated documentary. Part 1 of the four-episode series will be available for streaming as soon as it arrives on Netflix on the stipulated date.
Trailer — watch it now
You can watch the Simone Biles Rising trailer below:
The goosebump inducing two minute clip gives the viewers a sneak peek at what is to come. The series promises an unfiltered look into Simone Biles as she gears up to return to the spotlight after four years.
Cast — who is in Simone Biles Rising?
Simone Biles Rising’ cast includes:
Simone Biles as herself
Plot – what’s the story about?
The Netflix Sports series documents Simone Biles’ journey back to the Olympics and her rigorous preparations to claim back her spot at the top.
Directed by Katie Walsh, the series will focus on Biles’ struggle with mental health and how she chose to prioritize it before pushing herself to her limits. It showcases the 27 year old gymnast’s incredible resilience and focus as she gets ready to ace the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games. The series will arrive on the screen just days before the Paris Olympics which will kick off on 26 July, 2024.
After the favorite, Iga Swiatek´s elimination, two unlikely underdogs stand two matches away from lifting their first Grand Slam Trophy.
The Polish five-time tournament favorite was eliminated two sets to one by the world’s 35th-ranked Yulia Putinseva in the tournament´s third round. The upset shook up the tournament bracket, and while Putinseva was eliminated in the next round by 14th-ranked Latvian Jelena Ostapenko, the upset has rocked the Wimbledon predictions of many.
Anyone´s tournament to win
The upset made waves in the tennis world as many had Swiatek slotted as the likely favorite. Putinseva was not the only upset, however, Coco Gauff, who holds second place in the ATP power rankings was eliminated by 17th-ranked Emma Navarro. Most notable among the Cinderella stories, however, are those of Barbora Krejcikova and Donna Vekic.
Krejcikova ranked 31 in ATP´s rankings, and Vekic, ranked 37, are two underdogs that have held on and continued to advance through the rounds. They now find themselves in the semifinals, two games away from lifting Wimbledon´s Women’s Singles Trophy, dubbed the Venus Rosewater Dish.
Two familiar faces in finals
Across the lawn, Vekic will face off against Italian 7th-ranked Jasmine Paolini. For Paolini, she will hope to take home her second title of the year after winning the Dubai Women’s Singles Tennis Championships in February. She has cruised through the competition so far, having won all of her matches in straight sets.
Elena Rybakina will face off against Krejcikova on the other side of the Bracket. Ranked currently 4th in the world, Rybakina has been having a very successful 2024 season, with a 35-7 record in major tournaments. She has also won a collection of silverware this far in the season, lifting trophies at the Brisbane International, Abu Dhabi Open, and the Stuttgart Open.
The semifinal matches will both take place at six p.m. on Thursday, July 11th, with the final taking place on Sunday, July 13th.
We look at how Tiger Woods has fared in his previous Open Championship appearances at Royal Troon.
There have been some incredible Open Championship renewals at Royal Troon with some legendary winners – but Tiger Woods is not one of those having missed out in both of his previous visits.
The battle for the Claret Jug has been staged three times at the Ayrshire course since Woods has been on the scene, but he’s played in just two of them.
The 15-time Major champion has lifted the Claret Jug himself three times, and did produce some decent golf during his two visits to Troon, but never managed to string four rounds together.
1997 – WINNER: JUSTIN LEONARD
Tiger’s Position: T24 (72, 74, 64, 74)
Not a vintage Open performance from Woods but he did throw in a scintillating third round of 64 on Saturday to fire himself into contention heading into Sunday.
It was much needed after a poor start that resulted in him finishing his second round way down in four over while Darren Clarke led on nine under.
It was not like Woods at all on Friday, as he shot a three-over 74 while the rest of the field were sticking low scores in all over the place, with four of the top five shooting 66.
Woods started Sunday in T8 but a long way back of leader Jesper Parnevik (eight shots) and while the Swede did falter down the stretch, it was a different American who came with a late run to capture the Claret Jug.
Justin Leonard shot a sparkling 65 to claim a three-shot victory, while Woods went in the other direction as he could only manage a closing 74.
2004 – WINNER: TODD HAMILTON
Tiger’s Position: T9 (70, 71, 68, 72)
It was a similar story for Woods when he returned to Troon in 2004 with again the Saturday third round being his highlight when he carded a 68 to move up into T7.
That followed on from rather ordinary opening rounds of 70 and 71 to leave him on one under at halfway and six shots off leader Skip Kendall heading into the weekend.
Woods then went into the final round four shots off the lead, but once more he found it hard to make a dent on Sunday as he returned a one-over round of 72.
Instead, it was left to Todd Hamilton to win a thrilling playoff against Ernie Els to spring a big shock victory.
Tiger Woods recently stirred major buzz in the golf world by turning down the opportunity to captain the USA’s Ryder Cup team in 2025. The golf legend spoke about his decision following the announcement that Keegan Bradley would be the captain of the U.S. team.
“With my new responsibilities to the Tour and time commitments involved, I felt like I would not be able to commit the time to Team USA and the players required as a captain,” Woods said. “That does not mean I wouldn’t want to captain a team in the future. If and when I feel it is the right time, I will put my hat in the ring for this committee to decide.”
Keegan Bradley was just announced as the 2025 US Ryder Cup team captain and that news shocked the entire golf world. The consensus was that Tiger Woods would be the selection with the event coming back to New York, but as new reports surfaced it turns out that Tiger turned the offer down.
You might be wondering why he would ever do that. The Ryder Cup in New York at Bethpage Black is about as iconic as it can get, so why wouldn’t Tiger want that as part of his legacy?
Thankfully we don’t need to speculate as Tiger Woods has already commented on why he turned down the Ryder Cup captaincy.
Tiger Woods shares why he turned down the 2025 US Ryder Cup Captaincy
“With my new responsibilities to the Tour and time commitments involved, I felt like I would not be able to commit the time to Team USA and the players required as a captain. That does not mean I wouldn’t want to captain a team in the future. If and when I feel it is the right time, I will put my hat in the ring for this committee to decide.”
Tigers’ response above is as straightforward as it can possibly get. Essentially, Tiger feels he’s too busy right now to devote the amount of time he feels is necessary to be the Ryder Cup team captain. And if that’s his true reason then I commend him for turning the offer down.
While I do believe everything Tiger said above, I think there’s a lot more behind his decision to turn the offer down than what he shared.
More reasons why Tiger Woods turned down Ryder Cup captaincy
Tiger wants to be a player captain
One other reason why I think Tiger turned down the captaincy is because he wants to be a player captain. This is what Tiger did for the 2019 Presidents Cup when Tiger arguably was the best player on the team that year. So I imagine he wants to also be a player when he captains the US Ryder Cup team.
But there’s one problem, Tiger knows his game isn’t good enough right now. So I believe he wants to wait until he believes his game is good enough so he can be a player and captain simultaneously.
Be the leader when the US FINALLY wins in Europe again
Are you ready for one of the wildest stats you’ll ever hear? The US hasn’t won the Ryder Cup in Europe since 1993. That means Tiger has never defeated a European team in Europe in his career.
This stat is always a major talking point when the Ryder Cup is in Europe, and it surely will be again when the 2027 Ryder Cup rolls around. So I think Tiger wants to wait for 2027 so he can lead the US to victory in Europe for the first time in what feels like forever, which in turn would become one of the greatest accomplishments of his career.
Tiger is close friends with owner of 2027 Ryder Cup course
And the final reason I think Tiger will wait until 2027 to be the US Ryder Cup captain is because of the golf course hosting the event. The 2027 Ryder Cup is at Adare Manor Golf Course in Ireland, a course Tiger is extremely familiar with.
His close friend J.P. McManus owns the course and it’s a course Tiger plays quite often. Most years Tiger plays in the member-member with McManus at this course, so it’s safe to say Tiger is extremely knowledgeable on the layout of the course.
So while all the reasons Tiger shared publically about being too busy to be captain this year is likely accurate, adding in these other details may paint the entire picture.
So I’m putting it out there now, I think Tiger will be the US Ryder Cup captain in 2027 so he can add to his legacy even more by defeating Europe on foreign soil for the first time since 1993 at a golf course he’s very familiar with.
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