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Utah State football player Andre Seldon Jr. died in an apparent cliff-diving accident, the school announced Saturday night.

According to the university, Seldon’s body was located at 9:05 p.m. MT by the Utah Department of Public Safety’s dive team after a search began earlier in the day for a man who was seen diving off cliffs at the Porcupine Reservoir and didn’t return to the surface of the water.

‘Our Utah State University Athletics family is devastated over the sudden death of Andre Seldon Jr.,’ athletic director Diana Sabau said in a statement. ‘We extend our deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, teammates, and all who loved Andre.’

Seldon was set to play his fifth season of college football and first at Utah State in 2024. The Michigan native spent his first two college seasons at the University of Michigan before spending the last two seasons at New Mexico State.

‘Our football program is heartbroken to have to endure the loss of one of our own,’ Utah State interim coach Nate Dreiling said in a statement. ‘Having had a previous relationship with Andre during our time together at New Mexico State, I can tell you he was an incredible person and teammate. Our condolences and prayers go out to Andre’s family as we grieve with them over this tremendous loss.’

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

The Cleveland Cavaliers have viewed Evan Mobley as a franchise cornerstone since 2021.

On Saturday, they reinforced their belief in Mobley with a blockbuster financial commitment.

Mobley and the Cavs have reached an agreement on a five-year, $224 million maximum rookie contract extension, which could become worth as much as $269 million, a person with knowledge of the deal told the Akron Beacon Journal, confirming an ESPN report. Before striking the deal, Mobley had been under contract through the 2024-25 season.

From the Cavs’ perspective, their most recent investment in Mobley isn’t as much about what he has done in his three seasons with the organization as it is about what team brass projects he will do for Cleveland in the future.

The third overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft, Mobley has averaged 15.6 points on 54.4% shooting from the field, 8.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 blocked shots in 198 career regular-season games. During the playoffs, the University of Southern California product has averaged 14.2 points on 53.1% shooting from the floor, 9.5 rebounds. 2.2 assists and 1.9 blocks in 12 games.

All things Cavaliers: Latest Cleveland Cavaliers news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.

How good can Evan Mobley be for the Cavaliers?

New Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said he considers Mobley a future All-Star and a key to the team becoming a legitimate championship contender.

“Evan’s a big piece of that,” Atkinson said July 1 during his introductory news conference. “I’m going to feel a huge responsibility to help him get to that top 15, top 20 (players in the NBA). Who knows — top five? Why not with the skill level and the athleticism and the human being? I don’t see why we can’t.”

The Cavs secured another pillar of their organization when they signed five-time All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell in early July to a three-year, $150.3 million extension, which includes a player option for the 2027-28 season.

A 7-foot, full-time power forward and part-time center, Mobley is already an elite defensive player. He was selected to the league’s All-Defensive Team and finished third in NBA Defensive Player of the Year voting after his second NBA season. He was limited to 50 games this past regular season because of knee and ankle injuries, disqualifying him from such awards in 2023-24.

Mobley reaching his potential on offense remains a work in progress, though he has shown improvement in some areas. For instance, Mobley shot 25% and 21.6% on 3-pointers in his first two regular seasons, respectively, followed by a 37.3% mark in 2023-24.

What is new Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson’s plan for Evan Mobley?

Guiding Mobley, 23, to another level was a key topic when Atkinson interviewed with the Cavs this offseason to succeed coach J.B. Bickerstaff after Cleveland fired him.

“He’s (young), so he’s just naturally going to grow,” Atkinson said of Mobley. “That’s exciting just with the talent, but I do think we can schematically get the ball in his hands more, quite honestly. It’s going to be in multiple ways. I think when you have a guy that versatile, it could be him in transition bringing the ball up, it could be him handling in a five-out situation or him handling in pick-and-roll.

“There’s creative things we can do to help him. I know I’ve spoken with him, and he’s excited about it, but there’s definitely just his general usage I think can go up, and we have to figure out the best positions to put him in. I can’t wait to get on that task. I know that’s a big, big part of us taking that next step.”

Would Cavaliers be wise to move Evan Mobley to center?

The Cavs defeated the Orlando Magic 4-3 in the first round of the 2024 playoffs but fell 4-1 to the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

With Jarrett Allen sidelined for the final eight games of the postseason with a fractured rib, Mobley played center instead of power forward. Cavs leadership has been adamant this offseason Mobley and Allen work well as a tandem, and they form a pairing the team does not want to break up.

Mobley had a dominant individual outing with a game-high 33 points on 62.5% shooting from the field, seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks when the Cavs were eliminated by the Celtics on May 15.

“To see him elevate in Game 5 of Boston on the road and be the best player on the floor that night leads me to believe we have so much more to grow with him,” Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman said May 24 during a season wrap-up news conference.

“Did we get away from unlocking his potential fully?” Altman added. “A little bit this year, and I think that needs to be a focal point into the summer of how we can unlock him only because it’s going to make our team even better and give us a chance to elevate to a higher level. It’s going to unlock not just him but this organization.”

The Cavs are obviously comfortable betting they will unlock all of Mobley’s talent.

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This post appeared first on USA TODAY

The U.S. Secret Service responded Saturday night to a bombshell report that top officials repeatedly denied past pleas to beef up former President Trump’s security detail, saying in a statement that it depends on ‘state or local partners’ to fill in gaps when it can’t accommodate such requests.

The report from the Washington Post came exactly a week after Trump was shot in Butler, Pennsylvania, while speaking at a rally, prior to his 2024 presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. The gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, had been observed by attendees before the shooting began.

The Post reported that, before the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump, top Secret Service officials ‘repeatedly’ denied requests for tighter security measures from Trump’s detail. An official granted the interview to the media outlet on the condition of anonymity.

According to the report, agents tasked with protecting Trump requested additional security resources in the past. These requests involved things such as magnetometers or a larger number of personnel to screen guests. Additional snipers had also reportedly been requested in the past.

Senior officials reportedly told the agents that the Secret Service lacked the resources to fulfill the requests. The Post reviewed multiple requests, but none of them pertained specifically to the Butler rally. 

On Saturday night, the Secret Service released a statement obtained by Fox News Digital explaining that the agency ‘has a vast, dynamic, and intricate mission.’

‘Every day we work in a dynamic threat environment to ensure our protectees are safe and secure across multiple events, travel, and other challenging environments,’ the statement read. ‘We execute a comprehensive and layered strategy to balance personnel, technology, and specialized operational needs.’

The Secret Service also added that, even if a request is denied, the agency still tries to accommodate in some form to ensure the safety of whoever is being protected.

‘In some instances where specific Secret Service specialized units or resources were not provided, the agency made modifications to ensure the security of the protected,’ the statement added. ‘This may include utilizing state or local partners to provide specialized functions or otherwise identifying alternatives to reduce public exposure of a protectee.’

Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi previously denied the report. ‘This is absolutely false. In fact, we added protective resources & technology & capabilities as part of the increased campaign travel tempo,’ he previously wrote on X.

Investigations into the breakdowns that led to Trump being shot are underway by both the FBI and a Congressional committee. Questions have already been raised about a potential lack of communication between the state, local and federal workers who were charged with protecting Trump amid numerous reports members of the crowd saw Crooks on a rooftop and warned officials. In addition, there has been fingerprinting between the different levels of law enforcement that were on the scene.

In an interview that will premiere on Fox News Channel on Monday night at 8 p.m. ET, Trump told host Jesse Watters that he was never warned about Crooks, despite the fact that the gunman had been noticed.

‘How did somebody get on that roof?’ Trump asked Watters. ‘And why wasn’t he reported, because people saw he was on that roof.’

‘When you have Trumpers screaming, the woman in the red shirt, ‘There’s a man on the roof,’ and other people, ‘There’s a man on the roof and who’s got a gun,’…that was quite a bit before I walked on the stage. And I would’ve thought someone would’ve done something about it,’ he added.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

Voters abandoned mainstream center-right parties for the populist right in the U.K. and French elections this month but failed to convert support to electoral gains amid a right-wing vote split and tactical voting by the left.

Britain’s Labour Party, led by Keir Starmer, won a landslide election victory, scoring 412 seats in the 650-seat Parliament, eclipsing the mainstream Conservative Party that managed to hold on to just 121 seats after losing 244 seats. 

This was the worst performance in the Conservatives’ nearly two-century history amid the surge of upstart populist Reform Party, led by ‘British Trump’ Nigel Farage, that received over four million votes but gained only five seats.

In France, a broad leftist coalition consisting of hardline communists, environmentalists and socialists won 188 out of 577 seats in the parliament, seconded by French President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist alliance Ensemble (ENS), which won 161 seats, forming a ruling majority. 

France’s populist National Rally, led by Marine Le Pen, won over 37% of the vote and was the single most popular party among French voters, yet it came third in the number of parliament seats. The mainstream center-right Republicans came a distant fourth, with just 6.2% of the vote.

‘What was quite clear was that this was a rejection of the Conservative Party, the mainstream Conservative party,’ Alan Mendoza, the executive director of the London-based Henry Jackson Society, told Fox News Digital. ‘In France, they got a very high turnout for France, and in that case, it was clear that this was an anti-National Rally election.’

The elections demonstrated the voters’ persistent support for political movements embracing right-wing populism on issues related to immigration, crime and social issues while abandoning milquetoast traditional center-right parties for failing to bring meaningful change.

Yet, the insurgent populists came up short of converting the widespread support at the voting booth to electoral gains due to tactical voting agreements and support split among right-leaning voters.

‘In both cases, the left-wing parties were able to maximize their votes, and the right-wing parties were not able to maximize their votes,’ Mendoza said. ‘It’s been said that Labour’s support is a mile wide and an inch deep, but that’s what you need to win British elections with large numbers of support without being focused in certain areas,’ Mendoza added about Labour’s lower overall popular support.

‘The reality in France was that various left-wing parties and Macron got together and basically shut the right out, but the right did not do a similar thing. The Republicans stayed in the race and did not give way to the National Rally or vice versa.’

Le Pen’s National Rally came out on top in the first round of voting last month after campaigning on significantly reducing immigration and crime and improving the economy. 

The populist party was on the cusp of winning the majority of seats in the second round, but the effort was curtailed after a tactical election agreement was struck between Macron’s centrists and the leftist coalition. Both parties agreed to withdraw candidates to avoid splitting the anti-National Rally vote.

Farage’s Reform Party was the third-most-popular party with over four million votes across the U.K., but due to Britain’s first-past-the-post electoral system, in which the candidate with the most votes in the area wins the seat, the party ended up with just 1% of the seats in the parliament. 

The mainstream Conservatives got over two million more votes than the Reform Party but remain the second-largest political force in the country, prompting calls to reform the electoral system to give more representation based on the total votes.

Despite winning a historic number of seats in the U.K. Parliament, the Labour Party won the election with 9.6 million votes, down by over 600,000 votes, compared to its 2019 election results, when the party led under controversial socialist Jeremy Corbyn suffered two separate election defeats.

‘In some cases, the Reform vote was probably mostly conservatives who had left the Conservative Party and decided to go there. But the far bigger component in Britain’s case was people who just decided not to vote at all,’ Mendoza said. ‘The Conservative vote share went down 20 points, and a lot of conservatives who voted Conservative in 2019 just stayed at home and were not inspired by any of the parties.’

In the 2019 election, the Conservatives, under the leadership of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, won the majority of the parliament seats after campaigning on a populist platform of ‘Get Brexit Done.’ The Reform Party’s predecessor, the Brexit Party, stood down its candidates in the election to boost the Conservatives.

In the aftermath of the elections, influential Conservative figures argued that the ‘Conservative family’ consisting of the Reform Party and the Conservatives still beat Labour and won the majority of the votes – over 11 million – indicating the voters’ overall right-leaning bent.

Suella Braverman, a potential Conservative Party leadership contender, criticized the party’s performance in a speech at the Popular Conservatives conference and urged the party to embrace populism for the sake of the party’s future.

‘To my mind, the Reform phenomenon was entirely predictable and avoidable and all our own fault,’ she told the audience. ‘It’s no good denigrating Reform voters, it’s no good smearing the Reform party, it’s no good comparing Reform rallies to the rallies of Nuremberg. That’s not going to work. Criticizing people for voting Reform is a fundamental error to make.’

She further urged the Conservatives to ‘restore credibility on the core conservative policies that unite’ and address the immigration issue, ‘because we’ve been weak, we’ve been squeamish, we failed to tackle this very pressing concern.’

In France, although failing to gain legislative power, National Rally maintains populist momentum and is eyeing the 2027 presidential elections, with Le Pen primed to take control of the country’s highest office.

The new parliamentary majority of leftists and centrists, meanwhile, leaves Macron, already deeply unpopular, facing the prospect of presiding over a politically paralyzed hung parliament.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

The U.S. Secret Service recently responded to a Washington Post report that claimed the agency’s top officials ‘repeatedly’ denied requests to former President Trump’s security detail.

The report comes exactly a week after former President Donald Trump was shot in Butler, Pennsylvania, while speaking at a rally, prior to his 2024 presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. 

The gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, had been observed by attendees before the shooting began.

The Post reported that, before the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump, top Secret Service officials ‘repeatedly’ denied requests for tighter security measures from Trump’s detail. An official granted the interview to the media outlet on the condition of anonymity.

According to the report, agents tasked with protecting Trump requested additional security resources in the past. These requests involved things such as magnetometers or a larger number of personnel to screen guests. Additional snipers had also reportedly been requested in the past.

Senior officials reportedly told the agents that the Secret Service lacked the resources to fulfill the requests. The Post reviewed multiple requests, but none of them pertained to the Butler rally. 

On Saturday night, the Secret Service released a statement obtained by Fox News Digital explaining that the agency ‘has a vast, dynamic, and intricate mission.’

‘Every day we work in a dynamic threat environment to ensure our protectees are safe and secure across multiple events, travel, and other challenging environments,’ the statement read. ‘We execute a comprehensive and layered strategy to balance personnel, technology, and specialized operational needs.’

The Secret Service also added that, even if a request is denied, the agency still tries to accommodate in some form to ensure the safety of whoever is being protected.

‘In some instances where specific Secret Service specialized units or resources were not provided, the agency made modifications to ensure the security of the protected,’ the statement added. ‘This may include utilizing state or local partners to provide specialized functions or otherwise identifying alternatives to reduce public exposure of a protectee.’

In an interview that will premiere on Fox News Channel on Monday night at 8 p.m. ET, Trump told host Jesse Watters that he was never warned about Crooks, despite the fact that the gunman had been noticed.

‘How did somebody get on that roof?’ Trump asked Watters. ‘And why wasn’t he reported, because people saw he was on that roof.’

‘When you have Trumpers screaming, the woman in the red shirt, ‘There’s a man on the roof,’ and other people, ‘There’s a man on the roof and who’s got a gun,’…that was quite a bit before I walked on the stage. And I would’ve thought someone would’ve done something about it,’ he added.

This post appeared first on FOX NEWS

A second Trump presidency is giving supporters hope of a continuation of his first-term policies, while critics worry that he’ll isolate the U.S. on the global stage at a delicate time for the international security landscape.

Richard Goldberg, senior adviser at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies and a former Trump administration NSC official, told Fox News Digital he sees a second Trump term as ‘going back to the basics of peace through strength [and] restoring deterrence.’ 

‘They’re prioritizing China as our top threat to national security,’ Goldberg said, referencing the campaign’s platform. ‘Investing in our military, modernizing our military, expanding the use of AI and space, to ensure that we are able to overpower the CCP and Beijing and its wider access around the world.’

Trump’s foreign policy record has remained a key point of comparison between him and his successor, President Biden, with many arguing Trump took an isolationist ‘America First’ approach that damaged relations with key allies. 

‘Isolationism is about going it alone and about viewing America’s way of engaging the world as unilateral and independent and alone, as opposed to building multilateral alliances — a sort of unilateral mindset,’ Joel Rubin, a former State Department official during the Obama administration, told Fox News Digital.

‘The U.S. can’t always act unilaterally, but that doesn’t need to be the predisposition,’ Rubin argued. ‘Trump never ignored the world, no, but what his foreign policy was focused on was America acting independently and unilaterally, and that I think is where there’s a difference. The United States is a leader, not an independent actor.’

Golberg disagreed with that assessment, arguing people often ‘mistake populist rhetoric for isolationism … or, certainly, some sort of instinct not to use force when necessary to defend the United States.’ 

‘The president was tested by Iran, and Qassem Soleimani lost his life because of it,’ Goldberg said as an example. ‘There was that moment where I think President Trump demonstrated to all the enemies of the United States that he’s not an isolationist. He’s a conservative. That’s following basic conservative principles of peace through strength, willing to show deterrence … which means you have the capability, but also the will, to use force when necessary.’

Rubin lamented that Trump’s hard-line stance on NATO ally contributions to defense spending hurt relations between the U.S. and such a vital network of allies and worried what that might mean for the alliance at a time when Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine requires unity and strength. 

‘Turning away from American alliances has put us in a hole that we’re barely coming out of now, and, thankfully, Biden restored our alliances with NATO,’ Rubin said, adding that the deal to withdraw from Afghanistan, which Trump first brokered and Biden decided to uphold, ‘really put us in a weak position.’ 

That fear remains firmly in mind for European leaders as they worry about what happens next in the event Russia succeeds in subduing and conquering Ukraine. Jens Spahn, a lawmaker of Germany’s center-right opposition party CDU, told outlet DW during the NATO summit in Washington, D.C., last week that ‘we should not make the same mistake again’ with Trump.

‘No one really had a network with his team,’ Spahn said, explaining the several meetings NATO delegations had arranged with Republicans close to Trump’s camp, DW reported.  

Ricarda Lang, co-leader of the German Green Party, meanwhile, argued that Trump’s vice resident pick of Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, left little doubt that Trump would ‘deliver Ukraine to Putin’ after Vance said in 2022 that he didn’t ‘really care what happens in Ukraine one way or the other.’ 

Rubin acknowledged that Trump made some positive contributions to the global landscape, such as through the Abraham Accords, which he judged as ‘a positive contribution to the Middle East’ along with Trump’s handling of North Korea. 

‘I thought that it was very important for him to do what he did with North Korea, in terms of making the effort to engage and speak with Kim and seek progress on the nuclear program,’ Rubin said, though he noted that, ‘unfortunately, nothing really came out of it.’

‘I think the lack of a real commitment to its symptomatic program with North Korea was a loss when he had opened up something in a way that had not been done before, which I thought had a lot of promise,’ Rubin added. 

Goldberg defended several Trump-era policies as significant wins for American foreign policy, mainly touting global stability during the majority of Trump’s pre-pandemic administration. 

‘Russia was deterred from any sort of aggression in Eastern Europe — certainly not an invasion of Ukraine,’ Goldberg said. ‘Iran was running out of money, almost bankrupt. And after the killing of one of the world’s leading terrorists, Qassem Soleimani, they stopped expanding and escalating their nuclear enrichment.’

‘Israel was not facing a seven-front war, and, obviously, other actors, most importantly, China, had to think about what was next as the United States was investing more in its military, spending more on its defense industrial base, trying to finally accelerate what was needed to compete with China and potentially win a war in the future against China,’ Goldberg added. 

He acknowledged, though, that Trump faced typical growing pains for a new president when he took office and was slow to begin some of his more effective policies, such as the ‘maximum pressure’ campaign on Iran. 

‘I think his instincts are always to do the unexpected, to do something that hasn’t been tried before,’ Goldberg argued. ‘If everybody’s tried doing things the same way and it hasn’t achieved the right result, maybe there is a different approach. And I think we’ll see more of that in a second term.’

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Jake Paul rode a chariot into the ring Saturday night to face Mike Perry in an eight-round cruiserweight bout. Hie mode of transportation continued a Roman Empire theme he began while promoting the fight earlier in the night.

A social media post hours earlier showed him in the same costume he wore while riding the chariot, one that made him look like he was going into battle for the Roman Empire — aside from the color-coordinating chrome car behind him.

‘Fear no man. Fear no war,’ Paul’s post on X read. ‘Fear only God who rides with me into battle tonight. I’m his servant to show the world what’s possible when you believe.

‘In 4 years I’ve accumulated more skill than a man who’s been fighting 15.’

While Paul’s costume might look silly, the words in his post are no joke. Earlier this week, Paul said without irony that he is “on a mission from God.’’

He referenced the talent of Perry in his post as well, calling him his ‘most dangerous opponent yet.’ The main card of the pay-per-view fight, which will stream on DAZN, was scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. ET.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

Jake Paul has arrived. Mike Perry has arrived. And the undisputed heavyweight is on the scene, too.

That would be Hulk Hogan.

At 6-7 and 300 pounds, Hogan makes Paul and Perry look like munchkins – or the cruiserweights they are. There are no heavyweights on the boxing card, and Hulk might be the biggest man at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.

Perhaps the legendary wrestler can be lured into the ring?

He already warmed up in front of a crowd two days ago, when he ripped his shirt off to the cheers of all those at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, calling for ‘Trumpamania’ to run wild.

The thing about that shirt he ripped off? He showed up to the boxing match wearing the same one. Well, obviously not the exact same one, unless he stitched it back together, but an identical shirt to the one he ripped off to the thrill of the crowd on Thursday. The black tank says ‘Real American’ in front of a dramatized image of Hogan holding an American flag.

Let’s see if it stays in one piece tonight.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY

PHOENIX — Cheryl Reeve, head coach of the U.S. women’s national team, predicted that Team USA would face adversity in Saturday’s exhibition match against Team WNBA in Phoenix. 

She was right. 

Team WNBA handed Team USA a 117-109 loss in front of a sold-out crowd at Footprint Center in the WNBA All-Star game. The matchup was closely contested through the first half, but then entered Team WNBA’s Arike Ogunbowale, who set a record for the most points scored in a WNBA All-Star game and earned her second MVP nod. 

Ogunbowale was held scoreless in the first half, but went on to record 34 points (10-for-20 FG) following a pep talk from coach Cheryl Miller. She knocked down eight of 13 three-pointers to help Team WNBA extend its lead to as many as 20 points. Ogunbowale finished with six assists, three rebounds and two steals. 

Ogunbowale joined Lisa Leslie (1999, 2001, 2022), Swin Cash (2009, 2011) and Maya Moore (2015, 2017, 2018) as the only WNBA stars to win multiple All-Star MVP awards. Ogunbowale was the All-Star MVP in 2021. 

Caitlin Clark set a rookie record with 10 assists and Angel Reese became the first rookie with a double-double, scoring 12 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Allisha Gray, who won the 3-point shooting contest and the skills competition Friday, added 16 points.

Breanna Stewart led Team USA with 31 points. A’ja Wilson added 22, while Diana Taurasi had 14.

Read more from USA TODAY Sports from Phoenix’s sold-out Footprint Center:

Highlights: Team WNBA 117, Team USA 109

How many points did Caitlin Clark score?

Angel Reese first rookie to record double-double

Reese becomes the first rookie to record a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Caitlin Clark connects with Angel Reese

After years of facing off as fierce rivals, Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese are teammates at the WNBA All-Star game. They are the first pair of rookies to earn a nod since 2014 and their rookie connection was on display in the third quarter. Clark found Reese in the paint for an easy layup to put Team WNBA up 95-86 over Team USA. The two high-fived after the play.

Q3: Team WNBA 88, Team USA 79

Team WNBA’s Arike Ogunbowale was held scoreless in the first half, but she came out of the gate hot in the third quarter and scored five points in a little more than a minute. She didn’t stop. Ogunbowale knocked down a total of five 3-pointers in the third quarter and scored 21 points.

”Coach (Cheryl Miller) told me I was thinking too much. She told me just to take a breath and breathe in,” Ogunbowale said during a TV interview after the third quarter. 

Ogunbowale, a four-time All-Star, was named the All-Star game MVP in 2021 and with another quarter like that, the MVP trophy will be hers again.

Kelsey Mitchell ended a dominant third quarter for Team WNBA with a buzzer-beating three. Team WNBA outscored the Olympic team 36-25.

Caitlin Clark sets rookie assists record

Caitlin Clark is breaking assists records left and right. After setting the WNBA single-game assist record earlier this week with 19 dimes against the Dallas Wings, she carried that momentum into the All-Star game. Her nine assists mark the most for a rookie in the All-Star game. Although Clark only has two points, she’s still finding ways to impact the game. She also has one rebound and two steals. Clark finished with 10 assists.

Halftime: Team USA 54, Team WNBA 52

Team USA outscored Team WNBA 31-28 in the second quarter to take a 54-52 lead over the All-Stars. Breanna Stewart scored 10 of Team USA’s final 12 points in the first half and is closing in on a double-double with a game-high 14 points and five rebounds. 

Team WNBA’s Allisha Gray has a team-high 12 points off the bench. Gray could pull off a trifecta — she already won last night’s 3-point contest and skills challenge. Is an All-Star game MVP next?

It’s been a high-scoring affair so far, but nearly all the points have come from inside the arc as both teams have struggled from the 3-point line. Team USA is 4-of-14 from three and Team WNBA is 3-of-17. Caitlin Clark is 0-for-5 from three.

All-Stars attract stars

Among the celebrities spotted in the crowd at Footprint Center: actor and Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis, actress Aubrey Plaza, four-time WNBA champion and five-time Olympic gold medalist Sue Bird, Olympic champion and World Cup winner Megan Rapinoe, Vanessa Bryant and her family, rapper Ty Dolla $ign, three-time WNBA MVP and three-time gold medalist Sheryl Swoopes, the Mercury’s Sophie Cunningham, UConn guard Paige Bueckers, the Cardinals’ Marvin Harrison Jr. and Kyler Murray, and Shannon Sharpe.

Caitlin Clark finally scores in second quarter

Caitlin Clark is on the board.

The WNBA All-Star rookie did so by turning defense into offense. She deflected a pass from Team USA’s Alyssa Thomas, gained possession and had a clear path to lay it in for her first points of the game. Clark hasn’t been able to get it going form beyond the arc just yet — she’s 0-for-3 from three. 

Watch: Caitlin Clark’s behind-the-back dime

Caitlin Clark, the league leader in assists per game, is dishing dimes at the WNBA All-Star game. She pulled off a behind-the-back pass under the basket to connect with Indiana Fever teammate Aliyah Boston for a layup. She found Jonquel Jones the next possession for another bucket. Clark may be scoreless in the game, but she’s up three assists. 

Earlier this week, Clark set a WNBA record for single-game assists, dishing 19 during the Fever’s game against the Dallas Wings.

1Q: Team WNBA 24, Team USA 23

This may be an exhibition match, but the effort and energy from both teams says otherwise. And the first quarter lived up to the hype. Team USA’s Diana Taurasi opened the game with a 3-point shot to get the Olympic team on the board, but Team WNBA answered every time. Nneka Ogwumike scored eight of Team WNBA’s 24 points. A’Ja Wilson leads the Olympic team with seven points, including one basket from beyond the arc. Team WNBA (11-for-22) and Team USA (10-for-20) are shooting an impressive 50% from the field. 

Although defense usually takes a backseat in All-Star games, it’s on full display. Team USA’s Breanna Stewart is already up to five rebounds. 

Ann Meyers Drysdale named honorary coach by Cheryl Miller 

There’s a new coach on Team WNBA’s bench. Ahead of tip-off at Footprint Center on Saturday, Team WNBA head coach Cheryl Miller walked over to the other side of the court and handed Hall of Famer Ann Meyers Drysdale a coaching hoodie to put on. Meyers Drysdale got a large applause from the crowd as she went to join Team WNBA’s bench. 

Earlier in the night, Miller called Meyers Drysdale her WNBA GOAT. Meyers Drysdale served as general manager and president of the Phoenix Mercury. She was a member of the first Olympic women’s team, which won silver at the Montreal Olympics in 1976.

Diana Taurasi scores first points

Taurasi pulled up from the left top of the key and nailed a three-pointer to open scoring in the WNBA All-Star game, giving Team USA the early 3-0 edge.

Caitlin Clark introduced as All-Star, starter for first time

Team USA vs. Team WNBA starting lineups

WNBA: Caitlin Clark, DeWanna Bonner, Jonquel Jones, Arike Ogunbowale, Nneka Ogwumike

USA: Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, Jewell Loyd, Diana Taurasi

When is the WNBA All-Star game?

The WNBA All-Stars play Team USA on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET.

How to watch the WNBA All-Star game

The game will be televised on ABC.

How to stream the WNBA All-Star game

You can stream with free trial from FUBO.

Caitlin Clark not nervous for first All-Star game

It may be Caitlin Clark’s first WNBA All-Star game, but she’s not nervous. 

“I don’t get nervous for any game. I think more so just excitement more than anything,” Clark told the media ahead of Saturday’s game. “There’s been a build-up to finally get to the game, because you are here all weekend and have so many events to go to and so many things to do. Everybody is just ready to play the game.”

Clark predicts a “really competitive” contest. 

“That’s what I’m looking forward to,” she added. “Both teams competing, but also we want to help them get better and prepared for Paris.”

Caitlin Clark, Fever teammates make stylish entrance

Team USA coach expects team to face ‘adversity’ 

Cheryl Reeve, the coach of the Minnesota Lynx and the U.S. women’s national team, said she expects a hard fought game on Saturday when Team USA takes on Team WNBA. 

“This is such a great game for USA basketball because of the level of competition. We are going to experience adversity in this game,” she said Saturday. “I don’t think you can reach your greatest heights without experiencing adversity. You have to go through that first. This game is going to give us that because (of) the level of talent that exists on both teams.”

Cheryl Miller says Team WNBA ‘wants to win’

Caitlin Clark may not be nervous, but her WNBA All-Star coach surely is. Cheryl Miller was frank about her butterflies ahead of the WNBA All-Stars’ main event Saturday. 

“First of all, I’m nervous as heck. Woke up nervous, went to bed nervous, had a nap woke up and was nervous. But that’s what I love about this game … It doesn’t get better than this afternoon,” Miller said. “(Team USA) wants to win. Fun is winning. We are going to put the best product out there.”

It’s a full-circle moment for Miller, who served as the first head coach and general manager of the Phoenix Mercury from 1997 to 2000. She received a standing ovation at Footprint Center on Friday evening. 

Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese on same team for once

Where Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese go, attention follows.

The rivalry between Clark and Reese captivated the nation during their collegiate days at Iowa and LSU, respectively, and the well-deserved hype has followed the two superstars into the WNBA.

Clark, who was drafted No. 1 overall by the Indiana Fever, and Reese, who was taken with the No. 7 pick by the Chicago Sky, have been pitted against each other throughout their careers – whether by their devoted fanbases or in the media – but a white flag has been raised temporarily. They were both named to the 2024 WNBA All-Star team, becoming the first pair of rookies to earn a nod since 2014. After years of going head-to-head, Clark and Reese will team up for the first time in their careers.

‘Everybody can wear their ‘get along’ shirts together for one day at least,’ Reese joked Friday. ‘I’m looking forward to it.’

Read Cydney Henderson’s story.

Who has scored the most points in WNBA All-Star game?

Seattle Storm’s Jewell Loyd scored 31 points at the 2023 WNBA All-Star game, breaking Maya Moore and Kelsey Plum’s previous record of 30 points set in 2015 and 2022, respectively.

Who was the WNBA All-Star game MVP last year?

Jewell Loyd was named the WNBA All-Star game MVP last year in Las Vegas following a record-setting 31-point performance.

2024 WNBA All-Star rosters

Team WNBA

DeWanna Bonner, ConnecticutAliyah Boston, IndianaCaitlin Clark, IndianaAllisha Gray, AtlantaDearica Hamby, Los AngelesBrionna Jones, ConnecticutJonquel Jones, New YorkKayla McBride, MinnesotaKelsey Mitchell, IndianaArike Ogunbowale, DallasNneka Ogwumike, SeattleAngel Reese, Chicago

Team USA

Napheesa Collier, MinnesotaKahleah Copper, PhoenixChelsea Gray, Las VegasBrittney Griner, PhoenixSabrina Ionescu, New YorkJewell Loyd, SeattleKelsey Plum, Las VegasBreanna Stewart, New YorkDiana Taurasi, PhoenixAlyssa Thomas, ConnecticutA’ja Wilson, Las VegasJackie Young, Las Vegas

Has this format been used previously?

Yes. Once before.

In 2021, ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, the WNBA All-Star Team faced off against Team USA, with the WNBA All-Stars winning 93-85. Arike Ogunbowale of Dallas was named MVP after leading all players with 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting.

Team USA later won Olympic gold with a 90-75 victory against Japan in the Tokyo Games.

Allisha Gray wins 3-point contest AND skills challenge

Atlanta Dream’s Allisha Gray swept the WNBA All-Star activites on Friday. After winning the skills challenge earlier in the night, she took down New York Liberty big Jonquel Jones in the 3-point challenge to become the first person in WNBA history to win both in the same season. 

“It feels amazing. Another $55K in my pocket,” Gray said, referring to Aflac’s $55K bonus for each competition.

It came down to the final 3-point ball. 

Both Gray and Jones had hot and cold streaks during the final round. Gray finished with 22 points, which she contributed to fatigue from competing in both events. Jones had the opportunity to tie Gray’s score with her last ball, but it came up just short of the basket. Jones held her head in disappointment as she finished with 21 points. 

“(Jones) had me nervous, I’m not going to lie,” Gray admitted. 

Diana Taurasi back from injury 

All signs are pointing toward Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi making her sixth Olympic appearance later this month after an injury scare sidelined her for three games with a lower left leg ailment. 

Taurasi came back against the Connecticut Sun on July 14, scoring six points and grabbing six rebounds in 25 minutes in a 96-69 road defeat. 

Closing out the season’s first half before the All-Star game and the Olympic break, Taurasi had 18 points and five assists in 28 minutes in a 96-87 win over the Washington Mystics on Tuesday. 

Read more from Scooby Axson here. 

Caitlin Clark’s rise parallels Tiger’s early brilliance 

One sports career is in disheartening decline. The other is in exhilarating ascendance. Born in different centuries, Tiger Woods and Caitlin Clark are going in opposite directions. 

Yet, while one is 26 years older than the other, they do have much in common. It’s as if their thrilling careers have been running on parallel tracks a generation apart. 

How often over the past year and a half, since Clark’s rise to her immense popularity, has the rush to buy tickets to see her or national obsession to watch her on TV reminded us of someone else? And when we thought about it, and landed on who that someone might be, wasn’t it Tiger? 

Read more from Christine Brennan here. 

How much do WNBA All-Stars earn?

It pays to play in the WNBA All-Star game. Under the WNBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, All-Star game participants each earn $2,575. The All-Star game MVP is awarded an additional $5,150. Skills Competition and 3-point contest participants get $1,030 each, while the winners earn $2,575 from the league. — Josh Peter

Team USA vs. Team WNBA picks, predictions, odds 

Team USA and a team of WNBA All-Stars face off Saturday night. Who has the best shot to win? 

Team USA is a 6.5-point favorite over Team WNBA in WNBA All-Star game odds, courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. 

Team USA is -260 on the moneyline, while Team WNBA is +215. 

Read more from Jeremy Cluff here. 

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Jake Paul battered Mike Perry Saturday night, knocking down the bareknuckle brawler three times and winning the fight by TKO in the sixth round.

Paul battered Perry early and left his face coated with blood during the fight. Paul took some hard shots but used his boxing skill to keep Perry at bay.

“Man, he’s tough as nails,’’ Paul said of Perry during an in-ring interview. “I’m sorry it took so long Tampa, but I love you.’’

The crowd, 17,000 strong during the fight, responded with cheers.

“I was trying to roll with the punches and hit your ass back,’’ Perry told Paul. “You did a great job. You were way too fast for me and I couldn’t adjust.’’

The convincing and bloody victory clears the way for a fight against Mike Tyson. Paul reaffirmed the fight with Tyson is on for Nov. 15.

“And I’m going to get another KO and prove everyone wrong once again,’’ Paul said. “Everyone said that this is a mistake taking this fight. That I was an idiot, I was risking it. But that’s why I’m here. I take big risks. I put it on the line. And it’s anyone, anytime anyplace.’’

Prior to the fight against Perry, Paul said a loss would cost him a chance to fight Tyson Nov. 15 in a heavyweight bout to be televised by Netflix.

Paul agreed to fight Perry in a cruiserweight bout after Tyson suffered an ulcer flareup May 26, prompting the fight with Tyson to be rescheduled. It was originally supposed to take place Saturday.

“I love to take risks and do big events,’’ Paul said Friday when asked about jeopardizing the Tyson bout by fighting Perry. “Mike Tyson called and was concerned about this fight jeopardizing the biggest fight of my career. That’s what puts the pressure on me, and I love that. I’m not slowing down for anybody. Mike Perry is not going to be the one to stop me. I’m on a path to (a) world championship. I’m not slowing down for anybody.”

Tyson’s agent, Andrew Ruf, said the decision to fight Perry was made by Paul and Paul’s manager, Nakisa Bidarian.

Despite scoring three knockdowns Saturday, Paul indicated he was not in top form. Paul improved to 10-1 and Perry, the bareknuckle brawler, fell to 0-2.

“I just didn’t feel very good tonight,’’ he said. “I was sick leading up to this. My knuckle is messed up. It was swollen like a big ball.’’

Keep reading for a round-by-round look at the result.

Jake Paul has message for Mike Tyson

Ariel Helwani, conducting the in-ring interviews, asked Paul if he had a message for Tyson.

“Mike, I love you, but this is my sport now,’’ Paul said. “You’re a legend. You’re one of the two most famous boxers to ever live. You and Muhammad Ali. It’s an honor to get in the ring with you. I’m so, so honored, you’re a legend.

“But I’m going to take your throne, brother.”

What’s next? Jake Paul calls out UFC champion Alex Pereira

Paul said he was excited for the Tyson fight and was going to go home and prepare for it. But that didn’t keep him from calling out Alex Pereira, the UFC’s reigning light heavyweight champion.

“Alex Pereira, you said you want to box,’ Paul said during an in-ring interview. “I’m the king of this. I’m the king of this. Come over, we can make it happen. I want you, Alex Pereira.’

Really?

“Indeed. I just beat a BKFC champion,’’ Paul said, referring to Mike Perry, the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) star. “I beat multiple UFC champions and (Pereira) he said he wants to box. So, Alex Pereira, after Mike Tyson, let’s make it happen.”

Jake Paul defeats Mike Perry by TKO: Round-by-round

Round 1: “It’s judgment day,’’ Jake Paul said after they got instructions from the ref at the center of the ring. And here we go…Jake moving around, as if to avoid any onslaught. Jake strikes to the body. Jake with an overhand right, down goes Perry! Jake delivers two lefts, and a third. Perry not showing the aggression and pressure he promised. Jake still cautious and ducking as Perry approaches. Respecting Perry’s power. Jake attacks the body again. Perry lands a couple of blows to the head, including an overhand right. Jake backpedaling but looks in control. Jake 10, Perry 8.

Round 2: Perry showing no technique. Gloves down, feet flat. Wasn’t there a boxing class online available? Jake lands a right and down goes Perry again!!! He’s up and beats the count. Jake looks strong. Perry looks wobbly. Perry out of sorts. Perry bleeding from the right eye and he walks into a punch from Jake. Perry shoves Jake to the floor, gets a warning from the ref. Perry suddenly looks alive. Crowd cheering for Perry. Perry throws a wild left and almost falls to the canvas. Jake 20, Perry 16.

Round 3: Jake looks very tentative as Perry walks him down. Perry strikes with a left hook. Jake on his toes and moving. Trying to keep away from the Perry KO power. Big exchange of punches. Jake landing with the left jab. But Perry still stalking. Jake cut on the head. This turning into a street fight – if Mike can help it. Blood pouring into Jake’s eyes. Jake 29, Perry 26.

Round 4: A straight right from Jake opens the round. Now he’s after Perry. Perry unbowed. On the move. Jake working the body, then strikes with a jab to the face. Perry in trouble. He’s wobbling. Two huge lefts. Perry’s hands down, and he’s paying for it. Perry swings and misses and looks like he might fall over. Jake just assaulting Perry, who looks spent. Jake finishes strong. Jake 39, Perry 35.

Round 5: Referee examining Perry before the round starts. He’s allowed to box, and here we go. Jake just missed with a big right. Incredibly, Perry won’t raise his gloves to defend himself. Jake tattooing Perry with the left, and that’s a powerful jab. Perry’s face just coated with blood. Perry not punching. Is there one big one left in him? For now, Jake just taking him apart. Jake 49, Perry 44.

Round 6: They’ve got Perry cleaned up. Forgot what he looked like under the blood. Perry lands a left, slipping the punch inside. And delivers another. Now Jake come in for kill and knocks down Perry for the third time! It’s OVER! The ref calls the fight! TKO for Jake Paul.

Jake Paul shares final thoughts

Not long before the ringwalks, Ariel Helwani conducted a quick interview with Jake Paul in Paul’s locker room with his brother Logan on hand.

“A lot of people say this is the craziest idea that you guys have come up with,’’ Helwani said. “Why would you guys take a fight against a guy like Mike Perry when you have the Mike Tyson fight in November.’’

Replied Jake Paul, “I like crazy ideas.’’

Perry, during his own interview before the ringwalks, looked a little crazy. “I’m pissed off,’’ he said. “I’m ready to go and…(expletive) him up.’’

How to watch Jake Paul vs. Mike Perry fight 

It will be shown on DAZN. The PPV fee is $64.99 (plus subscription).

Jake Paul main card 

Jake Paul vs. Mike Perry, cruiserweight 

Amanda Serrano def. Stevie Morgan, super lightweight 

Lucas Bahdi def. Ashton Sylve, lightweight 

Corey Marksman def. Tony Aguilar, lightweight 

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. def. Uriah Hall, cruiserweight 

Amanda Serrano def. Stevie Morgan by TKO

Serrano came out swinging from the opening bell and needed less than two rounds to end the super lightweight bout.

The referee stopped the fight in the second round when Serrano was assaulting Morgan with a barrage of punches. Serrano looked especially focused, and it likely stemmed from pre-fight trash talk. Morgan said Serrano was the weakest of the women’s boxing champions – and Serrano proved her wrong.

“Listen, I think these girls are mistaking my kindness for weakness,’ Serrano said during an in-ring interview. “That’s not true. I’m a professional. I respect the women I go up against. It’s a business. I think we all need to work together. But if you’re not on my level, that’s what happens.”

It was Serrano’s 50th pro fight and the 31st knockout of her career. The 35-year-old Puerto Rican improved to 47-2-1. Morgan, a 35-year-old from Tampa, fell to 14-2.

Round 1: Morgan has talked lots of trash. Now what? Serrano the aggressor but Morgan firing too. Serrano very active. Morgan connects but is providing an easy target too. Serrano pounding away. Morgan’s head snaps back. Morgan appears in trouble. Morgan lucky these rounds are two minutes and not three. Serrano 10, Morgan 9.

Round 2: Serrano comes out firing away. Not wasting anytime. Taking a few shots too. The fight is stopped! The referee steps in as Serrano assaulted Mogan. KO VICTORY for Serrano.

Hulk Hogan shows up to Jake Paul fight in familiar shirt

Two days ago, Hulk Hogan was ripping his shirt off and calling for ‘Trumpamania’ to run wild as a speaker at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Tonight, he’s ringside at the Jake Paul vs. Mike Perry fight in Tampa. But there’s one thing linking these two appearances … his shirt. He wore a replica of the won he shredded Thursday. Take a look.

Lucas Bahdi def Ashton Sylve by shocking KO

Bahdi, bleeding from the nose and dominated from the opening bell, scored a shocking knockout in the sixth round of the lightweight fight.

Sylve hit the canvas face first after Bahdi pulverized Sylve with a left and a right.  After a couple of minutes, Sylve was seated on a stool and examined by a doctor. He and Bahdi embraced, but Sylve left the ring before Bahdi was declared the winner.

“I want to give big thanks to my coach,’ Badhi said. “He told me it’s going to be tough in the beginning, but you’re going to get him. I believe every word he says, and it came.’

Bahdi, a 30-year-old from Canada, improved to 17-0 with 15 knockouts. Sylve, a 20-year-old from Long Beach, Calif., suffered his first loss and fell to 11-1 with nine knockouts.

Round 1: Sylve already displaying ring generalship as he dictates the action. Picking his spots, but Sylve landing. Bahdi a little more tentative. Sylve 10, Bahdi 9.

Round 2: Bahdi lands a couple of shots, but Sylve strikes back quickly. Bahdi misses and Sylve makes him pay with a body shot. Interesting footwork from Sylve. Sylve 20, Bahdi 18.

Round 3: Sylve is tough to hit, but he’s also a little slow to unload punches. OK, now he’s opening up – and already landing more than Bahdi. Sylve still fighting tactically. Landing impressive punches. But no brawling here. 

Round 4: Badhi seems somewhere between bewildered and frustrated. Anticipating boos as the action slows. Sylve unleashing some of his most powerful punches of the fight. Sylve 40, Bahdi 36.

Round 5: Sylve still looking extremely disciplined – and a little frustrating. Wondering when Sylve will demonstrate he has the ability to finish an overmatched opponent. But he has hurt Bahdi, especially to the body. Sylve 50, Bahdi 45.

Round 6: Bahdi lands a body punch, and Sylve responds with a flurry – like, how dare you, Mr. Bahdi. The head movement and footwork of Sylve is compelling, but everyone is waiting on more of those barrages. Sylve bleeding from the nose…WHOA! Badhi drops Sylve!!! WOW! Sylve is down and out! Out cold!

Corey Marksman def. Tony Aguilar by majority decision

The draw between Marksman and Aguilar in February was no fluke. When the slugfest ensued Saturday, it was almost as hard to keep track of the punches as to who was winning the fight.

The lightweight bout scheduled for eight rounds went to the distance. But this time it did not end in a draw. The judges scored it 76-76, 77-75, 78-74 in favor of Marksman, who credited his work ethic.

“Man, that ain’t nothing but late nights and early mornings,’’ he said of the outcome.

Marksman, a 23-year-old from Orlando, improved to 10-0-1. Aguilar, a 25-year-old from Crescent City, Fla., fell to 12-1-1.

Round 1: Lots of punches thrown. Lots of punches missing. Now they’re landing, as expected from two boxers who fought to a compelling draw in February. Marksman seems to be dictating the action, even after a wicked exchange. Marksman 10, Aguilar 9.

Round 2: Aguilar out more aggressively – and bleeding from his nose. Aggressive is good, unless you’re running into your opponent’s punches. Blood and all, he’s still throwing effective punches, but not as many as Marksman. Marksman 20, Aguilar 18.

Round 3: Marksman on the attack. Scores with an overhand right as he takes increasing control with this fight. But Aguilar showing he’s not going to go down easy. Marksman 30, Aguilar 27.

Round 4: Marksman trips. The closest he’s looked to hitting the canvas. Lots of inside fighting, and lots of tangled bodies. Marksman capitalizes by scoring to the body. Aguilar turning into a brawler and mucking things up – just enough to win the round. Marksman 39, Aguilar 37.

Round 5: Aguilar closing the gap, wanting to rumble more than box. Aguilar slugging away, and connecting. Marksman’s lost some steam. Marksman 48, Aguilar 47.

Round 6: Marksman seems to have lost his confidence and rhythm. Aguilar takes a shot to the body and now he’s been slowed. Aguilar 57, Marksman 57.

Round 7: Marksman rebounding after landing that body shot in Round 6. Marksman not purely headhunting, but rather digging into the body. Now fists are flying. And Marksman lands a big right. And another! Marksman 67, Aguilar 66.

Round 8: The slugfest ensues. Aguilar smothering Marksman, but now they’re at the center of the ring. When untangled, it’s Marksman’s fight. When they’re brawling, it’s Aguilar’s fight. Now they’re at the center of the ring, the clock ticking and the fists flying. Marksman 77, Aguilar 75.

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. def. Uriah Hall by unanimous decision

Chavez, the son of legendary Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., did nothing to deepen the family legacy during a six-round cruiserweight bout.

A former WBC middleweight champion, Chavez was fighting in his 71st pro bout. Hall, by contrast, was fighting his second pro bout after defeating former NFL running back Le’Veon Bell in his debut.

Yet when the fight ended, it was Chavez’s face that looked tattooed. Still, the judges scored it 59-55, 59-55, 58-56 in favor of Chavez, who was showered with boos during an in-ring interview.

“I know the people are expecting a brawl,’’ Chavez said.

Chavez, 38, 54-6-1. Hall, 39, fell to 1-1.

When asked who he’d like to fight next, Chavez with a grin said Jake Paul. Ariel Helwani, conducting the interview, asked the crowd what it thought.

More loud boos.

Round 1: Talking about a gamble, Uriah Hall allegedly is not wearing a boxing cup. That could be one painful low blow. Lots of circling. Not much punching, other than Hall throwing a couple of jabs. Chavez coming off a 2 ½-year layoff. Looks like it. Chavez lands a left hook – best punch of the round. And another left. Chavez 10, Hall 9.

Round 2: Hall stalking, but not throwing meaningful punches. Chavez seems content fighting while backing up. Hill active with the jab and throws a half-hearted combination. Chavez grows inactive and Hall deflects most of his punches. Chavez 19, Hall 19.

Round 3: Hall stalking again, but no snap on the punches. Chavez looks strangely inactive and ineffective. Chavez picking up the pace, scores to the body. Hall putting up a worthy fight. Chavez 29, Hall 28.

Round 4: Chavez showing a little more energy, but now he’s briefly up against the ropes and takes an uppercut. Chavez targets the body. Hall lands a big right. Chavez: 39, Hall 37.

Round 5: Hall in position to pounce on Chavez but seems hesitant to unleash the punches. But now Hall bulls Chavez against the ropes. Off the ropes, Chavez drives a left to the body, but Hall comes alive. The two touch gloves after the bell rings. Chavez 48, Hall 47.

Round 6: This fight might be up for grabs and Hall still standing tall at the center of the ring. Chavez is more active, but Hall coming forward. Hall showing very little power, but Chavez taking few chances. Now Hall has Chavez on the ropes and is unloading – to no avail. But Hall finishing strong. Chavez 58, Hall 56. 

Shadasia Green def. Natasha Spence by unanimous decision

Green responded in solid fashion after suffering the first defeat of her career in December. She absorbed some hard shots from Spence but dished out more punishment and showed more skill during an eight-round super middleweight bout.

The judges scored it 78-73, 77-74, 77-74 in favor of Green, who improved to 14-1. The victory helped ease the sting of a unanimous decision loss in December to Franchon Crews Dezurn.

“I just got back to having fun,’’ said Green, 34, of Paterson, N.J., during an in-ring interview. “You guys haven’t seen the best of me yet.’’

Spence connected with some thudding right hands. But Green made good use of her jab and started connecting with her right hand in the middle rounds.

Spence, 39, appeared to be running low on fuel while falling to 8-5-2. In the sixth round, in fact, she briefly sat on a bottom rope.

But the only boxer who hit the canvas was Green in the seventh round. She later said he slipped, but Spence punched Green in the shoulder as Green tumbled onto her backside.

Green disputed it was a knockdown. But the outcome of the fight — Green’s bounce-back victory — was indisputable. 

Alexis Chaparro def. Kevin Hill by KO

Chaparro, 6-3, showed the ability to set things up behind a stiff jab. But that’s not why he’s considered a top prospect. Chaparro cut loose in the second round, smothered Hill in punches and finished him off with an overhand right. The referee counted out Hill with 59 seconds left in the round during middleweight bout.

Chaparro, a 23-year-old from Queens, New York improved to 2-0 with two knockouts. Hills, a 35-year-old from St. Louis, fell to 1-2.

Angel Barrientes def. Edwin Rodriguez by majority decision

At 5-10, Barrientes capitalized on his height advantage over the 5-5 Rodriguez with good use of his jab during the six-round super bantamweight fight, the first if the preliminary fights Saturday.

Barrientes, a 21-year-old from Las Vegas, also fired combinations of up to six punches to overcome the sturdy Rodriguez.

The judges scored it 57-57, 60-54, 60-54 in Barrientes’ favor. Rodriguez, a 31-year-old from Puerto Rico fell to 12-9-2.

What time did Jake Paul vs. Mike Perry fight start tonight?

The prelims started at 7 p.m. ET. The PPV card started at 9 p.m ET. Jake Paul and Mike Perry made their ring walks around 12:30 a.m.

Did Jake Paul cancel fight with Mike Tyson?  

The fight against Tyson was rescheduled for Nov. 15 after Tyson suffered an ulcer flareup on May 26. The fight originally was scheduled to take place Saturday.  

Jake Paul finds matching outfit, vehicle

This takes color coordination to a new level. But while Paul’s Roman Empire-era costume might look silly,

the words in Paul’s post on X are no joke. Earlier this week, Paul said without irony that he is “on a mission from God.’’

Jake Paul vs. Mike Perry predictions  

Matt Verri, London Evening Standard: Perry can at least keep it competitive, certainly more so than has been the case in Paul’s recent fights, but he is unlikely to come away with victory. Prediction: Paul by unanimous decision. 

Brent Brookhouse, CBS Sports: Paul will likely be able to wear on Perry a bit with his size and use his superior boxing technique to land shots. Prediction: Paul by stoppage before the end of the fight. 

Josh Peter, USA TODAY Sports: Paul survives Perry’s assault in the first round and proceeds to wear down his opponent. Prediction: Paul by TKO, seventh round.  

Jake Paul vs. Mike Perry odds 

BETMGM: Paul -400, Perry +350 

FanDuel: Paul -420 favorite, Perry +390 underdog 

Bet365: Paul -450, Perry +375 

DraftKings: Paul -435, Perry +300 

When is Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul?  

The fight is scheduled for Nov. 15 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. 

How old is Jake Paul?  

27 

How old is Mike Perry? 

32 

How tall is Jake Paul?  

 6-foot-1  

How tall is Mike Perry?  

5-foot-10  

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