Chelsea advanced in the FIFA Club World Cup on June 28, getting three extra-time goals to defeat Benfica 4-1 in their Round of 16 encounter.

Following the victory, Chelsea’s manager wasn’t in a celebratory mood.

Enzo Maresca lambasted the nearly two-hour weather delay that interrupted the match at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, describing it as “a joke,” before launching into broader criticisms of the beleaguered event and FIFA’s decision to stage it in the United States.

With four minutes remaining in regulation, and Chelsea leading 1-0 courtesy of a Reece James free-kick goal in the 64th minute, the match was paused due to lightning in the area. It led to a 113-minute delay, with officials waiting for a storm to pass through the area. The match ended at 8:38 p.m. ET, more than four-and-a-half hours after it began.

After just one goal between the teams before the delay, Chelsea and Benfica combined for four goals the rest of the match. Benfica’s Ángel Di María converted a penalty kick in stoppage time to tie the game and send it into extra time. In the second 15-minute period of extra time, Chelsea scored three goals in nine minutes, with Christopher Nkunku’s 108th-minute goal serving as the game-winner.

“After the break, the game changed completely,” Maresca said after the match when asked about the difficulty of the lengthy delay and its effect on the game. “I think for me, personally, it’s not football. It’s already seven, eight, nine games that they suspended. It’s a joke, to be honest. It’s not football. It’s not for us.”

“You cannot be inside (for that long). I can understand that for security reasons, you are to suspend the game. But if you suspend seven, eight games, that means it is probably not the right place to do this competition.”

With the win, Chelsea will take on Brazilian club Palmeiras at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on July 4 in the quarterfinals.

As Maresca noted, the Club World Cup has been beset by a slew of weather-related stoppages that have disrupted the flow of matches.

Chelsea’s win became the sixth Club World Cup game, and first of the event’s knockout stage, to be subjected to a weather delay. It was Benfica’s second experience with one, as its 6-0 win against Auckland City on June 20 in Orlando was held up by thunderstorms for two hours.

It’s one of several problems the Club World Cup has endured. Ticket sales and attendance have lagged throughout the event, with photos of half-full or largely empty venues circulating on social media. The official attendance for the Chelsea-Benfica game was 25,929 in a stadium with a seating capacity of nearly 75,000. The 48 group-stage games of the tournament had a combined one million empty seats.

Those woeful crowds and persistent thunderstorms have raised questions and concerns about next year’s World Cup, which will be held across 16 cities in North America, 11 of which are in the United States. Seven of the U.S.-based venues are outdoors and lack retractable roofs, leaving them vulnerable to the thunderstorms that are common across the country during the summer months.

“It’s a fantastic competition,” Maresca said. “It’s a Club World Cup. It’s top. We are happy to be in the last eight. We are happy to win all these kind of things. But something happens, six, seven games suspended, probably the one[s] that they decide, they need a reason, because it’s not normal to suspend a game. In a World Cup, how many games are suspended? Zero, probably. In Europe, how many games? Zero. We are here, two weeks, they’re already suspended six, seven games. There is some problem for me, personally.”

JOHNS CREEK, Ga. – It has been nearly 16 years since Richard Seymour felt the sting of a certain type of NFL business. In the prime of a Hall of Fame career, Seymour was abruptly traded from the NFL penthouse to what must’ve seemed like the outhouse.

The week of the season opener in 2009, the New England Patriots shipped the dominant defensive lineman and his collection of three Super Bowl rings to the Oakland Raiders.

Call it a classic Bill Belichick move. Cut ties too early rather than too late. Nothing personal, just cold NFL “bidness” that fetched the premium return of a first-round draft pick. And Seymour never saw it coming.

His world was flipped upside down to such a degree – Richard and his wife, Tanya, had four young children, and the new school year was starting – that it prompted then-Raiders owner Al Davis to fire off a “five-day letter” threatening a season-long suspension when Seymour didn’t immediately report.

And look at him now.

Seymour, 45, owns a piece of the Las Vegas Raiders. His deal to purchase a stake of the franchise from Mark Davis – reportedly a 0.5% slice  – was approved by NFL owners in October 2024 at the same time Tom Brady’s package with Knighthead Capital Management’s Tom Wagner for a 10% share was finalized.

Turns out, that stunning trade worked out much better than Seymour would have imagined at the time. Talk about another type of NFL business.

“Sometimes, you don’t know what God has planned for you,” Seymour told USA TODAY Sports, reflecting during an expansive interview at a suburban Atlanta coffee shop. “If I never got traded, I don’t think I’d have become an NFL owner.”

An NFL owner. Let that sink in. Seymour didn’t generate the type of headlines that Brady did in buying into the Raiders, and his share doesn’t compare to Brady’s slice, yet it is so significant on multiple levels. In a league that has never had a Black majority owner, Seymour is part of a growing number of limited partners with stakes in NFL franchises who happen to be Black, the lineup including former athletes Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Serena and Venus Williams, Warrick Dunn and Charles Woodson, in addition to financial power broker Mellody Hobson and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

That Seymour had significant support during his lengthy process from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, among other NFL heavyweights, is no coincidence. Goodell has repeatedly talked up the desire to increase ownership paths for minorities, and in Seymour’s case apparently backed up the sentiment as a key resource.

“Obviously, it’s important to have representation when we speak about a league that is 70% Black,” Seymour said, referring to the player population. “You want representation at every level, from ownership to management, front office, whatever it is. You just want to make sure it’s the right people and that voices are heard.”

Now consider the pure business play. The Raiders ranked as the NFL’s seventh-most valuable franchise in 2024 on Forbes’ annual list with a valuation of $6.7 billion. That’s nearly double what it was deemed worth when Seymour and Davis began discussing the possibility of doing business in 2020, the year the franchise moved from Oakland with a sweetheart deal that includes a swank, publicly-subsidized stadium.

“What we’re seeing in terms of the growth in these valuations is only going up because of the impact of live sports in the entertainment space,” Derrick Heggans, CEO of Shepherd Park Sports Properties, told USA TODAY Sports.

Heggans, a former NFL attorney who was not involved in Seymour’s deal with the Raiders, matched Woodson with Cleveland Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam, leading to the Hall of Fame defensive back’s recent purchase of a 0.5% stake in the Browns. Heggans also facilitated the deals that allowed former NBA stars Tracy McGrady and Vince Carter, and former MLS star Jozy Altidore, to purchase stakes in the Buffalo Bills from Terry and Kim Pegula. And he brokered the transactions that resulted in former Olympic gymnast Dominique Dawes and prolific film producer Will Packer buying stakes of the Atlanta Falcons from Arthur Blank.

“Think about it: It doesn’t matter if you paid $50 million for a limited partner stake or if you’re the controlling owner, you’re an owner of the asset,” Heggans said. “So, as it increases, whatever amount you put in increases. So, if I were looking at it purely as an investment and I could see that year-to-year, the growth could be anywhere from 15 to 20 percent, and there’s a long history that this is only going to continue to go up, it’s an investment that most people don’t have the opportunity to get access to. But if you do, it can do tremendous things for you.”

Flying beer cans. The NFC East. Super Bowl opponents. Nothing is stopping Howie Roseman

Seymour said that Al Davis, who passed away in 2011, promised him a role in the front office after his playing career ended. The two developed a tight bond, including frequent chalk-talk visits, during Seymour’s four seasons playing for the Raiders. Yet after he finished his 12-year career, Seymour was more committed to raising his children than working in the front office. He ultimately sought an equity stake instead.

“It was a dream for me,” said Seymour, a Gadsden, S.C. native who starred at Georgia. “My relationship with Al opened the door to me and Mark’s relationship.”

There were times, though, when Seymour wondered whether his bid would fall through. At one point, he was aligned with a partner. Then, when other NFL franchises sold, the value of the Raiders – and conceivably the value of buying in – increased. Plus, with Brady pursued by Davis for a stake separate from Seymour’s, there may have been questions about the value formulas and other conditions of the respective shares.

And, of course, to pass muster with the NFL’s finance committee, there was extensive vetting.

Seymour, also co-founder of a venture capital firm, 93 Ventures, would not divulge financial details of his Raiders purchase, but allowed: “It started one way, but then, in business, things kind of shift and change. Teams sell, whether it’s the Broncos (a then-record $4.65 billion in 2022) or the Commanders (a record $6.05 billion in 2023), and the landscape of the NFL changes, too. So, I had to adapt to the new landscape. I stayed competitive to make sure we got a deal done.”  

He also leaned on a long-term relationship. Seymour said that Patriots owner Robert Kraft helped him navigate through the process.

“It was to the point that Mark even said we should get Mr. Kraft involved,” Seymour said.

Kraft provided insight for big-picture matters, including long-term sustainability, Seymour said. And as a member of the finance committee chaired by Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, Kraft was crucial in helping to structure the financial terms of Seymour’s deal.

“He made sure I had my ducks in order in terms of the legalities of what was going to be looked at, what they wanted and how,” Seymour said. “Just the order of the process, and he kind of helped me streamline.”

Heggans knows all too well about the NFL’s strict standards and what can be involved in the vetting.

“It’s very extensive,” he said. “They asked one of my LPs recently about parking tickets when he was in college.”

Of course, the conduct of NFL owners – the principal ones — can be subjected to much scrutiny. And for far more serious matters than parking tickets. Buzz has escalated in recent days after it was revealed that a report from an independent arbitrator suggested collusion by team owners to resist fully guaranteed contracts for players. Stay tuned.

In Seymour’s case, though, the scrutiny of a different type was worth it to gain admittance in an exclusive club. When he was enshrined in Canton in 2022, he became Hall of Famer No. 360 – the Pro Football Hall of Fame assigns each inductee a number that undoubtedly amplifies the prestige of the honor – and now he’s in an even more exclusive club.

“As I ask regular people, if you will, when was the last time you had access to 30 billionaires, most people can’t say that they do,” Heggans said. “But once you’re approved by the NFL you are one of a very small number. Whether you have a limited stake or a controlling stake, you’re in the same club. And there are a lot of people that do different types of business together.”

As much as Seymour expresses pride in achieving a milestone, he hardly sees his Raiders stake as the ceiling. He is just getting started, while Davis and Larry Delson, a Raiders board member, have afforded him the opportunity to take a “holistic approach” into the business of the franchise.

He has visions of owning stakes in NBA and MLB franchises, which is what Johnson, the NBA legend with whom he has consulted, has done with a vast portfolio built over decades, which now includes the NFL.

A rising star coach. Will the NFL let him shine?

The ultimate goal? Seymour wants to someday become the majority owner of an NFL franchise.

“But you’ve got to take steps toward that,” he said.

Asked if he has $10 billion laying around to make that happen, Seymour chuckled.

Then, he replied, “I know people that have it.”

Seymour’s calls multi-billionaire Robert F. Smith, a mentor. Smith has long been considered a leading candidate to become the first Black majority NFL owner, and was in the running to purchase the Broncos, which were ultimately sold to the group headed by Rob Walton.

“What I’ve learned about deals is that it’s best to get in,” Seymour said. “And once you get in, it’s better to navigate from the inside instead of trying to fight from the outside. To grow and to get more. You’ve got to have a seat at the table first. I’ve done several other deals where it may not have been where I wanted to be in deal originally, but five years later you look up and can see where you’re headed.”

In other words, history has shown Seymour that trading up can be a great option.

Follow Jarrett Bell on social media: On X: @JarrettBell

On Bluesky: jarrettbell.bsky.social

Corrections and clarifications: England won the World Cup in 1966. An earlier version of this story stated an incorrect year.

Whatever is wrong with the U.S. men’s national team, and pull up a chair because there’s lots to discuss, diversity isn’t it.

That’s not just an aspirational statement. There are studies to prove it. In fact, researchers who’ve looked at both club and national teams across the world recently found diversity actually made squads better.

‘Previous research, they found a negative impact, not because of the diversity itself but how to put the team together. When you merge several players from different countries with different language, you create a barrier that makes it, at some extent, difficult to perform,’ said Thadeu Gasparetto, author of a paper published earlier this month titled ‘Multicultural teams: Does national diversity associate with performance in professional soccer?’

‘More recent research is showing pretty much the opposite, where the diversity provides a set of different skills … different codes that tends to be positive.”

With less than a year until the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, which U.S. Soccer officials hope will be as transformative for the game as the 1994 tournament was, the ‘golden generation” of the U.S. men’s national team is struggling. To put it nicely.

Most of their top players, led by Christian Pulisic, are playing in Europe. Several on top teams, no less. Their coach is Mauricio Pochettino, who took Tottenham to the Champions League final.

Yet the USMNT skidded into the Concacaf Gold Cup on a four-game losing streak, its longest since 2007. Then team reached the quarterfinals of the tournament, but Sunday’s game against Costa Rica will be the first real test.

As players, fans and pundits look for answers, former USMNT player and pot stirrer extraordinaire Alexi Lalas blamed the team’s diversity. In addition to players from across the United States, the USMNT — like many other national teams — has multiple players who were born or raised overseas.

“But getting 11 men to represent this great country of 350 million people and all be on the same page, that is very, very difficult.”

Except it’s really not. And there is both data, and anecdotal evidence, to prove it.

Gasparetto examined six professional leagues in Europe — England, Belgium, Germany, Cyprus, Latvia and the Netherlands — between the 2015-16 and 2020-21 seasons and found that each foreign player on a team correlated with a 0.42% increase in win percentage.

“It’s much more about how well or how qualified the players are rather than where he or she’s from,” Gasparetto said.

His findings are similar to those in a study by Michel Beine, Silvia Peracchi and Skerdilajda Zanaj that looked at ancestral diversity and its impact on a national team’s performance. ‘Ancestral diversity and performance: Evidence from football data,’ published in the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization in September 2023, found ethnic diversity can lead to an additional goal scored per game.

“The idea is, basically, that more genetic diversity is going to allow more complementary skills between players,” Beine said. “Soccer is a game in which complementary skills is very important because you have different positions and these different positions, they require different type of skills. … These complementarities, these different type of skills are going to be beneficial for the team.”

Look at France. Les Bleus won the men’s World Cup in 2018 and were runners-up in 2022 with a team that was a melting pot. In addition to players whose parents and grandparents and great-grandparents and — you get the idea — were born in France, about half the team was born in Africa or the French Caribbean, or had parents who were.

England, much to the country’s consternation, endured decades of frustration after winning the World Cup in 1966. But it has reached the final at the last two European Championship and got to the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup with a multiracial team. Belgium had its best finish ever at the World Cup in 2018, third place, with a team that reflected the influence of immigration to that country in the 1950s and 1960s.

Conversely, teams that are homogenous — Iceland, for example, or Japan — don’t fare as well.

“This mixing, in terms of skills, in terms of genetic endowment, we show in the statistical analysis that, over time, countries benefited from immigration flows and diverse immigration flows. … They improved their soccer performances,” Beine said. “On the contrary, you have countries who had very little immigration flows and who have kept quite a homogeneous population … maybe they have less benefited from this.”

Soccer is a global game — and not only because it’s played everywhere in the world. Players routinely move from country to country in their club careers, and that is likely to have far more influence than the country in which they were born or the neighborhood in which they grew up.

Lionel Messi was born in Argentina, moved to Spain at 13 and spent two decades at Barcelona before going to France to play for Paris Saint-Germain. Now he’s in the United States, playing for Inter Miami. Do you really think him being from Rosario has more of an impact on Argentina’s national team than what he learned at Barcelona?

‘The evidence is very clear that diversity is something that can be beneficial. And it is a little bit overlooked by people,” Beine said. “I think that sometimes people are not looking at the evidence. Or they are closing their eyes on what is really obvious.”

And that is that. The USMNT, much like the country it represents, is better for its diversity.

Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.

One more month, he prayed.

Please, let him be healthy enough to get to Cooperstown, New York, to be inducted July 27 into Baseball’s Hall of Fame.

If not, at least keep him alive so he could hear his son present his speech.

He fought so courageously since hearing the news in December that he was elected to the Hall of Fame. He was in and out of physical rehab centers these past six months, losing part of his leg battling this dreadful Parkinson’s disease, leaving him confined to a wheelchair.

Two weeks ago, when he left his last rehab center, he was informed nothing more could be done.

Hospice intervened.

And on Saturday morning, the man they called ‘The Cobra,’ was gone.

Parker was 74.

“Man, I am crushed,’ former Oakland Athletics teammate Dave Stewart, one of Parker’s closest friends, told USA TODAY Sports. “He’s one of the greatest teammates I’ve ever had. He had such a presence when he walked into the room.

“He was always the biggest in the room with his size (6-foot-5, 230 pounds),’ Stewart said, “but when you add in his personality, he’s suddenly 7 feet tall. Just an unbelievable human being and was so charismatic. Everyone loved him.’

Barry Meister, Parker’s long-time agent, called him one of the greatest personalities in baseball history.

“There was no player in baseball with more magnetism than Dave Parker,’ Meister said. “The hair on your arms would stand up when he walked into that room. Everyone was aware that The Man had arrived.’

Parker, the former MVP, seven-time All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner, two-time batting champion and two-time World Series champion, was nearly as well-known for his swagger and friendly braggadocio as his accomplishments.

He created the phrase: “When the leaves turn brown, I’ll be wearing the batting crown.’

And he would drop: ‘The sun is going to shine, the wind is going to blow, and Dave is going to go 4-for-4.”

He once wore a Star of David necklace, and when asked about it since he wasn’t Jewish, he said, “I’m a David. And I’m a star’

When notified in December that he and Dick Allen were voted in by the Classic Baseball Era Committee into the Hall of Fame, his initial reaction was, “Why did it take so long?’

Few in the game of baseball had Parker’s personality. He was one of the first professional athletes to wear an earring, a two-carat diamond earring. He was the first baseball player to earn $1 million per season. And he was among the first who was unafraid to bring a powerful personality into a clubhouse.

“He probably had more impact on young players,’ former Cincinnati Reds teammate Eric Davis said in a statement, “than any player I’ve ever been around.”

Davis was too distraught to talk, heartbroken that his close friend wouldn’t be in Cooperstown. So many friends and family members already planned trips, but even without Parker’s presence, most plan to still go, making sure everyone is aware of the impact he had on their lives.

Kellye, Parker’s wife, expressed to many of them Saturday how terribly difficult life has been for Parker these past few months. They’re comforted knowing he is now in a better place. No more pain. No more doctors. No more Parkinson’s.

“He was having such a hard time,’ Stewart said. “He had the ability to stand up, but not stand up for long periods of time. I remember when I talked to him after he got elected, I told him how happy I was for him, that it was long overdue, and how it should have happened long ago.

“All he could really say is, ‘Thank you Stew. I appreciate it. I love you brother.’

“I knew he was happy, but when you have Parkinson’s, you can’t really tell the emotion in people.’

Parker was diagnosed in 2012, and his family chooses to remember the good times: the healthy Parker, the vibrant Parker, and, oh, the hysterical Parker.

“He was always so funny,’ Stewart said. “He had you laughing all day. Parker had all of the leadership qualities, but he knew how to keep a clubhouse loose. In the worst of times, he always found something inspiring to say. In your personal worst of times, he would always make you laugh at yourself.’

Said Meister: “He was the funniest guy who ever played the game. He always had insults.’

The last time Parker saw Stewart, he noticed that Stewart was wearing a black shirt, black pants and a black jacket, blending in with his skin color, and blurted out: “Man, go put some clothes on! Why you walking around here naked?’

Oh, and he had nicknames for everyone.

Pitcher Greg Cadaret: “Dippy,’ for his big chin.

Catcher Terry Steinbach: “Home plate face.’

Pitcher Dennis Eckersley: “Pretty Pony.’

“I remember the time he and John Candelaria met up one night in spring training,’ Meister said, “and they really got after it. They hit the town hard. Well, Dave comes in the next day, and goes to sleep on the trainer’s table.

“They wanted him to pinch-hit late in the game, so they woke him up, he goes to the plate, and he hits this monstrous home run. The reporters asked him after the game, ‘What did you hit Dave? Was that a fastball? A curveball? What was it?’

“Dave says, ‘Well, I couldn’t really see. It looked like the guy was throwing three baseballs at once. So, I just swung at the middle one.’

That was Parker, always full of life, always colorful, and oh, so talented. He hit 22 home runs with a team-leading 97 RBIs when he helped lead the A’s to the 1989 World Series. He was 38 years old.

“They just don’t make them like that anymore,’ Meister said. “They really don’t. He’s one-of-a-kind. Believe me, everybody in baseball took a loss for this one.’

“Yes,’ says Stewart, “but we’re all better for having known him, and being such good friends with him.

“He will never be forgotten.’

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

A crowded leaderboard and plenty of golfers already going low should make for an exciting final round of the PGA Tour’s Rocket Classic at Detroit Golf Club.

Entering play on Sunday, 20-year-old South African Aldrich Potgieter was the leader by two strokes over Max Greyserman and four others, with 19 other golfers within four strokes of second place. Two-time major champion Collin Morikawa is lurking four shots back in a tie for 10th.

Potgeiter carded a 7-under 65 on Saturday to move to the front of the pack and reclaim the lead he held after shooting an opening-round 62. He is looking for his first PGA Tour victory, though he did prevail in a Korn Ferry Tour event last year.

LIVE SCORES: PGA Tour’s Rocket Classic

How to watch Rocket Classic Round 4

Follow final-round action Sunday, June 29, from Detroit Golf Club on Golf Channel, CBS and various streaming platforms.

TV: Golf Channel (1-3 p.m. ET), CBS (3-6 p.m. ET)
Streaming: ESPN+, Paramount+, Fubo

Rocket Classic purse, payouts

The total purse for the PGA Tour’s Rocket Classic at Detroit Golf Club is $9.6 million, with $1.728 million going to the winner. The total payouts are as follows:

1st: $1,728,000
2nd: $1,046,400
3rd: $662,400
4th: $470,400
5th: $393,600
6th: $348,000
7th: $324,000
8th: $300,000
9th: $280,800
10th: $261,600
11th: $242,400
12th: $223,200
13th: $204,000
14th: $184,800
15th: $175,200
16th: $165,600
17th: $156,000
18th: $146,400
19th: $136,800
20th: $127,200
21st: $117,600
22nd: $108,000
23rd: $100,320
24th: $92,640
25th: $84,960
26th: $77,280
27th: $74,400
28th: $71,520
29th: $68,640
30th: $65,760
31st: $62,880
32nd: $60,000
33rd: $57,120
34th: $54,720
35th: $52,320
36th: $49,920
37th: $47,520
38th: $45,600
39th: $43,680
40th: $41,760
41st: $39,840
42nd: $37,920
43rd: $36,000
44th: $34,080
45th: $32,160
46th: $30,240
47th: $28,320
48th: $26,784
49th: $25,440
50th: $24,672
51st: $24,096
52nd: $23,520
53rd: $23,136
54th: $22,752
55th: $22,560
56th: $22,368
57th: $22,176
58th: $21,984
59th: $21,792
60th: $21,600
61st: $21,408
62nd: $21,216
63rd: $21,024
64th: $20,832
65th: $20,640

The third Grand Slam event of the 2025 tennis season is at hand as the best players in the world convene in London for The Championships at Wimbledon.

The 138 edition of the storied grass-court tournament takes place at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club.

The top-ranked players automatically qualify for the main draw, which includes 32 seeded players in both the men’s and women’s pool. A total of 128 players comprise the field in each bracket. Play continues throughout the fortnight, with only one scheduled day off on Sunday, July 6. However, that day is frequently used to make up matches delayed or postponed by rain.

Here are the essentials to get you ready for Wimbledon 2025:

When is the 2025 Wimbledon tournament?

The 2025 Wimbledon tournament will begin on Monday, June 30, 2025 and be played over 14 days before concluding on Sunday, July 13, in London.

How to watch the 2025 Wimbledon tournament

The 2025 Wimbledon tournament will be broadcast on ESPN, ABC, and the Tennis Channel. Fans wanting to stream the action can watch matches on ESPN+ or Fubo.

Who are the defending Wimbledon champions?

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain is the two-time defending men’s singles champion at Wimbledon and just won the French Open men’s singles title for the second year in a row on the clay at Roland Garros. A three-peat would cement the 22-year-old Alcaraz with some of the all-time greats at the All England Club. Since the Open era began in 1968, only Roger Federer (2003-07), Pete Sampras (1993-95; 1997-2000) and Bjorn Borg (1976-80) have managed to win Wimbledon three years in a row.

On the women’s side, Barbora Krejčíková of the Czech Republic is the defending singles champion after she outlasted Jasmine Paolini in three sets to become the second consecutive Czech winner. Markéta Vondroušová shocked the tennis world by becoming the first unseeded woman to win Wimbledon when she prevailed in 2023.

Who are the top seeded players at Wimbledon?

Italian Jannik Sinner, the reigning Australian Open and U.S. Open champion is this year’s top seed on the men’s side at Wimbledon. That’s despite losing to Alcaraz in an epic French Open final. Alcaraz is seeded second, followed by No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev of Germany, and No. 4 seed – and hometown favorite – Jack Draper of the United Kingdom.

Aryna Sabalenka is the No. 1 women’s seed ahead American Coco Gauff, who is the No. 2 seed despite beating Sabalenka in the 2025 French Open final. American Jessica Pegula is the No. 3 seed in the bracket.

WIMBLEDON 2025: Complete men’s, women’s singles draw

Colorado football coach Deion Sanders has been rehabilitating in a weighted vest with the help of his son Deion Jr. as he tries to come back from an unspecified health issue and return to his job in Boulder.

Sanders, 57, provided two recent updates on Instagram, including one on Saturday that showed him wearing a weighted vest next to Deion Jr.

“Every little step I take My son @deionsandersjr has been there so we’ve decided to keep on stepping!” Sanders wrote in the post Saturday. “#CoachPrime coming to a stadium sold out soon.”

In another post from June 26, he used his situation to promote an energy drink sponsor in the same vest.

“1 step closer Everyday,” he wrote. “I’m Walking it out! Our Team is working their butts off therefore I’ve got to match that (fire) they have!”

Sanders Sr. has been away from his coaching job since April as he dealt with his health issue at his estate in Texas. He did not attend Colorado’s annual youth and high school camps in June even though operating such camps is listed in his Colorado contract as one of his official duties.

In May, he was unable to attend the wedding of former Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter in Tennessee.

“He know why we couldn’t be there,” Sanders Jr. said on his YouTube channel after Hunter’s wedding.

Sanders Sr. also canceled a speaking engagement in Florida scheduled for June 8.

The timing of his return to campus remains unclear, but he is scheduled to appear at a Big 12 Conference media event in Frisco, Texas on July 9.

Wearing weighted vests helps build strength and endurance. They also help stimulate the growth of new bone cells, according to Harvard Medical School.

Deion Jr. said in a video posted on YouTube June 21 that his father was “back active, moving around” and has made progress.

Sanders Sr. previously said on social media on June 11 that “everything is OKAY” and that he would provide a full update upon his return to Colorado.

In late May, Sanders Sr. appeared on a podcast with former NFL cornerback Asante Samuel and said that “what I’m dealing with right now is at a whole ‘nother level” but said he’s coming back after losing about 14 pounds.

Sanders previously battled issues with blood clots in his legs and had to miss a Pac-12 Conference media event in Las Vegas because of it in July 2023. 

Colorado opens the 2025 football at home against Georgia Tech Aug. 29.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

Jake Paul beat Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. by unanimous decision Saturday night, in a victory Paul had predicted and said would be the next step in his pursuit of a world title.

Paul dominated the first eight rounds before Chavez came alive in the final two rounds of the 10-round cruiserweight fight at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

Chavez caught Paul’s attention with left hooks and a right, but Paul simply fought back. And Chavez clearly needed a knockout after looking inept for more than half of the fight.

The judges scored it 99-91, 97-93, 98-92 in favor of Paul.

Paul, 28, improved to 12-1.

The crowd booed after Paul was declared the winner. During an in-ring interview, Paul said he “loved’’ the crowd’s response but responded with profanity.

Paul said he wasn’t disappointed he couldn’t knock out Chavez. In fact, he didn’t even knock him down.

“He’s a tough, tough guy,’’ Paul said. “He’s never been stopped. And he’s a Mexican warrior.

“I respect Mexican warriors. I respect Mexico. But I’m also a warrior and I came out on top tonight.’’

Paul said he plans to fight again this year.

“I want tougher fighters,’’ he said. “I want to be world champion.’’

Chavez, 39, had indicated he would retire if he lost to Paul, and the defeat reinforced his reputation as a boxer past his prime. The son of legendary Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., he has lost five of his last nine fights and his record dropped to 54-7-1.

Chavez said he thought Paul was “a strong, good boxer’’ for the first three or four rounds of the fight, then tired.

“So I don’t think he’s ready for the champions,’’ Chavez said. “But he’s a good fighter.”

Paul, who embarked on a pro boxing career in 2020, won his sixth straight fight since suffering his lone defeat. That loss came against Tommy Fury by split decision in 2023.

Entering his fight against Chavez Jr., Paul was coming off a victory over Mike Tyson by unanimous decision in November.

USA TODAY Sports has you covered with updates, analysis and highlights from the Paul-Chavez Jr. card here:

Jake Paul vs Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Round 10: Up go the chants. “Julio! Julio!’’ Chavez advancing again and digs in with a left hook. Paul responds. Paul lands a sharp, short right. Time’s running out on Chavez. Now he’s letting the punches fly. A left and a right. But nothing lands solid and Paul fights back. Chavez lands a solid left and eats punches as he looks for one more. Lands a hard right and a jab. Is there a miracle here waiting to happen? Chavez and Paul exchange big punches, including a Chavez left at the bell. But, no miracle. Paul 99, Chavez 91. 

Round 9: Chavez lands a right but draws a warning from the referee about low blows. Chavez whips a right into Paul’s head but there’s no follow up. Paul quickly responds. Chavez advances, though, and throws a couple of rights off the mark. But he lands a left to the body and then a right. Two more body shots from Chavez, who then eats a flurry of punches. Chavez comes back with a right and a big uppercut. Crowd on its feet. And Chavez lands a big left. The crowd roars as the round ends. Paul 90, Chavez 81.

Round 8: Chavez is going to need a knockout to win this. Unless Paul pulls the craziest “No Mas’’ in boxing history. Paul throws a couple of jabs. Chavez fires back with one of his own. Chavez throws a hard left but it misses. Doesn’t look like there’s much in Chavez’s tank, or a willingness to open up. Chavez throwing an occasionally left, but nothing to slow Paul from throwing combinations. Chavez lands a couple of nice shots – one to the body and one to the head – and Paul fires back. Paul 80, Chavez 72.

Round 7: Paul out with authority, and attacks Chavez’s body. Chavez moves forward and threw a right that glanced off Paul’s head. They’re tied up now. Chavez absorbing lots of punches, but comes forward again as he digs a left into Paul’s body. Paul scores with an uppercut. They’re tied up again and look fatigued. Looks like they’d like to slow dance for the last 30 seconds of the round. But the referee separates them. Briefly. Paul 70, Chavez 63.

Round 6: Paul throws an uppercut that squeezes through the high guard. He lands another hard uppercut and Chavez advances. Chavez landa a body blow – but it’s one and done for him. But then he lands a left hook. It’s a stinging shot that caught Paul’s attention. In fact, Paul leaned on Chavez as if to catch his breath. Chavez coming alive as Paul unloads. Paul 60, Chavez 54.

Round 5: Paul comes out firing the jab again. Chavez backs into his defensive mode. But now he comes forward and throws a right. There is life in this man. But Paul looks unaffected and continues to throw and land punches. Chavez appears to have caught Paul below the belt, but the fight quickly resumes. Still so striking how much stronger Paul looks. Maybe that’s why Chavez is spending most of his time covering up. Chavez advancing now, but misses with a right before eating one. Paul 50, Chavez 45.

Round 4: Paul comes out quick with an overhand right. Follows it up with a left. Paul scoring with both hands and Chavez has turned inactive again. Paul lands body shots. Chavez whiffs with a right and eats a right from Paul. Now he moves forward, lands a left to the body and looks angry. Paul counters with a right. Chavez digs in to Paul’s body with another left and may be coming to life? Chavez now advancing and lands a right. They exchanges jabs as the round comes to a close. Paul 40, Chavez 36.

Round 3: Chavez emerges for the round without a white flag. But he doesn’t look much more interested in fighting. He takes a hard right to the body. Paul scores again to the body. Chavez complaining that Paul was hitting him in the back of the head. Chavez, meanwhile, does not look inclined to hit Paul at all. In the crowd, Chavez’s father, the legendary fighter, looks frustrated. Now he’s on his feet urging his son to punch. Chavez finally lands a SOLID left to Paul’s face. Almost shocking. Paul 30, Chavez 27.

Round 2: Paul comes out firing the jab. Chavez has his hands up and looks futile. He throws a weak jab. Paul stifles laughter? Referee calls for time and asks for Vaseline be removed from Paul’s face. That doesn’t see to help Chavez. Paul lands a left, but not with authority. Chavez looks like he’s forgotten how to box, almost inept as Mike Tyson looked in November. Chavez finally lands a right, to Paul’s body. Whoopee. Paul lands a combination  and Chavez is backpedaling again. Paul 20, Chavez 18.

Round 1: It’s on – Jake Paul and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., who by prefight applause is clearly the crowd favorite at the Honda Center. Paul clearly the bigger and more muscled fighter. They hustle to the center of the ring. Chavez has the high guard in place as the fighters circle. Chavez throws a weak wide right. Paul fires at Chavez’s body, then Chavez responds with a jab. Paul looks more comfortable and throws punches with both hands. Chavez is not exuding confidence. Paul stalking and throws a big right. Chavez looks concerned and isn’t throwing punches. Chavez whiffs with a left. Paul lands a right on the top of Chavez’s head and he complains. Rather than fighting back. Paul 10, Chavez 9. 

Jake Paul boxing record

Paul is 11-1 – better than virtually everyone expected when the YouTuber embarked on his pro boxing career in 2020. He has knocked out seven of his opponents.

Jake Paul net worth is…substantial

Jake Paul’s net worth was $100 million in January 2025, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Paul said he made $40 million from his fight against Mike Tyson in November.

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs. Canelo Alvarez

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Canelo Alvarez squared off in 2017. Alvarez dominated the 12-round super middleweight fight and won by unanimous decision, 120-108, 120-108, 120-108.

Jake Paul has tried to get a shot at Alvarez but negotiations fell through in February.

How old is Jake Paul?

Jake Paul is 28. His opponent, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., is 39.

Gilberto Ramirez def. Yuniel Dorticos by unanimous decision

Ramirez defended his WBO and WBA cruiserweight world title with a unanimous decision in the 12-round fight.

The so-called “KO Doctor,’’ Dorticos landed some hard blows. He also landed an excessive number of low blows and for that the referee deducted a point. 

By contrast, Ramirez landed crisp and clean blows – above the belt — and for that he was rewarded on the scorecards.

The three judges scored it 115-112, 115-112, 117-110 for Ramirez, the 34-year-old Mexican who improved his record to 48-1.

Dorticos, a 39-year-old Cuban, fell to 27-3.

Gilberto Ramirez vs. Yuniel Dorticos, cruiserweight, 12 rounds 

Round 12: Dorticos digging into the body, and Ramirez responds with those softer but crisper punches. He lands a hard left while scoring with a series of punches. Ramirez showing precision and Dorticos somehow keeping his punches above the belt. Ramirez 115, Dorticos 112.

Round 11: Dorticos is warned about low blows yet again but doesn’t deduct a point. Dorticos throws what appears to be another low blow, but Ramirez keeps firing – above the belt. Ramirez slips again. Was the boxing ring built on an ice rink? Dorticos has Ramirez against the ropes and is letting his punches fly. Ramirez 105, Dorticos 103.

Round 10: Dorticos showing some of the same power he showed in the early rounds. But Ramirez looks unfazed – that is, until Dorticos hits him with three straight low blows. This time the referee deducts a point. Dorticos still throwing low blows, almost begging the referee to deduct another point. Ramirez stays focused on pummeling Dorticos. Ramirez 96, Dorticos 93. 

Round 9: Dorticos showing more energy, but Ramirez is the cleaner, crisper puncher now. Dorticos lands an uppercut, but Ramirez continues to move forward and unload. Ramirez’s punches gaining power as he connects with the body and head. Ramirez almost slips and falls, and he eats a straight left. But he looks poised as the round ends. Ramirez 86, Dorticos 85.

Round 8: Ramirez moving forward, but Dorticos stands his ground. They’re grappling now. Ramirez looks content to continue the inside fighting and is landing shots. Dorticos revs it up but Ramirez answers with a flurry. Dorticos 76, Ramirez 76.

Round 7: Dorticos comes out firing the left. Ramirez works the body again and lands a left uppercut, followed by a nice combination. Now they’re trading blows in close quarters, and Ramirez lands a hard left. Ramirez finishes strong. Dorticos 67, Ramirez 66.

Round 6: Round opens with some pattycake. Power surging now. Dorticos lands a couple of hard lefts and rips an uppercut that may have snuck through Ramirez’s high guard. Ramirez fights back with a head-snapping left. The round ends with a decent exchange. Dorticos 58, Ramirez 56.

Round 5: Action slows, and Ramirez finally moving forward. He pokes at Dorticos’ body and then lands a left to the face. Ramirez showing more precision with his punches. They exchange big shots before Ramirez scores with a combination. Ramirez showing more movement and dodges a couple of big punches. Dorticos 48, Ramirez 47.

Round 4: Dorticos unloads early and remains the aggressor. Ramirez scores to the body, but it’s unclear if it’s with enough force to make a difference. Dortico connects with two clean shots to the tone of Ramirez’s head. Follows up with a nice left. Ramirez fights back but Dorticos is getting the best of this as he backs Ramirez against he ropes. Dorticos 39, Ramirez 37.

Round 3: Ramirez scores to the body as the two circle at the center of the ring. Ramirez throws a combination that lacks fire. But he connects to the body. Ramirez lands shot and Dorticos quickly counters. Dorticos is warned for low blows for the second time, then finishes with a flurry. Dorticos 29, Ramirez 28.

Round 2: Dorticos showing more aggression, throws a few hard rights. Ramirez responds with precise punches that lack power. Dorticos stalking and lands a left. Dorticos clearly the aggressor now and he lands a couple of uppercuts. Ramirez pocking at Dorticos’ body while Dorticos fires hard shots. Ramirez 19, Dorticos 19. 

Round 1: Gilberto Ramirez and Yuniel Dorticos heads toward the center of the ring with Ramirez’s WBO and WBA world titles on the line. Ramirez opens with a right that misses, then follows up with one that lands. He fires two lefts at Dorticos’ midsection. Then connects with a right to Dorticos’ chin. No KO power yet, but he’s connecting. Dorticos finally opens up with a couple of wide rights. Nothing to write home about, but enough to live blog about. Ramirez 10, Dorticos 9.

Jake Paul’s brother makes prediction

Logan Paul, Jake’s older brother, has arrived and made a prediction about the fight. At some point, he said, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. will get knocked down, realize Jake Paul hits harder than he expected and have to make a decision.

Get up? Or stay on the canvas?

“I think he’s going to quit,’’ Logan Paul said of Chavez on DAZN’s livestream. “I don’t think he’s got the fight in him.’’

Raul Curiel def. Victor Rodriguez by TKO

With the fight unexpectedly close in the fourth round, Curiel abruptly ended it.

He throttled Rodriguez with a body shot and uppercut that knocked Rodriguez to the canvas, left a nasty gash under Rodriguez’s eye and all but ended the welterweight fight.

Rodriguez got to his feet, but Curiel quickly smothered him and the referee waved off the fight at 2:01 of the fourth round.

Curiel, the 29-year-old from Mexico, improved to 16-0-1. Rodriguez, a 29-year-old from Uruguay, fell to 16-1-1.

Raul Curiel vs. Victor Ezequiel Rodriguez, welterweight, 10 rounds

Round 4: Curiel comes out strong, but Rodriguez stands his ground. More exchanges at the center of the ring. Curiel clearly the more polished fighter. And with power! Down goes Rodriguez! He’s bleeding under his right eye as he reaches his feet and the fight resumes. Curiel pounding away on Rodriguez and the referee calls off the fight! It’s Curiel by TKO. 

Round 3: Rodriguez connects with a solid right during a flurry. Curiel responds with an uppercut. Curiel still proving to be the more elusive fighter and landing cleaner shots. But Rodriguez unloads and occasionally catches Curiel. Rodriguez may have muscled his way to winning that round. Curiel 29, Rodriguez 28.

Round 2: Fighters exchanging punches almost as soon as the round starts. No measuring here. Just letting the punches go. Rodriguez connects hard with two body punches, and Curiel responds with a combination that includes a nice uppercut. Curiel evading punches, then scores with counterpunches. Curiel 20, Rodriguez 18.  

Round 1: Raul Curiel and Victor Ezequiel Rodriguez, both unbeaten boxers, make their way to the center of the ring. The fighters are exchanging crisp jabs. Then Curiel starts to work the body. He looks like the quicker fighter, but Rodriguez turns aggressive and Curiel backs away. Temporarily. Rodriguez throws some solid rights, then digs into Curiel’s body with lefts. Curiel fights back, lands a combination. Curiel scores late. Curiel 10, Rodriguez 9.

Julian Rodriguez def. Avious Griffin by KO

With the fight potentially coming down to the judges’ scorecards in the 10th and final round, Rodriguez took matters into his hands.

Both hands.

He caught Griffin with a left, followed with a right to the body and drilled him with two more lefts that knocked him him down – and out.

DAZN later reported that two of the three judges had the fight tied, 85-85, on their scorecards entering the 10th round of the welterweight fight.

Rodriguez, 30, improved to 24-1. Griffin, 31, suffered his first loss and fell to 17-1.

Avious Griffin vs. Julian Rodriguez, welterweight, 10 rounds

Round 10: Neither fighter taking chances early. They trade lefts and Rodriguez gets inside, where slugging ensues. Griffin lands a right and Rodriguez ties him up. Rodriguez on the run but countering Griffin. Rodriguez lands a flurry and then knocks down Griffin!  Griffin staggers as he attempts to reach his feet and Griffin wins by knockout!!

Round 9: Griffin comes out oddly inactive after that brawling Round 8. Rodriguez hurts Griffin with a flurry! Rodriguez draws blood from Griffin’s nose, but Griffin fights back behind the jab. Misses with a big right, but scores with one later. Griffin 85, Rodriguez 85. 

Round 8: Griffin lands punches early, and some big ones! Down goes Rodriguez after getting hit with a left!  But he’s up and the fight resumes. And so does Griffin’s outburst. Griffin showing his vaunted power before Rodriguez fights back and lands a couple of solid punches, only to eat an uppercut. Both fighters look fatigued, but Griffin lands a couple of punches as the round. Griffin 76, Rodriguez 75.

Round 7: Griffin flicking jabs. That’s not going to get it done. Rodriguez darts in and scores with another big left. He’s showing the ability to duck down, close the gap and score. Griffin lands a solid right. Rodriguez 67, Griffin 66.

Round 6: Rodriguez looks increasingly comfortable working with the size disadvantages, darting inside when he finds an opening. Griffin still snapping jabs but with little impact. Rodriguez scores with two big lefts. And another. Then he evades some heavy punches from Griffin. Griffin 57, Rodriguez 57.

Round 5: Rodriguez opens with a solid combination. Rodriguez muscles into the corner and tags Griffin, then digs into the body. Griffin lands a lanky left and Rodriguez looks in control as the round comes to an end. Griffin 48, Rodriguez 47.

Round 4: Rodriguez clubs Griffin with a right. Griffin fights back. Griffin initiates an action, but Rodriguez fires back. Griffin lands a big right and Rodriguez looks unsteady. Griffin 39, Rodriguez 37.

Round 3: Rodriguez scores with a forceful jab. Griffin responds with a jab with far less snap. The crowd boos, because that’s what this crowd does best. Griffin lands two solid lefts. But Griffin lands a left that stuns Griffin. But Rodriguez a little tentative rather than seizing the moment, and the round ends with Rodriguez backpedaling. Griffin 29, Rodriguez 28.

Round 2: The boos surface early as the boxers measure each other. Griffin’s jab is not enough to excite the fans. Rodriguez lands a solid right and sends Griffin backpedaling. Action stalls again, boos resurface. Rodriguez charges in late and scores. Griffin 19, Rodriguez 19.

Round 1: The 6-foot Avious Griffin has a clear size advantage over the 5-9 Julian Rodriguez as they meet near at the center of the ring. But Rodriguez showing impressive quickness. Griffin scoring with the jab and that reach advantage is obvious, too. Crowd growing restless during a fairly inactive round. Griffin 10, Rodriguez 9. 

Floyd Schofield def. Tevin Farmer by TKO

Schofield wept after beating Farmer by first-round TKO in their lightweight fight and indicated the emotion stemmed from controversy.

In February, Schofield was accused of ducking Shakur Stevenson in February when he withdrew the week of their fight with an undisclosed illness.

But now the talk will be how he dismantled Farmer, a formidable 34-year-old veteran, while improving his record to 19-0.

Schofield, 22, knocked Farmer down twice and was smothering Farmer again when the referee waved off the fight at 1:18 of the first round.

Farmer’s record dropped to 33-9-1.

Floyd Schofield vs. Tevin Farmer, lightweight, 10 rounds

Round 1: Tevin Farmer throwing punches early, but nothing landing. Whoa! Down goes Farmer, dropped by Floyd Schofield’s right. Farmer goes down again!!! This time Farmer was floored by a combination. Schofield drills Farmer again and the fight’s over! The referee waves it off! Schofield wins by TKO. And a disoriented Farmer is bleeding from the mouth.

Holly Holm def. Yolanda Vega by unanimous decision

Holm, a boxing Hall of Famer and former UFC champion, made a successful return to the ring more than 12 years after her last pro boxing match.

Holm, 43, outpunched and outworked Vega, 30, in what the judges saw as a lopsided 10-round women’s lightweight bout.

All three judges scored the fight 100-90 in favor of Holm, who improved 34-2-3.

It was Vega’s first career defeat as her record dropped to 10-0. But she landed some solid punches, evidenced by Holm’s bloody nose.

“It was a great fight tonight,’’ Holm said. “…I was glad to be up against somebody that’s tough and put my skills to the test and see how it feels again.’’

Holm said she plans to box again. Laughing, she said people have been telling her to retire since 2012.

How tall is Jake Paul?

Jake Paul is 6-1, and interestingly, he’ll be looking Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. eye to eye. That’s right, Chavez also is 6-1.

Jake Paul vs. Chavez Jr. common opponent

Both Chavez and Paul have stepped inside the boxing ring with Anderson Silva, the legendary MMA fighter.

Chavez faced him in 2021, when Silva had only two pro boxing matches. Chavez came into the bout 2.4 pounds over the maximum weight of 182 pounds, forfeited $100,000 of his purse to Silva as a result and then lost the eight-round fight by split decision.

In 2022, Paul got his shot against Silva, then 2-2 as a pro boxer. Paul knocked him down in the eighth round, the final round of their fight, and won the bout by unanimous decision. Paul out-landed Silva in total punches, 83-79, and Silva out-landed Paul in power punches, 66-51.

Who did Jake Paul lose to?

Paul has won five fights in a row since his lone defeat – a loss to Tommy Fury by split decision in 2023. Paul scored the only knockdown of that eight-found bout, but Fury still prevailed on the scorecards, 76-73, 74-75, 76-73. 

Jake Paul in another gigantic fight for ages

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. will become the seventh of Paul’s 11 opponents who at least 10 years older than Paul, 28, at the time of their fight. (Tyron Woodley, who fought Paul twice, was 39 during each of those bouts.) Paul was eight years younger than two other opponents.

Jake Paul promises more than KO

Earlier this week, Jake Paul predicted he’ll knock out Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in the first round. Today he promised something else.

“I’m taking his soul tonight,” Paul wrote on X.

Jake Paul vs Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.: Time, PPV, streaming for fight

The highly anticipated bout between Jake Paul vs Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. will take place on Saturday, June 28 and can be watched on DAZN Pay-Per-View.

Date: Saturday, June 27, 2025
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Anaheim, Calif.
PPV: DAZN

Watch Jake Paul vs Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. with DAZN

Jake Paul vs Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. main card, ring walk start times

Main card start time: 8 p.m. ET
Main event ring walks: 11 p.m. ET (approximate)

Jake Paul vs Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. fight card

Main card

Fight card according to DAZN.

Jake Paul vs Julio César Chávez Jr.; Cruiserweight
Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez vs Yuniel Dorticos; Cruiserweight, for the WBA and WBO titles
Raul ‘Cugar’ Curiel vs Victor Ezequiel Rodriguez;Welterweight
Avious Griffin vs Julian Rodriguez; Welterweight
Floyd Schofield vs Tevin Farmer; Lightweight

Prelims

According to Yahoo! Sports.

Women’s lightweight: Holly Holm vs. Yolanda Guadalupe Vega Ochoa
Welterweight: Joel Iriarte vs. Kevin Johnson
Light flyweight: Naomy Valle vs. Ashley Felix
Heavyweight: Joshua Edwards vs. Dominic Hardy
Bantamweight: Alexander Gueche vs. Vincent Avina
Super featherweight: Victor Morales vs. Rene Alvarado
Super flyweight: John Ramirez vs. Josue Jesus Morales

Jake Paul fight results: Prelim bouts

Here is how the preliminary fights have gone before the main card.

Bantamweight: Alexander Gueche defeats Vincent Avina by unanimous decision (80-72, 80-72, 79-73)
Heavyweight: Joshua Edwards defeats Dominic Hardy by knockout
Super featherweight: Rene Alvarado defeats Victor Morales by unanimous decision (96-94, 99-91, 99-91)
Super flyweight: John Ramirez defeats Josue Jesus Morales by unanimous decision (79-73, 80-72, 80-72)
Welterweight: Joel Iriarte defeated Kevin Johnson by unanimous decision, 78-74, 80-72, 79-74

Jake Paul vs Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. fight odds

All odds are for moneyline bets as of Thursday, according to BetMGM.

Paul (-700)
Tie (+1600)
Chavez Jr. (+400)

Jake Paul vs Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Predictions

Josh Peter, USA Today: Paul by TKO

Jake Paul vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.: At 39, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. is well past his prime. At 28, Jake Paul is approaching his prime. Thanks to youth and a powerful right hand, Paul will prevail. Prediction: Jake Paul by TKO, Round 9.  

Jon Hoefling, USA Today: Paul by decision

Considering Paul could not knock out a 58-year-old Mike Tyson, a matchup against someone in likely better shape and closer to his prime than Tyson shouldn’t result in anything greater. Paul is younger, faster, has been active more recently, and his strength is nothing to scoff at, but it seems way more likely that Paul and Chavez will go the distance than anything else.

C. Jackson Cowart, Sportsbook Review: Paul by mid-to-late decision, possibly TKO

Cowart writes, ‘Youth, power, reach, and recent consistent performance give Paul a clear edge. Chavez Jr. has the skills and pedigree, but his age, lack of recent high-level activity, and motivational concerns are big red flags. Paul’s physical advantages and training discipline should outweigh Chavez Jr.’s experience.’

OddsShark: Paul by KO/TKO (+140)

OddsShark writes, ‘Unless Chavez Jr. shows up in peak form, this is Paul’s fight to lose. He’s in better shape, he’s more active, and his power is real. Chavez Jr. might have the pedigree, but Paul has the tools and the drive right now.’

Jake Paul vs Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. price

The full card will cost viewers in the United States $59.99 to watch.

Jake Paul vs Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.: Tale of the tape

It was another Shohei Ohtani bump day, and for the first time in 2025, he went more than one inning.

And he brought the heat in Kansas City.

Ohtani pitched two innings of scoreless baseball against the Kansas City Royals on Saturday, June 28, and he notched another career achievement when he threw the hardest pitch of his career at 102 mph.

‘I don’t think I would have been able to do it in a live (batting practice) setting,’ Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton in the clubhouse after the game. ‘It’s nice to be able to hit this velo.’

Saturday was a first for the Los Angeles Dodgers star in 2025 in that he pitched away from home. In his first two starts, he tossed an inning of work before he rushed near the dugout to get his batting gear on so he could bat leadoff. This time around, he got to take an at-bat before he threw a single pitch, allowing him to have a not-so-chaotic first inning.

It didn’t start well at the plate, as Ohtani struck out on three pitches, the third straight time he started the day with a strikeout when pitching.

Trouble was brewing in the first inning of pitching for Ohtani, but he was able to work out of it. After he got leadoff hitter Jonathan India to fly out, he gave up a bloop single to Bobby Witt Jr. before he walked Maikel Garcia on five pitches. Batters have reached in all of Ohtani’s first innings of work, but the threat ended quickly when he got Vinny Pasquantino to ground into a double play.

He got Pasquantino out the fastest thrown pitch of Ohtani’s career, which was technically 101.7 mph.

The second inning was much more smooth for the two-way star. He retired the side, including a strikeout on rookie Jac Caglianone, on 13 pitches, and the velocity was still up in the high 90s.

He finished the day on the mound with 27 pitches − 20 of which were strikes −against seven batters, giving up one hit and one strikeout. After he was dependent on the sweeper in his most recent outing against the Washington Nationals, Ohtani relied on the fastball in Kansas City. He threw it 11 times and he threw triple-digits three times on the day.

The sweeper was also used often, but it was the first time Ohtani reincorporated the slider into his pitch arsenal. He certainly got Kansas City conscious of it as the Royal swung on all four sliders he threw, including the swinging strikeout by Caglianone.

Since giving up a run in his 2025 pitching debut, Ohtani hasn’t given up another score since.

Ohtani said he was overall happy with the performance, and he still has things he wants to work on mechanically. He went 0-for-4 on the day with three strikeouts at the plate in the 9-5 loss to Kansas City.

Shohei Ohtani 2025 pitching stats

Innings pitched: 4.0
ERA: 2.25
Strikeouts: 3
Hits: 3
Walks: 1
Home runs: 0
Runs: 1