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West Ham manager David Moyes will leave his role at the end of the season by mutual consent, the Premier League club confirmed on Monday. Moyes ended West Ham's 43-year wait for a trophy by winning the Europa Conference League last season but pressure had been building on the Scottish coach during the team's recent poor run of form that culminated in a 5-0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. - Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) "I have really enjoyed working with everyone at West Ham, and I would like to thank the board for giving me the opportunity to manage this great club," Moyes said in a statement on the club's website. "I have enjoyed four and a half brilliant years at West Ham, and the club is in a stronger position than when I returned back in 2019. "When I joined West Ham for a second time, the club was one place above the relegation zone, and it has been a terrific journey to have achieved three...

Snoop Dogg is getting into the college football bowl business with a historic sponsorship that recognizes his 1993 hit song and recent beverage line with Dr. Dre, "Gin & Juice." The rapper on Monday revealed the new Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin & Juice By Dre and Snoop, announcing his intent "to bring the juice back to college football." The game, previously sponsored by Barstool Sports, will take place Dec. 28 in Tucson, Arizona, and pair teams from the Mountain West and Mid-American conferences. The partnership marks the first with an alcohol product as the presenting sponsor of an NCAA-sanctioned bowl game. In February, the new beverage company introduced "Gin & Juice" as their first ready-to-drink product -- a nod to Snoop Dogg's hit from the album "Doggystyle," produced by Dr. Dre and Death Row Records. "The Arizona Bowl is bringing sports, libations and entertainment into a singular bowl game, and we are changing the definition of what a brand partnership is in...

Ukrainian Olympian and two-time European champion Oleksandr Pielieshenko has died on the frontlines of the Russia-Ukraine war at age 30, the Ukrainian Weightlifting Federation (UWF) said on Monday. Pielieshenko ranked fourth at the Rio 2016 Olympics in the men's 85 kg category and won gold at the sport's European championships in 2016 and 2017. He was banned after failing a drug test in 2018. "It is with great sadness that we inform you that the heart of merited master of sports of Ukraine... Oleksandr Pielieshenko has stopped beating today," the UWF said in a post on Facebook. "We express our sincere condolences to the family and everyone who knew Oleksandr." The National Olympic Committee of Ukraine also paid tribute to the weightlifter, saying he had joined the armed forces in the early days of the invasion. "War takes the best of us... heroes do not die," said weightlifting coach and UWF board member Viktor Slobodianiuk.

Three-time all-ACC guard Deja Kelly is transferring to Oregon from North Carolina, she announced on social media Monday. Kelly, a 5-foot-8 senior from Texas, averaged 15.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game during her career in Chapel Hill, where she started all four years and led the Tar Heels in scoring the past three. She has a fifth and final year of eligibility, as the NCAA granted student-athletes a freebie season during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kelly was also eligible to depart for the 2024 WNBA draft. Kelly, who upon entering the portal in early April hadn't ruled out a return to Chapel Hill, finished her UNC career eighth on the scoring list, helping the program reach the Sweet 16 in 2022. The Tar Heels fell to eventual national champion South Carolina in the second round this season. Kelly is also a standout in the NIL realm, boasting deals with Tommy Hilfiger, Crocs, Beats by Dre and more. She will look to help the Ducks, who...

Reigning U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark and Sweden's Ludvig Åberg headline the roster of the Bay Golf Club, the California-based team in TGL presented by SoFi, the tech-infused golf league being fronted by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. The Bay Golf Club's roster also includes Ireland's Shane Lowry, the 2019 Open Championship winner, and Australia's Min Woo Lee. "It's kind of cool having an international team," Clark, who is American, told ESPN. "We all get along. We've had dinner together, and I'm friends with Shane and Min Woo and getting to know Ludvig better. I feel confident about our team, and it's going to be fun." TGL's inaugural season will tee off Jan. 7, 2025, in prime time on ESPN and ESPN+. The six-team league was scheduled to begin play Jan. 9, 2024, but the launch was delayed after a storm knocked out electricity to the temporary power system and backup system at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens,...

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Carolina Panthers' backfield is getting crowded. The team plans to sign former first-round pick Rashaad Penny, reuniting him with head coach Dave Canales from their days with the Seattle Seahawks, a league source told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. The move is expected after this weekend's rookie minicamp. Penny will join 2024 second-round pick Jonathon Brooks, Chuba Hubbard, Miles Sanders and Raheem Blackshear in Carolina's backfield. Brooks is coming off surgery to repair a torn ACL suffered last season at Texas. He said after the draft that he expects to be cleared medically in time for training camp, but having extra backs might be necessary while he is being eased into the system. Penny is very familiar with Canales' system, which features the run and versatility. He had his best season with the Seahawks in 2021 when Canales was the passing game coordinator and new Carolina offensive coordinator...

Three-time all-ACC guard Deja Kelly is transferring to Oregon from North Carolina, sources told ESPN on Monday. Kelly, a 5-foot-8 senior from Texas, averaged 15.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game during her career in Chapel Hill, where she started all four years and led the Tar Heels in scoring the past three. She has a fifth and final year of eligibility as the NCAA granted student-athletes a freebie season during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kelly was also eligible to depart for the 2024 WNBA draft. Kelly, who upon entering the portal in early April hadn't ruled out a return to Chapel Hill, finished her UNC career eighth on the  scoring list, helping the program reach the Sweet 16 in 2022. The Tar Heels fell to eventual national champion South Carolina in the second round this season. Kelly is also a standout in the NIL realm, boasting deals with Tommy Hilfiger, Crocs, Beats by Dre and more. She will look to help the Ducks, who went to...

Reigning U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark and Sweden's Ludvig Åberg headline the roster of the Bay Golf Club, the California-based team in TGL presented by SoFi, the tech-infused golf league being fronted by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy. The Bay Golf Club's roster also includes Ireland's Shane Lowry, the 2019 Open Championship winner, and Australia's Min Woo Lee. "It's kind of cool having an international team," Clark told ESPN. "We all get along. We've had dinner together, and I'm friends with Shane and Min Woo and getting to know Ludvig better. I feel confident about our team and it's going to be fun." TGL's inaugural season will tee off Jan. 7, 2025, in prime time on ESPN and ESPN+. The six-team league was scheduled to begin play on Jan. 9, 2024, but the launch was delayed after a storm knocked out electricity to the temporary power system and backup system at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, causing...

Winnipeg Jets coach Rick Bowness has retired after spending 38 seasons behind an NHL bench, the team announced Monday. The 69-year-old Bowness is retiring after having one of the best seasons of his career. He guided the Jets to a 52-win campaign that saw them finish with 110 points before they lost in the Western Conference quarterfinal round to the Colorado Avalanche in five games. Leading the Jets to one of the NHL's best records led to Bowness being named one of the three finalists for the Jack Adams Award which goes to the coach who is "adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success." Shortly before announcing his retirement, the Jets posted a video on X with the caption, "Hockey won't be the same without you, Bones." Initially drafted in the NHL and the WHA, Bowness was a forward who scored 18 goals and 55 points in 173 NHL games with the Atlanta Flames, Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues and the original Jets. He was a player-coach...

Jason Kidd has signed a multiyear contract extension with the Dallas Mavericks, the team announced Monday. The deal comes just days after ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported that Kidd's name had been mentioned as a potential candidate for  Los Angeles Lakers head coach, a job that came open when  the team fired Darvin Ham. Kidd, 51, is coming off his third season as Mavericks coach -- a season in which he led the team to the Southwest Division title. In two of his three seasons, he has coached the team to 50-plus wins (52 in 2021-22 and 50 in 2023-24) and playoff series wins. Kidd led the Mavs to the Western Conference finals in 2022. "We are excited to have Coach Kidd continue to lead our team throughout the coming years with this well-earned contract extension," Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont said. "Kidd led our team to two playoff appearances in three seasons, and we are looking forward to his leadership in continuing to build and grow this already great...

Naoya Inoue suffered the first knockdown of his illustrious career in the opening round but rebounded to floor Luis Nery three times en route to a Round 6 KO victory to retain his undisputed junior featherweight championship on Monday in Tokyo. There were 44,000-plus on hand for the first boxing event at the famed Tokyo Dome since the Mike Tyson-Buster Douglas heavyweight title shocker in February 1990. And those fans witnessed another surprise when Mexico's Nery dropped the Japanese star with a counter right hand in Round 1. Inoue, the -1600 favorite per ESPN BET, smirked and breathed a sigh of relief as he walked back to his corner after the round. "How did you like that big surprise in the first round?" the 31-year-old asked the crowd in Japanese after the fight. "... That gave me motivation and I was so focused until the end of the fight." The following round, Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs) returned the favor with a counter left hook, the fifth knockdown of Nery's career. Inoue,...

Jason Kidd has signed a multi-year contract extension with the Dallas Mavericks, the team announced Monday. The deal comes just days after ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported that Kidd's name was mentioned as a potential candidate for the  Los Angeles Lakers' head coach job, which came open after the team fired Darvin Ham. Kidd, 51, is coming off his third season as head coach of the Mavericks -- a season in which he led the team to the Southwest Division title. In two of his three seasons, he coached the team to 50-plus wins (52 in 2021-22 and 50 in 2023-24) and playoff series wins in two seasons. Kidd also led the Mavs to the Western Conference finals in 2022. "We are excited to have Coach Kidd continue to lead our team throughout the coming years with this well-earned contract extension," said Mavericks owner Patrick Dumont. "Kidd led our team to two playoff appearances in three seasons, and we are looking forward to his leadership in continuing to build and...

Erik ten Hag hit back at comments made by Jose Mourinho after the Portuguese coach said he never had the same level of support as the Dutchman enjoys at Manchester United. Mourinho suggested that Ten Hag has been given more backing in the transfer market than he had during his 2½ years at Old Trafford. - Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) However, Ten Hag hit back by claiming that Mourinho is the only manager in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era to "get the players they wanted." "Apart from Mourinho, the manager didn't get the players they wanted, and that is what you need," Ten Hag said in an interview with ESPN Brasil. "I am confident we will achieve our goals, but it is a tough competition. It is not a two-horse race anymore. "There are seven, eight [teams in the Premier League] who all go for the title, who all have very good squads. So if you want to go to the title, you have to construct that squad." Ten Hag,...

INGLEWOOD, Calif. -- Three months before Tom Brady gets roasted by critics as Fox Sports' top NFL analyst, he took his share of barbs from comedians, former teammates and his longtime coach Sunday night during a made-for-streaming live comedy event on Netflix. And it is safe to say after the one liners and jokes Brady heard during three hours of "The Greatest Roast of All Time" at The Forum, he will do just fine. "It's like a football game. You run with a game plan, and then you get to see kind of how the strategy goes, and then you adjust on the fly," Brady said before the event. "This is what a locker room has been like for me for all these years. So it's not like I'm used to people not making fun of me." Comedian Nikki Glaser, whose monologue was among the funniest of the night, termed the roast "the comedians' Super Bowl" and noted how the competition level was ramped up because everyone wanted to one-up each other. Brady sustained more blitzes and pressure than he...

Miami transfer Norchad Omier, the best frontcourt player available in the portal, announced his commitment to Baylor on Sunday night. Omier made his decision known in a post on Instagram. "My main goal has always been to help my team win at the highest level, while continuing to develop as a person and a basketball player," he wrote. "I have been fortunate enough to help lead a team to a Final Four and am hungry to not only get back there again, but this time help lead my team to a National Championship. "After taking this all into account, all signs have led me in this direction and I am at peace with my decision. With that being said, I have decided to commit to Baylor University and can't wait to achieve these dreams together over the next year." A 6-foot-7 native of Nicaragua, Omier was a two-time All-ACC selection before entering the transfer portal in late April. He has averaged a double-double in each of his four college seasons, registering 17 points and...

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Kyle Larson came roaring around the outside of Chris Buescher on the final lap at Kansas Speedway, banging doors with him all the way to the finish line, only to be told by his team over the radio that everything he had given was not quite enough. It wasn't until Larson was in Turn 3 of the cool-down lap that he saw his spotter, Tyler Monn, dancing high above the track. In the closest finish in NASCAR history, one that only became official with a grainy black-and-white photo at the line, the No. 5 car was declared the winner by a thousandth of a second -- every bit as close as the Kentucky Derby a day earlier, and an even more dramatic finish than the three-at-the-line conclusion to the Cup Series race at Atlanta earlier this season. "Had no clue if I won or not," Larson said, "but honestly didn't really care. I was like, 'Man, that was frickin' awesome.'" Not so awesome for Buescher's team, which had begun celebrating before the result became...

NEW YORK -- Hurricanes defenseman Tony DeAngelo heard often vulgar chants from New York Rangers fans during Carolina's 4-3 Game 1 loss on Sunday, especially when his first-period penalty led to a critical power-play goal. "I don't give two you-know-whats about it," said DeAngelo, who played for the Rangers from 2016 to 2021. The Rangers' torrid power play needed just 23 seconds to score twice in the first period. Mika Zibanejad scored nine seconds after DeAngelo's roughing penalty on Rangers forward Will Cuylle, and Vincent Trocheck scored 14 seconds after  Evgeny Kuznetsov's cross-checking foul on Rangers defenseman Adam Fox. New York went 2-for-2 against Carolina's top-ranked penalty kill after going 6-for-16 in the first round against the  Washington Capitals. DeAngelo was penalized on a strange sequence that saw Carolina forward Martin Necas initially called for tripping on Cuylle. With...

McKINNEY, Texas -- Taylor Pendrith tried his best to ignore Ben Kohles' final-hole meltdown, focusing on the eagle putt that the Canadian thought he might have to make even to force a playoff as he walked toward the 18th green. Several stunning minutes later, a 3-footer for birdie gave Pendrith his first PGA Tour victory. Kohles overtook Pendrith with birdies on Nos. 16 and 17 for a 1-shot lead, then bogeyed the 18th after hitting his second shot into greenside rough. Already in shock following two chips from the rough -- the second with his feet in a bunker -- Kohles missed a 6-foot putt that would have forced a playoff. "Wasn't really trying to pay attention to what they were doing, although it really mattered, obviously," Pendrith said. "I feel for Ben. He played really, really good today, especially down the stretch. I've been on the other side of it a couple times, and it sucks. But it's golf. It's a hard game." Pendrith shot 4-under 67 for a 23-under 261...

LOS ANGELES -- A.J. Minter, a lefty reliever who has made a living taming the game's most menacing left-handed sluggers, threw a 94 mph fastball right down the middle to Shohei Ohtani in Sunday's eighth inning and paid a heavy price. What followed was one of the most prodigious home runs of Ohtani's career -- a 111 mph, 464-foot drive into the deepest portion of center field at Dodger Stadium. It was Ohtani's second homer of the afternoon, third in a stretch of two games and 10th this season, tying him with Marcell Ozuna, Gunnar Henderson and former teammate Mike Trout for the major-league lead. It was also the final blow in a 5-1 victory that gave the Dodgers a convincing three-game sweep over the Atlanta Braves this weekend. "Slug is part of my game," Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. Is it ever. Ohtani's latest homer was the third-longest at Dodger Stadium in the Statcast era, which began in 2015. Only ...

MIAMI -- At the 110th time of asking, Lando Norris can finally call himself a Formula One race winner. The British driver capitalised when a mid-race Safety Car vaulted him ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen and into the lead, one he never relinquished. Norris had started sixth, but a collision between Williams' Logan Sargeant and Haas' Kevin Magnussen on Lap 28 altered the course of the grand prix. The Safety Car that followed effectively gave Norris a free pit-stop and allowed him to restart ahead of runaway championship leader Verstappen, who finished 7.6 seconds adrift in second position. - Unlapped: Listen to ESPN's F1 podcast Norris was jubilant after the finish, shouting: "WOOOOOOOOOO! WOOOOOOOOO! About f---ing time!" on the team radio. "I guess that's how it's done. Finally! Finally! I'm so happy. I knew it when I came in this morning, I said today is the day of opportunity and I nailed it, and you nailed it." It was a popular result,...

MIAMI - At the 110th time of asking, Lando Norris can finally call himself a Formula One race winner. The British driver capitalised when a mid-race Safety Car vaulted him ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen and into the lead of the race, one he never relinquished. Norris had started sixth but a collision between Williams' Logan Sargeant and Haas' Kevin Magnussen on lap 28 altered the course of the grand prix. - Unlapped: Listen to ESPN's F1 podcast The safety car which followed effectively gave Norris a free pit-stop and allowed him to restart ahead of runaway championship leader Max Verstappen, who finished 7.6 seconds adrift in second position. Norris was jubilant after the finish, shouting: "WOOOOOOOOOO! WOOOOOOOOO! About f------ time!" on the team radio. "I guess that's how it's done. Finally! Finally! I'm so happy. I knew it when I came in this morning, I said today is the day of opportunity and I nailed it, and you nailed it." Coming into...

Running back Duke Johnson announced his retirement Sunday after playing eight seasons in the NFL. Drafted in the third round by the Cleveland Browns in 2015 out of the University of Miami, where he became the school's all-time leading rusher, Johnson played for four NFL teams. He last played in the league in 2022, when he appeared in a game for the Buffalo Bills. "8 Years 4 teams with 1 goal in mind, create a better life for my family," he posted to Instagram. "I never dreamed of being the all time leading rusher of my dream school or being somewhere on the list of all time players to come out of South FL. I just wanted an opportunity to play a game to provide a better life for my family and I was able to do just that. I want to thank each team for giving me the chance to play and represent your organization and all the fans that supported me through the highs and lows." He added: "Last but DEFINITELY NOT LEAST, I want to thank my GOD for allowing...

Paul Skenes, considered the top pitching prospect in baseball, has been lighting up opposing hitters in Triple-A. But the future Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander went through a rite of passage Sunday, allowing his first home run as a pro. Pitching for Indianapolis, Skenes gave up a solo home run to Buffalo outfield Will Robertson, a Toronto Blue Jays prospect, in the fifth inning. Skenes had pitched 33⅔ innings in the minor leagues over the past two seasons before allowing his first long ball. Skenes, 21, got one more hitter out Sunday before leaving after 4⅓ innings, having allowed two runs on three hits with four strikeouts and two walks over 66 pitches. Even with allowing two earned runs for the first time this season, Skenes' ERA ticked up to just 0.99. He has allowed four total runs (three earned) on 17 hits with 45 strikeouts and eight walks over 27⅓ innings on the season. The Pirates are expected to call up Skenes at some point in 2024 after they used the...

CLEVELAND -- Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell brought the basketball up the court early in the third quarter of Game 7 against the Orlando Magic. His team was amid a ferocious comeback after trailing by as much as 18 points in the first half. Mitchell took three dribbles after he crossed half court to position himself at the top of the 3-point arc and launched a 26-foot shot. That basket cut their deficit to four. It swung the momentum back clearly to their side, and the Cavs rode the wave to their eventual 106-94 win -- pushing them into the Eastern Conference semifinals for the first time since 2019. It's their first time making it to the second round without LeBron James in 30 years. Coming off of his 50-point game in Game 6, Mitchell scored 39 points in Game 7. His 89 points over the final two games of the series are the second most in Games 6 and 7 in NBA history, trailing only Allen Iverson's 90 in 2001. "I'm tired of losing in the first...

The 150th Kentucky Derby on Saturday featured a photo finish and record betting interest. According to Churchill Downs, $210.7 million was wagered on Mystik Dan's win of the Kentucky Derby, besting by $20 million the previous betting record set last year. Mystik Dan went off as an 18-1 underdog and held off Sierra Leone and Forever Young in what was the closest finish in the Kentucky Derby since 1947, according to the track. Overall betting on the Kentucky Derby Day card soared to a record $320.5 million, beating last year's record of $288.7 million. Additionally, TwinSpires, an online racebook and official betting partner of the Kentucky Derby, took a record $92.1 million in wagering on Saturday's races at Churchill Downs. The 20-horse field included two entries from Japan: third-place-finisher Forever Young and T.O. Password running fifth. Churchill Downs reported $10.1 million was bet on the Kentucky Derby from Japan, eclipsing the previous record of $8.3 million in 2022.

DENVER -- On the way to their NBA championship last season, the Denver Nuggets were also widely renown for having arguably the best starting five in basketball. Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said as much before his team's 106-99 Game 1 victory Saturday, calling the Nuggets' first unit "probably the most complete and complementary starting five in the league." But Denver's starters haven't been getting off to great starts this postseason, and Nuggets coach Michael Malone said that needs to change. "We have to do a better job, our starters in particular, have to do a better job of being ready to play and setting the tone early," Malone said after the Nuggets' film session on Sunday. "What are we waiting for? I mean, now we're down 0-1, what are you waiting for?" In the Nuggets' first-round matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers, they were outscored in the first quarter in four of the five games and were minus-23 in the quarter overall for the series. In...

DENVER -- On the way to the championship last season, the Denver Nuggets also picked up the unofficial title as having the best starting five in basketball. Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said as much before his team's 106-99 Game 1 victory Saturday, calling the Nuggets' first unit "probably the most complete and complementary starting five in the league." But Denver's starters haven't been getting off to great starts this postseason and Nuggets coach Michael Malone said that needs to change. "We have to do a better job, our starters in particular, have to do a better job of being ready to play and setting the tone early," Malone said after the Nuggets' film session on Sunday. "What are we waiting for? I mean, now we're down 0-1, what are you waiting for?" In the Nuggets' first-round matchup with the Los Angeles Lakers, they were outscored in the first quarter in four of the five games and were -23 in the quarter overall for the series. In the...

J.J. Watt is keeping the door slightly ajar on a possible NFL return if the Houston Texans need him, but this is the final year he'll say that. Watt, who retired after the 2022 season, made his comments Saturday as he hosted his annual charity softball game in Houston. "I'm a very fortunate, lucky man, I have a beautiful wife, I have a beautiful son. I've had 12 great years in this league and I'm very thankful to have walked away healthy and playing great," he told reporters. "I told DeMeco [Ryans] last year: 'Don't call unless you absolutely need it, but, if you ever do call, I'll be there.' And he knows not to call unless he absolutely needs it. This is the last year I'll tell him that, because I'm not going to keep training [the way] I've been training." Watt, 35, and Ryans played together for the Texans in 2011, which was Watt's first NFL season and Ryans' last with the Texans. Ryans was hired as the Texans' coach last year and led Houston (10-7) to the AFC South...

SINGAPORE -- Brooks Koepka shot a 3-under 68 on Sunday to win the LIV Golf tournament, his fourth victory on the circuit. Koepka finished 15-under 201 for the three rounds, two ahead of Australians Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith. Leishman finished with a 66 and Smith a 64 at the Sentosa Golf Club. Talor Gooch shot 67 and finished in fourth place, 3 strokes behind Koepka. Koepka has four LIV titles to go with five major championships. The latest was the PGA in 2023. Koepka was the seventh different winner in seven events this season. "It's all starting to come around," Koepka said in his postmatch interview. "I've put in a lot of work, I feel like, on the golf course, off the golf course. And it's been a good two weeks to say the least." Jon Rahm, who has yet to win after joining LIV in December, ended 6 strokes behind after a 67. He finished tied for 10th. Rahm is the only player to have finished in the top 10 in all seven events in 2024. The team...

Alexandre Pantoja turned back a formidable challenge from Steve Erceg to earn a unanimous decision and retain the UFC flyweight championship in the main event of UFC 301 on Saturday night. Fighting in front of his fellow countrymen at the Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the champion dealt with a surprisingly sturdy opponent in Erceg who challenged him at every turn of their 25-minute battle. It would be Pantoja's experience, grappling and nine takedowns that would turn back the challenge of a fighter many thought was undeserving of a title opportunity But Erceg, from Perth, Australia, gave Pantoja all he could handle. "I'm in here to fight the best in the world and this guy is one of them," Pantoja said. "What a tough fighter and what a tough division." It was a fight that ended up being decided in the final round as two of the three judges had it even after four rounds of action. However, Erceg's ill-advised takedown attempt in the fifth round gave the Brazilian...

LOS ANGELES -- Dave Roberts recently joked that Shohei Ohtani should gift him a Porsche when the slugger breaks his Dodgers record for most home runs by a Japanese-born player. Ohtani obliged, just maybe not in the way Roberts imagined. Before Friday's game against the Atlanta Braves, Ohtani gifted Roberts a purple toy model Porsche in his office. Roberts said the car is sitting on his desk. Ohtani hit his eighth home run, and surpassed Roberts' mark, with a solo shot to right-center during the third inning of Saturday's 11-3 rout of the Braves. "He did buy me a car. I guess I didn't specify what type of car," Roberts said before the game. "So I can't say he never gave me anything." Ohtani gifted Ashley Kelly, the wife of Dodgers pitcher Joe Kelly, a Porsche for Kelly giving up No. 17 when Ohtani signed with the Dodgers in December. Kelly's wife took to social media while Ohtani was weighing his free agency decision promising him that he could...

LAS VEGAS -- The boisterous, surprising support for Jaime Munguia was swiftly extinguished with a patented Canelo Alvarez combination on Saturday, a left hook followed by a right uppercut that planted the challenger on the canvas for the first knockdown of his 44-fight career. Alvarez, boxing's top star, continued to build momentum after that fourth-round knockdown and won the fight with his cleaner, sharper, harder shots to retain his undisputed super middleweight championship in an all-Mexican battle on Cinco de Mayo weekend before 17,492 at T-Mobile Arena. Alvarez's fourth successful defense of his four 168-pound titles was made official via scores of 115-113, 117-110 and 116-111. ESPN scored it 118-109. This was the third consecutive fight that Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KOs) scored a knockdown. He also dropped Jermell Charlo and John Ryder in decision wins last year. "I'm very proud that all the Mexicans are here watching us," Alvarez, ESPN's No. 4 pound-for-pound boxer, said. "......

Lionel Messi set the Major League Soccer record for most goal contributions and assists in a single match during  Inter Miami CF's triumphant 6-2 victory over the New York Red Bulls on Saturday night at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  Messi's six goal contributions and five assists in a game set MLS records. He has now scored and assisted in six consecutive league matches. "All [goals] were fundamental to the game, but Leo did something historic tonight with five assists and one goal," Inter Miami coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino said.  "But I can't forget Suarez's three goals and Rojas' two goals. The first, well both, but the first Rojas goal was amazing. But because of the technical aspect of Leo on the assist I will choose  Luis Suárez's scissor goal as my favorite." Suárez had three goals and Matías Rojas scored twice as Inter Miami got six unanswered goals to come back from a 1-0 deficit at halftime. Messi and...

DENVER -- If you asked another young star what it felt like to go into the defending champs' building and put up a career playoff-high 43 points in a 106-99 Game 1 win to tip off the second round, he might call it a statement performance. If he was really feeling himself, he might say Saturday night represented a seismic shift in the balance of power in the Western Conference with the Minnesota Timberwolves stealing home court away from the Denver Nuggets. However, Anthony Edwards isn't like any other young star today. He might not be like any other young star in league history. "It's not about introducing ourselves to nobody. We know who we are," Edwards said when asked about Minnesota playing past the first round of the playoffs for the first time in two decades. "We're coming out and as long as we got each other's backs, it don't really matter what anybody else thinks." Edwards joked that he might not even have been born when Kevin Garnett and...

Lionel Messi set the Major League Soccer record for most goal contributions and assists in a single match during  Inter Miami CF's triumphant 6-2 victory over the New York Red Bulls on Saturday night at Chase Stadium. Messi's six goal contributions and five assists in a game are new MLS records. He has now scored and assisted in six consecutive league matches. "All [goals] were fundamental to the game, but Leo did something historic tonight with five assists and one goal," said Inter Miami head coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino. "But I can't forget Suarez's three goals and Rojas' two goals. The first, well both, but the first Rojas goal was amazing. But because of the technical aspect of Leo on the assist I will choose  Luis Suárez's scissor goal as my favorite." Suárez had three goals and Matías Rojas scored twice as Inter Miami got six unanswered goals to come back from a 1-0 deficit at halftime. Messi and Suárez now have a...

BOSTON -- David Pastrnak scored on a feed from Hampus Lindholm 1:54 into overtime and the Boston Bruins defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 in Game 7 on Saturday night to clinch their NHL first-round series and advance in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Jeremy Swayman finished with 30 saves and Lindholm had the tying goal in regulation to help the Bruins avoid losing their second straight first-round series after holding a 3-1 lead. They have now defeated the rival Maple Leafs in Game 7 of the first round of the playoffs three times in the past seven years. After a loss in Game 6, Boston coach Jim Montgomery told reporters the club needed more from Pastrnak, and the right wing delivered. He ended up with four shots on net across 30 shifts and 21:21 of ice time. "I thought he was dynamic tonight," Montgomery said. "I thought he had his most possession time, he was creating shots, he was taking what was available." Boston will meet the ...

Lionel Messi had a record setting night for Inter Miami CF. He scored a goal and had five assists as Inter Miami trounced the New York Red Bulls 6-2 on Saturday night - with the Argentine great and eight-time Ballon d'Or winner as the game's best player setting no fewer than three Major League Soccer records in the effort. The six goal contributions and five assists in a game are  MLS records. Messi, who earned the MLS Player of the Month Award for April, has now scored and assisted in six consecutive league matches. - Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) Luis Suárez had three goals and Matías Rojas scored twice as Inter Miami got six unanswered goals to come back from a 1-0 deficit at halftime. Messi and Suárez now have a league-leading 10 goals each, helping keep Inter Miami (7-2-3, 24 points) atop the Eastern Conference. The win extended Miami's unbeaten string to six. The streak began after a 4-0 loss at...

DENVER -- Anthony Edwards scored a playoff career-high 43 points, Naz Reid had 14 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets 106-99 in Game 1 of the second-round series Saturday night. Edwards was unstoppable in the first half, scoring 25 points, and Reid took over in the fourth quarter. Karl-Anthony Towns had 20 points despite dealing with foul trouble. "The whole team, we trust each other," said Edwards, who was 17 of 29 from the floor. "It doesn't matter down the stretch who takes the shot. ... I trust my teammates." Edwards is coming off a 40-point performance to close out the Phoenix Suns in Game 4 of that first-round series. He joins Kobe Bryant in 2001 as the only players with consecutive 40-point games at age 22 or younger in NBA postseason history, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.  Game 2 is Monday night in Denver. Three days after...

DENVER -- Anthony Edwards scored a playoff career-high 43 points, Naz Reid had 14 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets 106-99 in Game 1 of the second-round series Saturday night. Edwards was unstoppable in the first half, scoring 25 points, and Reid took over in the fourth quarter. Karl-Anthony Towns had 20 points despite dealing with foul trouble. Game 2 is Monday night in Denver. Three days after undergoing knee surgery, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch was on the bench in the second row, next to the scorer's table and behind assistant coach Micah Nori, who did the instructing and roaming off the bench. Two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic had 32 points, eight rebounds and nine assists for Denver, but also had seven turnovers. Jamal Murray scored 17 points after being held scoreless in the first half. Tied at 84, the Timberwolves went on an 18-7 run to...

The 150th Kentucky Derby produced one of the most dramatic finishes in its storied history -- three noses at the wire. Mystik Dan desperately fought to hang on with two challengers coming to him in the closing strides. He did, too, after a delay of several minutes while the closest three-horse photo finish since 1947 was sorted out. That year, Jet Pilot won by a head over Phalanx and a length ahead of Faultless. This one was much tighter. Mystik Dan, an 18-1 shot, edged Sierra Leone by a nose, with Forever Young another nose back in third on Saturday. Sierra Leone was the most expensive horse in the race at $2.3 million. Long shots Track Phantom and Just Steel led the field through the early going, with 3-1 favorite Fierceness racing three-wide just off the leaders. At the top of the stretch, everything changed. Track Phantom drifted off the rail, opening a hole that Hernandez squeezed Mystik Dan through, and the bay colt suddenly found another gear. He quickly opened up a...

DENVER -- Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch handed his crutches to a team staffer, grabbed a wobbly railing and walked up two steps onto the podium in the Ball Arena interview room before plopping down in a chair ahead of Game 1 of the conference semifinals between the Wolves and Nuggets on Saturday. "All right, that's easy," Finch said with a chuckle. Finch underwent surgery Wednesday to repair a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee. He suffered the injury last week when he collided with Minnesota point guard Mike Conley in Game 4 of the Wolves' first-round sweep of the Phoenix Suns. Finch, who finished third in voting for Coach of the Year this season in leading Minnesota to a 56-26 record and the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, will sit in a seat slightly behind the rest of the courtside seats comprising the Wolves' bench. The scorer's table to Finch's right should serve as a sort of barrier to protect the coach from careening players...

MIAMI --  Max Verstappen secured pole position for Sunday's Miami Grand Prix after beating Ferrari's  Charles Leclerc to the fastest lap in Saturday's qualifying session. The Red Bull driver held a 0.141s advantage over Leclerc at the end of Q3, with  Carlos Sainz third fastest in the second Ferrari. The front row mirrors the result of sprint qualifying, which led to Verstappen beating Leclerc to victory in the 19-lap sprint race. As he has done throughout the season, Verstappen appeared unbeatable despite struggling with the balance of the weekend. His run of six consecutive poles at the start of the season puts him level with Alain Prost's record, who achieved the feat in 1993. The Dutchman said afterward: "I think we've definitely improved the car a bit. I don't know what it is here, every year we come here I find it extremely difficult to be very consistent with the tyre feeling, the car feeling over one lap. It's just super hard to make sure...

WrestleMania 41 will be held at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on April 19-20, 2025, the WWE announced Saturday.  "Las Vegas is the Sports and Entertainment Capital of the World. Allegiant Stadium has proven to be even greater than the A+ venue Las Vegas guaranteed it would be," WWE president Nick Khan said in a statement. "We look forward to bringing WWE's biggest event, WrestleMania, to Las Vegas and Allegiant Stadium so we can collectively make WrestleMania 41 on April 19 & 20, 2025 the most successful WWE event of all time." WrestleMania 40 took place at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia this past April and had a combined attendance of 145,298 for the two-night event, a format the WWE established during the pandemic beginning at WrestleMania 36 in 2020. WrestleMania 40 became the most successful and highest-grossing event in company history, and the WWE will aim to break that record next year in Las Vegas. In addition to the two-night stadium event, WWE will bring Raw,...

After missing the past two-plus seasons with a knee injury, Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball has exercised the $21.4 million option on his contract for the 2024-25 season, sources told ESPN on Saturday. Ball has undergone three surgeries on his left knee, the most recent a cartilage transplant in 2023. There remains some guarded hope that he could return next season, but there are no assurances that the damaged knee will allow for him to play again.   Ball, 26, signed an original four-year, $80 million deal as part of a sign-and-trade with New Orleans in the summer of 2021. After a fantastic start that had the Bulls leading the Eastern Conference in 2021-22, Ball averaged 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.8 steals before a knee injury 35 games into the season. His inactivity has caused his contract to become a blight on the Bulls' salary cap. Ball was the No. 2 overall pick to the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2017 NBA draft and eventually was...

DALLAS -- Mavericks reserve power forward/center Maxi Kleber will be sidelined indefinitely after suffering a third-degree dislocation of the AC joint of his right shoulder, sources told ESPN. The injury could sideline Kleber for the remainder of the Mavs' playoff run, a source said. Dallas will face the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals series that begins Tuesday night. Kleber, who missed most of the first half of the season with a dislocated toe, is a key defender who provides Dallas with lineup versatility. He shot 10-of-18 from 3-point range in the Mavs' first-round series win over the LA Clippers. Kleber suffered the injury on a gruesome fall early in the second quarter of Friday's Game 6 elimination victory over LA. He landed on the shoulder after being fouled by Clippers forward Amir Coffey on a fast-break layup attempt. Kleber, an important role player during Dallas' run to the 2022 West finals,...

NEW YORK --  Aaron Judge has accomplished plenty during his nine-year major league career. The five-time All-Star set the American League record for home runs in a season in 2022. He won the AL MVP award. He was named the 16th captain in New York Yankees history. And not once in his first 869 career games was the 32-year-old slugger ever ejected. That streak, though, ended Saturday at Yankee Stadium. Judge was tossed for the first time leading off the seventh inning after arguing a called third strike in the Yankees' eventual 5-3 win over the Detroit Tigers. Judge was displeased when plate umpire Ryan Blakney punched him out on a pitch he thought was outside for ball four. The outfielder had some words for Blakney as he walked away before turning around to go to the Yankees' dugout. Blakney then threw him out of the game. "Very surprising, especially in a 5-3 game, late in the game," Judge said. "Battling a 3-2 count and kind of walking away saying my...

Philadelphia Phillies star shortstop Trea Turner told reporters that he expects to miss six weeks with a left hamstring strain. Turner was placed on the 10-day injured list Saturday, and he said any return before that six-week timeline "would be a win." The 30-year-old Turner He has started all 33 games this season and is slashing .343/.392/.460 with 2 homers, 9 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. He entered Saturday ranked second in the National League in hits (47) and tied for fourth in runs (27) and doubles (10). A two-time All-Star, Turner is a career .298 hitter with 152 homers and 519 RBIs in 1,037 games for the Washington Nationals (2015-21), Los Angeles Dodgers (2021-22) and Phillies. Infielder Kody Clemens was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley before Saturday night's home game against the San Francisco Giants. Clemens, 27, played in one game this season for Philadelphia on April 22 and went 2-for-4 with 1 double, 1 homer and 3 RBIs in a...

Manchester City's Erling Haaland struck four times as the club remained on course to win a fourth successive Premier League title with a 5-1 thrashing of Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday. Hours after Arsenal's 3-0 win over Bournemouth, Pep Guardiola's men responded with a resounding victory that pulled them to within a point of the north Londoners at the top of the standings, but with a game in hand. - Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) Arsenal have 83 points with two fixtures remaining in one of the tightest title races in years, while City have 82, but three games to play. "Nine [more] points, we will be champions. Seven points, six points, three points, Arsenal will win the Premier League," Guardiola said. "If we win the games, we'll be champs, the players know it and we have to do it again and again and again." Haaland, 23, -- who boosted his league scoring lead to 25 with the first four-goal haul of...

The Philadelphia Phillies placed star shortstop Trea Turner on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a left hamstring strain. Turner, 30, has started all 33 games this season and is slashing .343/.392/.460 with 2 homers, 9 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. He entered Saturday ranked second in the National League in hits (47) and tied for fourth in runs (27) and doubles (10). A two-time All-Star, Turner is a career .298 hitter with 152 homers and 519 RBIs in 1,037 games for the Washington Nationals (2015-21), Los Angeles Dodgers (2021-22) and Phillies. Infielder Kody Clemens was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley before Saturday night's home game against the San Francisco Giants. Clemens, 27, played in one game this season for Philadelphia on April 22 and went 2-for-4 with 1 double, 1 homer and 3 RBIs in a 7-0 road win against the Cincinnati Reds. The youngest son of seven-time Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens is a career .196...

Real Madrid won the LaLiga title on Saturday, beating  Cádiz before rivals Barcelona lost at Girona and gave Madrid an insurmountable lead at the top. Madrid's comfortable 3-0 win over Cádiz at the Bernabéu means they've taken 87 points from 34 games. Girona beat Barça 4-2 at Montilivi on Saturday to move into second place, 13 points behind Madrid with just four games to play. - Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.) The Spanish giants could still make it a LaLiga and Champions League double this season, as they prepare to face Bayern Munich in their Champions League semifinal second leg on Wednesday. The sides tied 2-2 in the first leg. Speaking after the title had been confirmed by Barça's loss, Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said his team would celebrate in due course but wished to focus on that semifinal. "We are very happy. All our fans are very happy. We deserved this title and we would like to...