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DETROIT — Ardreal "Bossman" Holmes Jr. of Flint, Michigan effectively defended his USBA Super Welterweight Championship by stopping Marlon Harrington of Detroit in the second round.
Holmes(15-0, 6 KOs), a 6' 2" southpaw and 2016 U.S. Olympic alternate, fought in the 10-round, all-Michigan main event of the inaugural "Big Time Boxing USA" event, presented by Salita Promotions and live streamed on DAZN from Wayne State Fieldhouse in Detroit. In the opening frame, Holmes was cautious of Harrington's strength, but in the second, he opened up with a potent southpaw left hand.
The pro-Harrington crowd was left perplexed when referee Ansel Stewart declared at 1:25 of round two that he had had enough. Holmes had entered the fight intending to mix things up more, but he suddenly couldn't miss with his astonishingly accurate southpaw blows and felled a seriously shaken Harrington(10-2, 9 KOs) three times.
Holmes' remarkable triumph marked his first attempt to defend the USBA title he had won in June of last year. Despite having only five career knockouts, Holmes claims the outstanding outcome was planned perfectly. “Not to sound cocky, but I expected to win like that,” said Holmes, in media reports.
“We have been working on sitting down on punches. I’m not going to lie and say I expected it that soon though. This fight put me back into the championship mode I need to stay in,” he added.
In the co-main event of the evening, challenger Britton Norwood (13-5-1, 10 KOs) was stopped in the fourth round by undefeated USBA Light Heavyweight Champion Ali Izmaylov (12-0, 8 KOs).
Izmaylov moved his attack upstairs in round three, dropping Norwood with a body shot in the second and cutting his face open in the third. After being badly injured by a left hook, Norwood was knocked down again in the fourth round with a body shot. It wasn't long after that Izmaylov completed the task, and Casamayor asked the referee to waive it off at 1:28.
Joseph Hicks Jr.(10-0, 7 KOs) , the captain of the 2020 US Olympic Team and an undefeated super welterweight from Grand Rapids, Michigan, successfully stopped Ricardo Ruben Villalba (20-11-1, 8 KOs) after a few close rounds.
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Micah Parsons says Cowboys gave him an ultimatum before trade
Micah Parsons claims he was willing to return to the negotiating table with the Dallas Cowboys before he was traded to the Green Bay Packers in a deal that sent shockwaves across the NFL, but the team declined. Parsons was traded to the Packers on Thursday in exchange for two first-round draft picks and three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark. The deal came less than a month after Parsons publicly requested a trade, but the star pass-rusher says he was open to remaining in Dallas right up until he was moved. Parsons told Jane Slater of NFL Network on Thursday evening that he went back to the Cowboys in an attempt to discuss a new contract after the trade chatter began heating up this week. The 26-year-old says Jerry Jones and company told him he can either play under the fifth-year option on his rookie contract (which would have paid Parsons just over $24M) or be shown the door. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media confirmed that the Cowboys "had a chance to stop the deal." Jones insists that he and Parsons had a handshake agreement for a new long-term extension earlier in the offseason. The Cowboys owner said he and Parsons worked out all of the details, including length, average annual salary and guaranteed money. Jones claims he presented the terms to Parsons' agent David Mulugheta, and Mulugheta had a vulgar response. Mulugheta insists that is not the truth. The relationship between Parsons and the Cowboys deteriorated rapidly in recent weeks, but it sounds like Parsons was still willing to work to find middle ground. It would not be a surprise if Jones tells a much different story.
Aroldis Chapman is quietly putting together a historic season
Several positive — and surprising — developments have helped push the Boston Red Sox into playoff contention this season. The Sox enter play on Friday with a 75-60 record, which gives them a 2.5 game lead on the first wild-card spot. Since trading Rafael Devers in mid-June, Boston has one of the best records in baseball behind only the Brewers and Blue Jays. Left-hander Garret Crochet has firmly planted himself in the AL Cy Young Award discussion. Crochet is leading the league in wins and strikeouts, while sitting third in ERA (behind Detroit's Tarik Skubal and Houston's Hunter Brown). Outfielder Roman Anthony has arrived and appears to be just as talented as scouts projected. His .865 OPS is second among rookies with more than 200 plate appearances, behind only the Athletics' Nick Kurtz. Meanwhile, at the back of the Boston bullpen, closer Aroldis Chapman is quietly having a historic season. The 37-year-old left-hander is putting up some of the best numbers of his career in his 16th MLB season after joining the Red Sox last offseason on a one-year, $10.75 million contract. Chapman has worked 52.0 IP on the year, collecting 26 saves with a 1.04 ERA and 0.673 WHIP. Chapman's 1.04 ERA translates to a 401 ERA+ -- a stat in which 100 equals league average, meaning he's been 301% better. Just three times in the history of the sport has a player finished a season with an ERA+ above 400: Robert Keyes (1944), Garnett Blair (1945), and Roy Parnell (1932). All three accomplished the mark while pitching in the Negro Leagues. Shane Bieber's 273 OPS+ in 2020 is the most recent instance where a pitcher was so significantly better than league average. Meanwhile, Chapman has allowed just 21 hits on the season, and only three of those have been home runs. Opponents are batting a mere .119/.183/.182 against him. He has walked 14 batters. Chapman's WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched) would also be the best mark in MLB history. George Walker posted a 0.734 WHIP in 1940. Pedro Martinez nearly matched it in 2000, with a 0.737 WHIP. Set to reach free agency again after the season, Chapman could parlay a historic season into another substantial payday even at this late stage in his career. Jon Heyman at the New York Post reported on Thursday that the team would like to bring him back for next season and the early indications suggest the interest is mutual.
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Cowboys players, coaches agreed with 'unanimous' trade of Micah Parsons
Dallas Cowboys fans had their sports world shattered on Thursday afternoon when the news came down that superstar Micah Parsons had been traded to the Green Bay Packers for two first-round picks and defensive tackle Kenny Clark. Following the news, many took to social media to vent their frustrations about Jerry Jones, the front office at large, and the coaching staff for coming to this decision. However, according to reports from Cowboys insider Nick Harris of the Fort Worth-Star Telegram, this decision wasn't just made by coaches and the Jones family. Apparently, some players - and at least one prominent one - wanted Parsons shipped out as well. "It was proven when Jones said Thursday that it was a 'unanimous decision' to move on from Parsons," Harris wrote. "A team source with knowledge of the discussions this week confirmed Jones’ statement by saying coaches, including head coach Brian Schottenheimer, and at least one front-facing player were consulted before the decision was made. It was still a unanimous decision to get the deal done." Of course, it is unclear which player or players agreed with the decision to move on from Parsons, but the term 'front facing' would indicate that it is a player that carries an immense amount of weight within the organization. What is clear is that Trevon Diggs, CeeDee Lamb, and KaVontae Turpin do not appear to be that player, as they all individually voiced their displeasure with the deal on social media. After that trio, there are very few players who could still fit the bill of 'front-facing', such as quarterback Dak Prescott, perhaps defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, left guard Tyler Smith, tight end Jake Ferguson, or cornerback Daron Bland. That said, if there was just one player fitting that description that the Cowboys would consult before such a major decision, logic would indicate that player was likely their star quarterback, Prescott. Regardless, based on the way Harris describes the decision-making process, it appears that the players, just as much as the front office and coaches, wanted to be done with this saga. —
Veteran righty opts out of his Cubs deal
Spencer Turnbull was released from his minor league contract with the Chicago Cubs, as first reflected on the MiLB.com transaction log. Tommy Birch of The Des Moines Register reports that the righty triggered an opt-out clause. Turnbull sets out for a new opportunity a few days before the postseason roster cutoff. He’ll need to sign with a new team, at least on a minor league contract, by Sept. 1 in order to be eligible for the playoffs. Turnbull will be a free agent again at the beginning of the offseason. He’ll presumably look to catch on with a contender seeking pitching depth. Chicago signed Turnbull shortly after the All-Star break. He took the ball six times with Triple-A Iowa but was tattooed for 26 earned runs in 24 2/3 innings. He gave up at least five runs in each of his last three times out, including an eight-run appearance in 2 1/3 innings against the A’s affiliate on Wednesday. That obviously wasn’t going to get him on the radar for an MLB call, even for a Cubs team that placed Jameson Taillon back on the injured list Wednesday. Turnbull is making a prorated $1.265M salary from the Blue Jays. He didn’t sign until early May after not finding a deal to his liking all winter. Toronto only gave him three big league appearances before cutting him loose. His terrible month in Iowa certainly hasn’t raised his stock. Still, Turnbull is only a year removed from pitching to a 2.65 ERA in 54 1/3 innings for the Phillies. He shouldn’t have an issue finding another minor league job — either to finish this season or going into next spring.
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