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Eddie Hearn is keeping a close eye on Deontay Wilder’s upcoming return to the ring amid links to the Anthony Joshua fight, but do fans still want to see it?
Wilder, the former WBC Heavyweight Champion, is set to face Tyrrell Herndon on June 27. He looks to bounce back from consecutive losses to Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang in his last fight. Wilder’s last victory came in 2022 against Robert Helenius, but since then, questions have emerged about whether he remains the same fighter after his trilogy with Tyson Fury. He has managed just one win in his last four outings under the guidance of trainer Malik Scott. Scott has shut down any talk of retirement, insisting that a clash with Joshua remains in their sights. Hearn echoed those sentiments, hoping Wilder ‘can start looking good again.’
Hearn Reacts
“But hopefully he can win well and, you know, we’d signed to fight Deontay Wilder, we were announcing it an hour in Saudi Arabia; he lost to Joseph Parker… Of he keeps winning maybe people can talk about [the Joshua] fight again. So it’s definitely a fight that I don’t rule out but I think people don’t really give Wilder much shot against AJ right now, but hopefully he can start looking good again.
“It’s funny how people can be so fearful of a fighter and then all of the sudden have no fear whatsoever. I don’t think anybody would now fear fighting Deontay Wilder, where at a point everybody thought ‘oh my, this guy is the biggest puncher in the history of the sport,” and now everyone wants to fight him. So we shall see,” Hearn said
Is It Too Late?
The Wilder-Joshua fight is arguably past its sell-by date. The fight was first entertained around 2018-19 when it would have been for the Undisputed Heavyweight Title. Joshua was the Unified Heavyweight Champion, while Wilder held the WBC belt. Reports indicated Wilder’s team made a $50 million offer, but it never saw a fight materialize.
Joshua eventually lost his title to Oleksandr Usyk, while Wilder came unstuck against Tyson Fury. The pair then signed a deal to fight each other, provided they beat their respective opponents, Otto Wallin and Joseph Parker. Joshua stopped Wallin in impressive fashion, but Wilder lost out to Parker. Since then, both fighters have suffered additional losses. Joshua was knocked out by Daniel Dubois, where Wilder got stopped by Zhang. Is Wilder Joshua vs. Wilder a fight that simply got away.
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Veteran wideout announces retirement from NFL
Mohamed Sanu‘s playing days have officially come to an end. The veteran receiver announced on Friday that he has retired. “After 10+ years in the NFL, my playing chapter is closing,” Sanu wrote on X. “Grateful for every coach, teammate fan. Excited to give back through coaching share the game in a new way with the Facts Over Stats podcast. The Journey continues.” Mohamed Sanu hasn't played in years Sanu last played a regular-season game in 2021, and he very briefly spent time with the Dolphins the following summer. Given the time that has elapsed since Friday’s announcement, it is certainly an unexpected one. Nevertheless, it marks an end to the 36-year-old’s career as a player. Selected in the third round of the 2012 draft, Sanu played out his rookie contract with the Bengals. He established himself as a starting-caliber receiver during that period, a status that remained consistent throughout his Falcons tenure (2016-19). In the 2018 campaign, Sanu set a new personal mark with 838 receiving yards; that season also marked the only time one of his eight career pass attempts (four of which resulted in a touchdown) fell incomplete. After a midseason trade saw him finish the year with the Patriots, the Rutgers product split his time between the 49ers and Lions the following campaign. Sanu saw a downturn in usage and production during that span, and he remained a part-time contributor upon returning to San Francisco for 2021. After being released by the Dolphins in August 2022, no known visits took place, and no further playing opportunities presented themselves. Multiple years removed from his final playing action in the NFL, Sanu will now officially turn his attention to other pursuits. In all, he played 145 combined regular and postseason games and amassed nearly $32M in career earnings.
Former Boston Star Says a Single Absence Could Derail Red Sox Season
Jonathan Papelbon sent the warning that he thinks the Red Sox were delivered a blow they can’t recover from. He doesn’t think the Red Sox can simply patch the hole in their lineup as they fight for a playoff spot. “One player can derail a team tremendously, especially if it’s a leadoff hitter like Roman Anthony,” the former Boston closer told Vegas Insider's Ben Mendelowitz. “You can’t replace that.” Anthony, who went on the injured list earlier this month with a left oblique strain, remains without a clear timetable to return. Manager Alex Cora said Sunday that “not much has changed” in the rookie outfielder’s recovery. Anthony has been able to walk on a treadmill for up to 25 minutes and do bike work, but he’s still dealing with soreness. Originally, the expectation was a four-to-six-week recovery. With the calendar closing, the Red Sox may be running out of time to get Anthony back for the stretch run. The Red Sox take on the American League East-leading Toronto Blue Jays beginning Tuesday and then close out the season at Fenway Park against the Detroit Tigers. Papelbon, who earned a reputation for blunt honesty during his time in Boston, pointed to the way a single absence can ripple through a roster. “When a player that you can’t replace, or just fill in a gap, gets hurt, then you see weaknesses in the lineup,” he said. “Pitchers can navigate lineups easier without that player in there.” It’s not only about Boston’s side of things. Papelbon noted how opposing pitchers gain confidence just knowing they don’t have to see Anthony in the box. “Sometimes that can do wonders,” he said. Anthony had become a key spark at the top of the order. His combination of on-base skills and extra-base power gave the Red Sox a dimension they lacked in recent seasons. Without him, the offense has looked thinner, easier to game-plan around, and the team has struggled to put together consistent rallies. For now, the Red Sox wait. Cora said Anthony is “doing everything possible to hopefully get back.” But as Papelbon reminded, the lineup is different without him — and the gap is one Boston hasn’t figured out how to close.
Brendan Donovan Gets Solid Endorsement As Cardinals Trade Rumors Swirl
The St. Louis Cardinals are seemingly headed for a rebuild this offseason after years of mediocrity at the big league level. They're seemingly moving on from the aging veterans in an attempt to get younger for the future. St. Louis has a lot of talented young players, including All-Star infielder Brendan Donovan. Donovan was the team's only All-Star this year, but that doesn't mean he was their only top talent. Josh Jacobs of Redbird Rants recently listed Donovan as one of the Cardinals' most valuable players, only trailing young stars like Iván Herrera, Masyn Winn, and JJ Wetherholt in terms of future value. Brendan Donovan is crucial to Cardinals' future "If the season ended today, Donovan slashed .283/.351/.410 with 10 home runs and a 115 wRC+ in 501 plate appearances, but prior to the toe injury he suffered on June 11th, he was a 132 wRC+ bat with a .310/.379/.440 slash line during those 64 games," Jacobs wrote. "During the two months that Donovan played through his toe injury rather than going on the injured list, he slashed .234/.305/.349, which amounted to a terrible 84 wRC+ in 46 games. "With two years of club control remaining, Donovan is the leader in the Cardinals clubhouse, ranks 72nd out of 297 qualified hitters since the beginning of 2022 in wRC+, and has incredible defensive versatility to go with his bat. The Cardinals need to try to extend him this offseason, or else it probably does make sense to shop him on the trade market to maximize his trade value." The Cardinals have been mixed in trade rumors with Donovan for months now. The star infielder has two years of team control left in his deal, so the Cardinals don't need to trade him. Instead, St. Louis could look to sign him to an extension in order to make him a focal point of the future. With Chaim Bloom taking over as the president of baseball operations this offseason, the Cardinals will likely make a decision with Donovan, whether it be a trade or an extension. Either way, the versatile infielder is one of the most valuable players in the Cardinals' organization. The Cardinals will either use this value in a trade or on the field.
Rockets' Fred VanVleet suffers torn ACL, could miss entire season
Shams Charania of ESPN reported on Monday that Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet suffered a torn ACL, an injury that will potentially sideline him for the entirety of the 2025-26 NBA season. The Rockets signed VanVleet to a three-year $128.5 million contract in 2023, with the third year being a team option. At the beginning of this year’s offseason, Houston declined that option, and instead signed VanVleet to a new two-year $50 million contract with a player option in the second year. This gave the Rockets much-needed flexibility to restructure their cap and make a big splash by trading Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and picks to the Phoenix Suns for Kevin Durant. They also acquired Dorian Finney-Smith, Clint Capela and Josh Okogie to bolster their roster, while extending Jabari Smith Jr. and resigning Jae’Sean Tate, Aaron Holiday and Jeff Green. What to expect from the Houston Rockets without Fred VanVleet Houston seemed to have made all the right moves to set itself up as a true contender heading into the upcoming season, but now it already faces an extremely difficult hurdle ahead of training camps. VanVleet was the starting point guard for the Rockets over the past two years, with Jalen Green being the alternate primary ball-handler. With neither one suiting up for them this year, that leaves Holiday as their sole remaining point guard, a solid player, but a significant downgrade from where they expected to be. The Rockets will have to get creative from here to get the most value out of this season. That could mean shifting Amen Thompson, their 6-foot-7 star prospect, down to be their primary ball-handler, though Thompson isn’t quite the offensive threat that VanVleet is. They could also opt to incorporate Reed Sheppard into the lineup more. Sheppard was the third overall pick in the 2024 draft, but didn’t see much playing time. He was also primarily positioned as a shooting guard when he did take the floor. If Houston isn’t satisfied with their in-house options, they may have to look to deal VanVleet out. His contract is easy enough to move from a cash perspective at $25M annually; however, other teams may need the Rockets to sweeten the deal, given that VanVleet won’t be able to contribute on the court this year, and will be going into his age-33 season the following year post-ACL injury. Last season, VanVleet averaged 14.1 points, 5.6 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game, his lowest in each category over the past six seasons. He did this on 37.8/34.5/81.0 shooting splits while playing 35.2 minutes per game. More than the stats, Houston also looked to VanVleet for his steady veteran presence, with him having previously won a championship with the Toronto Raptors in 2019. The Rockets have been thrust into a tough position heading into the season, but the timing of the injury may still leave them an opportunity to salvage it. Expect them to be active on the phones to evaluate the guard market, potentially looking at players like Anfernee Simons and Malik Monk.
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