On Friday morning here in the States, the undisputed super bantamweight title will be on the line from the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. The undefeated champion Naoya Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs) looks to continue his dominant ways as he faces the late replacement Ye Joon Kim (21-2-2, 13 KOs). On Thursday, both Inoue (121.7 lbs.) and Kim (121.7 lbs.) came underneath the super bantamweight limit of 122 pounds. The main and co-main will stream live on ESPN+ in the early morning hours on Friday. With Inoue recently signing a deal with Riyadh Season and big plans ahead for “The Monster,” will this fight be another check in the box, or will Kim disrupt the future plans and insert his name in those discussions?
Per DraftKings SportsBook, Naoya Inoue is the favorite at -5000, and Ye Joon Kim is the underdog at +1700.
Naoya Inoue: TKO/KO -1600; Decision +850
Draw: +3000
Ye Joon Kim: TKO/KO +2500; Decision +5000
Per DraftKings SportsBook, Jin Sasaki is the favorite at -1800, and Shoki Sakai is the underdog at +850.
Jin Sasaki: TKO/KO -185; Decision +170
Draw: +2500
Shoki Sakai: TKO/KO +1200; Decision +2800
These timings could change due to the length of the undercard fights.
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Brian Robinson‘s tenure with the Washington Commanders is coming to an end as expected. The fourth-year running back will spend the coming season in San Francisco. The San Francisco 49ers and Commanders agreed to terms on a Robinson trade Friday, as first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter. A 2026 sixth-round pick will head the other way as a result of the swap. San Francisco had been in the market for a backfield addition, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. Efforts to pull off a move have now paid off ahead of roster cutdowns. Washington will retain a portion of Robinson’s 2025 salary ($3.4M), Garafolo adds. It recently became clear Washington was looking to move on from Robinson, who did not dress in the team’s second preseason game, with a trade looming. The team’s Dan Quinn-Adam Peters regime has been open to a trade since last year, and with a swap now agreed to it will proceed with its other in-house RB options. Washington has veteran Austin Ekeler in the fold along with 2023 draftee Chris Rodriguez and seventh-round rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt, who has enjoyed a strong training camp. Quarterback Jayden Daniels led the Commanders in rushing last year, and today’s deal indicates he will once again be counted on as a central element of the team’s ground game. Expectations are high after Washington made a surprise run to the NFC title game during Daniels’ rookie campaign. Robinson will not play a role in the team’s efforts to duplicate that success, though. Racking up 570 carries across his three seasons in the nation’s capital, Robinson was a key figure on offense with the Commanders. The former third-rounder saw his touchdown total and yards per attempt figure increase with each passing campaign. That included eight scores and 4.3 yards per carry in 2024. Instead of retaining Robinson on the final year of his rookie pact, however, Washington will proceed with a less expensive backfield. The Commanders will recoup draft capital in this swap, something which is needed given the number of veterans on their roster. For the 49ers, meanwhile, today’s deal marks another addition on offense for the 2025 season. A trade was worked out on Wednesday for Skyy Moore, giving San Francisco a healthy receiver option. Moore, like Robinson, is a pending 2026 free agent. The 49ers have Christian McCaffrey atop the RB depth chart, and all parties involved will aim for a healthier season this time around than 2024. After trading away Jordan Mason, the team was in position to have 2024 fourth-rounder Isaac Guerendo handle backup duties. Now, he and Robinson will compete for playing time in the backfield (although using McCaffrey and Robinson on the field together could be an option, per Garafolo). Robinson’s market will of course be dictated in large part by the level of success he has with his new team. San Francisco entered Friday with nearly $49M in cap space. Taking on Robinson will eat into the figure, and it will be interesting to see how much Washington retained on his pact to finalize the trade. The Commanders, meanwhile, should see partial cap savings and thus add to their roughly $17M in available funds ahead of cutdowns. As both NFC teams prepare for the campaign in the coming days, they will do so with differences in their backfields.
The Cleveland Browns have a big concern on Saturday following an injury to a key part of the offensive line. The Browns played their starters against the Los Angeles Rams as a tune-up before the regular season. Per the NFL's website, center Ethan Pocic was ruled out of Saturday's game against the Rams when he suffered a knee injury. Via the NFL: "C Ethan Pocic suffered a knee injury against Los Angeles and will not return to the game. Pocic played eight snaps with starting quarterback Joe Flacco before exiting with his injury. Pocic was injured on a third-and-9 play in the first quarter when Rams defensive tackle Desjuan Johnson ran into his leg while he was engaged in a block on linebacker Brennan Jackson." Pocic's injury is a worry for the Browns ahead of their Week 1 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7. The 2017 second-round pick by the Seattle Seahawks is a leader on Cleveland's offensive line. He's been with the Browns since 2022. Pocic has appeared in 101 games and started in 84 during his first eight years in the league. The upcoming season is important for the 30-year-old, as he's in the final year of the three-year, $18 million deal he signed in 2023. When Pocic came out of the game, the Browns inserted Luke Wypler in at center. The 2023 sixth-round pick has played in just five games in his career and has made one start. Wypler missed all of 2024 with an ankle injury that required surgery.
This weekend is an emotional one for the Milwaukee Brewers and their fans. While hosting their former fan-favorite shortstop Willy Adames and the San Francisco Giants, this weekend had previously been set aside as the series in which they will publicly honor and memorialize their legendary radio broadcaster Bob Uecker, who passed away earlier this year. The Brewers came out with the win in the first game of the series on Friday night when catcher William Contreras launched a walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the ninth to give Milwaukee the 5-4 victory. It was not a stress-free win, though, as Adames and the Giants held the lead early and came back to tie the game in the top of the ninth inning, giving fans something to sweat about other than the mid-August heat. Willy Adames Hit 2 Home Runs Against the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday When Adames strolled to the plate for his first at bat in American Family Field since signing with the Giants in free agency, the Brewers’ former shortstop received a standing ovation and loud cheers from fans, unlike any most former players get when they return to Milwaukee with new teams. The ovation really showed just how much Adames meant to fans and the city during his tenure with the club. But it did not take long for those cheers to turn into boos, as the Brewers single-season home run leader for home runs by a shortstop launched a solo home run to left field in the bottom of the first inning, giving San Francisco a 1-0 lead early. Later in the game, with Milwaukee winning 4-2, Adames hit another solo home run to make it a one-run ball game. This blast, too, led to boo birds from fans. Milwaukee Brewers Manager Pat Murphy Discussed Willy Adames After the Game As mentioned, this weekend is the series in which the Brewers organization will publicly memorialize Bob Uecker, whose absence is still felt by many. After the game, Pat Murphy discussed the emotions surrounding the planned celebration, Adames’ return, and joked about how his former star shortstop got under his skin a little bit on Friday. Per Adam McCalvy,“There was a special vibe in the air, for sure,” Murphy said. “We were talking today about how we lost a lot [in the] last year, nothing more than Bob Uecker and what he meant to our organization and our players. But we also lost some really good players, none bigger than Willy Adames. What he meant on the field, playing a critical position so well. Hitting the 30 homers like he does. But what he meant to our culture, and how he represented how we play the game and how we compete and how we treat others and how we mold the locker room no matter where you’re from, no matter if you’re old or young. Willy did all of that. He did a wonderful job. “So it was special. But he started to tick me off a little bit with the second homer.” With his two-homer performance on Friday night, Adames is hitting .224/.312/.410 with 22 home runs and 65 RBI this season for San Francisco. Last year, his final season in Milwaukee, he hit .251/.331/.462 with 32 home runs, 112 RBI, and 21 stolen bases.
The Cleveland Browns seemed to say plenty regarding their feelings about rookie quarterbacks Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders when they repeatedly listed Gabriel above Sanders on unofficial depth charts throughout August. Sanders played well in Cleveland's preseason opener at the Carolina Panthers on Aug. 8 when Gabriel was recovering from a hamstring injury. Gabriel then received his opportunity to shine in the Aug. 16 preseason matchup at the Philadelphia Eagles when Sanders was dealing with an oblique issue. For a piece published on Thursday, Jason Lloyd of The Athletic suggested that the stats from those contests show "the Browns trust Gabriel more than they do Sanders" heading into their Week 1 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7. "The Browns used pre-snap motion 45 percent of the time with Gabriel against the Philadelphia Eagles," Lloyd wrote. "They used it 31 percent of the time in Sanders’ game against the Carolina Panthers, according to TruMedia data. On third downs, that increased to 63 percent for Gabriel and plummeted to 18 percent for Sanders." The Browns selected Gabriel in the third round of this year's draft before they made a trade to take a flier on Sanders at overall pick No. 144. Against the Panthers, Sanders completed 14-of-23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns. To compare, Gabriel connected on 13-of-18 passes for 143 yards with a pick-six against the Eagles. He was also credited with a lost fumble. "Gabriel was three of four on [tight-window throws] against the Eagles, according to NextGen Stats, and two of those turned third downs into first downs," Lloyd added. "Sanders was zero for four on tight-window throws against the Panthers." It's worth noting that none of this matters as of publication. Veteran Joe Flacco will serve as Cleveland's Week 1 starter, and the Browns seem serious about having Flacco, Gabriel, Sanders and backup Kenny Pickett on the active roster through at least a portion of the upcoming season. The trade deadline will arrive on Nov. 4. Lloyd mentioned that "a fear that Sanders may develop elsewhere" is a reason the Browns are holding onto the former Colorado star when they prefer Gabriel. As of now, Sanders is on track to continue his development while working in the Browns film room as an unused quarterback throughout the fall.
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