Jose Ramirez (29-1, 18 KOs) had some scary moments in his fight against Rances Barthelemy (30-3-1, 15 KOs) but still scored a unanimous decision. Even though Ramirez was hurt badly early in the fight, he was still able to earn the victory, with the judges seeing it 119-109, 119-109 & 118-110. Ramirez’s victory now lines him up for a big fight later this year.
Ramirez started the fight aggressively in the first round and cut off the ring while Barthelemy landed some hard counterpunches. Ramirez landed a left hook on the body, which buzzed Barthelemy in the second round. Barthelemy landed a straight left hand that had Ramirez hurt badly twice in the third round. The bell would save Ramirez after it appeared to be almost over.
Was this a knockdown to you?
#RamirezBarthelemy | LIVE on DAZN tune in now pic.twitter.com/6aX7vqCsXV
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) April 28, 2024
Barthelemy hurt Ramirez again in the fourth round badly as Ramirez showed his warrior heart and came back later in the round. Ramirez went down to the body with a left hook, but Barthelemy continued to land the overhand left. Ramirez had a bounce back round in the fifth as Barthelemy appeared to be taking a breather.
Barthelemy landed three straight left hands that rocked Ramirez again. Ramirez came back with left and right hooks to the body in the sixth round, but Barthelemy’s punches weighed on Ramirez throughout the round. Ramirez stayed busy in the seventh round keeping the fight in close while Barthelemy continued to land one big shot at a time.
The eighth showed both fighters taking the round off and not throwing as many punches. Ramirez adjusted the ninth round and kept his right hand up to avoid Barthelemy’s straight left hand. Ramirez used his left jab to work his way in and then worked the body.
Ramirez controlled the tenth round with his left jab and sometimes landed the overhand right. Barthelemy’s punch output decreased, and he was not throwing enough of the straight left hands that worked for him earlier in the fight. Ramirez landed a flurry of punches towards the end of the 11th round, which prompted referee Jack Reiss to tell Barthelemy’s corner that he was on a short leash. In the last round, both fighters left it all in the ring as Barthelemy landed some big left hands but Ramirez took them and landed the left and right hooks to the body.
BRING ON @Tim_Tszyu
@VergilOrtiz gets the first round KO
#RamirezBarthelemy | April 27 pic.twitter.com/ZaZKJ7jAib
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) April 28, 2024
Vergil Ortiz Jr. (21-0, 21 KOs) wasted no time and landed a hard left hook to the body, sending Thomas Dulorme (26-7-1, 17 KOs) down and out in the first round. Ortiz executed a perfect left hook to the body and when. It landed, Dulorme went down, and was in agonizing pain. He could not get up before the ten count. Ortiz scored an early knockout as he now has an August 3 fight with Tim Tszyu in Los Angeles.
#OscarDuarte stops #jojodiazjr in the 9th round
#RamirezBarthelemy | April 27 | Live on DAZN pic.twitter.com/pennJgsAsN
— DAZN Boxing (@DAZNBoxing) April 28, 2024
Oscar Duarte (27-2-1, 22 KOs) did what many couldn’t do, and that was to stop Joseph ‘Jo-Jo’ Diaz Jr (33-6-1, 15 KOs). Duarte broke down Diaz, and a final right hand in the ninth round forced the referee to stop the fight. Although the referee stepped in, seconds after, the towel came flying into the ring, so the fight was going to be stopped one way or the other.
Diaz was in total control from the beginning of the first round. Diaz had a good right jab that was landing and keeping Duarte at bay. Although Duarte was coming forward and cutting off the ring, he didn’t land anything significant, which allowed Diaz to do what he wanted. Duarte landed punches on Diaz’s body and arms as he tried to get something going. Diaz used his good footwork to avoid any punches from landing while still effectively landing that right jab.
The third round was filled with back-and-forth action as both fighters had their moments. Duarte continued to work on the body while Diaz used movement and clean, effective punching. Diaz used good footwork in the fourth round to avoid big shots, while Duarte landed on Diaz’s arms and body.
Duarte hurt Diaz with a big overhand right in the fifth round, but Diaz survived. Duarte continued to pressure Diaz in the sixth round and overwhelm him with punches.
Diaz continued to pull his head back with his hands down in the seventh round, and Duarte made him pay with a left-right hook combination. Although Diaz did some good combination punching, Duarte landed the punches that continued to hurt Diaz. Duarte kept pounding on Diaz in the eighth round, prompting the referee to tell him that he needed to show him something. Finally, in the ninth round, the referee had seen enough and stopped the fight after Diaz was hit with back-to-back punches.
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The longtime former Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Conor Timmins is in a serious contract dispute with his new team, the Buffalo Sabres. Nobody appears happy to stay with the Buffalo Sabres organization. Most of the talented players on the team were included in trade or free agency rumors, and now, Timmins doesn't appear too excited to sign with the team. Indeed, the Restricted Free Agent, who was traded by the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Sabres earlier this offseason for Connor Clifton and a second-round pick, isn't close to reaching a deal in Buffalo. With arbitration hearings set to take place over the coming days, Timmins and the Sabres are likely to meet for that reason soon. Unless a deal is reached before then, the hearing will take place on August 2nd. The Ontario native is coming off a rocky season, where he played 51 games for the Leafs and 17 more in Pittsburgh after being traded. In those 68 games, the 26-year-old defenseman tallied 15 points, including three goals. After seeing three players around the NHL reach deals before their hearing date, some fans hoped to see the Sabres and Timmins sign a contract soon, but multiple reports confirmed that there hasn't been any 'traction' between both camps. As of now, five more players are scheduled to have salary hearings. Here's the full list, per PuckPedia: Arvid Soderblom (Chicago Blackhawks) - July 28 Maksim Tsyplakov (New York Islanders) - July 29 Dylan Samberg (Winnipeg Jets) - July 30 Conor Timmins (Buffalo Sabres) - August 2 Nicholas Robertson (Toronto Maple Leafs) - August 3 Jayden Struble (Montreal Canadiens) - August 3 It'll be interesting to see what kind of contract Timmins would get in a hearing, or if a deal will be reached before the date. With the Sabres' reputation, it's not surprising to see that he appears reluctant to sign in Buffalo. Hopefully for their fans, massive changes will be done to the team to make sure they can attract top talent and convince them to stay with the team.
The Toronto Blue Jays have the best record in Major League Baseball. Depth contributions throughout the lineup and on the pitching staff are a major factor in their success, but what might be even more important is the heater shortstop Bo Bichette is on. Like most of the rest of the team, after a slow start, Bichette has found his groove, and he put it all on display as Toronto (63-43) won three of four at AL Central-leading Detroit from Thursday-Sunday. Already with two RBI on Thursday and Friday, Bichette added two RBI in Saturday's 6-1 win that included this unreal 13-pitch at-bat against Tarik Skubal. Not many are taking arguably the best pitcher in baseball 13 pitches deep and forcing a walk. In Toronto's 10-4 loss Sunday, Bichette went 5-for-5 with two more RBI. Per StatMuse, it was his fourth five-hit game in the big leagues. Bichette entered the four-game series with a .281 average and now heads to Baltimore with a .289 average. That's superstar stuff from the 27-year-old two-time All-Star. Through 103 games, Bichette has 13 HRs and 65 RBI, putting him on pace for a 20-HR, 99-RBI season. He has driven in 100 runs only once during his seven-year MLB career. Bichette is doing himself wonders in a contract year, especially after a down, injury-plagued 2024 season. Toronto's chance to extend him at a discounted rate is long gone, and it feels like a formality that Bichette will at least test the market this winter. We've seen megadeals handed out to some of the league's best shortstops in recent years, including the Mets' Francisco Lindor, Texas' Corey Seager, Philadelphia's Trea Turner and Minnesota's Carlos Correa. Combine that with the increasing contract values around baseball, and Bichette is set to receive a massive payday. For now, Bichette's focus is on helping the Blue Jays win and make a postseason run that includes Toronto's first World Series title since 1993.
Shedeur Sanders has been working with the Cleveland Browns' equipment staff as the No. 4 quarterback this summer. He'll have a new opportunity following the troubling injury news for Kenny Pickett. Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, Pickett suffered a hamstring injury during Saturday's practice and will not receive reps until his issue is re-evaluated. "Browns QB Kenny Pickett injured his hamstring near the end of Saturday’s practice and is expected to re-evaluate the injury later this week, per sources," Schefter posted on X. "Pickett was coming off a strong couple of practices, per sources, and at least for the short term, there now will be more reps for Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Pickett's injury will shake up the quarterback race in Cleveland. Through OTAs and early in training camp, Sanders has been the odd man out as the only signal caller on the roster not to receive reps with the first-team offense. It's unclear if the Browns coaching staff intends to give Sanders reps with the first-team offense now that Pickett is sidelined, but the fifth-round pick will have more chances this week to prove that he deserves an opportunity to stay in Cleveland. The Browns are in a unique situation with their rookie quarterbacks. Third-round pick Dillon Gabriel was selected before Sanders, but the son of Deion Sanders fell to Day 3 of the draft for reasons other than talent. The majority of draft analysts had Sanders as a better-graded quarterback than Gabriel, and many thought the Colorado product would be taken in the first round. The Browns can use the injury as an excuse to give Sanders reps with the first team, and it's a task they need to take advantage of before the team names a starter. Sanders has the potential to be a starter in the league, and this week is pivotal for his rookie season in Cleveland.
Not too many MLB players have found themselves in and out of trade rumors over the last several years more than Red Sox OF Jarren Duran. Before a career year in 2024, there were plenty of questions about Duran’s future in Boston. However, a 21-home run, 75-RBI season while hitting .285 and winning the All-Star Game MVP appeared to have quieted any concerns. But in 2025, the 28-year-old has yet again found himself right in the thick of trade speculation. The Red Sox sat three games below .500 on June 1, which had them tracking towards selling at the deadline (July 31, 6 p.m. ET), and that was only magnified by trading superstar DH/1B Rafael Devers to San Francisco two weeks later. The focus seemingly had shifted towards the future in Boston, but the future has come up and sparked the big club, which has gone 19-14 since the trade and now occupies the second wild-card spot in the American League. Duran’s name has continued to be floated in rumors even during this hot stretch, but on Monday, we received some clarity on the situation. Rob Bradford of WEEI shared the latest on Duran in an article posted on Monday morning on X (formerly Twitter). “Multiple major league sources said that the Red Sox are no longer entertaining the idea of trading Jarren Duran, which is an obvious step in the right direction in the eyes of this current clubhouse,” Bradford wrote. Much like his team, Duran has been heating up of late, and he's up to nine HRs and 55 RBI while slashing a .259 average. The contact and speed have been on full display in July, while the power has also surfaced, adding another element to his game. One of the main reasons for the buzz around a Duran trade was the emergence of the Red Sox's top prospect, OF Roman Anthony. His tremendous play since being called up created a logjam in the outfield with Duran, Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela already there. However, Boston has realized it can find ways to get all four of them consistent at-bats and playing time, particularly by giving Rafaela reps at second base. While trading Duran could bring back a haul in return or a very good major league starting pitcher, keeping him is the right call. This young Red Sox team needs his skill set and leadership now and moving forward, and with a playoff berth for the first time since 2021 in sight, it's not the time to be selling impactful big league players.