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Roy Jones Jr. Names Tank Davis And Crawford As The Best
TNS

Roy Jones Jr. has named Gervonta Davis and Terence Crawford the best fighters in the world. 

Both boxers are currently undefeated, although their title accomplishments differ. Davis is the current WBA Lightweight Champion after being elevated once Devin Haney vacated and moved on. He knocked out Frank Martin in his last bout as he chases legacy-defining fights. His biggest win so far was against Ryan Garcia, stopping him in round seven to earn a reported $50 million.

Those earnings will eclipse what Crawford has managed to do for a single fight, but Bud’s accomplishments are far better. Crawford knocked out Errol Spence Jr. in his last fight to become the first Undisputed Welterweight Champion of the four-belt era.

Jones Reacts

The win also made him undisputed in a second weight class. Crawford is now one of the best P4P fighters. He will box Israil Madrimov on August 3. A win makes him a four-division champion as he chases a historic undisputed fight with Canelo Alvarez at 168. Jones had nothing but praise based on what he had seen of them. 

“One of the best ones out there… he’s really one of the pound-for-pound best ones out of the coop. He can punch but he also can box. Some that can punch, can’t box. He can box, he can punch, he can move laterally, he can do it left side, right side.

“He can do whatever he needs to do as a southpaw to get the job done and that’s saying a lot because not many guys can do that today. [And] he shows discipline… discipline enough to [know] he got enough shock on his punch but he knows how to set the punch up before he does it. hat’s a real chess player in the boxing ring. [Davis] and Terence Crawford are two of the best right now because of their setup game,” Jones said

Jones also took his time out to praise Naoya Inoue. The Japanese is also a two-weight undisputed champion, having won all the belts at bantamweight and super bantamweight. He is coming off a sixth-round stoppage win against Luis Nery. The fight showed Inoue’s heart. He got off the canvas to stop the Mexican in a dominant fashion.

Who Is The Best?

Inoue will now box TJ Doheny on September 3 in another defense of his title with a view to moving up in weight maybe within the next two years. Inoue fights in a smaller weight class than Davis and Crawford, making him a lesser-known name amongst the casuals. But he continues to sell out stadiums, making him an exciting attraction. Jones found it tough to separate Inoue from Crawford as the best P4P fighter. 

“I think that dude is really pound-for-pound No. 1. He just don’t have the competition at that weight class to have that big fight to get it right now, and the United States don’t know him because we don’t have big fighters in his weight class over here that we know that good.

“So he’s really pound-for-pound No. 1, but because he doesn’t have the opposition to prove it, I’ve got to leave ‘Bud’ there. And the reason I leave ‘Bud’ there is because ‘Bud’ was there for so long with the same problem Inoue had. He had no opponent to be able to prove it with. Inoue, I think is No. 1. but he’s going to have to be No. 2 for now because he doesn’t have that opponent, but that’s a badd dude,” Jones stated 

This article first appeared on BoxingNews.com and was syndicated with permission.

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Important trade stalls as Maple Leafs dangle bottom-six forward
NHL

Important trade stalls as Maple Leafs dangle bottom-six forward

The Toronto Maple Leafs are still looking for a solution to their bottom-six surplus, and veteran forward Calle Jarnkrok remains at the center of trade discussions. However, according to The Fourth Period, trade talks surrounding the 33-year-old winger have failed to gain momentum. They write: “He has a $2.1M cap hit and owns a 10-team no-trade list. The market hasn’t been vibrant, to this point, but the Leafs will continue to dangle him.” Why can’t the Maple Leafs find a taker for Jarnkrok? Jarnkrok has quietly been on the trade block for much of the offseason, but general manager Brad Treliving has yet to find a taker. After adding several depth forwards this summer, the Leafs now face a crowded bottom six — and Jarnkrok’s age, injury history and $2.1M cap hit through 2025–26 aren’t helping his value. Since joining Toronto, Jarnkrok has appeared in only 71 games over two seasons, scoring a modest 28 points. While his defensive versatility and penalty-killing ability are assets, his declining offensive production and durability concerns have made teams wary. With training camp approaching, the Maple Leafs may be forced to keep Jarnkrok on the roster — or retain salary in a deal — if they want to create space and flexibility. Dropping his cap hit down to just over $1M would open up the market a little. Until then, the Swedish forward remains a trade candidate in limbo. This isn’t great news as moving Jarnkrok from the roster is an important item on the team’s to-do list. Treliving would like more cap space, and with Jarnkrok and David Kampf both still on the roster, it hampers the GM’s ability to do other things.

'In what world does this make sense?’: Oilers and $63M forward
NHL

'In what world does this make sense?’: Oilers and $63M forward

According to some, throw out the idea that the Edmonton Oilers should pursue Max Pacioretty. A veteran forward who has earned over $63 million over the course of his NHL career has yet to sign an NHL contract and was recently mentioned in a post by David Staples as a possible fit. In a recent post, the Journal noted, “All of the top NHL unrestricted free agents have already signed contracts, but there’s one big name player still available that makes good sense for the Edmonton Oilers to pursue.” Responses have been varied, with a few quite vocal about the Oilers not following Staples’ advice. “In what world does this make sense?????” writes a commenter on a recent post for The Hockey Writers. Another commenter wrote, “Pacioretty is a good journeyman player but he is injury prone now, late in his career. Oilers might be lucky to get 40 games out of him. They should look elsewhere instead of taking a chance on Patches.” Tyler Yaremchuk of Oilers Nation chimed in and said, “He scored five goals in 37 games last year with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Can’t stay healthy, very old, very slow.” Yaremchuk then went on a rant, listing several Oilers forwards who would be better than Pacioretty. What About Pacioretty on a PTO? Is there any reason that a team that is looking to get younger and faster, and move out depth pieces that were older and less productive than expected, would revert back to last summer’s strategy? It seems like an odd choice on the surface. Something would have to happen that would make giving Pacioretty a look risk-free. That means only a PTO. Even at that point, should he agree, it would require him to be willing to sign a two-way contract for the league minimum.

76ers unexpectedly waive veteran guard despite career season
NBA

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The Sixers are waiving Ricky Council IV, the team announced in a press release. Council signed a four-year, partially guaranteed deal with the Sixers in 2024, which contained a team option for the 2026-27 season. Last season, he averaged 7.3 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 17.1 minutes per night — all career-high numbers. Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports notes that the timing of the move was unexpected, given that Council’s guarantee date is on Jan. 10, 2026, and the team currently has an open roster spot if they need it to add restricted free agent Quentin Grimes. While Council struggled with his three-point shot last season, he emerged as a reliable depth contributor, playing a team-high 73 games while bringing athleticism and energy from the wing positions.

Amanda Ribas vs. Tabatha Ricci Prediction, Pick, Odds for UFC Abu Dhabi (Saturday, July 26)
MMA

Amanda Ribas vs. Tabatha Ricci Prediction, Pick, Odds for UFC Abu Dhabi (Saturday, July 26)

Check out the Amanda Ribas vs. Tabatha Ricci prediction for UFC Abu Dhabi on Saturday, July 26, with my betting preview and breakdown. The lone female fight on the UFC Abu Dhabi card features popular strawweights Amanda Ribas and Tabatha Ricci. Both women are perennially ranked contenders who dispatch lesser competition, while failing to put together winning streaks long enough to get them in the title picture. Whomever emerges here could change that in shallow division, so this one has plenty of relevance at 115 lbs. Here’s my Ribas vs. Ricci pick and prediction. Amanda Ribas vs. Tabatha Ricci Odds Tale of the Tape As I pointed out in my Luck Ratings, the most notable thing about this fight is the similarities between both women. Both began their martial arts journeys at a young age, eventually earning black belts in both Judo and Jiu Jitsu. They also both have struggled to round out their overall games, with striking remaining an issue for both. Of the two, Ribas has probably made the greater strides. She’s split time between flyweight and strawweight which skews her statistics, but in the lighter division she’s looked progressively better on the feet, culminating in her spinning wheel kick knockout of Luana Pinheiro. Still, while the final blow was notable, it was more of a volume-based attack from Ribas as she landed more than 80 significant strikes on the feet against her fellow Brazilian. Ricci has made strides on the feet as well, though, particularly since she began training with her boyfriend, professional boxer Callum Walsh. Unlike Ribas’ more diverse attack, “Baby Shark” primarily punches on the feet. Her 61″ reach is an impediment against larger opponents, though, leading to Ricci’s poor striking accuracy. She’s also fairly hittable, due to her need to take risks to get into punching (and grappling) range. That’s not a major risk given the lack of power in the 115lbs division, but creates bad optics for the judges. Hopefully, this fight spends more time on the mat than on the feet, though. That’s where both women shine, with a diverse array of takedowns thanks to their Judo backgrounds. For my money, I prefer Ricci’s style of grappling for MMA. Her more compact frame allows her to maintain top position fairly well, and she’s been able to stack control time form top positions at a better rate than Ribas. Ribas is the more dynamic submission grappler, but that’s a higher-variance approach. She’ll sacrifice position in order to chase submissions, a strategy that is unlikely to work against a high level opponent like Ricci. On the defensive side, Ricci is also more proactive in trying to get back to her feet, while Ribas is comfortable playing off of her back. Ricci has given up just over a minute of bottom time across the two takedowns she’s surrendered in the UFC. Ribas gave up more than four minutes of control time to Mackenzie Dern in her last fight. Ribas vs. Ricci Pick, Prediction As I mentioned in my Luck Ratings, given how similar both women are from a stylistic and resume standpoint, I’d be willing to bet on either at plus money. That so happens to be Tabatha Ricci this time, but after digging into the tape, I’m even more confident that she’s the right side. While I’d give Ribas the edge in a pure striking match, this one likely ends up on the canvas for large stretches. Ricci’s approach to grappling is better suited to winning MMA rounds than Ribas’s is, which is likely enough to edge out some close rounds. I’m going against the market here as the line has moved as high as +170 on Ricci courtesy of ESPN Bet, but I trust my read enough to stick with my initial position. Billy’s Pick: Tabatha Ricci +170 (ESPN Bet)

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