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How Was Simone Biles Childhood Like?

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Simone Biles is more than just a gymnastics phenomenon; she’s an overcomer. The 24-year-old athlete opened up about her childhood hardships, adoption, and family in the third episode of her Facebook Watch Series, “Simone vs. Herself,” as reported by Fox News.

During an episode — titled “Who am I?” — Biles shared details about the vital role of her biological grandparents turned adoptive parents. She unfolds how they helped her become the athlete and person she is today.

Biles’ Early Struggles

Biles’ biological mother struggled with drinking and drugs, leaving her incapable to care for her four children. As a kid, Biles recalled struggling with hunger under the care of her biological mother. “Growing up, me and my siblings were so focused on food because we didn’t have a lot of food,” Biles mentioned as per Today.

Due to these strenuous circumstances, Biles and her siblings were placed in the foster care system. This decision came after a neighbor reported the situation, and a social worker intervened. “I don’t remember a lot about foster care, but I definitely knew that we had been taken from our biological mom and then you just think you’re going to go back to her,” she shared via Today.

Despite the uncertainty of foster care, Biles considers herself privileged in one significant aspect: “We were very fortunate that we actually got to stay with our siblings because a lot of the time you either get regrouped from home to home to home or you and your siblings get split up,” she stated. Staying with her siblings dispensed a sense of continuity and support during a chaotic period.

A Turning Point

The significant change in Biles’ life came when she and her younger sister Adria were adopted by their mother’s parents. The girls moved to Texas to live with their grandparents. This shift marked a significant pivotal moment for Biles, offering her the stability and support she needed to thrive.

Moving in with her grandparents set Biles on a “better route” for her life, according to Yahoo Sports. This new environment provided the structure and encouragement that would allow her to pursue gymnastics at the highest levels. Reflecting on her journey, Biles said, “I would still be Simone Biles, probably not Simone Biles that everybody else knows, the world knows. But I also believe everything happens for a reason and I’m forever grateful for that because I definitely got a second shot at life.”

The Impact of Family Support

Biles’ story highlights the intense impact of family support in overcoming hardship. Her grandparents, who became her adoptive parents, played a significant role in her development both as an athlete and as a person. Their mentorship and love gave her the foundation she required to excel.

In her Facebook Watch series, Biles emphasizes the significance of her family’s support. The shift to living with her grandparents not only provided her with the stability she needed but also allowed her to develop the discipline and drive that would later define her gymnastics career.

Conclusion

Simone Biles’ childhood was marked by prominent challenges, including her biological mother’s struggles with addiction and the instability of foster care. Nevertheless, the intervention of her grandparents, who adopted her and her sister, provided the turning point that set her on the path to becoming a world-renowned gymnast. Biles’ story is an evidence to determination and the transformative power of family support, showing how she overcame early challenges to achieve greatness.

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BOXING

Gervonta Davis and Mayweather Promotions CEO Laugh at Errol Spence Jr’s Prediction for Frank Martin Fight

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Gervonta Davis is set to square off against Frank Martin in his upcoming fight. With no major boxing fights scheduled for the near future, all eyes are on this bout. In addition, both fighters have an undefeated professional boxing record, which promises a thrilling showdown. As the anticipation for the clash is increasing by the day, the boxing world has started analyzing and predicting the outcome of this contest.

One such person is former unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr., who weighed in on the clash between Davis and Martin. After listening to his perspective, Davis and Mayweather Promotions CEO, Leonard Ellerbe, quickly shared their take on it online.

Gervonta Davis and Mayweather Promotions CEO find common ground

‘Tank’ parted ways with Mayweather Promotions because of numerous differences. However, a recent incident drew Ellerbe and Davis together and brought them to a common ground. In an online conversation, they both decided to discount Spence Jr.’s viewpoint about the Davis vs. Martin fight.

Apparently, Spence Jr. believes that Frank Martin will knock out Davis in the 7th or 8th round. Following these remarks, Davis instantly replied through his X account with laughing emojis, “get your money champ”. Additionally, Spence Jr. also mentioned that Martin would dominate the fight. The Mayweather Promotions CEO replied to it and sarcastically asked, “Dominate wut”. 

This instantly started a conversation online and fans started pouring their opinions about it as well. But what did Spence Jr. say exactly?

The Long Island fighter has been out of action since his last fight with Terence Crawford. It ended Spence Jr’s undefeated streak as ‘Bud’ won the clash via technical knockout in the 9th round. Spence Jr. was in conversation with Fight Hub TV, where he talked about his return, changing his coach, and how he is planning his future. During the conversation, he was asked to weigh in on the Davis vs. Martin fight.

The 34-year-old boxer believed that Martin was the most skilled and talented fighter that Davis ever fought. “Like he’s one of those, he can’t take those early rounds. And I feel like he’s gonna come in the seventh, eighth round, and hope for a knockout. I feel like Frank gonna dominate him, 1st through 12th round, and win a fight,” said Spence Jr.  

He further asserted that Tank is a great fighter, and he is going to put up a good one. But Martin is ready to take it. “I feel like he’s the best fighter he’s ever fought. He gonna see the speed, he gonna see the strength, he gonna see the power that Frank brings to the table on fight night.”

Interestingly, this will be the first time ‘Tank’ will face an African-American fighter, and fans are expecting a thrilling match. Although Ellerbe and Davis are laughing at the prospect of Martin winning the fight, there is space for the tables to turn around. What do you think about it? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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CELEB NEWS

2024 U.S. Open odds, golf picks: Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy predictions by model that nailed the Masters, PGA

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U.S. Open 2024 picks for Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka and more 2024 U.S. Open golfers

Justin Rose’s lone major victory came at the U.S. Open in 2013. He will enter the 2024 U.S. Open as a more seasoned professional, having now won 11 events on the PGA Tour. The 43-year-old secured his best finish of the 2024 season at the PGA Championship in May. However, Rose has struggled throughout the 2024 season, finishing T-44 or worse in six of his last eight starts. The Englishman will be among the top longshots at the 2024 U.S. Open, which gets underway from Pinehurst No. 2 in North Carolina on Thursday, June 13.

Should Rose be included in your 2024 U.S. Open prediction, or are you better off backing a player like Scottie Scheffler, who has secured four wins this season? According to the latest 2024 U.S. Open odds, Scheffler is the 4-1 favorite, while Rose is a 65-1 longshot. Before locking in your 2024 U.S. Open picks or entering any PGA DFS tournaments on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel, be sure to see the golf predictions and projected leaderboard from the proven computer model at SportsLine.

Our proprietary model, built by DFS pro Mike McClure, has been red-hot since the PGA Tour resumed in June of 2020. In fact, the model is up almost $9,000 on its best bets since the restart, nailing tournament after tournament.

McClure’s model correctly predicted Scottie Scheffler would finish on top of the leaderboard at the 2024 Masters, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and The Players Championship this season. McClure also included Hideki Matsuyama in his best bets to win the 2024 Genesis Invitational. That bet hit at +9000, and for the entire tournament, McClure’s best bets returned nearly $1,000.

The model also predicted Jon Rahm would be victorious at the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions and The American Express. At the 2023 Masters, the model was all over Rahm’s second career major victory heading into the weekend. Rahm was two strokes off the lead heading into the third round, but the model still projected him as the winner. It was the second straight Masters win for the model, which also nailed Scheffler winning in 2022.

This same model has also nailed a whopping 12 majors entering the weekend, including three straight Masters and the 2024 PGA Championship. Anyone who has followed it has seen massive returns.

Now that the 2024 U.S. Open is approaching, SportsLine simulated the tournament 10,000 times, and the results were surprising. Head to SportsLine now to see the projected 2024 U.S. Open leaderboard.

2024 U.S. Open predictions for Brooks Koepka, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy

One shocker the model is calling for at the U.S. Open 2024: Brooks Koepka (12-1), a five-time major winner and the U.S. Open champion in 2017 and 2018, struggles and barely cracks the top 10. Koepka’s last major victory came at the 2023 PGA Championship, but he hasn’t come close to winning another major since then. He placed outside the top 25 at both of the first two majors this year, and he’s on a streak of four majors without even a top 10 finish, which ties the longest drought without a top 10 in his career.

Koepka has had lots of success in recent international tournaments but has struggled domestically. Over his last 10 starts in the United States, none have resulted in top 10 finishes, despite many of them having smaller fields where it would be easier to make a run up the leaderboard. Additionally, Koepka has played Pinehurst No. 2 once before, and he could only break par just once over his four rounds of play. See who else to fade here.

The model has also locked in its projection for Tiger Woods (125-1), a 15-time major winner. This will be Woods’ first U.S. Open start since 2020, when he shot 10-over-par and missed the cut. Since then, he’s made six starts at majors, making two cuts, missing two cuts and withdrawing twice. He missed the cut in his last start at the PGA Championship, but he also noted a physical improvement in how he felt, saying, “I need to clean up my rounds but also know physically, yes, I am better than I was a month ago.”

With another month having passed since that comment, Woods should, theoretically, be in an even better physical state for the U.S. Open. His past success at Pinehurst should also bring optimism with a pair of top-three finishes at the course when it hosted U.S. Opens in 1999 and 2005. It’s been 10 years since Pinehurst No. 2 hosted any PGA Tour event, so much of the U.S. Open 2024 field will be competing at it for the first time. Woods’ experience at the course can’t be overlooked, so he’ll look to lean on that rather than his recent results at majors. See where every golfer finishes here.

On the other hand, the model has examined Rory McIlroy’s (9-1) chances to win his second U.S. Open after being victorious in 2011. McIlroy has been red-hot in recent weeks, securing two wins in his last four starts. He also recorded a T-4 finish at the RBC Canadian Open at the beginning of the month.

McIlroy has been able to secure those positive results thanks to his effectiveness off the tee. The 35-year-old is ranked second in total driving (41), second in driving distance (318.1) and third in strokes gained off the tee (0.861). He has been streaky with his putter in 2024, ranking 40th in strokes gained putting (0.302) and 42nd in putts per round (28.49). See the full U.S. Open projections from the model here.

How to make 2024 U.S. Open picks

The model is targeting three golfers with 2024 U.S. Open odds of 20-1 or longer who will make surprising runs. Anyone who backs these longshots could hit it big. You can only see the model’s 2024 U.S. Open picks here.

Who will win the 2024 U.S. Open, which longshots will stun the golfing world, and where will Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy finish? Check out the latest 2024 U.S. Open odds below and then visit SportsLine to see the projected U.S. Open 2024 leaderboard, all from the model that has nailed 12 golf majors, including this year’s Masters and PGA Championship.

2024 U.S. Open odds, field

See the full U.S. Open 2024 picks, best bets, and predictions here.

Scottie Scheffler 4-1
Rory McIlroy 9-1
Xander Schauffele 10-1
Brooks Koepka 12-1
Jon Rahm 12-1
Ludvig Aberg 14-1
Viktor Hovland 18-1
Collin Morikawa 18-1
Bryson DeChambeau 20-1
Patrick Cantlay 22-1
Wyndham Clark 22-1
Joaquin Niemann 25-1
Cameron Smith 25-1
Max Homa 30-1
Justin Thomas 33-1
Cameron Young 35-1
Dustin Johnson 35-1
Jordan Spieth 35-1
Hideki Matsuyama 35-1
Shane Lowry 40-1
Sahith Theegala 40-1
Tom Kim 40-1
Tony Finau 40-1
Sungjae Im 40-1
Matt Fitzpatrick 40-1
Jason Day 45-1
Tommy Fleetwood 50-1
Min Woo Lee 50-1
Tyrrell Hatton 50-1
Brian Harman 55-1
Corey Conners 60-1
Sam Burns 60-1
Patrick Reed 60-1
Si Woo Kim 65-1
Justin Rose 65-1
Sepp Straka 70-1
Louis Oosthuizen 75-1
Abraham Ancer 75-1
Rickie Fowler 75-1
Adam Scott 75-1
Talor Gooch 75-1
Russell Henley 90-1
Daniel Berger 100-1
Keegan Bradley 100-1
Keith Mitchell 125-1
Ryan Fox 125-1
J.T. Poston 125-1
Billy Horschel 125-1
Tiger Woods 125-1
Sergio Garcia 125-1
Thomas Pieters 150-1
Kurt Kitayama 150-1
Phil Mickelson 150-1
Mito Pereira 150-1
Denny McCarthy 150-1
Harris English 150-1
Christiaan Bezuidenhout 150-1
Adam Schenk 175-1
Emiliano Grillo 175-1
Austin Eckroat 175-1
Robert MacIntyre 175-1
Marc Leishman 175-1
Adam Hadwin 175-1
Lucas Glover 200-1
Nick Taylor 200-1
Davis Riley 200-1
Mackenzie Hughes 200-1
Jason Kokrak 200-1
Harold Varner III 225-1
Seamus Power 225-1
Taylor Moore 250-1
Ben Kohles 250-1
Gary Woodland 250-1
Aaron Wise 250-1
Francisco Molinari 350-1
Joel Dahmen 350-1
Martin Kaymer 500-1
Bernhard Langer 750-1

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CELEB NEWS

U.S. Open 2024: Tiger Woods is playing at Pinehurst on a special exemption. Here’s what it is and why he’ll get more if he wants

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There is a romanticism to the U.S. Open, a beauty that is found in its name. Open. The sport beats its chest about meritocracy, but this tournament is meritocracy incarnate. The U.S. Open doesn’t care who you are or what you’ve done, where you play or where you’re from. Its invitations are not given; they are earned.

You see, there, in the fine print of the U.S. Open entry form, Category F-23 among the exemptions from Local and Final Qualifying, the USGA notes that it reserves the right to select a player for a special exemption into the national championship. It’s a rarely used provision that dates back 58 years, one that will be given for just the 35th time next week at Pinehurst No. 2 so that one of the most decorated golfers in USGA history has a chance to compete once more.

Of course, you could argue Tiger Woods has earned the special exemption by virtue of his 15 career major titles, including three U.S. Open victories. Woods has lifetime exemptions into the Masters and PGA Championship as a past champion and can play in the Open Championship until 2036, when he is 60 and last exempt thanks to his three claret jug victories. But winning the U.S. Open only comes with a 10-year exemption. With his last triumph at this tournament coming in 2008, and his five-year exemption from winning the 2019 Masters having run out, 2024 marked the first time in Woods’ professional career that he was not fully exempt into the U.S. Open.

“The U.S. Open, our national championship, is a truly special event for our game and one that has helped define my career,” said Woods, who will also receive the Bob Jones Award, the USGA’s highest honor, next week at Pinehurst. “I’m honored to receive this exemption and could not be more excited for the opportunity to compete in this year’s U.S. Open, especially at Pinehurst, a venue that means so much to the game.”

The special exemption practice began in 1966, when four-time U.S. Open winner Ben Hogan received an invite to play at that year’s championship at The Olympic Club—site of his playoff defeat to Jack Fleck in 1955. The then 53-year-old Hogan showed the invite was more than ceremonial, shooting a four-day total of 291 to finish in 12th. The special exemption wasn’t used for another 11 years until 1977, when three players (Sam Snead, Tommy Bolt and Julius Boros) were granted it.

While only 35 players have been let in via special exemption, many have been gifted it multiple times. Jack Nicklaus, a four-time U.S. Open winner and two-time U.S. Amateur champ, was awarded a special exemption in eight instances, beginning in 1991 and ending in 2000. Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson both received five special invitations, with Seve Ballesteros, Gary Player, Lee Trevino and Hale Irwin also getting multiple special grants.

Irwin’s 1990 special exemption, is, well, especially special. Irwin had not won on the PGA Tour in five years, and it had been 11 years since Irwin captured his second U.S. Open title. But at age 45 Irwin shot a eight-under 280 to tie Mike Donald and proceeded to beat Donald the next day in an 18-hole playoff for his third national championship crown.

It’s not just former winners who get the special exemption. Both Aaron Baddeley and Michael Campbell received special exemptions thanks to international performances (Baddeley winning the 1999 Australian Open as an amateur; Campbell grabbing five global victories). Phil Mickelson has famously never won the U.S. Open, finishing runner-up six times. He once said that he would not accept a special exemption if it was given, but Mickelson softened that stance for the 2021 U.S. Open in his hometown of San Diego (although it’s worth noting Mickelson ultimately qualified thanks to winning the 2021 PGA Championship just weeks before).

So what does this mean for Woods? No need to regurgitate all of his career accolades, but it’s worth remembering he’s played an indelible part in the USGA’s championship history, winning three U.S. Opens, three U.S. Amateurs and three U.S. Juniors to tie Bobby Jones for the most USGA titles overall. There’s also the business aspect of Woods: He continues to be the biggest draw in the sport, and U.S. Opens with Woods in the field have a higher likelihood of attracting more attention—both on the course and on television/streaming.

So it is that Woods is likely to receive more special exemptions, if needed, in the future. He most certainly will get an invite next year at Oakmont to coincide with the U.S. Open’s 125th playing. Pebble Beach, site of Woods’ historic 2000 U.S. Open win, will host again in 2027, and it’s a good bet Woods will get the nod when the U.S. Open comes to his hometown of Los Angeles in 2031. Given the USGA’s track record with Nicklaus and Palmer, the odds are high that Woods will get invites in the interstitial years should he want them.

In short, don’t be surprised if Woods’ special exemption becomes something of a trend for the foreseeable future. Or at least until Woods decides he’s no longer “earned” them.

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CELEB NEWS

Tiger Woods visits his latest golf course design in Utah – one week after charity event in Las Vegas

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Tiger Woods has revealed a recent field visit to his latest golf course design in Utah just a week after his charity event in Las Vegas, where he sparked concerns among fans.

The 48-year-old, 15-time major winner provided an update on his project’s newest development on X, Thursday, after a viral clip of himself prompting his followers to question whether he’d had too much to drink was shared on social media, earlier this week, at the golfer’s Tiger Jam poker charity event in Sin City.

‘I spent some time at Marcella Club in Park City last week working on the front 9 with my team.

We’ve got most of it rough shaped. It looks amazing. These views will never get old.’

The Marcella Club course is located in Deer Valley, Utah, with a panoramic view of the Uinta Mountains, Jordanelle Reservoir, Deer Valley Resort, the Heber Valley and Mount Timpanogos. Woods’ project is expected to be the second course at the club

I spent some time at Marcella Club in Park City last week working on the front 9 with my team. We’ve got most of it rough shaped. It looks amazing. These views will never get old..

The former world No. 1’s layout consists of 8,000 yards of space, with challenges for players, both off the tee and around the greens.

Woods’ project started in February of last year and is managed by his golf course design business – Tiger Woods Design.

Woods is also currently behind the design of Trout National – The Reserve, with MLB star Mike Trout, of the Los Angeles Angels. The course is located in New Jersey and is expected to open next year.

Woods first sought an interest in outlining golf courses in 2006, with the founding of Tiger Woods Design. Since then, he’s opened eight courses although not all of them operate at a championship level.

Wood’s first project was the Trump World Golf Club Dubai, which endured several redesigns and changes before coming to fruition several years after its conception.

Then, Woods designed two courses in Cabo San Lucas, including the Cardonal at Diamante, which opened in 2015. It is a championship course and the PGA Tour’s World Wide Technology Championship. Other tournaments have also been played there.

The second course built by Woods in the area is the 12-hole par-3 The Oasis Short Course at Diamante. The course offers different routes to turn into a 3-hole par 3, par 4 and a par 5.

Other courses designed by Woods are Bluejack National (par 3 10-hole), Jack’s Bay (10 holes), Payne’s Valley (public course), The Hay at Pebble Beach (9-hole par 3) and South Shore & Jackson Park.

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BOXING

“It’s Over for the Heavyweight Division”: Jared Anderson Training With Terence Crawford Gets Fans All Hyped Up for Martin Bakole Fight

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ESPN Ringside has shared a few snapshots of Jared Anderson and Terence Crawford. It shows the former undisputed welterweight champion watching with rapt attention while the young heavyweight contender trains. Since the time they came, the photos have been gaining considerable traction among fans.

On August 3, Terence Crawford will kick off his campaign in the 154-pound weight class. He will face WBA light middleweight champion Israil Madrimov. The event, conducted under Riyadh Season’s auspices, features quite a few exciting cards. It seems there are two non-title fights, both in the heavyweight division. Aside from the bout between Andy Ruiz Jr. and Jarrell Miller, upcoming contender Jared Anderson squares up against Martin Bakole.

Terence Crawford and Jared Anderson, Understanding Sweet Science Together

The tweet read, “Bud and Big Baby in the lab.” 24-year-old Anderson defended his regional title against Ryad Merhy on August 13 last year. In Bakole, he faces a formidable opponent with a justified pedigree. The Congolese boxer stands as the as the number one ranked boxer on the WBA’s heavyweight list. Clearly, ‘The Real Big Baby’ doesn’t want to leave any stone unturned.

Understandably, the Toledo-born boxer may perhaps want to retain his unbeaten streak. Additionally, a win over another ranking heavyweight promises a better standing in the hierarchy. There were talks of fighting against Deontay Wilder. But as it appears, the showdown may now have a negligible chance of happening, given how ‘The Bronze Bomber’ suffered his fourth defeat at the hands of Zhilei Zhang.

Jared Anderson might enjoy an edge over Martin Bakole in terms of the knockout-to-win rate. However, the former sparring partner of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk packs a potent punch. Thus, a word from the wise in such a situation often comes in handy.

Wisdom in the Ring, Fans Thrilled

Most of the users seemed happy with the photos. One of the biggest names in modern boxing, lending a helping hand to a rising star, is a delight for the eyes. Let’s check out how some of the fans reacted.

The photo seems to have shocked this user. With ‘Bud’ Crawford by his side, probably Jared Anderson could be expected to wipe out most of the competition in the heavyweight division, the user seems to believe.

Then the next user also appears to share similar thoughts. With guidance from the P4P legend, Jared Anderson is on a sure-shot path to heavyweight dominance, the user said.

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BOXING

Eminem announced as a special guest performer for Riyadh Season Card… as he reunites with Terence Crawford for his next title fight before Andy Ruiz battles it out with Jarrell Miller – the fighter he replaced to beat Anthony Joshua in 2019

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Eminem is set to perform at the Riyadh Season Card headlined by Terence Crawford and Israil Madrimov on August 3 in Los Angeles, his Excellency Turki Alalshikh has revealed.

Crawford, 36, is seeking a world title in a fourth different weight division when he takes on the recently-crowned WBA light-middleweight world champion, Madrimov, at the BMO Stadium.

Slim Shady is no stranger to big boxing fights as he surprised everybody by joining the American fighters ring walk before his win over Errol Spence Jr last July,

And now he is set to hype up the crowd again for the Kingdom’s first boxing event outside of Saudi Arabia, which also features a heavyweight bout between former world champion Andy Ruiz and Jarrell Miller.

The announcement of the rappers performance was made via Alalshikh’s X (formerly Twitter) page with a simple graphic.

The Saudi boxing chief is known for putting on a spectacle, just last month American rapper JID performed in style before Oleksandr Usyk beat Tyson Fury to become the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the four belt era.

And now he has stepped it up a notch by calling on legendary rapper Eminem to put on a show before Crawford and Madrimov take to the ring.

He won the belt via a fifth round stoppage of Magomed Kurbanov on the undercard of Anthony Joshua’s victory over Francis Ngannou.

But he faces a huge task to keep it against Crawford who has won all of his 40 professional fights and knows what it takes to be a world champion.

The American has been an undisputed champion at both light-welterweight and welterweight, as well as once holding a lightweight world title.

Also on the card is Ruiz, who produces one of the biggest shocks in the sports history by beating Anthony Joshua five years ago.

He takes on the man he replaced on short notice for that fight, Miller, in what promises to be a big battle in LA.

Ruiz has only fought twice in the last four years, but will have to put his friendship with Miller aside if he wants to earn himself another title shot.

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BOXING

Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford – Oleksandr Usyk makes prediction for potential clash

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Oleksandr Usyk is backing Terence Crawford to beat Canelo Alvarez if the pair ever agree to stage a contest.

Since Crawford defeated Errol Spence last summer, he’s constantly been linked to a showdown with Canelo but first he must deal with Israil Madrimov on August 3.

As it stands, Canelo has no fight planned after retaining his super-middleweight titles against Jaime Munguia last month.

The Mexican star is one of boxing’s most targeted fighters with numerous contenders chasing him, but he’ll be a keen spectator when Crawford fights later this summer.

“Terence is my friend, but he’s a crazy man. I say Terence wins,” said Usyk when speaking to the 3 Knockdown Rule podcast.

“Listen, Terence is a different man. Terence works in two stances; he’s a very, very, very smart man.”

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BOXING

Carlos Adames offers his verdict on Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford bout: “This fight is absolutely stupid”

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WBC middleweight champion Carlos Adames 23-1 (18) vehemently objects to the idea of Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford 40-0 (31) jumping up in weight to face undisputed super middleweight champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez 61-2-2 (39).

Crawford won his first world title as a lightweight a decade ago before moving up to unify all four major world titles at junior welterweight. He repeated the feat at welterweight.

The 36-year-old switch-hitter from Omaha, Nebraska will return to the ring in two months time when he moves up in weight again to challenge WBA junior middleweight champion Uzbeki Israil Madrimov 10-0-1 (7) at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California on August 3 on a card financed by boxing kingmaker Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority in Saudi Arabia.

Alalshikh has changed the sport on boxing in less than a year. With a seemingly unlimited budget, he can offer the sort or purses that make any fight possible.

And one fight he wants is Crawford up against 33-year-old Mexican superstar Alvarez.

But not everybody is down with the idea. Dominican Adames, 30, is amongst the critics.

“Weight classes are there for a reason. Terence Crawford is one hell of a fighter, there’s no doubt about that, but he’s the type of agile fighter that has power, but his type of power resides in a division that bodes well for him,” Adames explained to FightHype.

“When I sparred with him, I had two pro fights in my ledger. I was more of an amateur at that time at 19. If he were to fight me now, over a decade [later], I’m 30 now and a full-grown man now. I was a kid back then. It would be a completely different deal.”

Adames cited Alvarez’s ill-fated visit to 175-pounds when he challenged WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol 23-0 (12) two years ago. Alvarez was roundly out-boxed and returned to 168-pounds.

“When it comes to weight classes, look at what Canelo did with Bivol. He couldn’t hurt him at 175 the way he hurt his opponents at 168. Why? Because the weight difference between Bivol and Canelo was evident,” said Adames, who will defend his own belt against 36-year-old US Olympian Terrell Gausha 24-3-1 (12) at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 15.

“Canelo, on the other hand, would be able to hurt Crawford in a way that he usually does at 168 because of the weight advantage.

“So to summarise, I think this fight is absolutely stupid. I don’t think it makes any sense at all and if Crawford wants to make it happen, I think he should do his progression and fight Canelo at that weight when the time is right.”

Adames was elevated from WBC interim champion to full titleholder last month when the Mexican-based sanctioning body stripped troubled American Jermall Charlo 33-0 (22) of their belt.

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BOXING

Deontay Wilder replaced by ‘most avoided heavyweight’ on Terence Crawford undercard

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Deontay Wilder will no longer be competing on the Israil Madrimov vs Terence Crawford undercard on August 3.

Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh was lining up a fight between Wilder and Jared Anderson in Los Angeles provided he defeated Zhilei Zhang.

Zhilei Zhang appears to have ended Deontay Wilder’s career

However, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ was knocked out in the fifth round by Zhang last weekend, spelling an end to Alalshikh’s plans.

It now seems highly likely that Wilder will hang up his gloves after admitting before the fight that defeat could spell the end of his career.

But one man’s loss is another man’s gain – and Martin Bakole has now been given the call to face Anderson instead.

The Congolese boxer has been steadily climbing up the heavyweight rankings after falling to defeat for the first and only time in his 21-fight (20-1) career against Michael Hunter in 2018.

Bakole recently recorded a career-best win against former world title challenger Carlos Takam in October.

However, he has struggled to land a big fight since.

He was in negotiations to face Joe Joyce next but according to his trainer and manager Billy Nelson, ‘The Juggernaut’ pulled out of the fight to pursue a domestic dust-up with Derek Chisora on July 27.

The difficulty of finding a fight for Bakole has led to his promoter Ben Shalom branding him ‘the most avoided heavyweight’ on the planet.

 

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