8:03 AM ET Associated Press LONDON — The Tennis Integrity Unit has raised concerns over 24 “suspicious matches” at exhibitions organized while the men’s and women’s tours are shut down amid the coronavirus pandemic. The TIU, which investigates match-fixing cases in the sport, said Friday it received reports of the matches at private tournaments staged
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8:00 AM ET Before we get to the ranking of baseball’s best shortstops, a story about an All-Star second baseman. A few years ago, the Houston Astros‘ staff encouraged batting champion Jose Altuve to be more patient at the plate. The staffers assured Altuve they weren’t asking him to hunt walks, but they believed if
Formula 1 drivers and team personnel risk imprisonment or a hefty fine if they break lockdown restrictions at next weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix. British and non-European Union citizens have been told by the government they must stay within the confines of the track or their hotels at all times. Anyone caught breaking the rules faces
12:19 AM ET Flames defenseman Travis Hamonic became the first NHL player to opt out of this summer’s restart. Calgary GM Brad Treliving announced Hamonic’s decision Friday night, just hours after the NHL and NHLPA officially agreed to move forward with a 24-team tournament, scheduled to begin Aug. 1. “Earlier this evening Travis called me
11:10 PM ET ESPN News Services SPARTA, Ky. — In two nights, Austin Cindric went from the cusp of winning on ovals to showing his ability to dominate those layouts. As Cindric threw his hands in the air after his most impressive win, Harrison Burton and Noah Gragson threw punches at each other in the
Jul 10, 2020 Justin Allgaier finished fifth in Friday night’s Xfinity Series race at Kentucky Speedway after he was cleared to race by NASCAR earlier in the day. Allgaier went to the hospital for evaluation following a last-lap crash in Thursday night’s race at the track and said in a video he posted to Twitter
9:31 PM ET Steve KimESPN When boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez returns to the ring this year, he could be making less money. Alvarez, the middleweight champion and super middleweight titlist, has said he wants to return on Mexican Independence weekend in September, but he doesn’t have an opponent yet and venues are still trying to
5:33 PM ET Steve KimESPN A fight between unified junior welterweight titleholder Jose Ramirez and Viktor Postol, his WBC mandatory challenger, will take place the last week of August, according to Top Rank president Todd duBoef. The fight will be broadcast on an ESPN network. While there is not a date set for the fight,
12:16 PM ET Steve KimESPN A light heavyweight bout between Eleider Alvarez and Joe Smith Jr. has been rescheduled for the third week of August, Yvon Michel, who promotes Alvarez, told ESPN on Friday. The fight had originally been slated for July 16 inside the “bubble” at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas,
6:18 PM ET Steve KimESPN Shakur Stevenson is vacating the WBO featherweight world title to move up to the junior lightweight division. “We’re moving on up … We’re getting all the belts, and everyone at 130 [pounds] can get it,” Antonio Leonard, who co-promotes Stevenson, told ESPN on Thursday. Stevenson, 23, won the vacant featherweight
11:59 AM ET Nick Parkinson Close •Reports on boxing for ESPN.co.uk, as well as several national newspapers•Has been reporting on British boxing for over 15 years•Appears on BoxNation’s Boxing Matters show Katie Taylor and Delfine Persoon will meet in a rematch on Aug. 22, according to Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn. The announcement came as
9:56 PM ET A UFC Fight Island title bout is in jeopardy. Deiveson Figueiredo, a top UFC flyweight contender, tested positive for the coronavirus Friday in Brazil, his manager, Wallid Ismail, confirmed with ESPN Brazil. Figueiredo is scheduled to fight Joseph Benavidez for the vacant flyweight title in the main event of UFC Fight Night
9:54 PM ET Associated Press CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — North Carolina recruit Tony Grimes said he plans to reclassify and graduate this summer so that he can join the Tar Heels for the upcoming season. Grimes announced his plan in a social media post on Friday. I will be reclassifying to 2020 and Enrolling at
6:41 PM ET As NBA teams get situated in the Orlando bubble, one question that has persisted since the start of the coronavirus pandemic is not only what happens if a player tests positive for the virus but also what lingering effects might follow. “There are unknown effects it has on lung capacity, unknown effects
7:45 PM ET The Philadelphia Eagles got it mostly right this week when they called DeSean Jackson‘s anti-Semitic social media posts “offensive, harmful and absolutely appalling.” The Eagles, however, left out an important thought, one that provides an educational moment at a time when athletes at all levels are speaking up about social justice as
8:45 PM ET The Pac-12 has decided to go to a conference-only model for fall sports, following the lead of the Big Ten, which announced the same move on Thursday. It’s the latest setback during a college football offseason that has been upended by the coronavirus pandemic, and is almost assuredly not the last domino
8:57 PM ET Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott has tested positive for the coronavirus and is self-quarantining, the conference announced Friday night. In its statement, the Pac-12 said Scott, 55, experienced mild flu-like symptoms late this week and was tested for COVID-19 out of an abundance of caution. He is self-quarantining at the direction of his
6:04 PM ET Alex Kirkland Goals from Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio gave Real Madrid a 2-0 win over Alaves on Friday to go four points clear of Barcelona at the top of La Liga with three games to go. Alaves hit the bar with just three minutes played and Raphael Varane cleared the follow-up