Boxing Challenge

  A just-the-facts version of the boxing challenge from Montreal tonight as Osleys Iglesias meets Pavel Silyagin for the IBF super middleweight title vacated by Terence Crawford.

Vacant IBF Super Middleweight Title. 12 Rds

Osleys Iglesias vs Pavel Silyagin

Ramon Malpica: Iglesias Unanimous Decision.

TRS: Iglesisas KO 6

Vince Samano:

Not Quite a Boxing Challenge

     It's not quite a boxing challenge because I got a bit overwhelmed with life and forgot to send out the boxing slate for selection, but the heavyweight slugfest between Deontay Wilder and Derek Chisora still needs to be acknowledged.

The two veterans put on an entertaining, if not technically perfect, battle, with both fighters scoring knockdowns and landing power punches throughout.  

It might not have been Larry Holmes-Ken Norton or Riddick Bowe-Evander Holyfield, but considering the ages and fading abilities of the two forty-plus bombers, it was a pretty good scrap.

Wilder scored two knockdowns (round eight and eleven), but lost a point for pushing Chisora to the floor, while Chisora scored an eleventh-round knockdown but didn't have Wilder in serious trouble.

Wilder won by scores of 115-111 and 115-113 (I scored 114-113 for Wilder, with a dissenting score for Chisora of  115-112.

Chisora announced his retirement after the fight, but this is boxing, so I'm not counting on that for a while.

Wilder suddenly has some doors open after his biggest win in years.

Chisora was very high in the IBF rankings, and Wilder's win might put him in the running for WBA/WBC/IBF champion Oleksandr Usyk, who considered defending against Wilder earlier this year.

Wilder could also finally fight Anthony Joshua in a long-awaited fight, which might make Wilder more money (especially if he returns to Great Britain) than a challenge of Usyk, and a fight that he has a higher chance of winning.

I know these fights aren't classic, and the old-timer tours don't appeal to some, but I don't mind them within reason.

Matched carefully against each other, fun fights can happen, and the chances of someone getting hurt are less than fighting a younger contender near their peak.

Cleaning out the Inbox: Passings

     The tributes begin with the passing of the man who produced one of the top baseball memories in history, and certainly number one in the hearts of fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Goodbye to Bill Mazeroski at the age of 89. 

A controversial inductee in the Hall of Fame in 2001, Mazeroski was named to seven All-Star teams, won eight Gold Gloves, and won two World Series (1960, 1971) before the team retired his number nine after his retirement.

Mazeroski was the best glove man of his era, but some hold his average bat (career average of .260 and OPS of .667) against him as proof that he shouldn't be in Cooperstown.

Mazeroski is best remembered, of course, for his ninth-inning walk-off homer in game seven of the 1960 World Series to give the undermanned Buccos a 10-9 win and the world championship over the powerful New York Yankees.

Mazeroski was given a statue commemorating the homer at the Pirates' current home, PNC Park.

Goodbye to Wayne Granger at the age of 81.

A durable reliever, Granger led the National League in saves for the 1970 National League champion Cincinnati Reds with thirty-five.

Granger finished his nine-season career with 108 saves and an ERA of 3.14 and was the National League's Fireman of the Year in both 1969 and 1970 for Cincinnati.

Granger was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in 1982.

Goodbye to Matt Snell at the age of 84.

Snell played both defensive end and fullback at Ohio State before choosing the AFL's New York Jets over the NFL's New York Giants in 1964.

Snell won the AFL's Rookie of the Year award in 1964 but is best remembered for his game in the Jets' upset over the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III.

Snell scored the Jets' only touchdown in their 16-7 win, finishing with 121 yards on the ground, and in my opinion, deserved the MVP over Joe Namath.

Goodbye to Gerald Paddio at the age of 60.

Paddio was a star on UNLV's 1987 Final Four team, averaging thirteen points and nineteen points in his second and final season with the Runnin' Rebels before being drafted by Boston in the third round of the 1988 NBA draft.

Paddio played two seasons in the CBA before joining the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1990 as a reserve, averaging seven points per game in his only season in Cleveland.

Paddio would make brief cameos for four other NBA teams, spending most of his time in the CBA and Europe.

Boxing Challenge: Fundora pounds Thurman

 Due to time constraints, a just-the-facts wrap-up of the boxing challenge.

Sebastian Fundora stopped Keith Thurman in six lopsided rounds to keep his WBC junior middleweight title.

Junior middleweight Yoenis Tellez won a unanimous decision over Brian Mendoza.

Heavyweight contender Moses Itauma stopped Jermaine Franklin in the fifth round.

Light heavyweight Willy Hutchinson won a unanimous decision over Ezra Taylor.

Boxing Challenge

TRS: 36 Pts (5)

Ramon Malpica: 35 Pts (7)

Vince Samano: 28 Pts (0)

Boxing Challenge

A just the facts version due to illness.

March 28: Las Vegas (Prime Video PPV, PPV.COM)

Sebastian Fundora vs. Keith Thurman, 12 rounds, for Fundora’s WBC junior middleweight title

Ramon Malpica and TRS: Fundora Unanimous Decision 

Vince Samano:

Yoenis Tellez vs. Brian Mendoza, 10 rounds, junior middleweights

R.L and TRS: Tellez Unanimous Decision

Vince Samano:

March 28: Manchester, England (DAZN)

Moses Itauma vs. Jermaine Franklin, 10 rounds, heavyweights

R.L: Itauma KO 6

TRS: Itauma KO 2

Vince Samano:

Willy Hutchinson vs. Ezra Taylor, 10 rounds, light heavyweights

R.L: Hutchinson Unanimous Decision

TRS: Taylor Unanimous Decision

Vince Samano: 

Browns sign AJ Epenesa

    The Cleveland Browns signed a few players last week while I was away on a work outing, and while most were players the team hopes can help improve special teams, one name stuck out as a possible contributor outside of the specialty units.

Cleveland signed defensive end A.J. Epenesa for one year and five million dollars from the Buffalo Bills, and I think this signing could be an underrated help to the Browns.

Epenesa was the Bills' second-round choice in 2020 from Iowa and has twenty-four career sacks in his six seasons with Buffalo.

Epenesa had two and a half sacks last season after finishing with six and a half sacks in each of the two previous seasons with Buffalo.

The intriguing part about Epenesa is that he has four interceptions and twenty-four pass deflections in his career, which are interesting numbers from a defensive end and show Epenesa has a knack for finding the ball on the rush.

Assuming that Epenesa can finish with five or six sacks as a rotational rusher, and if Alex Wright could reach the same total, the Browns could have a productive pass-rushing position across from Myles Garrett in 2026.

Boxing Challenge: Adames, Martinez win

 Two fights in the boxing challenge last weekend were entertaining, if one-sided.

In the better fight of the two, Lester Martinez won a minor title at super middleweight with a unanimous decision win over Immanuel Aleem in San Bernardino, California.

Martinez dominated, although Aleem landed enough to keep Martinez honest.

Aleem did win a few late rounds and hurt Martinez a little in round ten, but the fight was never in question.

Martinez won by scores of 120-108, 119-109, and 118-110, with my score at 117-111.

In Orlando, Florida, Carlos Adames knocked down Austin Williams in the second round, and other than losing a point for low blows in the final round, Adames had things his way in defending his WBC middleweight title by unanimous decision.      

Adames won by scores of 118-110 and two of 117-111, which was my card as well.

Boxing Challenge

TRS: 31Pts (2)

Ramon Malpica: 28 Pts (1)

Vince Samano: 28 Pts (4)                               

Boxing Challenge

     It's a two-fight weekend for the boxing challenge, but both are important- one for a world title, the other for a minor title that could set the victor up for a title shot in the future.

In Orlando, Florida, Carlos Adames defends his WBC middleweight title against Austin "Ammo" Williams in a fight originally scheduled for earlier this year, with a late dropout from Adames.

The common opponent is Hamzah Sheeraz, who knocked out Williams but drew with Adames, with most thinking Adames did enough to earn the verdict.

Williams has been more active, but I'm not sure his chin holds up against the power of Adames.

If it does, Williams has a chance to outwork Adames and win in a mild upset.

The other fight in the challenge is from ProBox for a minor super middleweight title.

Lester Martinez, who drew with Christian Mbilli in a fight of the year candidate in his last appearance, meets Immanuel Aleem for an interim title.

Should Martinez win, he'd be in line for an Mbilli rematch or a possible Canelo Alvarez pairing, as Canelo will meet Mbilli later this year.

Aleem scored his best win in years in his last bout, stopping Demond Nicholson in nine rounds last July.

Boxing Challenge

WBC Middleweight Title. 12 Rds

Carlos Adames vs Austin Williams

Ramon Malpica: Adames Spilt Decision
TRS: Adames KO 9
Vince Samano: Adames Unanimous Decision

Super Middleweights. 12 Rds

Lester Martinez vs Immanuel Aleem

R.L: Aleem Unanimous Decision
TRS: Martinez KO 10
V.S: Martinez Unanimous Decision

Boxing Challenge: ZZZZ

    The four-fight boxing challenge weekend didn't offer much in either action or competitiveness as all four favorites won their matches in a lopsided manner.

The day started in Dublin, Ireland, with Anthony Cacace doing just enough to win the WBA junior lightweight title by unanimous decision over James "Jazza" Dickens.

Not much to say about this one other than the right guy won (116-112, which was my score, 116-113, and 115-113) and could defend against Ryan Garner, who won on the undercard.

The action wasn't much better from Anaheim, California, where Arnold Barboza dominated a welterweight eliminator over Kenneth Sims and won a unanimous decision.

Barboza won by scores of 120-108, 118-110, and 117-111.

I scored Barboza the winner 119-109.

Oscar Collazo kept his WBA and WBO minimum/strawweight titles when lightly regarded challenger Jesus Haro retired on his stool at the end of the sixth round.

Collazo hammered Haro's body and ground down his opponent, and the retirement saved Haro from a longer pounding.

Alexis Rocha controlled a spent Joseph Diaz and cruised to a unanimous decision win.

Diaz occasionally landed a strong shot but was overmatched by the larger and more powerful Rocha.

Rocha's victorious scores were: 100-90 (same as mine), 98-92, and 97-93.

Boxing Challenge

TRS: 29 Pts (7)

Ramon Malpica: 27 Pts (1)

Vince Samano: 24 Pts (0)

Browns sign Kalia Davis

  The Cleveland Browns added a lineman through free agency.

That's not unusual of late, but what is unusual is that the new Brown is a defensive lineman, as Cleveland signed defensive tackle Kalia Davis, who spent the first four seasons of his career with the San Francisco 49ers.

Davis signed a one-year contract worth up to three million dollars and is coming off a season in which he started all seventeen games for San Francisco.

Davis was the sixth-round draft pick of the 49ers in the 2022 draft from Central Florida, but missed his entire rookie season and all but three games in 2023 due to a knee injury.

Davis is 6'2 and 310 pounds and finished last season with ten solo tackles and a half sack.

Davis is a run stuffer rather than someone who will generate a lot of pass rush, and the Browns' signing of Davis will possibly mean the end of their interest in re-signing veteran Shelby Harris, who is a free agent.

The Browns did need some depth at defensive tackle as the team isn't sure of the status of Maliek Collins, who played very well before a late-season quad injury, and they have been disappointed with the play of 2024 second-rounder Mike Hall.

Second-year man Adin Huntington will be involved in the training camp battle at a position that may range from solid to needy depending on the health of Maliek Collins.

Boxing Challenge

         The boxing weekend may not be filled with the top stars in the sport, but two world titles are at stake with another fight pitting two top contenders against each other.  

Dublin, Ireland, will start the day with the WBA junior lightweight title, with recently promoted James "Jazza" Dickens defending his title for the first time against former IBF champion Anthony Cacace.

Dickens knocked out then-unbeaten Albert Batyrgaziev in four rounds to win a WBA minor title before being promoted to full status when Lamont Roach moved up in weight. Cacace has won three fights in the UK over former champions Joe Cordina, Josh Warrington, and Leigh Wood. 

Cacace is the bigger puncher, and Dickens has been stopped in four of his five losses, so I doubt that Dickens will stand up under Cacace's attack.

In the evening, the action shifts to Anaheim, California, for a junior welterweight main event between two solid contenders in Arnold Barboza and Kenneth Sims.

Barboza suffered his first defeat in his last outing, losing a unanimous decision to then-WBO champion Teofimo Lopez, while Sims lost a majority decision to Oscar Durarte.

Neither fighter is a big puncher nor especially aggressive, so this is a tactical match that might come down to which fighter can establish the jab.

Strawweight champion Oscar Collazo defends his WBA and WBO titles against seemingly overmatched Jesus Haro, who has only two knockouts in his thirteen wins.

Welterweight contender Alexis Rocha meets aging Joseph Diaz in a ten-round bout.

Both fighters were in excellent fights in their last event, Rocha with a draw against Raul Curiel, while Diaz lost a close decision to Regis Prograis.

Diaz looks to be a spent shell, so if Rocha has anything left, he should get the nod.

Boxing Challenge

WBA Junior Lightweight Title. 12 Rds 

James "Jazza" Dickens vs Anthony Cacace

Ramon Malpica: Dickens Unanimous Decision

TRS: Cacace KO 8

Vince Samano:

Junior Welterweights 12 Rds

Arnold Barboza vs Kenneth Sims

R.L: Sims Unanimous Decision

TRS: Barboza Majority Decision

Vince Samano:

WBA and WBO Strawweight Titles. 12 Rds

Oscar Collazo vs Jesus Haro

R.L: Collazo Unanimous Decision

TRS: Collazo KO 6

V.S:

Welterweights. 10 Rds

Alexis Rocha vs Joseph Diaz

R.L: Diaz Unanimous Decision

TRS: Rocha Unanimous Decision

V.S: 

Browns sign Jack Stoll

     The Cleveland Browns needed to add a veteran tight end after cutting ties with David Njoku, and it was expected to be a blocking specialist.

The expectation was correct as Cleveland signed veteran Jack Stoll to a one-year contract.

Stoll spent most of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles before playing for the New Orleans Saints last season.

Stoll caught six passes for forty-six yards and one touchdown for the Saints and is known for his blocking in his five NFL campaigns.

Stoll was signed by Philadelphia as an undrafted free agent from Nebraska in 2021.

Blocking tight ends are a dime a dozen, and are neither hard to replace nor difficult to let go of, so while there was a need for someone, whoever it was didn't really matter.

Two Guys named Jenkins

    The Cleveland Browns bulked up their offensive line with contracts with two guys named Jenkins, both of whom could possibly start depending on the positional alignment.

The new Jenkins is Elgton Jenkins, who was released by the Green Bay Packers after the season to ease their salary cap numbers.

The 30-year-old Jenkins was the Packers' second-round draft choice from Mississippi State in 2019 and made two Pro Bowls in 2020 and 2022.

Jenkins made those Pro Bowls as a guard but played last season at center, where he made nine starts before a season-ending leg fracture, and has played tackle earlier in his career.

Jenkins is rated as an average run blocker, but as one of the better pass blockers at center and guard.

Jenkins was signed to a two-year deal worth 24 million, 20 of which is guaranteed.

I don't know the Browns' plans for the starters, but they re-signed Tevin Jenkins, who started the final four games last season and graded out well at guard.

The alignment that would make the most sense would have Elgton Jenkins at center with Tevin Jenkins at one guard and fellow signee Zion Johnson at the other, but Elgton grades better at guard.

Andrew Berry has clearly targeted bringing in linemen who can play multiple positions along the line, which is a good idea when you are patching a line together from veterans from other teams.

With Tytus Howard at one tackle after being acquired from Houston, and hoping for the best from Dawand Jones at the other tackle for now, the Browns could be finished for now ( but don't rule another veteran out) until the draft.

I see Cleveland drafting a tackle no later than their second round draft pick (39th overall) and more likely with one of their two first rounders (six and twenty-four).

While the Browns have turned over their offensive line, they do have a few backups returning with KT Levinston, who struggled at tackle but I liked what I saw in limited action at guard, disappointing 2024 third rounder Zac Zinter, and backup center Luke Wypler, who was injured in the season finale.

Cleveland isn't finished with free agency yet, as they have other positions to address with a veteran wideout and a blocking tight end at the top of the list.

Browns sign Quincy Williams

      Just a few minutes after I wrapped up writing about the Cleveland Browns losing linebacker Devin Bush to the Chicago Bears and discussing the Browns' possible options at the position, the Browns announced their replacement, and this is one that I really like.

Cleveland signed Quincy Williams from the New York Jets for a reported two-year contract valued at seventeen million dollars.

Williams wasn't the impact player last season for the Jets under new head coach Aaron Glenn that he was in the previous two seasons under Robert Salah, but still finished with forty-five solo tackles and three and a half sacks in thirteen games.

New Browns defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg coached Williams in New York, and what Saleh ran (similarities with Jim Schwartz's scheme) should be close to Rutenberg's plans for the Browns.

Rutenberg was Williams's position coach in his best seasons, with Williams finishing with one hundred tackles in each of the four years, and an All-Pro selection in 2023.

Williams is more than a tackle accumulator and can be used effectively as a blitzer, earning twelve and a half sacks as a Jet. He is known for his range and ability in coverage, which should fit well with Carson Schwesinger as three down linebackers.

Williams will turn thirty in training camp and will enter his eighth year (two with Jacksonville, five with the Jets), but he looked good in the games I saw the Jets last season.

All in all, the Browns have signed a superior player (Williams over Devon Bush) at a cheaper rate (Bush signed for three years at ten million per year, Williams will cost eight and a half million per year for two).

I'm a big fan of this signing and think the Browns have done well here.

Browns sign Zion Johnson, lose Devin Bush

    The Cleveland Browns' rebuilding of their offensive line continued on the first day of free agency with the signing of guard Zion Johnson to a three-year contract worth 49.5 million, $32.4 million guaranteed.

Johnson spent the last four seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers after the Chargers selected him in the first round of the 2022 draft from Boston College.

Johnson played every snap for the Chargers last season except in the final game, when all starters were rested, so he's durable.

Johnson also excels in run blocking, but has struggled in pass protection, the inverse of the Browns' other veteran addition to the line, tackle Tytus Howard.

Johnson's fifth-year option wasn't picked up by the Chargers before last season, and he responded with the best season of his career, so this isn't the case of a player needing a second chance.

Johnson played left guard last season, but has played both guard positions, which could allow for the return of Joel Bitonio, should he decide to play one more season.

It's a bit of an overpay, as it usually is when teams need starting offensive linemen through free agency, but Johnson seems to be a player on the upswing.

Meanwhile, the Browns had hoped to keep linebacker Devin Bush, but the veteran signed with the Chicago Bears.

The three-year contract is valued at thirty million dollars, and while keeping Bush would have been nice, I don't blame the Browns here.

While Bush had the best season of his career last season with three interceptions (Two returned for touchdowns), two sacks, and over one hundred tackles, Bush has had off-the-field issues, and while the Browns have stated that they will play the same defensive scheme under new defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg as they did under Jim Schwartz, it's only natural to figure that some small changes (at least) are in store.

When a player such as Devin Bush excels in one system and has been pedestrian in others, I'm always hesitant to count on the same production when the coordinator changes.

Cleveland could take a linebacker on day three in the draft, sign a veteran in need of a new start (as was the case with Devin Bush), or they could attempt to re-sign veteran Jerome Baker and give him a chance to replace Bush.

Boxing Challenge: Zuffa Era begins with Opietaia win

   Jai Opietaia's victory over Brandon Glanton was as dominant as one could see, but it could be more significant for what happened outside the ring, as Opietaia was stripped of his IBF cruiserweight title before the bell rang.

In the ring, the bout was forgettable as Opietaia puffed up Glanton's eyes and forehead and did about everything a fighter could do short of scoring a knockdown.

Honestly, the fight could have been stopped in the corner of Glanton in the late rounds, and I would not have complained.

Glanton was penalized for holding and low blows, and somehow Opietaia was penalized for holding, which was the only thing preventing Opietaia from a perfect score with all three judges scoring the fight 119-106 for the Australian.

The real fun was outside the ring where despite paying the sanctioning fees, the IBF still took their title away in a snit over the Zuffa championship.

I'm no Zuffa apologist but this is all on the IBF.

Yes, Dana White (Zuffa head) has made his statement about the boxing status quo but their fighter (Opietaia) has made it clear that he wanted to unify all four titles, and they are trying to make that happen with their cooperation to date.

I could do without the Zuffa title but it's not a major problem yet.

There will be a showdown eventually but for now, Zuffa has played by the standard rules and deserves the recognition of being right.

Boxing Challenge

Ramon Malpica: 26 Pts (1)

Vince Samano: 24 Pts (1)

TRS: 22 Pts (1)

Boxing Challenge

       Only one fight in the boxing challenge, and it's a championship for now, but only until Jai Opietaia enters the ring.

Once he does, the IBF will strip him of their cruiserweight title and only the newly created Zuffa title will be at stake against top ten contender Brandon Glanton.

Cruiserweights,12 Rds 

Jai Opietaia vs Brandon Glanton

Ramon Malpica: Opietaia KO 7

TRS: Opietaia KO 10

Vince Samano: Opietaia KO 6.

Cleaning out the Inbox

     It's time for an inbox cleaning, and we start with a presenter who is about to pull a rare doubleheader in 2026.

Richard Deitsch (who does an excellent podcast) writes for Sports Business Journal about the excellent Premier League host, Rebecca Lowe.

Lowe, who covers the Premier League for NBC Sports, will also be working their Olympic coverage, but the special part comes with Lowe being loaned to Fox Sports for Fox's World Cup broadcasts.

The article covers Lowe's entire career and how she was months away from leaving the profession before being hired by NBC.

Your Mileage May Vary writes of the continuing drop-off in business for the South Carolina tourist attraction, South of the Border.

South of the Border is selling a portion of the facility, so if you have a spare 2.85 million lying around (and if you do, why haven't you offered some to us to go mainstream), you can help revive South of the Border!

MSN.com writes of an unexpected problem at the Winter Olympics- the medals are breaking!

Not the actual medal itself, but the small connector to the medal that allows fabric to go through a loop, allowing it to be worn.

The company that manufactured the medals for the games has offered to fix all medals with this issue.

The legend of Elvis Presley continues to survive, even almost forty-nine years after his death.

The recent release of "Epic- Elvis Presley in Concert" showcases fifty-nine new hours of live footage found stored in a Kansas salt mine.

The article digs deep into Elvis's past, especially how his image has consistently evolved with the times.

The recent ABA documentary on Amazon Prime (which I haven't seen yet) has returned the league to public attention, but what about the small Indiana company that sells the ABA ball?

Lana Sports is a father/son-owned business, and the documentary has caused the sales of the ABA ball to boom.

A percentage of the sales goes to the Dropping Dimes foundation, an organization that helps former ABA players who don't qualify for an NBA pension.

And yes, I own one of these- a mini ball that I won in a Twitter contest from Lana Sports! 

Cleaning out the Inbox: Passings

    The tributes never seem to stop, and this edition brings a top-class offering with one particularly sad story.

Goodbye to Doug Moe at the age of 87. 

Moe was an All-American at North Carolina when he was involved in a point shaving scandal, which he was later cleared of involvement, but he would never play in the NBA, although he would later receive a financial settlement.

Moe would play in the ABA for five seasons for the New Orleans Buccaneers, the 1968-69 champion Oakland Oaks, the Carolina Cougars, and the Virginia Squires before bad knees forced him from the game at thirty-three.

Moe played in three ABA All-Star games as a player before transitioning to coach as an assistant with boyhood friend Larry Brown with both Carolina and Denver before receiving his first head coaching position in 1976 with the San Antonio Spurs, where he would win two division titles in four years.

Moe would move to Denver in 1980, where he would make the playoffs in eight of his nine seasons, win two division titles, and win coach of the year in 1988.

Known for his high-scoring teams, Moe's teams often were rapped for lack of defense, and his final head coaching stop in Philadelphia in 1992 ended with a 19-37 record before he was fired.

Goodbye to Bo Lamar at the age of 74.

The leading scorer in NCAA basketball for Louisiana-Lafayette in the 1971-72 season and two-time first team All-American, Lamar averaged over thirty-one points per game for the Ragin Cajuns, and finished with 3,493 points for his career.

Lamar would be drafted with the first pick of the 1973 ABA draft by the San Diego Conquistadors and was named to the All-ABA team after averaging twenty points per game, which he would repeat in his second season with San Diego.

Lamar would play for Indiana in the ABA's final season after San Diego folded and for the Lakers in the first season after the NBA-ABA merger.

Lamar would be the radio analyst for Louisiana-Lafayette after his playing career.

Goodbye to Rondale Moore at the age of  25.

A second-round draft pick by the Cardinals from Purdue in the 2021 draft, Moore struggled with injuries in his three seasons in Arizona, but still caught 135 passes in those three years.

Moore was on the roster of Atlanta in 2024 and Minnesota in 2025, but didn't appear in a game due to injury.

Moore was a standout at Purdue in 2018 as a sophomore, catching 114 passes for over twelve hundred yards and twelve touchdowns, but would play in only seven games in his only two seasons with the Boilermakers. 

Moore was the key player in Purdue's famous 2018 upset of second-ranked Ohio State, catching twelve passes for 170 yards and two touchdowns in Purdue's 49-20 stunner.

Goodbye to Bobby Douglas at the age of 83.

An Olympic freestyle wrestler for the United States in 1964 and 1968, Douglas handed Dan Gable an 11-1 loss in the 1968 Olympic trials.

Douglas would later become the head coach at Iowa State, where he coached Cael Sanderson, and at Arizona State, where he would win his only national title as a coach in 1988.

Boxing Challenge: Navarrete nails Nunez

      Entering Saturday's junior lightweight title unification match in Glendale, Arizona, most believed it had fight-of-the-year potential, and while it may have fallen short of that status, it was an exciting scrap.

IBF champion Eduardo "Sugar" Nunez was a slight favorite at the start of the fight, but he gave away the first four rounds to WBO boss Emanuel Navarrete in a manner that one would expect from a fan rather than a champion.

An overly respectful Nunez fell behind and never caught up as the larger and more powerful Navarrete backed Nunez up, closed his right eye, and in the tenth, busted the swelling open in gruesome fashion and forced the fight to be stopped before the start of the eleventh round.

Navarrete was the bigger man, the bigger puncher, and for a fighter known for his eccentric style, Navarrete showed some skills that he hadn't in previous fights.

Nunez showed heart and a good chin, but this is the type of battering that can ruin careers, and it will be interesting to see how he performs in his next outing.

Navarrete is now likely to meet Charly Suarez in a WBO-mandated rematch.

Suarez cut Navarrete with a punch in their first fight, but the cut was ruled to be from a butt and would go to the scorecards with Navarrete winning a close technical decision in the eighth round.

Suarez's appeal was successful, and the fight was changed to a no-contest with a rematch ordered.

Suarez accepted step-aside money to allow Navarrete to unify against Nunez, so the rematch will either be next or Navarrete will give up the WBO belt.

In the other challenge bout, veteran Abel Ramos continued his late career comeback with a split decision win over formerly unbeaten Tahmir Smalls.

Smalls led early, Ramos took over late in an entertaining fight.

I had it closer than the judges (96-94 for Ramos) did: 98-92 and 97-93, with the dissenting judge for Smalls at 96-94.

Ramos will likely move into a welterweight eliminator, while Smalls didn't hurt himself in defeat.

Boxing Challenge

Ramon Malpica:  25 Pts(3)

Vince Samano: 23 Pts (0)

TRS: 21 Pts (1)

Browns acquire Tytus Howard from Houston

  The reconstruction of the Cleveland Browns' offensive line began today with a surprising trade with the Houston Texans (Sidebar: doesn't it seem like it's almost always the Texans or the Jacksonville Jaguars with whom the Browns trade?) to acquire Tytus Howard for a fifth-round draft pick in the upcoming draft.

Cleveland traded the fifth-rounder that they acquired from the Las Vegas Raiders for quarterback Kenny Pickett, which is the highest of the three fifth-rounders Cleveland owned before trading for Howard.

Here's the good and bad news on Tytus Howard.

The good news is that, from the Texans writers, Howard was the team's best offensive lineman last season, and Houston did make the playoffs, so he can't be awful.

The bad news is that, depending on the source, the Texans' offensive line was ranked between 24th and 27th, and they were especially poor as run blockers.

Howard had one year remaining on his contract (seventeen and a half million) but immediately signed a two-year extension with the offensive line- starved Browns, so the twenty-nine-year-old Howard is now under team control through the 2028 season.

Howard spent his entire career with Houston after the Texans drafted him in the first round of the 2019 draft (23rd overall) from Division 1-AA Alabama State. He has been durable, playing in 14 or more games in six of his last seven seasons, and is versatile enough to play either guard or right tackle.

Howard spent most of the 2025 season at left guard for Houston, but the early press on the trade mentions Howard as a right tackle, so it could be Howard's job to protect the flank of whoever is the Cleveland quarterback.

The Browns are forced to attempt to plug the offensive line holes (they literally could lose all five starters, unless you count Dawand Jones as a starter, who was injured early in the season) through free agency, trades, and the draft, and All-Pro linemen generally aren't available through the first two avenues.

This means usually teams in this predicament will be paying over value for average players, and I think that's what the Browns have done here.

They are bringing in an average tackle for the first pick in the fifth round and overpaying him a little, but I can't say I hate the move.

I could see the Browns getting through 2026 with Howard at tackle and then moving him inside to guard for the final two years of his contract, where he is better suited.

Boxing Challenge

    Only two fights in the boxing challenge this weekend, but the main event has the potential to be a fight of the year candidate in a unification pairing from Glendale, Arizona, on DAZN.

The junior lightweight battle between WBO champion Emanuel Navarrete and IBF boss Eduardo "Sugar" Nunez could be a match to remember between two hard punchers who aren't afraid to throw a high punch total at their opponent.

Navarrete has the superior resume, but in his last four fights, he has a 1-1-1 record with a no-contest in his last fight against Charly Suarez in a fight in which he was cut by a punch but was initially ruled a headbutt and declared a technical decision winner.

After a Suarez appeal, the fight was changed to a no-contest, and Suarez was ordered to receive an immediate rematch, but Suarez allowed the unification fight to take place for a fee and the right to fight the victor.

Nunez had won all twenty-nine of his victories by KO until his last two bouts, winning by decision in his title win over Masanori Rikishi and his first defense against Christopher Diaz in exciting contests.

This should be a great fight, and it's a 50/50 match with Navarrete having the better past, but Nunez may have the better present form.

The co-feature pits welterweight prospect Tahmir Smalls against former title challenger Abel Ramos.

Smalls fights his first world-class opponent while Ramos returns for the first time since his 2024 draw against Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight title, which is currently held by Ryan Garcia.

Boxing Challenge

Unification IBF-WBO Junior Lightweight Titles 12 Rds

Eduardo "Sugar" Nunez vs Emanuel Navarrete

Ramon Malpica and TRS: Navarrete Unanimous Decision

Vince Samano: Nunez KO 8

Welterweights. 10 Rds

Abel Ramos vs Tahmir Smalls

R.L: Ramos Split Decision
TRS and V.S: Smalls Unanimous Decision

Boxing Challenge: Russell retains, Hitchins drops out

    The undercard of the Ryan Garcia-Mario Barrios was supposed to feature two defenses of junior welterweight championships, but only one would be defended.

 In the scheduled co-feature, Richardson Hitchins claimed food poisoning combined with the IBF's re-hydration clause (in IBF title fights, the fighters must weigh in at ten pounds or less over the division limit on the day of the match) rendered him unable to defend the title as scheduled against Oscar Duarte.

The situation is muddled as the IBF could strip Hitchins and schedule a vacant title fight between their two contenders, Duarte and Lindolfo Delgado, or demand Hitchins fight his mandatory (Delgado) or face Duarte as planned.

Gary Antuanne Russell retained his WBA version of the 140-pound championship with a close and hard-fought unanimous decision over his mandatory challenger, Andy Hiraoka.

Russell was the busier fighter and built a sizable lead on the cards, but lost several rounds in the second half of the fight and held off the late rush of Hiraoka.

Hiraoka was deducted a point for a low blow in the tenth, which ended any hope of a comeback win.

Judges' scores for Russell were 117-111, 116-112, and 116-112, while I had Russell winning 115-112.

Former lightweight title challenger Frank Martin and Nahir Albright slugged for ten even rounds in a junior welterweight match.

So even, all three judges and I scored it the same, 95- 95, a draw.

It was an easy fight to score with Martin controlling the first half and Albright the second.

A rematch would be welcomed, but Martin is affiliated with PBC, as is Gary Antuanne Russell, and I wouldn't be surprised to see a Russell title defense against Martin.

In a super middleweight ten-rounder, Bektemir Melikuziev fought through a severe cut over his left eye to stop Sena Agbeko in the seventh round.

There were several head clashes between the two, and one caused the cut in the middle rounds.

Melikuziev scored a knockdown in the seventh, and after Agbeko rose, Melikuziev drove Agbeko into the ropes, forcing the referee to end the fight.

In Manchester, England, Leigh Wood dominated Josh Warrington in their junior lightweight rematch, winning a unanimous decision.

Boxing Challenge

Vince Samano: 23 Pts (5) 

Ramon Malpica: 22 Pts (4)
TRS: 20 Pts (2)

Boxing Challenge: Garcia dominates Barrios, Stevenson next?

   The boxing weekend's main event from Las Vegas wasn't an entertaining thriller, but it did return Ryan Garcia as a potential participant in future big fights and might have finally removed one of boxing's least talented champions from the scene.

I've been speaking for years about the mediocrity of Mario Barrios (and yes, I picked him to win, but my defense is Ryan Garcia sleepwalked through a loss to Rolando Romero, who is just as mediocre as Barrios in his last fight) and his title 'defense" draws against journeyman Abel Ramos and the ancient Manny Pacquiao didn't fill me with confidencce either.

The enigmatic Garcia has always been talented, but his form in borderline quitting against Gervonta Davis, his juiced-up "win" (later changed to a no-contest) against Devin Haney, and his walking down defeat to Rollie Romero made me wonder how much Garcia had left or what type of fighter would show up in Las Vegas.

Garcia sent Barrios down with a right hand in the first round and was never threatened thereafter, as neither his jab nor his right could miss Barrios.

I scored the fight 120-107, same as judge David Sutherland, with the remaining judges giving Barrios one and two rounds respectively

The victory gave Garcia his first world championship, the WBC welterweight title, and he immediately called out Shakur Stevenson, who recently defeated Teofimo Lopez for the WBO junior welterweight title, and that fight makes sense.

Garcia will always have the rematch against Devin Haney in his back pocket.

A Haney return would be a unification match (Haney recently won the WBO title from Brian Norman), that fight is viable at any time, IBF champion Lewis Crocker wouldn't be a draw in the USA, and while another rematch against WBA boss Rolando Romero would make sense, their first fight was very boring, with few lining up for an immediate second go.

And Stevenson doesn't have a big fight waiting in his division unless he wants to fight WBC champion Dalton Smith in the United Kingdom, which would be big there, not in America, so meeting Garcia would be a large payday for Stevenson.

I'm still lukewarm on Ryan Garcia's future, although this win is enough to keep him viable as a top name for a few more fights.

It just always seems that there's something with Garcia you can't count on. Despite his dominant win over Barrios, Garcia wasn't able to completely dispel that problem because of the disparity in talent between them.

Garcia-Stevenson only has one small issue, and it depends on how much Garcia values his new WBC belt.

Stevenson refused to pay the WBC a six-figure sum for "allowing" him to meet Lopez for the WBO title in another division and was stripped of his WBC lightweight title.

Stevenson claimed he will never fight for another WBC title, and it's a consideration, but this is boxing, and never is a word we never use!

The WBC wouldn't like that fight unless there was a change of heart from Stevenson, but I'm sure if Garcia was willing to pay the sanctioning fee, the organization could get past it, especially if there was a caveat that Garcia could keep the belt with a win and would become vacant should Stevenson grab the victory.

As for Mario Barrios, he's had a nice career filled with a world title and solid paychecks despite winning just one fight against a top opponent (Yordenis Ugas), and it would be nice to see him walk away.

Barrios will retain a name and will be a fighter in demand for young challengers and champions to add to their record book, but his days as a top boxer are over if he ever had them.

I'll be back next time with the undercard, a fight from England, and the unprofessional behavior of Richardson Hitchins, who was supposed to fight in the co-main event, only to drop out hours before his scheduled bout vs Oscar Duarte.

Boxing Challenge

Vince Samano: 18 Pts (0) 

Ramon Malpica: 18 Pts (0)
TRS: 18 Pts (0)

Boxing Challenge-Dragnet Edition

   WBC Welterweight Title. 12 Rds 

Mario Barrios vs Ryan Garcia

Ramon Malpica: Barrios Split Decision
TRS: Barrios Majority Decision

Vince Samano: Barrios Unanimous Decision

IBF Junior Welterweight Title. 12 Rds

Richardson Hitchins vs Oscar Durate

All: Hitchins Unanimous Decision

WBA Junior Welterweight Title 12 Rds

Gary Antuanne Russell vs Andy Hiroka

R.L: Russell KO 9

TRS: Hiroka Split Decision
V.S: Russell Unanimous Decision

Junior Welterweights. 10 Rds

Frank Martin vs Nahir Albright

All;: Martin Unanimous Decision

Super Middleweights 10 Rds

Bektimir Melikuziev vs Seka Agbeko

All: Melikuziev Unanimous Decision

Junior Lightweights 12 Rds

Leigh Wood vs Josh Warrington

R.L and V.S: Wood Unanimous Decision
TRS: Wood KO 10

Just how good was the Browns 2025 draft?

    The main reason Jimmy Haslam and the Cleveland Browns consistently give for retaining Andrew Berry is his tremendous 2025 draft.

After the mediocre drafts run by Berry before 2025, an average draft would look good, but how good was the 2025 draft for Cleveland?

Let's take a look:

Round One: Mason Graham (5th overall) Defensive Tackle, Michigan.

Graham was obtained with the pick from Jacksonville in the trade that dropped the Browns from fifth to second and included Jacksonville's 2026 first-rounder.

Graham started every game and dropped runners for losses seven times, but only notched four hits on the quarterback and finished with only a half-sack on the year.

If you are picking a defensive tackle fifth overall, you expect an impact player, and I'm not sure Graham is that type of player.

He may make a Pro Bowl or two, but I still think he was overdrafted.

Two excellent wide receivers had strong rookie seasons (Tetairoa McMillan to Carolina and Emeka Egbuka to Tampa Bay), and the Browns have the league's weakest receiving corps; they could have used either of those two.

Round Two: Carson Schwesinger LB, UCLA

This is where I give Andrew Berry his first good grade, as I was concerned about Schwesinger as the first pick in round two.

Schwesinger was the deserving defensive rookie of the year, finishing with sixty-seven solo tackles, two and a half sacks, and two interceptions in sixteen games.

Schwesinger has a motor that never stops, and is a player who is fun to root for.

If he doesn't become beaten down by the organization, Schwesinger could be a stalwart for a long time in Cleveland.

Round Two: Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ohio State

Judkins would have likely finished with over one thousand yards rushing if not for a late-season injury, but still finished with 827 yards and seven touchdowns as the person every defense focused on every week.

Judkins will be the main back for the Browns in 2026 and hopes to up his 2025 average of 3.6 yards per carry.

Round Three: Harold Fannin, TE, Bowling Green

This was the pick  I liked most after the draft, and another big hit for Andrew Berry.

Fannin caught 72 passes for over 700 yards and, as a rookie, was the only pass catcher Cleveland quarterbacks could depend on to catch the ball.

Fannin is still learning the position and has the type of potential to be a long-term standout.

Round Three: Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oregon

I hated this pick when the Browns made it, and even though it was an "extra" third-round pick (Obtained from Buffalo for Amari Cooper), the Browns gave it away.

Gabriel appeared in 10 games, throwing 7 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, but those numbers are deceiving, as he rarely threw the ball more than a yard or two downfield.

Two picks later, Atlanta chose Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts, who intercepted five passes and was a challenger to Carson Schwesinger as defensive rookie of the year.

A blown opportunity for the Browns, who now will either give Gabriel away before the draft, or he will have to beat someone out next season to be the third-stringer.

Round Four: Dylan Sampson, RB, Tennessee

Used as a pass-catching back (33 catches, 271 yards, and two touchdowns) more than as a runner (175 yards on 65 carries), Sampson didn't dazzle anyone in his playing time.

Rather than a second running back, Cleveland could have taken Iowa State tackle Jalen Travis, who showed promise for the Colts and could have been a starter for the Browns next year since all of their  2025 starters on the offensive line could be elsewhere.

Round Five: Shedeu Sanders, QB, Colorado,

Sanders showed occasional flashes of talent but just as often seemed lost against the speed of NFL play, and for all the touting about his accuracy, he completed fifty-six percent of his passes (nothing special) and threw ten interceptions against seven scores.

Sanders struggles against the pass rush, and while he needs to develop patience in the pocket, he never gives up on a play.

This was a low risk high reward selection, and while the jury is still out on Sanders being the long-term answer at quarterback, I'm in on giving him the chance to be the starter in 2026 to find out.

My scores are as follows

Home Runs: (2) Carson Schwesinger, Harold Fannin

Solid Base Hits: (1) Quinshon Judkins,

Base Hits: (2) Mason Graham, Shedeur Sanders

Meh: (1) Dylan Sampson

Strikeouts: (1) Dillon Gabriel.

That's a very good draft class with a chance of being excellent, if Mason Graham improves, and especially with development from Shedeur Sanders.

But I still wince at the selection of Dillon Gabriel, and taking Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders wasn't fair to either of their development.

Overall, give Andrew Berry credit, but I'll still have to see Berry do it again before I'm convinced the Browns are on the proper track.