Tyson Fury answers Stipe Miocic’s challenge: ‘after I get Wilder out of the way’

Heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury said he’d be willing to fight UFC’s Stipe Miocic after Fury’s rematch with Deontay Wilder.

Undefeated former heavyweight boxing champion of the world Tyson Fury has accepted Stipe Miocic’s challenge and says he’d be happy to face the UFC heavyweight champ – inside the boxing ring.

Miocic (19-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) told ESPN on Monday that he had turned his sights from a trilogy bout with Daniel Cormier to a matchup with Fury (29-0-1 boxing), saying he’d be interested to face the 6-foot-9 Brit in the octagon or the boxing ring.

And, in an interview conducted by his management team MTK Global, Fury formally accepted the challenge and said he’d happily face Miocic in a boxing match a little further down the line, once he has dealt with his unfinished business with heavyweight titleholder Deontay Wilder.

“Stipe says he wants to box me; that would be a good fight for sure,” Fury said. “After I get Wilder out of the way, I’ll fight Stipe in a boxing match if he wants it. It would be a big crossover fight like Mayweather and McGregor.”

Fury has a return to the ring penciled in for February 2020 and hopes that Wilder will agree to face him in a rematch of their epic December 2018 clash that finished in a hotly-disputed split draw in Los Angeles. But, once Fury has faced “The Bronze Bomber” again, he said he’d be interested in a potential matchup with Miocic.

“I’m open to that fight, so he should come and see me,” Fury said. “It would be the same outcome for any of them: They’ll all get smashed.”

Fury’s comments made clear that he’d be looking to face Miocic under boxing rules, rather than the Unified Rules of MMA, but that doesn’t mean Fury has no respect for the sport. Indeed, he spent some time cracking the pads as he worked his elbows, knees and sprawls with Darren Till at the Liverpudlian’s training base at Kaobon Gym last week.

“It was exciting training with Darren Till and we get on like a house on fire,” said Fury, who shares the same management company with Till.

“He put me through a hard training session, and it was really good.”

Dwayne Haskins is more comfortable, and ready to be a starting QB in the NFL

After being moved to the QB1 spot, Haskins admits that he is much more comfortable, and his demeanor shows that he’s ready to be a leader.

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We’ve seen rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins take the field before for the Washington Redskins, and every time he did, it didn’t go very well. So when he trots out to the hashes on Sunday to face the New York Jets in his second career start, what will make this time different? Why should fans have boosted expectations?

Repetition and comfortability, straight from the QBs mouth.

When speaking to the media on Wednesday morning, Haskins said that having the experience of live reps in the offense has improved his comfortability immensely, and given him a great deal of confidence going forward.

The truth is, the spotlight is now focused solely on Haskins, as he has been named the starting QB for the rest of the season in Washington. Though, as a first-round signal-caller, the spotlight has always been on him, it’s now brighter than ever going forward. He seems to understand that and has been trying to bring more accountability and leadership with him each day at practice.

If you still have low expectations for the rookie on Sunday when he takes the field against the Jets, nobody can blame you. But things seem to be different this time around; Haskins is carrying himself with the demeanor of a starting QB in the NFL. We’ll just have to wait and see if that shows itself on the field on Sunday.

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Sean McDermott shows frustration, abruptly leaves presser

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott displayed some rare frustrations in front of the camera on Wednesday.

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Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott displayed some rare frustration in front of the camera on Wednesday ahead of his team’s game against the Miami Dolphins in Week 11.

It’s no secret that the Bills have a better defense than offense. The defense is the NFL’s third-best, while the offense ranks No. 23 out of 32 teams.

The Bills’ bench boss was asked about any frustrations he may have with how the offense looks so far. After answering numerous questions about the unit, McDermott abruptly, for his standards, ended his press conference early.

“Am I concerned with… am I concerned with, the success of our offense?” McDermott responded when asked about his level of frustrations with the unit. “Move the ball, score points. If we don’t do that, I’m frustrated… Simply put.”

The press conference was then over at about nine minutes in length. McDermott walked away without fielding another question after this answer when such press conferences tend to last in the 15-20-minute range.

Here’s McDermott shutting things down via WKBW-TV:

While not quite a Herm Edwards’ “you play to win the game,” or Dennis Green’s “they are what we thought they were,” this isn’t usually the calm, cool, and collected public relations wizard the Bills have as their coach. A full video of the interview shows McDermott asking for the question to be more specific.

McDermott also was asked to compare Josh Allen and Tyrod Taylor, who McDermott decided to move on from. The coach wouldn’t do that, and it’s worth noting that Taylor was 11-9 in his last 20 starts with the Bills. Allen is 11-9 in his first 20.

Everyone can have their opinion on Allen or Taylor, but one thing seems for certain: McDermott wasn’t happy with the line of questioning.

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Rockets two-way rookie Chris Clemons dropped 24 in G League debut

With the Rockets off, Clemons got some work in with the Vipers after finishing with eight assists and seven 3-pointers in the loss.

Houston Rockets two-way rookie Chris Clemons recorded 24 points in his G League debut with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers Tuesday night in a 122-112 loss to the Santa Cruz Warriors.

With the Rockets off, Clemons got some work in with the Vipers after finishing with eight assists on 7-of-17 shooting from 3-point range. His seven 3-pointers are tied for the second-most by an individual player in a game this season.

Signed to a two-way contract, the undrafted Clemons will spend the majority of the season in the G League though his services in the NBA may be needed a bit longer. He has already appeared in four games this season with the Rockets and, with Eric Gordon expected to miss six weeks with a knee injury, could see his playing time increase in the coming weeks.

The Rockets may also need to lean on Clemons a bit more if they decide to rest Russell Westbrook on select nights. He rested on the second night of a back-to-back on Nov. 4 and could sit Saturday against the Minnesota Timberwolves in another back-to-back situation.

In any case, Clemons is a player that can step in and provide a scoring punch off of the bench. In his NBA debut on Nov. 3, he recorded 16 points in a blowout loss to the Miami Heat. He knocked down four 3-pointers and showed he is capable of helping the team in the future.

Clemons is back with the Rockets as they face the Clippers on Wednesday.

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Who are Three Defensive Players to Watch when Wisconsin Travels to Nebraska?

Badgers who could play an important role in Wisconsin’s success against Nebraska. Zack Baun OLB, Keeanu Benton NT, Caesar Williams CB

Here are three defensive players for the Badgers who could play an important role in Wisconsin’s success against Nebraska:

1) Zack Baun, OLB

In the win over Iowa, Baun finished the game with six tackles but for the first time this year, he failed to make either a tackle for loss or register a sack. In order for Wisconsin’s defense to have success in defending Adrian Martinez and Nebraska’s offense, he can’t afford to have another game where he doesn’t make a play in the backfield. Nebraska is allowing 2.2 sacks over conference play, and Baun will have a chance of being able to make a play in the backfield if he can keep containment of Martinez. That’s easier said than done, considering Martinez’s 399 rushing yards leads the team. Even if Baun can’t register a sack, he still has the ability to speed up Martinez’s decision making or force him to throw the football away. Martinez has shown he’s a threat with his legs, but he also has two capable playmakers in wide receivers JD Spielman and Wan’Dale Robinson, who can beat Wisconsin’s secondary for a big play.

2) Keeanu Benton, NT

Wisconsin will have a chance of limiting Martinez if they are capable of creating rushing lanes for Wisconsin’s linebackers to create pressure in the backfield. That will begin with Benton and him getting the better push. Despite being a true freshman, Benton has been able to hold his own throughout the season. Thanks to his wrestling background and him being a standout wrestler for Janesville Craig High School, he understands leverage as it has also allowed him to shed his blocker and register three tackles for loss and one sack on the season thus far.

3) Caesar Williams, CB

Outside of limiting the success Martinez has on offense, the Badgers defense will need to be ready to defend wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson if he’s available to play. Robinson left the Purdue game two weeks ago with an injury and he might not play the Cornhuskers on Saturday. If Robinson can go, he has shown to be a threat in not only catching the football, but also rushing it too. Robinson has 453 receiving yards on 40 receptions, which leads the team. He also has rushed for 326 yards on 85 carries. If Robinson can’t go, it will take away one of Nebraska’s most consistent playmakers on offense. The Cornhuskers do have JD Spielman who they can rely on in the passing game, as he has caught 35 passes for 689 yards. Williams’ ability to make plays on the football as he has four pass breakups on the year will go a long way in helping slow down Nebraska’s passing attack that’s averaging 208.3 yards over Big Ten play.

Bye week drops Texans in Week 11 USA TODAY NFL power rankings

The Houston Texans dropped a couple spots over the bye week in the USA TODAY NFL power rankings for Week 11.

The Houston Texans took Week 10 off as they recovered from their trip to London to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 26-3 and also gear up for the last seven games of the season. As such, it had an impact in the power rankings.

According to Nate Davis of USA TODAY, the Texans dropped from No. 5 to No. 8 overall over their bye week.

If Deshaun Watson and Lamar Jackson can replicate fireworks from their 2016 college showdown, then Houston-Baltimore will be game of the week.

Compared to the rest of the AFC South, there are no other teams near the top-10. The Indianapolis Colts are at No. 14 after their loss to the Miami Dolphins, and the Tennessee Titans rose from a previous ranking of 24 up to 18 thanks to their 35-32 win over the Kansas City Chiefs. The Jaguars saw no change as they still hold No. 20.

The Texans travel to Baltimore to take on the Ravens at 12:00 p.m. CT from M&T Bank Stadium.

Super 25 Volleyball Rankings: Week 12

The latest Super 25 Volleyball Rankings have been released… There’s a new team atop the Super 25 Volleyball Rankings this week… Byron Nelson (Trophy Club, Texas) has dominated as of late, and now it’s the No. 1 team in the Super 25. The Bobcats’ Paige Flickinger was a Midseason ALL-USA select. There’s also a new No. 2 team in the country… Torrey Pines (San Diego) came in at No. 2 after notching its record to 36-2. Benet Academy (Lisle, Illinois) is in at No. 11 this week. After putting together a very strong season, Padua Franciscan’s (Parma, Ohio) lost in the state final. Padua Franciscan dropped from No. 1 to No. 12 this week. Marymount (Los Angeles) came in at 16 this week. Cathedral Catholic (Los Angeles) was No. 17. Want to see what else happened? Go to usatodayhss.com.

The latest Super 25 Volleyball Rankings have been released… There’s a new team atop the Super 25 Volleyball Rankings this week… Byron Nelson (Trophy Club, Texas) has dominated as of late, and now it’s the No. 1 team in the Super 25. The Bobcats’ Paige Flickinger was a Midseason ALL-USA select. There’s also a new No. 2 team in the country… Torrey Pines (San Diego) came in at No. 2 after notching its record to 36-2. Benet Academy (Lisle, Illinois) is in at No. 11 this week. After putting together a very strong season, Padua Franciscan’s (Parma, Ohio) lost in the state final. Padua Franciscan dropped from No. 1 to No. 12 this week. Marymount (Los Angeles) came in at 16 this week. Cathedral Catholic (Los Angeles) was No. 17. Want to see what else happened? Go to usatodayhss.com.

Super 25 Volleyball Rankings: Week 12

The latest Super 25 Volleyball Rankings have been released… There’s a new team atop the Super 25 Volleyball Rankings this week… Byron Nelson (Trophy Club, Texas) has dominated as of late, and now it’s the No. 1 team in the Super 25. The Bobcats’ Paige Flickinger was a Midseason ALL-USA select. There’s also a new No. 2 team in the country… Torrey Pines (San Diego) came in at No. 2 after notching its record to 36-2. Benet Academy (Lisle, Illinois) is in at No. 11 this week. After putting together a very strong season, Padua Franciscan’s (Parma, Ohio) lost in the state final. Padua Franciscan dropped from No. 1 to No. 12 this week. Marymount (Los Angeles) came in at 16 this week. Cathedral Catholic (Los Angeles) was No. 17. Want to see what else happened? Go to usatodayhss.com.

The latest Super 25 Volleyball Rankings have been released… There’s a new team atop the Super 25 Volleyball Rankings this week… Byron Nelson (Trophy Club, Texas) has dominated as of late, and now it’s the No. 1 team in the Super 25. The Bobcats’ Paige Flickinger was a Midseason ALL-USA select. There’s also a new No. 2 team in the country… Torrey Pines (San Diego) came in at No. 2 after notching its record to 36-2. Benet Academy (Lisle, Illinois) is in at No. 11 this week. After putting together a very strong season, Padua Franciscan’s (Parma, Ohio) lost in the state final. Padua Franciscan dropped from No. 1 to No. 12 this week. Marymount (Los Angeles) came in at 16 this week. Cathedral Catholic (Los Angeles) was No. 17. Want to see what else happened? Go to usatodayhss.com.

The entire article was brief, …

The entire article was brief, straightforward and, yet, extremely bold. Silver was the first acting commissioner of a major U.S. sports league to come out in support of legalized sports betting. In 437 words, he pivoted the NBA’s long-held public opposition to sports betting and ignited a discussion about a taboo subject for all professional leagues. “I think it was ground-breaking,” Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said of Silver’s op-ed in an email to ESPN. “Leagues for decades were hypocritical about gaming, pretending it doesn’t exist. Adam ended that hypocrisy.”

Behind the scenes, though, the leagues …

Behind the scenes, though, the leagues were studying the issue, preparing for the day when more states would offer sports betting. Former NBA commissioner David Stern believes Silver’s op-ed had an enormous impact on the other leagues’ approaches to the issue and was very influential overall in the movement toward expanded legal sports betting. “It indicated that the horse was about to leave the barn and it would be smart to jump on your own horse and follow along,” Stern said. “And they did.” “It was critical,” added Cuban. “Prior, those in favor of gaming expected pro sports to fight back. With the hypocrisy gone, the legal steps could move forward.”