Fury re-retires 3 days after talk of comeback
Tyson Fury decided to “walk away” from boxing, only three days after saying he was returning to the sport.
Fury turned 34 on Friday and posted a message on social media saying: “Massive thanks to everyone who had an input in my career over the years & after long hard conversations (I've finally) decided to walk away & on my 34th birthday I say Bon voyage.”
That seemingly puts Fury back into retirement, after he announced on Tuesday that he was returning to boxing in order to set up a fight against Derek Chisora, a fellow Briton whom he beat twice early in his career.
That announcement had sparked speculation that Fury, the reigning WBC heavyweight champion, was targeting a possible unification bout against the winner between Oleksandr Usyk, the reigning WBA, IBF and WBO title-holder, and Anthony Joshua, who are fighting on Aug. 20 in Saudi Arabia.
Fury did not give a reason for his apparent change of heart.
The undefeated Fury initially said after his win over Dillian Whyte at Wembley Stadium in April that he was retiring from the sport.
MOTORSPORTS
Wallace gets extension
Bubba Wallace locked down his future with 23XI Racing and now is eyeing a spot in NASCAR's playoffs for the first time in his career.
Wallace and 23XI announced a multiyear contract extension that keeps Wallace in the No. 23 Toyota that was the foundation of Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan's race team. The organization was launched around the only Black driver competing at NASCAR's top level and the many partners Wallace signed in 2020 when he became a central figure in the national reckoning on racial and social justice issues.
“It feels great to get this renewal done and to know I have a home at 23XI Racing,” Wallace said. “Thanks to M.J. and Denny for continuing to believe in me. We've come a long way together in less than two years and we've checked off some major goals along the way. We know we still have work to do, both on and off the race track, but I feel good about our team and the direction we're heading.”
Wallace had no intention of testing the free agent market because he believes his only future in NASCAR is with 23XI.
“I thought from Day 1 on joining this team that I wanted to make this where I retire and a place that I call home for a very long time,” Wallace said. “I'm just trying to do the best that I can and continue those efforts.”
The team expanded this season to add a second car, with veteran Kurt Busch as Wallace's teammate. Busch will miss his fourth consecutive race on Sunday with concussion-like symptoms, which has put his playoff berth in jeopardy.
At the same time, Wallace is clawing toward his own spot in the 16-driver field. Wallace has never before made the Cup Series playoffs and heads into Sunday's race at Richmond ranked a career-best 19th in the standings.
He's coming off his first pole of the season last week at Michigan International Speedway and then a second-place finish that left him nearly in tears over falling just short of his second career win.
“We haven't had the best season, but we've been able to turn it around and really shown what we are capable of these last handful of races,” Wallace said. “We know the urge to win is high and I thought that was the best opportunity that we had all year long, and just me replaying the last restart and wondering what could I have done different?
“I am in a much better place today; I see how incredible our team performed ... to put us in that position. So lots to be happy for and grateful for, but in that moment, the sign of defeat got me there for a second.”
Wallace has four consecutive finishes of eighth or better, but he needs a victory in the remaining three regular-season races to get into the playoffs.
Details of the contract were not reported.
• Mike Salinas led Top Fuel qualifying in the NHRA Nationals at Heartland Motorsports Park in Topeka, Kan. Salinas had a 3.754-second run at 323.19 mph on the final pass. He has four event victories this season.
Bob Tasca III led in Funny Car, Greg Anderson in Pro Stock and Joey Gladstone in Pro Stock Motorcycle.
SOCCER Messi not a candidate for Ballon d'Or
Seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi was omitted from the 30-man list of nominees for the prestigious award for the first time since 2005.
The Argentine great edged out Poland striker Robert Lewandowski for the Ballon d'Or last year but wasn't nominated this time after an underwhelming first season at Paris Saint-Germain.
The 35-year-old forward also won the prize in 2019 — it was not held in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Neymar also missed the cut this time.
Lewandowski, Kylian Mbappé, Karim Benzema, Erling Haaland and fivetime winner Cristiano Ronaldo were all included, as were Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mané, Kevin De Bruyne, Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.
Alexia Putellas, Ada Hegerberg, Sam Kerr and Vivianne Miedema were on the list of 20 female nominees. United States players Alex Morgan, Catarina Macario and Trinity Rodman were also named.
The men's list features six Manchester City players: Phil Foden, Joao Cancelo, De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez, Bernardo Silva, and new signing Haaland (formerly Borussia Dortmund).
Liverpool also has six nominees: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Luis Diaz, Fabinho, Darwin Nunez, Salah and Virgil van Dijk.
Mané, who helped Senegal win its first African Cup before leaving Liverpool for Bayern Munich, is included, as is Bayern teammate Joshua Kimmich.
Benzema leads a group of six Real Madrid players. The others are Casemiro, Thibaut Courtois, Luka Modric, Vinicius Junior and new signing Antonio Rudiger.
The other nominated players are Sébastien Haller (Ajax), Rafael Leao and Mike Maignan (both of AC Milan), Christopher Nkunku (Leipzig), and Dusan Vlahovic (Juventus).
The award will be presented on Oct. 17.
Among changes announced in March, the award is now being awarded based on performances over the course of a regular European season, rather than a calendar year. A reduction in the number of voters was among other changes, with the goal of streamlining the process. Voters also will no longer consider a player's career accomplishments.
France Football magazine has given out the award to men every year since 1956 and to women each year since 2018 — when Hegerberg became the first female winner — though both were canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic.
Putellas became the third winner of the women's award last year. Her Barcelona and Spain teammate Aitana Bonmati was also nominated.
Millie Bright, Lucy Bronze and Beth Mead — who helped England win the European Championship — were included.
France has four players on the list: Selma Bacha, Kadidiatou Diani, Marie-Antoinette Katoto and Wendie Renard.
The other nominated women are Christiane Endler, Lena Oberdorf, Asisat Oshoala, Alexandra Popp and Fridolina Rolfo.
TENNIS Halep sweeps Gauff in Toronto semifinals
Two-time champion Simona Halep beat Coco Gauff 6-4, 7-6 (2) to reach the National Bank Open semifinals in Toronto.
Halep, the 30-year-old from Romania, won the event in Montreal in 2016 and 2018. She will face seventh-seeded Jessica Pegula, a 6-3, 6-3 winner over Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan.
The 15th-seeded Halep is 4-0 against the Gauff, the 18-year-old American seeded 10th.
In the night session, Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil ousted 12th-seed Belinda Bencic of Switzerland 2-6, 6-3, 6-3, and 14th-seeded Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic played Zheng Qinwen of China.
• Novak Djokovic pulled out of next week's hardcourt tournament in Cincinnati because he has not gotten any COVID-19 vaccine shots and so is not allowed to travel to the United States.
That is also why Djokovic is not expected to be able to enter the U.S. Open, the year's last Grand Slam tournament, which begins in New York on Aug. 29.
• Fourth-seeded Casper Ruud of Norway routed hometown favorite Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-1, 6-2 in the National Bank Open quarterfinals in Montreal.
Ruud will face eighthseeded Hubert Hurkacz of Poland, a 7-6 (4), 6-7 (5), 6-1 winner over Nick Kyrgios of Australia. Britain's Daniel Evans beat American Tommy Paul 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, and Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta topped British qualifier Jack Draper 7-6 (4), 6-1.