CANELO PREDICTS KO OF GGG
Canelo Alvarez is hurting after his first loss in nearly a decade, and he’s still angry about everything that’s happened during five years of fighting and arguing with
Gennady Golovkin.
Alvarez says he is determined to channel all of those bad feelings into a spectacular knockout win over Golovkin when they complete their rivalry trilogy on Sept. 17 in Las Vegas.
The Mexican superstar declared his third fight with Golovkin to be a grudge match Friday as they began promoting their showdown with a news conference in Hollywood. Alvarez (572-2, 39 KOs) was beaten in stunning fashion by light heavyweight
Dmitry Bivol seven weeks ago, but he guaranteed he will “definitely” punch the 40-year-old Golovkin into retirement by stopping him for the first time in his career.
“(It will be) so sweet,” Alvarez said. “For me, it’s going to be very satisfying because of everything that’s come around this fight.”
Alvarez’s personal dislike of Golovkin seemed awfully genuine, even while Golovkin (42-1-1, 37 KOs) downplayed any personal animus. The fighters stood noseto-nose and motionless on stage in Hollywood for nearly two full minutes before a fairly terse news conference.
Neither fighter can deny their rivalry has included years of trash talk, particularly after Canelo’s failed drug test in 2018, preceding the only loss of Golovkin’s career.
They’ve also met in two incredibly close fights that stand among the best moments of both fighters’ careers. The first bout in 2017 was ruled a split draw, while Alvarez won the rematch by a narrow majority decision.
NBA
Steve Clifford will become the next coach of the Charlotte Hornets, according to multiple reports, wrapping up an offseason saga in which the team agreed to hire Golden State Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson, who reneged, before it circled back to Clifford, 60. Clifford was first hired to coach the franchise in 2013, when the team was called the Bobcats.
• The Memphis Grizzlies announced the final pieces of their draft night trade sending guard
De’Anthony Melton to the Philadelphia 76ers for the draft rights to forward David Roddy and wing
Danny Green. Roddy, the Mountain West Player of the Year who led Colorado State to the NCAA Tournament, was the No. 23 overall pick.
Tennis
Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova advanced to her first grass-court final in four years by beating Beatriz Haddad Maia 7-6 (5), 6-4 at Eastbourne. Kvitova will face defending champion Jelena Ostapenko in the final. In the men’s event, third-seeded Taylor Fritz of San Diego will face
Maxime Cressy in the final. Fritz beat defending champion Alex de Minaur 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-3.
• Stefanos Tsitsipas advanced to the final of the Mallorca Championships after beating Benjamin Bonzi in straight sets. The second-seeded Tsitsipas will face
Roberto Bautista Agut after the Spaniard beat Antoine Bellier.
• Bianca Andreescu reached her first final in more than a year after Simona Halep withdrew ahead of their semifinal match at the Bad Homburg Open with a neck injury. She will play Caroline Garcia today.
Sports and courts
Chicago Police say Bears linebacker Matt Adams was arrested and charged with misdemeanor firearm possession Thursday evening. Adams, who signed with Chicago in April after spending his first four seasons in Indianapolis, also was cited for possessing a high-capacity magazine and metal-piercing bullets. Adams has a court date Aug. 24.
Soccer
Wayne Rooney resigned as Derby manager after 18 months in charge just as the club appeared to have sorted out its financial difficulties. The Manchester United and England star joined the team in January 2020 as player-coach.
Motorsports
Ryan Preece won for the second straight year at Nashville Superspeedway and gave David Gilliland Racing its second consecutive NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory.
• Top Fuel points leader Brittany Force broke both ends of the Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park track record to open qualifying for the NHRA Nationals event in Ohio. In the final pair of the second session, Force had a 3.666-second run at 333.08 mph — the quickest and fastest run in the facility’s history.
Also
The International Olympic Committee decided not to add a women’s Nordic combined event to the 2026 Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, a devastating setback for dozens of women who have dedicated their lives to the event and a potentially fatal blow to one of the original Winter Olympic competitions.
• Link Jarrett is the new head baseball coach at Florida State after his three-year run as Notre Dame coach ended in the College World Series.