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Britain’s Adelle Tracey beat compatriot Jemma Reekie by one hundredth of a second to win the women’s 800m at the USATF Grand Prix.

Laura Muir won the women’s 1500m in four minutes 01.54 seconds, finishing more than two seconds clear of second-placed Helen Schlachtenhaufen.

“I’ve never done a race gun to tape by myself. I know I’m in really good shape so I’m pleased,” said Muir.

“I wanted to try and run really hard right from the start. The wind was quite tough working by myself.”

Two-time British Olympian Eilish McColgan won the women’s 5,000m in 14 minutes 52.44 seconds, while American Isaac Updike ran the fastest time in the world this year to win the men’s 3,000m steeplechase in a personal-best eight minutes 17.74 seconds.

American six-time Olympic champion and 13-time world champion Allyson Felix, 35, finished seventh in the women’s 100m in 11.30 seconds, as she aims for Olympic qualification in the 200m.

American Trayvon Bromell won the men’s 100m in 10.01 seconds, with compatriot Noah Lyles second in 10.17.

Reigning Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas ran a world-leading time of 49.08 seconds to win the women’s 400m.

Fernando Tatis Jr. added juice to the Padres-Dodgers rivalry Saturday night by expertly trolling LA starter Trevor Bauer. Twice.

Tatis got his first chance when he led off the game with a home run against the right-hander at Dodger Stadium. As Tatis got between first and second base, he turned toward the Padres’ dugout and . . .

Well, see for yourself:

Yes, Tatis was letting everyone know that he remembered Bauer pitching with one eye closed against the Padres in spring training.

MORE: Tatis marks anniversary of dad’s feat with two HRs in LA

Bauer told reporters after that outing that he was having fun and testing himself.

“I figured if they can’t score off of me with one eye open, it will be difficult to score off me with two eyes open,” he said. “Just having a little bit of fun. There’s definitely a reason behind it. If I wanted to share, I would have already.”

Tatis had something else for Bauer after homering against him again in the sixth. As Tatis crossed home plate, he mimicked Bauer’s strut, which actually is Bauer paying homage to MMA star Conor McGregor.

Tatis told reporters after the Padres’ 5-4 loss that he was responding to what Bauer did to him when the teams met in San Diego last Sunday. Bauer screamed and pounded his chest in celebration after striking out Tatis.

Bauer, for his part, said he was fine with Tatis doing it and with hitters in general celebrating. Bauer’s response to a question about Tatis begins at 43 seconds in the video below.    

Saturday’s game marked the sixth meeting between the NL West clubs in the season’s first month. Each team has won three games. Game 7 will be Sunday in Los Angeles.

Posted on 04/25/2021

By: Hans Themistode

Christopher Diaz believed he was ready.

Following his one-sided decision loss at the hands of Shakur Stevenson roughly two years ago, Diaz not only reeled off two straight victories. Immediately following his latest win against Jason Sanchez, Diaz called for his shot at a world title. Answering the call was WBO belt holder Emanuel Navarrete.

At the Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee Florida, Navarrete put on an absolute show.

From the very beginning, it was clear that Diaz wanted to stick and move and use his boxing ability. While it may have allowed him to pick up enough wins to place him on the championship level, Navarette proved that he needed much more in his arsenal when facing him. The WBO belt holder easily dealt with the nonstop movement of Diaz, cutting off the ring and employing a steady jab throughout the opening frame. Unable to pick up any momentum on the offensive end, Diaz appeared content with watching the seconds go off the clock as he attempted to figure out his man.

Diaz continued to box and move in the following frame. He did, however, infuse a bit of offense into his defensive attack, landing a few nice right hands. But while he began to find success, Navarette quickly ended any hope he had with a barrage of punches.

Navarette was fully comfortable and confident in round four. He faked a jab, moved to his left and uncorked a left uppercut and down went Diaz as a result. He managed to make it back to his feet but quickly found himself kissing the pavement again, this time in the eighth. Unlike before, where it seemed as though Diaz was just fine once he rose to his feet, this time around, he visibly hurt. Navarette charged straight ahead and scored yet another knockdown. The prolific finisher found his man to be much more durable than past opponents as Diaz continued to fight on.

Down considerably on the scorecards at this point, Diaz abandoned his defensive approach and let his hands go. He found moments of success as he began out working the two-division belt holder. Still, it was a case of too little too late.

Navarette entered the final round with the win safely in his back pocket if he merely managed to stay upright. Unsatisfied with a decision victory, Navarette instead elected to put the pedal to the metal and look for the finish. He found exactly what he was looking for as Diaz hit the deck again. Ever the warrior, Diaz pulled himself back up to his feet again, only to be reeled back in by head trainer, Nelson Rodriguez, who requested to end the one-sided beating.

Shakur Stevenson has wanted to get a big fight for a while now, and he was tuned in as usual on Saturday night, seeing Emanuel Navarrete stop a very game Christopher “Pitufo” Diaz to retain his WBO featherweight title in Florida.

Stevenson (15-0, 8 KO) is the former WBO featherweight titlist, winning that belt in Oct. 2019 by beating Joet Gonzalez. He didn’t defend it — though he was meant to before COVID wrecked plans last year — and instead moved up to 130, chasing the man he felt avoided him at 126, Oscar Valdez.

Valdez, of course, is now considered the top dog at 130 after his upset win over Miguel Berchelt. And Stevenson also has eyes on WBO titleholder Jamel Herring. If Herring doesn’t sign a contract to fight the winner of Stevenson’s interim title fight with Jeremiah Nakathila on June 12, that will be for the vacant WBO belt.

But Shakur has another guy in mind now, too, and it’s Navarrete, saying he figures the Mexican two-division titlist wouldn’t avoid him as he feels others have done:

Navarrete (33-1, 28 KO) has designs on winning a world title in a third weight class, and admitted post-fight this evening that a move to 130 could come soon, if he can’t get a big name in the ring at featherweight. And the odds of Navarrete getting Gary Russell Jr or Leo Santa Cruz — two names he threw out — seem pretty low.

If Stevenson were to win the vacant WBO title June, or beat Herring for it later this year, that fight is very possible. Navarrete moving up would have the WBO right to take an immediate title shot, be it against Herring or Stevenson; right now, Stevenson has the mandatory order, at least if he beats Nakathila, should Herring not vacate. But Navarrete could await the winner.

Top Rank has other fighters at 130 — again, Herring and WBC titlist Oscar Valdez — but this is one we definitely could see by the end of 2021 or early in 2022, depending on how things shake out. Both guys want big fights. They would be a big fight for one another.

Posted on 04/24/2021

By: Hans Themistode

No matter what, Demond Nicholson was determined to not be Edgar Berlanga’s 17th straight first-round knockout win.

The highly touted super middleweight prospect began drawing comparison’s to a young Mike Tyson after he continued to bulldoze the competition. In the case of Nicholson, the fringe contender vowed to not only survive Berlanga’s early onslaught but also flat-out win.

Well, after sharing the ring with Berlanga earlier tonight, Nicholson (23-4-1, 20 KOs) got the first part of his prediction correct.

The boxing world watched closely as the opening bell rang. With the amount of attention Berlanga (17-0, 16 KOs) has received for ending all of his contests in the first round, there was reason to believe his streak would continue. For Nicholson however, he did everything in his power to stay upright during the opening frame.

While Berlanga landed several big shots, Nicholson never budged as he proved to be more durable than his record indicated. With Berlanga entering the second round for the first time in his young career, the deleterious knockout power he’s displayed carried into the frame as a hard shot sent Nicholson down to the canvas.

Although his legs were clearly not yet underneath him, Nicholson rose to his feet and continued to press on. As the frame came to an end, it was as if the rest of their contest was played on a perpetual loop. Berlanga would march forward at the beginning of every round as Nicholson attempted to play defense. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Berlanga would land a shot that would send Nicholson to another dimension.

Still, despite the ongoing punishment, Nicholson continued to rise to his feet and push the young prospect like never before. While he proved to be game, Berlanga easily cruised to a unanimous decision victory.