This Thursday, March 16, at Place Bell in Laval, Canada, former light heavyweight world champion Jean Pascal will fight German contender Michael Eifert in a 12-round IBF light heavyweight world title eliminator.
Starting at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, undercard and Pascal-Eifert fights will be exclusively streamed live on ESPN+ in the United States. This occasion is advanced by DiBella Amusement, in relationship with Groupe Yvon Michel and Jean Pascal Advancements, and in a joint effort with Blanko Sports and SES Games GmbH.
WHAT TIME IS PASCAL VS. EIFERT? Date: Thursday 16, March Start time: 6:00 p.m. ET / 10:00 p.m. GMT Main event ringwalks (approx): 9:00 p.m. ET / 1:00 a.m. GMT Viewers in the US can watch the event live on ESPN+ The fight will take place at the Place Bell, Laval, Quebec, Canada. The main card is set to get underway at 6:00 p.m. ET / 10:00 p.m. GMT with the main event ringwalks scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET / 1:00 a.m. GMT.
Pascal (36-6-1, 20 KOs) caught his most memorable world title in 2009 when he crushed Adrian Diaconu for the WBC title. He participated in three defenses, including a 2010 stoppage victory over Chad Dawson. The following year, Pascal lost to Bernard Hopkins for the title, but he continued to be a force in the division by winning matches against Lucian Bute, Yunieski Gonzalez, Marcus Browne, Badou Jack, and Sergey Kovalev, Eleider Alvarez, and Dmitry Bivol. The 40-year-old is coming off a decision win over Fanlong Meng, who had never lost a fight before. Eifert made his debut in 2018 and went 11-1 with 4 knockouts. In 2020, he lost by majority decision to Tom Dzemski. Since that one defeat, he has gone 5-0, including a decision victory over Dzemski in their rematch in July 2021.
In other streaming action from Canada: Junior welterweight Mathieu Germain (21-2-1, 9 KOs) looks to build off a three-fight win streak in a 10-rounder against fellow Canadian Steven Wilcox (24-3-1, 7 KOs). Last June, the 33-year-old shut out then-unbeaten prospect Misael Cabrera Urias.
Italian welterweight standout Yoel Angeloni (1-0) looks to make it 2-0 against Alexander Calixto (1-1, 1 KO) in a four-rounder.
Irish light heavyweight Joseph Ward (8-1, 4 KOs) returns in an eight-round bout against undefeated Mexican prospect Mario Andrade Rodriguez (7-0, 4 KOs). Ward is coming off a decision win against Fred Julan last December.
Former world title challenger Jessica Camara (10-3, 2 KOs) faces Karla Ramos Zamora (9-9-1, 2 KOs) in a 10-rounder for the IBF International junior welterweight title. Camara lost in a bid for the unified junior welterweight crown in November 2021, but the 34-year-old is coming off two stoppage wins last year.
Caroline Veyre (2-0) and Anaelle Angerville (5-1-1) will collide in a featherweight clash scheduled for six rounds.
Undefeated bantamweight Amanda Galle (7-0-1, 1 KO) will take on Mexico’s Lorena Cruz Aispuro (4-2) in an eight-round clash.
Plus Undefeated Tahmir Smalls, Ibrahim Robinson, Jalique Holden, Ali Ellis and Dwyke Flemmings Jr.; Undefeated Kamil Bednarek Battles Mike Guy; Plus Philly Favorites Quadir Albright and James Martin
PHILADELPHIA – On Friday, April 7 at The 2300 Arena in Philadelphia, unbeaten junior lightweight prospect Julian “Gifted” Gonzalez will take on tough Clay Burns in the main event.
King’s Promotions promotes the card.
Gonzalez, from Reading, Pennsylvania, has a 9-0-1 record, with all of his victories coming via stoppage. The 21-year-old impressed a national television audience by defeating Rosalindo Morales (9-0) in the fourth round as part of a SHOBOX: The New Generation concert in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, on January 20.
Burns of Fort Worth, Texas, has four knockouts and a record of 10-17-2. The tough Burns has defeated Yovani Rodarte (10-1-1) and Dartell Smith (4-1) and has only been stopped once. On February 23, Burns lost by decision to Terrell Bostic in New York City. Gonzalez will be the thirteenth undefeated rival for Consumes.
Tahmir Smalls (9-0, 6 KOs) of Philadelphia will face an unnamed opponent in an eight-round welterweight fight.
Six-Round Battles:
In a super middleweight fight, experienced Mike Guy (12-7-1, 5 KOs) of Sacramento, California takes on Poland’s Kamil Bednarek (11-0, 6 KOs).
In a welterweight fight, Quaidir Albright of Chester, Pennsylvania (6-1, 6 KOs) takes on David Thomas of Orange, Texas (6-5-1, 2 KOs).
In a fight at super welterweight, Philadelphia’s James Martin (9-3-1) takes on Camp Hill, Pennsylvania’s Roudly Lolo (5-0-2, 3 KOs).
In a welterweight fight, Ibrahim Robinson of Baltimore, Maryland (4-0-1, 4 KOs) takes on Jahqwon Humbert of Raleigh, North Carolina (2-0, 1 KO).
Jalique Holden, a Wilmington, Delaware, featherweight, will fight for four rounds; Dwyke Flemmings Jr., a super welterweight from Paterson, New Jersey, defeated heavyweight Ali Ellis of Philadelphia (1-0, 1 KO) in the first round.
Holden, Ellis, and Flemmings’ opponents will soon be named.
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Few contending teams are as uneasy as the Phoenix Suns with just a few weeks left in the NBA regular season.
The Phoenix Suns’ journey continues on Thursday when they take on the visiting Orlando Magic, who have lost two of their last three games.
Phoenix has dropped three straight following a four-game series of wins. The Suns are 1-3 since star Kevin Durant hyper-extended his left lower leg during pregame warmups on Walk 8. The 13-time Top pick will be rethought in around fourteen days.
Phoenix has struggled to consistently score outside of Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton since Durant has been sidelined. In Tuesday’s 116-104 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, the pair scored 46 points together.
Phoenix is fourth in the Western Conference with a record of 37-32, but without Kevin Durant, the team’s identity is still a mystery.
Phoenix has attempted to safeguard the 3-point shot in its last three games, and furthermore needs additional creation from job players Josh Okogie, Torrey Craig, Ish Wainright and Terrence Ross. In the defeat against Milwaukee, the group put up a total of 22 points.
Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way for the Bucks’ 24-9 run to win the game. With 36 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists, the two-time MVP finished.
Phoenix is attempting to avenge Orlando’s 114-97 defeat on November 11, when the Suns shot just 13 of 42 attempts (31% from three-point range).
The San Antonio Spurs, who made a franchise-high 22 3-pointers and had a season-high 39 assists, started Orlando’s four-game road trip on Tuesday with a 132-114 defeat.
The Magic, who have lost five of their last seven games, were led by 27 points from Paolo Banchero and 16 from Wendell Carter Jr. for the Magic. For a spot in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament and 10th place, Orlando is four games behind the Washington Wizards.
San Antonio, which shot 56.5 percent from the field and 22 of 41 (53.7 percent) from beyond the arc, has defeated the Magic in 21 of their last 27 meetings.
Orlando, which is 12-22 on the road, has seen Cole Anthony score 15.4 points per game in seven games this month.
With their victory on Tuesday, the Milwaukee Bucks became the first NBA team to secure a playoff spot. On Thursday, they play host to the Indiana Pacers, who are attempting to earn a play-in spot, at home.
The Bucks defeated the Phoenix Suns 116-104 on the second night of a road doubleheader, largely due to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s close to triple-double: Eight rebounds, 36 points, and 11 rebounds.
When Antetokounmpo plays in both games, the Bucks are now 9-1 when they play in consecutive games. Jrue Holiday had 12 points and five assists, and Bobby Portis and Jae Crowder each scored 11 off the bench. Brook Lopez had 21 points and 10 rebounds. Jrue Holiday had 12 points and 5 assists.
After defeating the Pistons 121-115 on Saturday, Indiana is coming off a road loss to the Detroit Pistons on Monday night by a score of 117-97. In his 11th game with Indiana, Jordan Nwora scored 20 points to lead the Pacers.
In the massive four-team trade on February 9 that brought Crowder to Milwaukee from the Phoenix Suns, Nwora was traded from the Bucks to the Pacers.
In a game in which the Pacers were without numerous key players, including Tyrese Haliburton (knee), Benedict Mathurin (ankle), and Myles Turner (back), Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard each scored 15 points in front of Nwora.
With 31.5 points and 11.9 rebounds per game this season, Antetokounmpo leads the Bucks. Occasion leads with 7.2 helps and 1.2 takes while Creek Lopez is among the association chiefs in blocks with 2.5.
Haliburton has the most assists in the NBA and leads Indiana in points (20.8), assists (10.4), and steals (1.6). With 7.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks, Myles Turner causes trouble for Pacers opponents in the low post.
On Tuesday, the Bucks were without Grayson Allen (plantar fasciitis) and Khris Middleton (knee management). After being signed as a free agent on March 4, Goran Dragic has not yet made his team debut due to a knee injury.
Five Pacers players are listed as day-to-day, including Mathurin, who Carlisle said is “making real positive strides with his rehab” on Monday. However, Carlisle declined to provide a return date. Turner, Haliburton, T.J. McConnell (back), Chris Duarte (ankle), and Haliburton are all listed as day-to-day.
This is the third of four games this season between these division rivals, and Milwaukee wants to beat Indiana for the 11th time in a row. Milwaukee also holds the all-time series lead, 113-91, over the Pacers, who last won the series in 2017-18.
The Oklahoma City Thunder will be on a mission to stretch out their series of wins to four games Thursday night when they visit the Toronto Raptors.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points to lead the Thunder, who won 121-107 at home against the Brooklyn Nets to win for the sixth time in seven games.
With a 125-110 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, the Raptors ended a three-game losing streak and began a three-game homestand. Fred VanVleet had 36 focuses, remembering 14 for a 49-point first quarter that was an establishment best for any quarter.
On November 11, the teams met for the first time this season, and the Thunder won 132-113 at home.
Josh Giddey had a triple-double for the Thunder in their victory over the Nets, scoring 15 points while also grabbing 13 rebounds and dishing out 10 assists.
The Thunder were led by Luguentz Dort, who was 6-for-11 from three-point range and scored 24 points.
Dort scored 15 points in 10 minutes as the Thunder outscored the Nets 38-20 in the third quarter.
A 16-point deficit was overcome by the Thunder.
The Raptors drove by upwards of 24 focuses against the Chunks, who slice the edge to three in the final quarter.
However, with 3:04 remaining, VanVleet hit his eighth 3-pointer in 12 attempts to give Toronto a 15-point lead and avenge its previous loss to Denver.
O.G. Anunoby stopped Nikola Jokic, who had 28 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists, and scored 24 points.
Michael Malone, the coach of the Denver Nuggets, wants them to wake up from their slumber as the season winds down.
Denver, which plays the depleted Detroit Pistons on Thursday, has lost its worst four games of the season. The Nuggets actually have the best record in the Western Gathering yet Malone feels his group is requiring evenings off.
On Tuesday, Denver lost 125-110 to Toronto after allowing 49 points in the first quarter. The Raptors held a 24-point advantage.
During the skid, the Nuggets have also fallen to Chicago, San Antonio, and Brooklyn. Among the last four teams, only the Brooklyn Nets have a winning record.
Complacency and boredom appear to be factors. Instead of attempting to establish the best record possible, the Nuggets appear to be waiting for the postseason to begin.
Despite the Nuggets cutting their deficit to six points by the end of the third quarter, Denver never led against the Raptors. They scored only 18 points in the fourth quarter.
At 16-17, the Nuggets’ road record fell below.500 as a result of the loss. It was the first of five games on a trip.
The Nuggets probably won’t need to play at their best to beat the depleted Pistons, despite Malone’s objections. In Tuesday’s 117-97 loss to Washington, Detroit only dressed nine players, including both of its two-way players and Eugene Omoruyi, who is on a 10-day contract. In the first half, Omoruyi suffered an ankle injury but was able to play again.
The depleted Pistons have lost 12 of their last 13 games, their only win coming on Monday against Indiana.
Although Detroit has only 16 victories, coach Dwane Casey stated that player development is the focus.
Ivey has been placed in health and safety protocols, which has caused him to miss the last three games. As a result of injuries, forwards Bojan Bogdanovic (Achilles), Isaiah Livers (hip), and Marvin Bagley III (ankle) did not play against the Wizards, and guard Alec Burks (foot) has already been ruled out for the season.
On November 22, Detroit prevailed 110-108 over Denver, despite Jokic’s 31 points, 10 assists, and 9 rebounds for the Nuggets.
The following are the NFL transactions for Wednesday, March 15. Transactions will be published each day after they are circulated to NFL clubs. This public version will include waiver requests, assignments via waivers, terminations, free agent signings, reserve list and practice squad additions and deletions, and trades.
Players are either “restricted” or “unrestricted” free agents. Within the categories are also “franchise” and “transition” players.
The time period for free agency signings in 2023:
Restricted Free Agents – March 15 to April 21.
Unrestricted Free Agents (who have received the May 1 tender from prior club) – March 15 to July 24 (or the first scheduled day of the first NFL training camp, whichever is later).
Franchise Players – March 15 to the Tuesday following Week 10 of the regular season.
Transition Players – March 15 to July 24.
A list of free agents by club in various categories:
Restricted free agents who received qualifying offers from their prior clubs and are subject to the first refusal/draft choice compensation system of the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement:
If a player in this category receives an offer from a new club to sign a player contract for the 2023 season or for 2023 and future seasons, which offer the player desires to accept, the offer must be set forth in an offer sheet, signed by both the new club and the player, and must be substantially in the form of Appendix B of the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement. The new club and the player must specifically identify in the offer sheet those provisions they believe are principal terms that must be matched by the prior club for purposes of exercising a Right of First Refusal. The new club then must immediately: hand deliver the offer sheet, or send it by overnight mail, or by electronic mail in .pdf form (in each case a confirmation copy shall also be sent by first class mail) to the prior club, to the attention of the club’s president or general manager.
The new club must send copies of the offer sheet to the National Football League Players Association and to the National Football League using the above described delivery procedures. If the offer sheet is hand delivered, the new club should obtain an acknowledgement of receipt. In addition, the new club shall notify the League office via the transaction system of the terms of an offer sheet immediately upon delivery to a prior club.
The prior club has a right of first refusal to all players listed in the category above. Draft choice compensation is as listed in the column on the right. If the prior club has only a right of first refusal and is therefore not entitled to compensation, the designation “ROFR” appears in that column. In order to submit an offer sheet, a new club must have available the required selection choice, defined as its own or better choice in the applicable rounds, in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Offer sheets may be submitted to a prior club until 11:59:59 p.m., New York time, on Friday, April 21. An offer sheet shall be deemed given only when received by the prior club. A first refusal exercise notice, which must be substantially in the form of Appendix C to the CBA, shall be deemed given when sent by the prior club.
Players with three or more accrued seasons who have been designated as Non-Exclusive Franchise Players:
Club
Player
Pos.
College
Baltimore
Jackson, Lamar
QB
Louisville
Dallas
Pollard, Tony
RB
Memphis
Jacksonville
Engram, Evan
TE
Mississippi
Las Vegas
Jacobs, Josh
RB
Alabama
New York Giants
Barkley, Saquon
RB
Penn State
The prior club has a right of first refusal to the players listed above and compensation of two No. 1 draft choices. In order to submit an offer sheet, a new club must have available the required choices, defined as its own or better choices in the first round in the 2023 and 2024 NFL Drafts. Offer sheets must be submitted to a prior club prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, on the Tuesday following the 10th regular season weekend. Offer sheets to franchise players are subject to the rules governing offer sheets to restricted free agents, as set forth in the category above, except that the prior club will be entitled to two No. 1 draft choices if the club declines to exercise its right of first refusal.
Unrestricted free agents with four or more accrued seasons:
In the event that a player in this category has not signed a player contract with a club by Monday, July 24, 2023 or the first scheduled day of the first 2023 NFL training camp, he may negotiate or sign a player contract from July 24 until the Tuesday following the 10th week of the regular season, at 4:00 p.m., New York time, only with his prior club, provided that by May 1 the prior club has extended such player an unrestricted free agent tender under Article 9, Section 1(b)(i) (the unrestricted free agent tender) of the CBA, as amended.
In the event the player has not signed a player contract with a club by Monday, May 1, 2023, and if his prior club has not extended the player unrestricted free agent tender or has withdrawn the tender, the player shall be completely free to negotiate and sign a player contract with any club without any penalty or restriction, including, but not limited to, draft choice compensation between clubs or first refusal rights of any kind, or any signing period.
# – Player is a non-compensable unrestricted free agent.
Players with fewer than four accrued seasons who received no qualifying offer or minimum tender from their prior clubs:
The players in this category may sign a player contract with any club without any penalty or restriction, including, but not limited to, draft choice compensation between clubs or first refusal rights of any kind, or any signing period.
Since the start of the 2020 season, the Philadelphia Union have won all six of their meetings with the CF Montreal Impact (W3 D3). The six-game streak is tied with Nashville SC’s 2-0 victory over CF Montreal on Saturday for the longest active streak against the team.
The CF Montreal Impact is the fifth team in MLS history to start a season with no goals and no points after three matches. The other two, NYCFC in 2020 and Seattle in 2018, made the playoffs. CF Montreal Impact is the fifth team in MLS history to do this. Only Toronto FC failed to score in its first four MLS games during its 2007 expansion year.
The Philadelphia Union have won 13 consecutive MLS games at home, including playoffs, but they have only won two of their last eight on the road (D2 with a shootout loss, L4 with playoffs). After allowing just seven goals in its previous 11 MLS away games, Philadelphia has scored nine goals in its last three games on the road.
Despite having 65.4% possession and completing 531 passes, including 331 in the attacking half, CF Montreal Impact recorded an expected goals value of 0.29 against Nashville SC on Saturday. In an MLS match where they complete at least 300 passes in the attacking half, no team has had a lower xG since 2014.
From nearly 32 yards out, Joaquin Torres scored the winning goal for the Philadelphia Union on Saturday in the 90th minute. It was the Union’s first goal from outside the box since August 31 of last season. Philadelphia had failed to score on 52 of its previous attempts from outside the box in MLS play (including playoffs) prior to Torres’ goal.
Since losing 2-0 to Atlanta United FC in the 2018 MLS Cup Final, Portland FC will be making their first appearance at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. After Atlanta was unbeaten in the previous four meetings (W2 D2), the Timbers did win their most recent encounter with Atlanta, a 2-1 victory at home in September.
After a 3-0 victory over Charlotte FC on Saturday, Atlanta United FC is off to the best three-match start in the club’s MLS history, with seven points (W2 D1). Atlanta beat Portland and Orlando in five days in September of last year, its only time winning consecutively.
This is the eighth time in the team’s 13 MLS campaigns that it has had three or fewer points at this point in the season. Portland has three points from its first three matches this season. The Lumbers have proceeded to make the end of the season games five of the past multiple times, arriving at MLS Cup in three of (2015, 2018, 2021).
On Saturday against Charlotte FC, Caleb Wiley made one chance and made both of his shots, which resulted in a goal and an assist. Wiley became the fifth youngest player in MLS history to score at least three goals in a match at the age of 18 years, 79 days.
Before Portland’s expansion team came back to win the match against St. Louis City SC, Zac McGraw scored the opening goal. It was Portland’s longest active streak in MLS and the club’s record-breaking 23rd consecutive MLS match with a goal since last season.
