Posts Categorized: Sports

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Furious Boxing Fans Claim Logan Paul vs Floyd Mayweather Fight Was RIGGED, Demand Their Money Back (Video)

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Retired boxing champ Floyd Mayweather returned to the ring on Sunday night, June 6, for an exhibition fight with YouTuber Logan Paul.

The two pugilists went toe-to-toe for eight rounds without a knockout at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida, and Floyd confessed that Logan surprised him with his skills.

"I was surprised by him tonight. He's a great young fighter - strong and tough. He's better than I thought he was."

However, fans who paid $50 to watch the bout were not impressed with either fighter. Many fans demanded their money back after it appeared that Floyd held Logan up to prevent him from slumping to the canvas in the sixth round.

Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images

They hollered that the fight was fixed - and that the 44-year-old champ deliberately went easy on Logan to avoid knocking him out.

Prior to the Logan boxing match, Floyd expressed concern that fans would demand their money back if the Logan fight ended with an early knockout.

He had good reason to be worried.

The undefeated champion boxer retired as a professional fighter in 2017 with a pristine 50-0 record. But he grew bored with retired life, so he agreed to participate in exhibition fights if the money was right.

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YouTube

On New Year's Ever 2018, he fought 20-year-old Japanese kick boxer Tenshin Nasukawa in Tokyo. The three-round exhibition ended with three first-round knockouts.

Tenshin was seen crying on camera -- and boxing fans howled over what they believed was a rigged fight.

Floyd is now considering another easy exhibition fight -- maybe against Paul's brother, Jake Paul, who loudly challenged the fighter to a match earlier this year.

Watch highlights from the fight below.
 

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LeBron James eliminated in the first round of the NBA playoffs for the first time in his 18-year career

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The Phoenix Suns eliminated the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers 113-100 in Game 6 on Thursday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles to advance to the Western Conference Semifinals.

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Twitter/@NBA

The Suns won their first NBA playoff series since 2010, eliminating the Lakers 4 games to 2.

Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images

Lakers forward LeBron James (#23) finished with 29 points, nine rebounds, 7 assists, two blocked shots and 1 steal in a losing effort.

James was eliminated in the first round for the first time ever in his 18-year career, which includes 4 championships.

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The Lakers didn't have their eight-time All-star center Anthony Davis (#3) who suffered a groin injury in Game 4 and missed all of Game 5 of the series.

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The team doctor gave Davis the OK to return to the starting lineup in Game 6. However, Davis was in obvious pain and struggled in the opening minutes. He headed to the locker room after playing less than 5 1/2 minutes of the 1st quarter.

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The Suns' star guard Devin Booker (#1) led all scorers with a playoffs career-high 47 points, 11 rebounds and eight 3-pointers. He made all six 3-point attempts in the 1st quarter.

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"I've been working my whole life for this moment... so it wasn't time to shy away from it," Booker told reporters after the game.

Booker and teammate Jae Crowder were ejected from the game in the final minute for a flagrant foul and a technical respectively.

Chris Paul scored 8 points and had 12 assists for the Suns.

Fans were angry that LeBron James walked off the court without shaking hands with the Western Conference champs after the game.

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He made up for his unsportsmanlike conduct by gifting a signed jersey to Booker, who sought him out in the arena tunnel after the game.

The Suns next face Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in game 1 of the second round on Monday, June 7, in Phoenix.

The Nuggets eliminated Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers 126-115 to clinch game 6 in Portland on Thursday night.

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Serena Williams pushed to 3rd set at French Open, Advances to 3rd round

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Serena Williams dropped a set in her 3rd round victory against Romania's Mihaela Buzarnescu on day 4 of the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris.

Williams beat Buzarnescu 6-3, 5-7, 6-1 to advance to the 3rd round, where she faces 27-year-old Danielle Rose Collins, of St. Petersburg, Florida.

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The 38-year-old mom-of-one is seeded 7th in the Grand Slam tournament. She is chasing an elusive record-tying 24th Grand Slam title.

Williams hasn't won the French Open since 2015 and hasn't made it past the quarterfinals at Roland Garros since giving birth to her daughter in 2017.

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She supported tennis superstar Naomi Osaka who withdrew from the tournament on Monday after she was fined $15,000 for refusing to speak to the press.

Osaka, 23, beat Patricia Maria Tig in the first round on Sunday, and was scheduled to face Ana Bogdan in the second round on Wednesday.

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"I feel for Naomi," Williams told reporters on Monday. "I wish I could give her a hug because I know what it's like. I've been in those positions. We have different personalities.

"People are different and not everyone is the same. I'm thick [skinned] and other people are thin. Everyone is different and everyone handles things differently. You just have to let her handle it the way she wants to and the best way she thinks she can. I think she's doing the best that she can."

Her sister, Venus Williams, was more blunt.

The former No. 1 women's tennis player told reporters:

"I know every single person asking me a question can't play as well as I can and never will. So, no matter what you say or what you write, you'll never light a candle to me."

 

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Naomi Osaka pulls out of French Open after she was fined $15K and threatened with disqualification

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Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open after she was fined $15,000 and threatened with disqualification for refusing to take part in a press conferences.

The 23-year-old tennis champ, who plays for Japan, was a no-show during her post-match press conference on Sunday, May 30, after defeating Romania's Patricia Maria Tig.

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Tournament officials at Roland Garros threatened Naomi and warned her that higher fines and a possible suspension could be issued if she refused to speak to the press.

Osaka made headlines last week when she issued a statement saying she would skip post-match press conferences at the French Open, citing mental health concerns.

"I've often felt that people have no regard for athletes mental health and this rings very true whenever I see a press conference or partake in one.

"We're often sat there and asked questions that we've been asked multiple times before or asked questions that bring doubt into our minds and I'm just not going to subject myself to people that doubt me."

And in an email to French Open officials Naomi insisted her actions are "100 percent nothing against the French Open or even the press members themselves."

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In a statement posted on social media on Sunday, the world's No. 2 women's tennis player wrote:

"Hey everyone, this isn't a situation I ever imagined or intended when I posted a few days ago. I think now the best thing for the tournament, the other players and my well-being is that I withdraw so that everyone can get back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris.

"I never wanted to be a distraction and I accept that my timing was not ideal and my message could have been clearer. More importantly I would never trivialize mental health or use the term lightly. The truth is that I have suffered long bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018 and I have had a really hard time coping with that."

Tournament bosses released a statement that read: "We have advised Naomi Osaka that should she continue to ignore her media obligations, she would be exposing herself to possible further code of conduct infringement consequences."

Officials said "repeat violations" could result in "tougher sanctions including default from the tournament and the trigger of a major offense investigation that could lead to more substantial fines and future Grand Slam suspensions."

Naomi was scheduled to play against Romania's Ana Bogdan during the French Open on Wednesday.

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Knicks Fan Who Spit On Trae Young Will Be Banned Indefinitely

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The New York Knicks have banned a rude fan who spit on Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference playoffs at Madison Square Garden.

The fan, who was in the second row, spit over those sitting in the front row -- including rapper 50 Cent and his girlfriend.

The ball club investigated the incident and concluded the fan was not a season ticket holder.

"We investigated the matter and determined that this patron, who is not a season ticket holder, did indeed spit on Trae Young, and for that reason, he is now banned from The Garden indefinitely."

The statement continued:

"We apologize to Trae and the entire Atlanta Hawks organization for this fan's behavior. This was completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated in our venue. We have turned the information over to the appropriate authorities."

The team did not address reports that Knicks fans received handouts instructing them to chant "Trae Young is balding!"

Young responded to a video of the spitting incident on Twitter Thursday morning.

"Damn Crazy! @50cent y'all good?! Crazy ! Keep ya mask on my boy "#ThatsJustChildish."

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Knicks fans taunt Hawks star with ‘Trae is balding’ chant

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NY Knicks fans mocked Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young by chanting "Trae is balding" during game 2 of the NBA playoffs Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.

The taunting was enough to throw the 22-year-old superstar off his game as the Knicks coasted to a 101-92 win to tie the series at 1-1.

Wednesday's playoffs win was the first for the Knicks since 2013.

Trae's unruly hair has been the subject of discussion since he entered the league as a first round draft pick in 2018.

One sports blogger noted his flyaway hair looked like "the stuff that get caught in the shower drain."

In a post titled, "It's time to talk about Trae Young's hair," the blogger noted Trae's receding hairline and his balding dome.

Even before the game 2 started at Madison Square Garden, Knicks fans received handouts urging them to chant "Trae is balding!"

Twitter user @jaklap wrote, the "entire garden has been handed these."

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Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka to skip press conferences at French Open, citing mental health

Twitter

Naomi Osaka plans to skip press conferences at the upcoming French Open, citing mental health of the athletes.

In a lengthy social media post, Naomi said some sports reporters disregard the mental health of players after a tough loss.

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Naomi said she will skip press conferences and pay the hefty fines ($20,000), which she hopes will go towards a mental health charity.

"Hey everyone -

Hope you're all doing well, I'm writing this to say I'm not going to do any press during Roland Garros. I've often felt that people have no regard for athletes mental health and this rings true whenever I see a press conference or partake in one.

We're often sat there and asked questions that we've been asked multiple times before or asked questions that bring doubt into our minds and I'm just not going to subject myself to people that doubt me. I've watched many clips of athletes breaking down after a loss in the press room and I know you have as well.

I believe that whole situation is kicking a person while they're down and I don't understand the reasoning behind it. Me not doing press is nothing personal to the tournament and a couple journalists have interviewed me since I was young so I have a friendly relationship with most of them.

However, if the organizations think that they can just keep saying, 'do press or you're gonna be fined,' and continue to ignore the mental health of the athletes that are the centerpiece of their cooperation then I just gotta laugh.

Anyways, I hope the considerable amount that I get fined for this will go towards a mental health charity.
xoxo."

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Russell Westbrook tried to confront Sixers fan who threw popcorn at him

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A Philadelphia 76ers fan who tossed popcorn at Russell Westbrook was ejected from the arena and banned from attending future games.

The incident happened on Wednesday, May 26, when the Washington Wizards star was limping to the locker room after suffering a minor injury during Sixers Game 2 win.

As he limped into the tunnel, a Sixers fans causally dropped a few popcorn kernels on his head.

Westbrook went berserk as at least four strong assistants struggled mightily to restrain him.

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Twitter

Westbrook has a long history of verbal altercations with NBA fans in the stands. They know how to trigger the sensitive superstar.

NBA fans and players reacted to the incident on social media.

LeBron James, who is also a favorite target for hate, tweeted:

"By the way WE AS THE PLAYERS wanna see who threw that popcorn on Russ while he was leaving the game tonight with a injury!! There’s cameras all over arenas so there’s no excuse! Cause if the [shoe] was on the other [foot]. #ProtectOurPlayers."

 

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Twitter slams WNBA star Liz Cambage for ‘little white one’ comment, ‘What she said is worse!’

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Twitter users expressed outrage at WNBA star Liz Cambage for calling Connecticut Sun head coach Curt Miller a "little white one".

Cambage, 29, used the slur in response to Miller wight-shaming her during a game on Sunday.

Miller was fined $10,000 by the WNBA for criticizing Cambage's weight during the Suns' 72-65 win over the Aces at Michelob ULTRA Arena.

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Cambage is perfectly proportioned for her height, but she took offense to the comment anyway.

The Australian bauty posted a video to Twitter in which she said Miller was arguing a call and told a ref, "Come on, she's 300 pounds."

"One thing about me is that I will never let a man disrespect me - especially a little white one," Cambage said in the video. "For a coach on another team to be yelling like protected abuse, 'cause we can't do nothing back, it's just crazy to me."

Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

She went on to say she was 6-foot-8 and weighed 235 pounds.

"So to the coach of Connecticut — I'm sorry, little sir man, I do not know your name. But the next time you try to call out a referee trying to get a call being like, 'come on, she's 300 pounds,’ I'm going to need you to get it right baby, 'cause I'm 6-8... I'm weighing 235 pounds and I'm very proud of being a big b----, big body, big Benz, baby."

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But Twitter criticized dragged Cambage for bringing Miller's skin color into the discussion.

"I like Liz Cambage, but she clapped back by calling him a "little white boy"?? That's even ground for suspension if we're playing this game," said Rob Stukenborg on Twitter.

Another user slammed the New York Times for "conveniently" leaving Cambage's "racist" comment out of its report about the controversy. The paper cut off Cambage's quote before she mentioned the slur.

Richard Bradley tweeted: "I just don't get how it's wrong for a coach to say a player weighs 300 pounds but it's acceptable for a player to refer to that coach as 'a little white one.'"

Twitter user Frankie, wrote: "So Liz Cambage can get mad at a man for bringing up her size in the heat of a game, but it's okay for her to say that she will 'never let a little white man' disrespect her? What she said is worse lmaooo."
 

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WNBA Coach Apologizes for Weight-Shaming Vegas Aces Star Liz Cambage

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Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

The WNBA has fined Connecticut Head Coach and General Manager Curt Miller for weight-shaming Las Vegas Aces star Liz Cabbage.

Miller was fined $10,000 for criticizing Cambage's weight during the Suns' 72-65 win over the Aces at Michelob ULTRA Arena on Sunday.

Cambage, 29, posted a video to Twitter in which she said Miller was arguing a call during the game when he mentioned her imposing size by telling a ref, "Come on, she's 300 pounds."

"One thing about me is that I will never let a man disrespect me - especially a little white one," Cambage said in the video. "For a coach on another team to be yelling like protected abuse, 'cause we can't do nothing back, it's just crazy to me."

She continued:

"So to the coach of Connecticut — I'm sorry, little sir man, I do not know your name. But the next time you try to call out a referee trying to get a call being like, 'come on, she's 300 pounds,’ I'm going to need you to get it right baby, 'cause I'm 6-8... I'm weighing 235 pounds and I'm very proud of being a big b----, big body, big Benz, baby. So don't ever try to disrespect me or another woman in the league."

Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

Miller issued a statement on Monday, apologizing to Cambage and acknowledging that his comment was inappropriate.

"I made an inappropriate and offensive comment in reference to Liz Cambage's height and weight," he said. "I regret what I said in the heat of the moment and want to sincerely apologize to Liz and the entire Aces organization. I understand the gravity of my words and have learned from this.

"As a leader, words matter. It was inappropriate. In a league where we empower women, and I've spent 31 years empowering women, just not acceptable."