MLB Rumors: Should Bryce Harper expect punishment?Despite missing a month of action, Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper could enter the NL MVP conversation shortly. Harper's numbers since returning to the lineup have been otherworldly. He underwent Tommy John surgery just five months ...

It is their transfer deadline day but the biggest Saudi Pro League news today could be John Terry being set to become the manager of Al-Shabab.

Premier League clubs have splashed out over £1 billion ($1.3 billion) on fresh faces ahead of the start of...

David Haye expects Joe Joyce to come through his latest test with Zhilei Zhang, but has warned that the British boxer could be frozen out of the heavyweight division if he loses again. Joyce had been mandatory for Oleksandr Usyk’s WBO heavyweight belt before he lost for the first time in the pro ranks, to China’s Zhang in April. Referee Howard Foster called off the bout at the Copper Box Arena in the sixth round, due to Joyce’s right eye being almost completely swollen over. Joyce opted to immediately activate his rematch clause with Zhang, and he will try to win back his WBO interim heavyweight belt at Wembley Arena on Saturday. However, TNT pundit Haye echoed the sentiments of the Chinese powerhouse when he looked ahead to this contest. Zhang promised to end Joyce’s career during Thursday’s press conference in London and ex-world heavyweight champion Haye admits it could be curtains for his compatriot if another loss is added to his record. “I believe Joe has enough to find a way to win, if he boxes smart. If he doesn’t do that, he probably will get frozen out of the heavyweight division,” Haye told the PA news agency. “What manager or promoter would want to risk their guy fighting Joe in a minor eliminator or in a 10-rounder. “Look at his opponents, Joseph Parker, [Christian] Hammer, Lenroy Thomas, Carlos Takam; he has fought real live fighters who most people try to avoid. His record isn’t padded out with bums. “He is a very world-class fighter, so young fighters coming through, he would be too much for them. No manager or promoter in their right mind would chuck their young fighter in with Joe if he loses this fight. It would be a long road back, and a long road back you can’t afford at the age of 38.” Haye felt it was “crazy” for Joyce to take the initial fight with Zhang (25-1-1, 20 knockouts) in the first place, owing to the size and power of “Big Bang”. At the time, Joyce (15-1, 14 KOs) was one of the next in line to face Usyk, but the gamble backfired, with the Briton short of ideas against southpaw Zhang, but Haye is confident a better gameplan will be implemented this time. “I definitely want to see big improvement in terms of the technical side of things going in against Zhang this time, because he would need it moving up against some of the big names of the sports,” Haye admitted. “Joe is an athletic man, he can do a standing backflip, he can do acrobatics, he is very explosive and dynamic. He does have quite good reflexes, but for some reason in that last fight, he chose not to use them and he come a cropper. “On paper that was a crazy fight to take in terms of a fight before the big fight, the one that would give him the big paycheck he hasn’t had. I respect the bravery of doing so, because Zhang is a southpaw, so if he fights a 6ft 6in southpaw, it is good preparation for a 6ft 3in southpaw in Usyk. “Maybe if Joe had taken the fight against Usyk, he would have applied the same tactics of, ‘I’m the bigger man and I will walk through you,’ so maybe this has forced him to get a new gameplan together. “Move that head, come off the line, throw some punches from nice angles against a southpaw and work the body. That he could apply against Usyk, so fingers crossed Joe wins and not too much damage has been done.” Watch Zhang v Joyce II live on TNT Sports 2 and discovery+ from 7:30pm on Saturday 23rd September. For more info visit: tntsports.co.uk/boxing

Gareth Southgate backed Raheem Sterling to recover from his nightmare season – after leaving him out of his latest England squad. The Chelsea forward will miss the Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia next month. Southgate spoke with Sterling last week with the 28-year-old battling a hamstring problem and admitting he had not hit top form. But, despite his omission, Southgate expects one of his star players to rediscover his spark. “I will always back him to respond strongly and have the resilience and tenacity to prove himself,” he said. “He said himself he’s not been happy with how it’s been but that will be a temporary thing. “He really wasn’t in consideration. We didn’t get to the point of whether he should be in or out. He doesn’t think he’s operating on the level he needs. “He’s an important part of our group and that remains the same. But he is in an area of the pitch where players are playing well for their clubs and playing well when they are playing for us. “The dynamic is different from maybe two-to-three years ago. We had four or five players who were almost guaranteed to be in the team. Now we’ve got competition pretty much everywhere. “But he has shown time and again for us that he has been an important player. His mental toughness stands out in why I would expect him to come up at a good level.” Sterling has struggled for form and fitness since a £47.5million move from Manchester City last summer. He has scored nine goals in 37 appearances in Chelsea’s chaotic season which has seen them sack Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter with Frank Lampard in interim charge since April. He has shown time and again for us that he has been an important player. His mental toughness stands out in why I would expect him to come up at a good level Gareth Southgate on Raheem Sterling They travel to Manchester United on Thursday and host Newcastle in Sunday’s final game of the season. Chelsea will finish in the bottom half of the Premier League despite owner Todd Boehly spending almost £600million. “I found him (Sterling) positive, strong and understanding with what’s gone on. It’s been difficult for everyone with all the changes this year. Three different managers, three different ways of training, three different ways of playing,” said Southgate. “There was a lot of upheaval. Clubs have these moments. There have been a couple of clubs who haven’t been where they want to be this year. “That will be even more intense next year. They won’t have any European football so will have a game a week. I think they’ll be really strong next season and certainly he’ll be a big part of it. “I can’t see a scenario where Chelsea aren’t in the top six next year. It has been really difficult for all the managers this year but that will calm down over the summer and they have an outstanding squad. They are going to have a good season and he’ll be fundamental to that.” Meanwhile, Southgate remains hopeful Jude Bellingham will be fit for the game in Malta on June 16 and against North Macedonia in Manchester on June 19. The Borussia Dortmund midfielder missed Sunday’s 3-0 victory at Augsburg with a knee problem he suffered in the 5-2 win over Borussia Monchengladbach and is a doubt for Saturday’s final game against Mainz. Dortmund are two points clear of Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga, hunting their first title since 2012. Southgate added: “He will be doing everything he can to be available for this weekend. Whether he will win that race we don’t know yet but I would have thought there is enough time for our games but we don’t know for sure.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Frank Lampard not surprised contract talks with Mason Mount are taking time Craig Overton stars as Somerset begin Blast by thrashing Hampshire Cameron Norrie starts Lyon Open title defence with win over David Goffin

Daniel Dubois’s promoter Frank Warren has appealed the result of the British heavyweight’s fight with Oleksandr Usyk, while pushing for a rematch. Dubois was stopped by Usyk in Round 9 on Saturday 26 August, after the Briton floored the unified heavyweight champion in Round 5, only for his body-shot attempt to be ruled a low blow. Usyk was therefore granted five minutes to recover, and the Ukrainian used approximately three of those minutes before the bout in Wroclaw, Poland, resumed. Usyk, 36, then dropped Dubois, 25, in the eighth round and did the same in the ninth, with the Briton failing to beat the referee's count. With the result, Usyk remained unbeaten and retained the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO heavyweight titles. Warren has now lobbied for a No Contest and a rematch, he told the BBC, while boxing journalist Dan Rafael took to X to post a screenshot of what appears to be the appeal. The appeal to the WBA (World Boxing Association) centres on the claim that Usyk would not have beaten a hypothetical referee’s count if Dubois’s punch in Round 5 had not been ruled a low blow. “Owing to what this appeal argues were errors in judgement made by the bout’s referee, Luis Pabon, Daniel Dubois was unjustly denied of his rightful status as unified world heavyweight champion,” read the apparent appeal shared by Rafael. It continued: “Approximately 20 seconds into the fifth round, Mr Dubois landed a body blow that dropped and severely hurt Mr Usyk and, seemingly, crowned Mr Dubois the heavyweight champion. However, the blow was incorrectly adjudicated as low by Mr Pabon. “Instead of being knocked out, Mr Usyk was given a substantial recovery period, which allowed him to regain his strength and continue the bout without impediment.” Usyk won the unified heavyweight titles with a decision victory over Anthony Joshua in 2021, before repeating the trick against “AJ” in 2022 to retain the belts. The southpaw has been linked with a fight against Tyson Fury for the best part of a year, though the WBC champion is due to fight ex-UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in October. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More Chris Eubank Jr’s coach remanded in custody following airport arrest Oleksandr Usyk remains heavyweight champion but where does he go from here? Finally, Ricky Hatton has his happy ending

The 2023-24 MLB free agent class is as loaded as we've ever seen. But which players have raised their stock even higher before hitting the market?The upcoming 2023-24 MLB free-agent class will be arguably the most significant in baseball history, with Shohei Ohtani increasingly likely to si...

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Steve Cooper says Nottingham Forest’s assignment at Chelsea on Saturday is not made any easier by the London club’s recent struggles. Forest head to Stamford Bridge looking for the three points that could virtually secure their Premier League status and will fancy their chances, despite their dreadful away record. Chelsea ended a nine-game winless run at Bournemouth last week, but they have not won any of their last five league home matches. Cooper says he does not take any notice of the problems Frank Lampard is enduring. “We are playing Chelsea away so that is always going to be a tough game at any time of the season, you look at the squad they have, the changes they can make, the team they can start with, they have players all over the pitch who can make a difference and we have to be ready for that,” he said. “I never pay any attention to any context around a team we play against apart from them being at their best because I always think you have to prepare for that. “That’s what we’ll be doing. We want to go there with our best intentions of getting a result we really need and want. “We have got to know what it takes from our guys to do well and try and minimise the strengths they have because there is a lot.” Forest will give Serge Aurier every chance to be fit after he limped off in Monday night’s win over Southampton with a knock. “Serge walked off and we’re doing everything we can to see if he’s available,” he said. “Maybe in a different time of the season and if Neco (Williams) was fit it might be a different situation, but we are going to give him everything we have to be available. But that might be touch and go. “(Gustavo) Scarpa is back in full training now so he won’t be far off being available. (Emmanuel) Dennis has been injured, he picked up a knock in training before Southampton and he is still not available. “Still a bit of a mixed bag, it’s definitely been worse but not something we’re paying attention to.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Josh Cobb shocked to be replaced by David Willey as Northamptonshire T20 captain Wrexham’s Phil Parkinson named National League manager of the season It was an amazing honour – Chelsea star Sam Kerr proud of role in coronation

Luton crashed out of the Carabao Cup as they were beaten 1-0 by League One Exeter at St James Park. Demetri Mitchell scored the only goal of an absorbing game with seven minutes remaining before he was later sent off after picking up a second yellow card. Luton made 10 changes to the team that picked up their first point of the Premier League season with a 1-1 draw against Wolves at the weekend, while Exeter made five to the side beaten 3-0 at Oxford. The Hatters started brightly as Tahith Chong broke into the box, only to be denied a shooting chance by a superb tackle from Alex Hartridge, before Luke Berry’s long-range effort was tipped over the bar by Exeter goalkeeper Vili Sinisalo. Cauley Woodrow then struck the outside of a post after Exeter fell asleep at a quick throw-in before a rare Exeter attack ended with James Scott curling narrowly wide from 25 yards. Mitchell’s inviting cross was narrowly in front of Scott as Exeter started to come into the game before the former Manchester United youngster saw his shot to the near post saved by Tim Krul. Elijah Adebayo headed wide for Luton as the game approached the half-hour mark before he saw a shot from 10 yards saved by Sinisalo before a lovely Exeter move ended with Caleb Watts firing high from 25 yards. Exeter had a great chance to break the deadlock after 61 minutes when Mitchell robbed Joe Johnson and sprinted goalward. His shot was saved at the near post by Krul before Kyle Taylor fired the rebound wide from 15 yards. Both teams then made changes – Luton with four in one go – before Adebayo headed wide and substitute Jacob Brown headed straight at Sinisalo from point-blank range. Luton were getting back on top, with Carlton Morris seeing a header cleared off the line and Brown glancing another header wide before Exeter went in front in the 83rd minute. Substitute Yanic Wildschut did well down the right and his deep cross was not dealt with, allowing Mitchell to nip in and poke the ball in off the underside of the bar from close range. Wildschut then fired tamely at Krul before Mitchell then received a second yellow card for a foul with two minutes remaining. It was now all hands to the pump for Exeter, who defended as though their lives depended on it as a raucous sell-out crowd cheered them on. And, as much as Luton huffed and puffed, they could not breach an outstanding Grecians defence as Exeter beat top-flight opposition for the first time since 1981 and reached round four for the first time since 1989. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Ipswich come from two goals down to knock Wolves out of Carabao Cup Jonny May insists ‘X-factor’ Henry Arundell must show patience and adaptability Phil Jones goes back to school – Tuesday’s sporting social

Perkins' hot mic is finally mentioned on-air.

Ben Simmons is working out but still not playing 5-on-5 or 3-on-3 after his back injury.