MOSES ITAUMA AND FILIP HRGOVIC TO FIGHT FOR VACANT IBF TITLE, FRANK SANCHEZ PAID TO STEP ASIDE

Moses Itauma and Filip Hrgovic square up on June 22, 2026

Moses Itauma and Filip Hrgovic, set to collide on August 29 at London, England’s O2 Arena, will now be fighting for the vacant IBF heavyweight title.

No. 3-ranked Itauma, 14-0 (12 KOs), had been ordered by the sanctioning body to face leading IBF contender, Frank Sanchez, after the bout with Hrgovic had already been signed and announced. And with the Croatian rated fourth by the organization, it has been agreed that they can instead do battle for the belt on the condition that the winner meets Sanchez in their first defense.

“We paid [Sanchez] some money,” promoter Frank Warren told the BBC. “We said whoever wins the fight, you’re not losing out and you’ll get the opportunity to fight for the title against the winner.”

The 34-year-old Cuban, 26-1 (19 KOs), had achieved mandatory status with the IBF by knocking out Richard Torrez Jnr in two rounds in May.

Hrgovic, 20-1 (15 KOs), is riding a three-fight win streak – beating Joe Joyce, David Adeleye and Dave Allen – and is regarded as 21-year-old Itauma’s toughest test to date.

Presuming Itauma-Hrgovic isn’t a draw, it means that Warren’s Queensberry Promotions – who handle both Itauma and Hrgovic, as well as WBC boss Agit Kabayel and WBO beltholder Daniel Dubois – will promote three of the four heavyweight beltholders come the end of the month. The WBA titlist, Murat Gassiev, had previously been expected to face Itauma later in the year.

"A lot of people have high expectations of [Itauma] as I have, by the way," Warren said. "We signed him when he was 16. He was an amateur. We sponsored him, and he turned professional with us.

"And he's been amazing and sort of taken the world by storm.”

The influx of heavyweight beltholders can of course be explained by Oleksandr Usyk’s decision to relinquish his three titles in June. Though the 39-year-old is plotting one last fight – likely against Deontay Wilder – the Ukrainian’s days of fighting elite opposition are over, it seems.

Kabayel and Gassiev saw their statuses rise by virtue of Usyk’s decision to step down. Dubois defeated Fabio Wardley to claim his belt after Wardley was handed the championship when Usyk gave up the WBO title last year.

The winner of Itauma-Hrgovic will be the first to claim one of Usyk’s old belts in the ring.

- BoxingScene 

SERENA WILLIAMS TO FACE MAYA JOINT ON GRAND SLAM RETURN AT WIMBLEDON

 The 23-time grand slam champion will play her first singles match in nearly four years.

Serena Williams during a practice session at Wimbledon (John Walton/PA) (PA Wire)

Serena Williams will make her return to grand slam tennis with a first-round match against Australian Maya Joint at Wimbledon.

Having launched a comeback thistle month in doubles at the age of 44, it was announced last weekend that Williams had taken the final wild card into the women’s singles.

The 23-time grand slam singles champion last played a singles match nearly four years ago at the US Open in what had appeared to be her farewell to the sport.

Serena Williams last won the Wimbledon women’s singles title in 2016 (Adam Davy/PA) (PA Archive)

Emma Raducanu is due to open her campaign against Croatian Antonia Ruzic but fitness doubts surround the 30th seed, who could again meet Aryna Sabalenka in the third round in a repeat of last year.

Raducanu did not turn up for her scheduled practice session on Thursday having reportedly been seen wearing a protective boot the previous evening.

The British number one’s team confirmed she is managing a niggle and concerns grew when she did not appear on the practice schedule for Friday.

Raducanu is due to speak to the media at a press conference on Saturday.

- Eleanor Crooks

RADUCANU BEATEN BY LUCKY LOSER

British number one Emma Raducanu has been knocked out of the Dubai Tennis Championships in the first round.

She recovered from a set and a break down against Antonia Ruzic to force a decider but the Croatian prevailed, winning 6-1 5-7 6-2.

Ruzic is ranked 67th in the world and was one of seven lucky losers from qualifying to fill the main draw after several players pulled out through injury, illness or a schedule change.

Raducanu's initial opponent Elisabetta Cocciaretto was ruled out with a thigh problem and Ruzic won the first set in 30 minutes having twice broken Raducanu.

The world number 25 then sought medical attention, just as she did last week at the Qatar Open when she had to retire from her first-round match.

Despite falling 5-3 down after being broken again in the second set, Raducanu fought back to claim two breaks and make it a set apiece.

The Briton won six consecutive games at the end of the second set and start of the third to go 2-0 up in the decider, but Ruzic won the next six to clinch victory.

- Ben Collins

HARRY KANE PASSES WAYNE ROONEY AS RECORDS FALL IN BAYERN MÜNCHEN ROUT

Harry Kane celebrates after scoring a goal for Bayern Munich against Dinamo Zagreb. Getty Images

MUNICH -- Harry Kane scored four times on Tuesday to bring his Champions League goal total to 33, blowing past the previous record of 30 set by Wayne Rooney for the most goals by an English player in the competition.

It was all part of a record night for the striker and Bayern Munich, as they cruised to a 9-2 rout of Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb in the first round of games in the new-look Champions League format.

The nine goals for Bayern were also the most ever in a Champions League game by a single team, and Kane had another European record to his credit with three of his goals coming from the penalty spot.

"Amazing game, a bit of a crazy game for sure," Kane told broadcaster DAZN. "To score all those goals in the end was a great night.

"To be honest, after the second [penalty] I didn't really know what to do with the third one, but thankfully I was able to put it away."

Kane opened the scoring from the penalty spot to give Bayern the lead and equal Rooney's mark for an Englishman. He scored his 31st on a rebound to pass Rooney and added two more from the penalty spot to take his Champions League tally to 12 goals since moving to Bayern a year ago.

"He is motivated and for me as a coach it is easier because if you have a top player who is himself so motivated it makes things so much easier," said Bayern manager Vincent Kompany after the match. "He is a leader, captain of the national team. Players like him, they know they have to rise at these moments and that is what he is doing."

Raphael Guerreiro, Michael Olise, Leroy Sane and Leon Goretzka piled on the goals for Bayern to hit the record haul of nine in a single Champions League game, while Bruno Petkovic and Takuya Ogiwara each scored to get the visitors on the scoresheet.

Kane now has 53 goals in 50 games in all competitions since moving to Bayern and has scored nine goals in his past three games for club and country, including two for England against Finland in his 100th international game and a hat trick Saturday for Bayern against Holstein Kiel in the Bundesliga.

Another record was broken when Thomas Müller came off the bench to play his 152nd Champions League game for Bayern. That's the most for a player for one club, breaking a tie with former Barcelona player Xavi Hernandez.

Despite the lopsided win, it was not all praise from Kompany, who saw his team lead 3-0 at half-time but concede two goals in two minutes shortly after the restart as the Croats tried to find a way back.

"We scored nine but we conceded two goals. We conceded those goals because we were a step too late. Still we stayed calmed and then had a good evening," said the Belgian.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this story.

-  Mark Ogden and Gab Marcotti

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