Cameron Smith revealed he was "a few too many beers deep" on Friday evening when he realised he would have to get up early for the third round of the Australian Open.
Smith thought he had missed the cut at Kingston Heath Golf Club on home soil after signing for a one-over second round of 73.
The Open champion made a trip to the pub for some post-round refreshments, thinking his participation in the DP World Tour event in Melbourne was over.
But with the competition cut to 60 players for Saturday and halved after the third round, the world number three discovered he did not have a full weekend off.
Smith returned to go round in 69 in what proved to be his third round.
The Brisbane native said: "I was pretty quick to the pub [after his round on Friday] and, yeah, was probably a few too many beers deep, and then I realised we had an early tee time, so I got back on the waters and was a good boy the rest of the night."
Smith, who won the PGA Championship last week, added: "I thought I had it in me today and hit lots of good golf shots, and just couldn't really capitalise. Just not my week."
Adam Scott holds a one-shot lead heading into the final round of the Australian Open in his homeland.
Tyson Fury says he is "terrified" of hanging up his boxing gloves ahead of a trilogy fight with Derek Chisora
The WBC heavyweight champion will take part in his final bout of the year against his fellow Brit at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, with a potential unification fight against Oleksandr Usyk to come.
Unbeaten Englishman Fury has stated on several occasions that he had retired, only to unsurprisingly resume his illustrious career.
The 34-year-old cannot even bear to think about retirement as he prepares to try and defend his title once again.
"I'm terrified of it," he stated. "Hard is an understatement. I can't think of the most complex word to describe giving this up. It's more addictive than anything on the planet.
"I think going one-on-one with another highly trained athlete, you've got all the crowd there, the electricity of everything.
"While I'm not doing that, I'm just mundane. But as soon as I know I've got a fight coming up, boom, my eyes glow up. I feel a feeling inside of me bubbling [like] a pot that's on the simmer, boiling away. I just cannot wait to fight.
"It's really the competition that's the addictive thing, it's not the training. I used to think it was the training, but it's not because I was training every day [and] I wasn't happy.
"So it's definitely the boxing side of it. I believe when God's ready for me to move on and get out of boxing, I'll be shown a way out. And whatever I do next will be double as big as what I'm doing now.
"I'm just motivated by staying alive and keeping happy and healthy. This is what makes me happy and healthy - boxing - so that's why we're here."
The New York Jets will undergo a fierce test of their playoff credentials on Sunday as they face the Vikings in Minnesota, where they will be hoping Mike White can deliver another inspiring performance at the quarterback position.
At 7-4, the Jets occupy the final Wild Card spot in the AFC playoffs, but a victory over the Vikings would move them just a game behind the Buffalo Bills (9-3) in the race for the AFC East title. The 9-2 Vikings can clinch the NFC North crown if they win and the Detroit Lions lose at home to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Having replaced 2021 second overall pick Zach Wilson as the starter following Wilson's dismal performance in the Week 11 loss to the New England Patriots, White led an outstanding offensive performance from the Jets in their 31-10 win over the Chicago Bears in Week 12.
White threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns in the win over Chicago, his second career game with 300+ passing yards and at least three TD passes (in five career appearances).
The last Jets quarterback with multiple career such games prior to White for the team was Ken O'Brien with seven (last occurrence was in 1991).
White produced that display against a Chicago defense that has seen much of its top talent traded away and ranks 29th in the NFL by yards per play allowed (5.92).
But the Vikings have been far from impressive on defense this season and are the second-worst on that side of the ball by yards per play given up (6.05), appearing to suggest this matchup is another excellent opportunity for White to build his case for being the long-term starter.
And New York's defense is well-equipped to slow down the Minnesota attack. The Jets' win over Chicago marked the team's fourth time this season holding an opponent to 10 or fewer points, tied for the most such games in the NFL (with Dallas and San Francisco).
The last time the Jets had at least that many games in a season was 2010 (five), their last campaign in which they made the playoffs.
Minnesota's offense is powered largely by the continually superb exploits of wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
Jefferson and Adam Thielen each caught touchdown passes in the Vikings' Thanksgiving Day win over the New England Patriots. It was the ninth time each player has had a receiving TD in the same game, the most of any NFL team-mates since Jefferson debuted at the beginning of the 2020 season.
The Jets have the talent in the secondary to potentially limit the Vikings' receivers, and the matchup between Jefferson and New York's rookie cornerback Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner is an extremely intriguing one. Gardner has allowed receivers to get open on just 19.45 per cent of his matchups across man and zone coverage, the best rate of all cornerbacks, according to Stats Perform data.
Yet if the game remains close, the edge appears to be with the Vikings.
The Vikings are 8-0 in games decided by eight or fewer points this season after the 33-26 win over the Patriots on Thanksgiving. The only team in NFL history to finish a season 8-0 or better in such contests was the 2009 Indianapolis Colts (8-0).
If Minnesota improve that tally to 9-0, rookie head coach Kevin O'Connell would join Jim Caldwell and Jim Harbaugh as the only head coaches this century to earn 10 wins in 12 or fewer games to start their career as an NFL head coach.
This is the kind of week you dream of as an NFL fan.
Week 13 is set to serve up a plethora of compelling matchups that will have big implications on how the playoff picture takes shape.
The NFC favourites the Philadelphia Eagles face a real test of their credentials as they take on the Tennessee Titans.
Last season's AFC Super Bowl representative, the Cincinnati Bengals, host the Kansas City Chiefs in a rematch of the AFC Championship Game they stunningly won in Kansas City, and there's a highly anticipated reunion of former colleagues at Levi's Stadium, where the San Francisco 49ers welcome the Miami Dolphins.
Not all of those aforementioned games are seen as the best by SmartRatings.
SmartRatings is an AI-based platform that provides excitement ratings for sporting events, teams and players. The excitement scale, ranging from 0-100, is powered by complex algorithms that are predicated upon six primary variables: pace, parity, novelty, momentum, context and social buzz.
The weight of each variable is dynamic and adapts as a season progresses. The excitement scale translates to the following general sub-ranges: 0-39 (Dull Game), 40-64 (OK Game), 65-84 (Good Game) and 85-100 (Great Game).
Here, Stats Perform picks out three games from the top five with the most significant playoff implications and looks at the battles that could decide them.
New Orleans Saints (4-8) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6), Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET
SmartRating : 60
Win Probability : Buccaneers 68.6%
Key Matchup : Marcus Davenport vs. Josh Wells
The Buccaneers suffered a massive blow when right tackle Tristan Wirfs sustained a high ankle sprain in their loss to the Cleveland Browns last week.
Wirfs is expected to be out three to four weeks, meaning he will miss a critical stretch for Tampa Bay as the Bucs seek to win an extremely underwhelming NFC South.
That stretch starts with a rivalry game against the Saints on Monday Night Football, with New Orleans still only a game back in the win column of the Bucs despite their 4-8 record.
New Orleans' defense has not been the force of years past but the return of Cameron Jordan and Marcus Davenport saw the Saints perform extremely well on that side of the ball in their 13-0 loss to the 49ers in Week 12.
When he has been healthy, Davenport has been extremely impressive. He has a pass-rush win rate of 49.03 per cent and a 66.67 per cent win rate on run defense. His aggregate of 48.03 per cent is the fourth-highest among edge rushers.
Now he gets to go against Wirfs' backup in the form of Josh Wells. If Wells cannot find a way to slow him down, Tom Brady and the Bucs may struggle to move the ball on offense and give hope to a Saints attack needing life after being shutout by San Francisco.
Miami Dolphins (8-3) at San Francisco 49ers (7-4) Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET
SmartRating : 62
Win Probability : 49ers 53.5%
Key Matchup : Mike McDaniel vs. DeMeco Ryans
It's arguably the NFL's most distinguished offensive play-calling professor against his star pupil as Kyle Shanahan's 49ers host Mike McDaniel's Miami Dolphins in a mouth-watering contest teeming with narratives.
McDaniel has spent much of his coaching career at the hip of Shanahan, following him to almost all of his NFL stops, including San Francisco, where he was run-game coordinator and then offensive coordinator last season before departing for Miami.
Yet McDaniel, who has turned the Dolphins' offense into one of the most explosive in the NFL and the most efficient in the league by yards per play, will not be focusing on outcoaching his former boss, but instead outwitting San Francisco's defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans.
Ryans will likely become a head coach in the coming offseason, having so far overseen another dominant season from the 49er defense.
San Francisco's defense has allowed the fewest plays of 10+ yards (106) in the NFL and is also the top unit by yards per play allowed (4.69) and success rate (34.5%).
The Miami offense leads the league in big plays of at least 10 yards with 174 and has a receiver in Tyreek Hill who has an open percentage of 68.18 against man coverage, that figure trailing only Stefon Diggs (68.57) as of Week 12, and a combined open percentage across man and zone of 51.67.
The 49ers will hope to use the edge they have up front against a banged-up Miami offensive line to their advantage and boast the edge rusher with the highest aggregate win rate (52.42%) across pass rush and run defense for his position in the league in Nick Bosa.
It is a true strength-on-strength matchup, and the clash between McDaniel's varied and high-powered attack against Ryans' versatile and ferocious defense figures to be fascinating to watch.
Kansas City Chiefs (9-2) at Cincinnati Bengals (7-4)
SmartRating : 68
Win Probability : Chiefs 66.4%
Key Matchup : Ja'Marr Chase vs. Chiefs' pass defense
The Cincinnati passing game saw its hot streak tempered a little by the Tennessee defense in the Bengals' narrow win over the Titans last week, but a meeting with the Chiefs represents a favourable matchup for Zac Taylor's offense.
Cincinnati's offense has averaged 293.3 net passing yards per game in the NFL since Week 6, the third-most in the NFL, and has done much of that damage without top wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase.
Chase is due to return from a hip injury on Sunday, having recorded three 100-yard games in his first seven appearances of the season.
He gets the opportunity to add to that against a Kansas City defense that ranks 21st in open percentage allowed to opposing receivers.
That suggests he should have no difficulty returning to top form right off the bat in this conference title game rematch against a defense that is ninth-worst in the NFL by success rate against the pass.
Though the Bengals had joy shackling Patrick Mahomes and Co. in the second half of that championship game, it is more likely the duel between he and Joe Burrow quickly becomes a shootout.
How successful Chase is in taking advantage of a very vulnerable Chiefs secondary may dictate whether the Bengals can keep up and pull off the upset once more.
Khris Middleton was happy to get minutes under his belt despite defeat after he played his first game since April for the Milwaukee Bucks against the Los Angeles Lakers.
A rampant pair of performances from Anthony Davis and LeBron James – who scored 44 points and passed Magic Johnson on the all-time NBA assists list respectively – saw the visitors downed 133-129.
But even with the loss, it marked a major landmark for the Bucks as they welcomed back forward Middleton to their line-up, having seen him sidelined since April's playoffs.
With 17 points and seven assists, the 31-year-old kept himself busy throughout, and expressed his delight at getting back on the floor with the rest of his team-mates.
"It felt really good to be back out there with the guys competing, playing," he said. "[I've got] a range of emotions.
"[I've] been through a lot these last couple months - happy, sad, anxious, nervous. To finally get out there and play and get a lot of those nerves past me, it felt pretty good."
The Bucks head to the Charlotte Hornets as part of a back-to-back on Saturday, but head coach Mike Budenholzer suggested Middleton will not be played again so quickly in succession.
"To have Khris back is huge for us," he added. "[It is] pretty impressive how seamlessly he got back into the game, [at] both ends of the court.
"We talk a lot about how Khris, he's just a basketball player. He's a smart player [who] just understands the game. [He is] not overly reliant on athleticism or things like that.
"For him to come back and be able to catch a good rhythm – he's got to keep working but a big step for us tonight to get Khris Middleton back."
T.J. Warren ended a two-year exodus from the court after making his Brooklyn Nets debut in Friday's 114-105 win over the Toronto Raptors.
The small forward, who last played on December 29, 2020 with the Indiana Pacers, has been out since with a succession of surgeries for a left foot injury.
With Kyrie Irving's 27-point haul leading the hosts to victory at Barclays Center, Warren scored 10 and posted four rebounds over a 17-minute spell off the bench.
To finally get back on the floor, however, was the big success of the night for the 29-year-old, who was delighted to put his injury nightmare behind him.
"It almost felt like a dream," he said. "As soon as I checked in, it kind of hit me like, 'Wow, this is real.' Once I got up and down it was just like, 'All right, this is basketball.'.
"It was just super fun to be out there and compete with the guys."
Team-mate Kevin Durant was also happy to see Warren, who signed with the Nets in July, tick off a major milestone on his road back to the top of the professional game.
"He's a poised guy," he added. "He showed that he belongs out here. It felt like he didn't really miss too much of a [beat]. Two years he missed? It didn't feel like that.
"But we still got to be patient with him. We still understand that he had tough injuries, and he spent a lot of time away from the game, but he looked great to me."
The Nets will next face the Boston Celtics on Sunday, as they look to strengthen their hand in the Eastern Conference in the run-up to Christmas.
LeBron James moved up to sixth on the all-time assist leaderboard as he dished 11 in the Los Angeles Lakers' impressive 133-129 win against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday.
James also had 28 points on 12-of-27 shooting, eight rebounds and two steals to go with his assists, and he was supported in spectacular fashion by Anthony Davis.
Davis had a season-high 44 points (18-of-27 shooting), 10 rebounds and three blocks, in what was his third-most points in a Lakers uniform, and the most since January 2020.
With James' ninth assist of the game – the 10,142nd of his career – he passed fellow Lakers legend Magic Johnson on the all-time list, now trailing only Mark Jackson (10,334), Steve Nash (10,335), Chris Paul (11,071), Jason Kidd (12,091) and John Stockton (15,806).
Speaking after the contest, James made sure to convey his respect for Johnson and his impact on the game.
"It means a lot, obviously," he said. "The way Magic approached the game, it was very infectious.
"His teammates loved playing with him because of the joy he played with, and the ability to pass the ball and get other guys involved. He was always excited about seeing his teammates be great. I always admired that in him.
"What’s even more humbling and super-duper cool is the fact that I’m doing it in a Laker uniform, and knowing how much Magic means to the Laker franchise."
Earlier in the week in an interview with ESPN, James reflected on the legacy he hopes to leave behind.
"To know that I'm in the conversation, or about to get to a point that I'm breaking a record that he set for this franchise – and I'm not comparing myself to Magic with this franchise, what he did, sheesh," he said.
"Him, [James] Worthy, Kobe [Bryant], Shaq [O'Neal], those guys are synonymous with this franchise. But it's just pretty cool, always, when I'm able to see my name with some of the greats that have played this game.
"Listen, when you talk about just one-name guys when you're talking about sports, you got Ali, Jordan, Magic, Bird. Those names are just synonymous with sports."
Turning his attention back to the win against the Bucks, James said he felt this was the most connected this Lakers team has felt since the addition of Russell Westbrook.
"I will say I feel like tonight is the most complementary, and the best game with all three of us on the floor together that we've played on both sides of the floor," he said.
"We all felt in a rhythm. We all felt we were making impactful plays throughout the whole game."
The victory was the Lakers' seventh from their past nine fixtures, reviving what was looking like being a lost season and inching closer to .500, now 9-12 – only two games behind the current Western Conference eighth seed, the Golden State Warriors.
Nashville Predators goaltender Kevin Lankinen collected a career-high 48 saves to propel his side to a 4-1 win against the New York Islanders on Friday.
The Predators took the lead six minutes into the contest, when Filip Forsberg got on the end of a move from Matt Duchene and Roman Josi to capitalise on an early power play.
That power play unit struck again in the second period, this time with Forsberg and Duchene setting up Josi for the game's second goal. They converted in two of their three total power play opportunities.
Lankinen kept the Islanders scoreless through the first two periods, but it was his third, where he conceded his only goal, that drew the most praise from his teammates.
"He's the first star of the game by far," said Duchene. "The first two periods were pretty even, they had a few more shots because of power plays, but it was pretty even, there was no room out there.
"Then in the third they threw the kitchen sink at us, and Lankinen stood tall, and we were able to recover on second pucks and rebounds for him. So he was outstanding, and he was our MVP today."
Forsberg echoed those sentiments, crediting Lankinen with the win.
"It's the only reason we're having this interview happy," he said. "Obviously, he was unbelievable for us, especially in the third, but even through the whole game.
"I don't know how many saves he had in the third, but it was probably 20 almost just in the third period. I mean, we have the two best goalies in the league."
Lankinen had 21 of his 48 saves in the third period, with head coach John Hynes adding: "Kevin was great – he was really good down the stretch. It's great to see him get rewarded."
With the win, the Predators improved their record to 12-9-2, while the Islanders are still in a strong position at 15-10-0.
The Texas Rangers have not been shy about spending money recently, and that continued Friday as they agreed to a five-year, $185million contract with two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom.
DeGrom, who has spent his entire nine-year career with the New York Mets, is perhaps the most dominant pitcher in baseball when healthy.
His career 2.52 ERA ranks third in the expansion era (since 1961) behind Los Angeles Dodgers lefty Clayton Kershaw (2.48) and Hall-of-Famer Sandy Koufax (2.19) among those with at least 200 starts.
"We are thrilled that Jacob deGrom has decided to become a Texas Ranger," executive vice president and general manager Chris Young said in a statement.
"Over a number of seasons, Jacob has been a standout major league pitcher, and he gives us a dominant performer at the top of our rotation. One of our primary goals this offseason is to strengthen our starting pitching, and we are adding one of the best."
This blockbuster move comes just before baseball's winter meetings, which begin early next week in San Diego. The Rangers said deGrom will be introduced in a news conference at Globe Life Field next week following the winter meetings.
"It fits in so many ways in terms of what we need," Young said. "He's a tremendous person. I have a number of close friends and teammates who played with Jacob and love him. I think he's going to be just a perfect fit for our clubhouse and our fans."
DeGrom, however, has been limited to 26 starts and 156-and-a-third innings over the past two seasons due to elbow, forearm and shoulder blade injuries. He compiled a career-low 1.08 ERA over 92 innings in 2021, but did not pitch after July 7 that year because of arm trouble.
"We acknowledge the risk, but we also acknowledge that in order to get great players, there is a risk and a cost associated with that," Young said. "And one we feel like is worth taking with a player of Jacob's caliber."
The Rangers have spent nearly $761m in free agency over the past year, including massive contracts last offseason to shortstop Corey Seager ($325m, 10 years) and second baseman Marcus Semien ($175m, seven years). The moves didn’t pay off, though, as they finished 68-94 for their sixth consecutive losing season.
Texas responded by hiring three-time World Series champion Bruce Bochy as their new manager in October.
DeGrom didn’t make his season debut this past season until August, and went 5-4 with a 3.08 ERA in 11 starts. After helping the Mets reach the playoffs, he passed up a $30.5m salary for 2023 and opted out his contract to become a free agent for the first time.
DeGrom won consecutive Cy Young Awards in 2018 and 2019 and is 82-57 with 1,607 strikeouts in 1,326 innings over nine big league seasons.
Anthony Davis enjoyed his highest-scoring game since January 2020 as he put up 44 points to deliver a Los Angeles Lakers road win against the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday.
The Bucks entered the contest on a three-game winning streak, and were welcoming three-time All-Star Khris Middleton back to the starting line-up for his first action of the season.
Middleton was solid in his return, scoring 17 points on six-of-11 shooting with seven assists and no turnovers in his 27 minutes, but there was nothing he could do to stop Davis.
Davis was dueling head-to-head with two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, and while the Bucks superstar had 40 points (16-of-23 shooting), seven rebounds and five assists, Davis dropped his 44 on 18-of-27 shooting, adding a game-high 10 rebounds and three blocks.
It is the third-most points Davis has scored in a Lakers jersey, trailing a 46-point effort back in 2020 and a 50-point explosion in 2019.
Davis is averaging 26.3 points, 12.7 rebounds (most in the NBA) and 2.3 blocks per game (third-most) this campaign, and both his field goal percentage (56.9 per cent) and true shooting percentage (63.5 per cent) are career-highs.
With the win, the Lakers have now emerged victorious in seven of their past nine games to salvage their rough start and improve their record to 9-12, while the Bucks hold onto the second-best record in the Eastern Conference at 15-6.
Heat upset the Celtics in overtime
The Miami Heat (11-12) collected an impressive 120-116 overtime win against the league-leading Boston Celtics (18-5) as four of their starters scored at least 20 points each.
Bam Adebayo top-scored for the Heat with 28 points, while Tyler Herro added 26 with three steals, Jimmy Butler had 25 with 15 rebounds and Kyle Lowry chipped in 20 of his own.
Jaylen Brown was terrific for the Celtics with a game-high 37 points on 12-of-23 shooting, adding 14 rebounds and five assists, but his heroics were not enough to prevent his side from dropping only their second game from their past 16 outings.
Morant, Jackson deliver Grizzlies win
Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr showed exactly why they are the two centerpieces the Memphis Grizzlies are building around, delivering on both ends in a 117-109 victory against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Morant top-scored for the Grizzlies with 28 (10-of-28 shooting), while Jackson flashed his unique skill-set by blocking four shots and hitting two three-pointers on his way to 22 points (seven-of-12) and nine rebounds.
Joel Embiid was immense for the 76ers, scoring a game-high 35 points (13-of-26) with 12 rebounds, eight assists and three blocks, posting a plus/minus of plus nine in his 41 minutes.
This means in the seven minutes he was on the bench, the 76ers were outscored by 17.
Although quarterback Matthew Stafford has been cleared from the league’s concussion protocol, Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay said he will not play Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.
Stafford has missed two of the Rams' last three games because of concussion protocols and a neck injury. While he’s cleared for the concussion, the team is still gathering information about the neck injury.
"I think there’s so many layers [to that decision]," McVay said. "There’s so much thought and dialogue that goes into it, but I think first and foremost it’s got to get cleared from the medical experts.
"I’m not the expert in that area, but if there’s any sort of sense of, this is something that’ll be better served in the long term or it’s going to be a few more week, things like that, I think that’ll end up taking care of itself."
John Wolford will start Sunday against Seattle and Bryce Perkins, who started last week’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, will serve as his backup.
The Rams may be extra careful with Stafford because he felt numbness in his legs after taking a hit against the New Orleans Saints on November 20. That was just two days after he cleared the concussion protocol for the first time.
McVay didn’t rule out that Stafford could be shut down for the season.
"If there’s any inkling that he can play, this guy is going to want to play. Now [there is] a possibility that we say, 'based on what we’re gathering, the doctors, those types of things, the smart thing is not to play you' – and he could be upset with me.
"But I think he knows that I have his best interest and we have his best interest. If that’s the case, then that’s definitely a possibility."
The injury-depleted Rams are enduing a dismal season after winning the Super Bowl last season. They have lost five straight, and at 3-8 are among the worst teams in the league.
Viktor Hovland is alone atop the Hero World Challenge leaderboard after Friday's second round, following his opening 69 with a two-under 70 to enter the weekend at five under.
Hovland, who was the joint-leader entering the day, is the reigning champion at the event after edging Scottie Scheffler by one stroke at Albany Golf Course in the Bahamas last year.
In an action-packed second round, the Norwegian posted an eagle with four birdies and four bogeys, with his slam-dunk shot of the day on the par-five sixth hole making it back-to-back rounds with an eagle.
He is one stroke clear of a four-man group consisting of Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Cameron Young and Collin Morikawa, with playing partners Scheffler and Schauffele posting four-under 68s to tie for the round of the day.
South Korean 20-year-old Tom Kim is the only player in sixth at three under, Justin Thomas is alone at two-under, and Billy Horschel is tied with Tiger Woods' late replacement Sepp Straka for eighth at one under.
It leaves 11 of the 20-player field at least five strokes off Hovland's lead, with Matt Fitzpatrick, Tony Finau and Jon Rahm at even par.
It was a day to forget for Tommy Fleetwood, Corey Conners, Max Homa and Shane Lowry, with all four shooting their way out of contention with rounds of four over or worse.
Tyson Fury has been urged to show he is "brave enough" to take on Oleksandr Usyk in a fight that could end all arguments over who is the greatest heavyweight of their generation.
For now, Fury's focus is on putting his WBC belt on the line against Derek Chisora on Saturday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
However, Usyk is eager to tackle the Briton and that fight could happen in the new year, if all parties can come to an agreement.
According to the 35-year-old Ukrainian's agent, Usyk would jump at the opportunity. Usyk, himself, has expressed similar sentiment, and Fury's next step after the Chisora fight, should he win that one, will be keenly watched.
Fury has described the prospect of facing Usyk in 2023 as "unlikely", suggesting he could instead undertake a world tour of one fight per month, in what he has labelled a "bum-a-month campaign".
Yet Fury's words and his actions do not always match up, so the right proposal might still tempt him to fight Usyk, who holds the WBA, IBF and WBO titles.
Indeed, Fury's co-promoter Bob Arum this week suggested an agreement for a showdown against Usyk could be made "speedily".
Usyk's promoter Alex Krassyuk told Sky Sports: "Usyk, he's the kind of person who went through some big challenges in his life. He's not afraid of anything. He's seeking challenges himself.
"He has become the undisputed at cruiserweight. Before that he became Olympic champion, that was the challenge for him. Before that he became world champion in the amateurs, European champion, so he was overcoming step by step.
"Now he is one step to becoming the undisputed in the heavyweight division. So he can't miss this chance. He's not ducking anyone. Once you know in detail his biography you would hardly believe he could duck anything in his life."
A fight between Fury and Usyk could be a defining contest in the career of both men.
Krassyuk added: "We all hope [Fury] is brave enough to take this challenge, to accept the challenge of fighting a small 'middleweight' rabbit from Ukraine who's going to take his green belt away."
England head coach Eddie Jones has hit back after criticism from Clive Woodward.
The team's former head coach called for England's situation – including Jones' position – to be "scrutinised" should they fail to beat Scotland in next year's Six Nations opener.
England suffered a 27-13 defeat to world champions South Africa on Saturday, having also recently been beaten by Argentina at Twickenham, with doubts growing over their credentials ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup following a poor showing during the Autumn internationals.
With just one win in November against Japan, England's schedule concluded with a loss to a Springboks team missing key European-based players.
Woodward led England to the 2003 Rugby World Cup crown and he believes Jones' position should be under threat ahead of the latest Rugby Football Union (RFU) review, writing in his Daily Mail column: "England are not just losing, they are going backwards at an alarming rate of knots.
"A full and totally transparent review must be done immediately to look into where the team are at. As head coach, Eddie Jones has serious questions to answer. Everything must be scrutinised."
Speaking to Men's Health UK, Jones issued a sharp response, claiming he is currently at the peak of his coaching powers.
"I feel sad for him [Woodward]," he said. "If that is the best thing he has to do in his life, then he hasn't a lot to do.
"I'm 62 now and I think in pure coaching terms I am coaching better than I ever have. Results aren't always perfect, but I'm happy with how I have been coaching.
"After this, I want to do something really meaningful. I've enjoyed England a lot, it was a bit of a rescue job at the start, now rebuilding, and I am confident I will leave things in good shape."
Jones has already said he will leave the role after next year's World Cup.
With just six weeks left of the regular season schedule, the drama in the NFL continues to ramp up.
The playoff picture is wide open and Week 13 action presents clashes between a number of sides who each boast a winning record this season.
Victories this week would provide a considerable boost for those teams' hopes of continuing beyond the regular campaign.
A huge divisional rivalry between the Washington Commanders and New York Giants is the pick of the action, while there is also a rematch from last season's AFC Championship game with the Kansas City Chiefs seeking redemption against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Stats Perform has delved into the numbers for those matchups along with some of Sunday's other big games.
New York Jets (7-4) @ Minnesota Vikings (9-2)
The Jets head to Minnesota with an 8-3 record against the Vikings, though have lost the last two meetings – including a 37-17 loss in the last meeting in 2018, which marked the most ever points scored by the Vikings in this series.
Defensive strength has been key for the Jets this season, with last week's 31-10 victory over the Chicago Bears being the fourth time this year where they have held their opponents to 10 or fewer points – the last time they had such a sequence was five games in 2010, which was also their last season with a trip to the playoffs.
The Jets defense will be tested against the Vikings' aerial threat, however, with Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen each catching touchdown passes in the Thanksgiving win over the New England Patriots – the ninth time each player has had a receiving TD in the same game, which marks the most of any NFL teammates since Jefferson's 2020 debut.
A win against the Jets would see head coach Kevin O'Connell join Jim Caldwell and Jim Harbaugh as the only men this century to earn 10 wins in 12 or fewer games to start their career as an NFL head coach.
Washington Commanders (7-5) @ New York Giants (7-4)
A series sweep for Washington last season was the franchise's first against the Giants since 2011, leaving the Commanders looking for their first win streak of at least three games against New York since a four-game streak that ended in 2000.
Four consecutive wins on the road have seen Washington hold their opponents to 54 points total in those contests, marking the first time they have won four straight road games while allowing fewer than 60 points since 2001.
The Giants head into the contest having lost their last five against divisional opponents, standing just 1-7 in that regard over the past two seasons. That makes them just one of two teams without multiple wins in divisional games over that span (also Denver Broncos, 1-8).
Saquon Barkley remains the biggest threat for the Giants and sits just eight rushing yards short of his third 1000-yard season, where he would join Tiki Barber (6), Rodney Hampton (5) and Joe Morris (3) as the only Giants with at least three such seasons for the team.
Tennessee Titans (7-4) @ Philadelphia Eagles (10-1)
Philadelphia host the Titans on the back of a six-game winning run against AFC opponents dating back to last season, matching the Eagles' longest such streak in franchise history.
Last time out against the Green Bay Packers, the Eagles scored a touchdown in four of their five trips to the red zone – with Philadelphia leading the NFL in touchdown efficiency in the red zone this season, scoring in 29 of 40 trips (72.5 per cent).
Tennessee, meanwhile, have rushed for fewer than 100 yards in each of their last three games, matching their longest streak since Mike Vrabel became head coach in 2018.
In the 20-16 loss to the Bengals last time out, Derrick Henry fumbled but was it was recovered. Of the 39 players with at least 200 offensive touches since the beginning of last season, Henry, Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffrey are the only three to have not lost a fumble.
Kansas City Chiefs (9-2) @ Cincinnati Bengals (7-4)
Two meetings last season saw the Bengals win by three points in both contests, including in the AFC Championship game in Kansas City, with the Chiefs' last road win against the Bengals coming in 1984 – losing six straight since.
A 26-10 home victory against the Los Angeles Rams last week saw Travis Kelce catch his 12th touchdown pass of the season, with no other tight end having more than five this term. The largest all-time gap between a league leader and second place stands at six (Rob Gronkowski in 2011 and Antonio Gates in 2004).
The Bengals overcame the Titans 20-16 on the road last week, giving Cincinnati their first three-game winning streak of the season. Since 2018, they stand 3-34 when scoring 20 or fewer points in a game, but two of those wins have come against Tennessee.
Cincinnati have converted 78.1 per cent (25-for-32) of their third downs this season when needing fewer than four yards, the best mark in the league. However, they've also allowed opponents to convert such third downs at a 76.5 per cent rate (26-for-34), the worst record in the league.
Elsewhere…
The Miami Dolphins head to San Francisco with a 4-3 record on the road against the 49ers, the second-best such record by any team behind the Carolina Panthers (7-4).
The Los Angeles Rams host the Seattle Seahawks having won eight of the last 10 clashes between the two divisional rivals, with Seattle's last victory on the road in this matchup coming in Week 5, 2017.
An overtime victory over the Seahawks last week was the second in a row for the Las Vegas Raiders, having beaten the Denver Broncos in OT in Week 11. No NFL team has ever won three consecutive games in overtime going into the Raiders' latest battle with the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Dallas Cowboys host the Indianapolis Colts on the back of a four-game spell with at least 400 net yards, with only one longer streak in team history – running eight games in that regard in 2016.
Formula One's 2023 season will not feature the Chinese Grand Prix after the race was scrapped due to "ongoing difficulties" surrounding the country's COVID-19 situation.
F1 was due to return to the Shanghai International Circuit in 2023, having last raced there in 2019.
The 2020 race, like most originally scheduled for that season, was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic and the 2021 race fell the same way. F1 could not honour its contract to race in China last season because of travel restrictions related to COVID-19.
There will now be no race in the country for the fourth successive campaign after F1 confirmed the 2023 grand prix scheduled for April had been cancelled.
"Formula 1 can confirm, following dialogue with the promoter and relevant authorities, that the 2023 Chinese Grand Prix will not take place due to the ongoing difficulties presented by the COVID-19 situation," a short statement read.
"Formula 1 is assessing alternative options to replace the slot on the 2023 calendar and will provide an update on this in due course."
China continues to operate a 'zero-COVID' policy, with strict local lockdowns enforced if even one person tests positive for the virus.
Those who test positive are taken to a designated COVID hospital for centralised care and remain there until they have tested negative for COVID-19 multiple times, a process that can take numerous weeks.
Reports prior to F1 confirming the cancellation indicated it was not prepared to ask teams to travel to the country amid the risk its drivers and staff could be quarantined for weeks if they caught the virus.
F1 staff would reportedly not be given exemptions if they contracted COVID-19.
If it does not replace the grand prix with an alternative in another country, F1 will stage a 23-race calendar in 2023 that would feature a four-week gap between the Australian Grand Prix on April 2 and the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on April 30 because of the cancellation.
The new season is due to start on March 5 with the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Tyson Fury returns to the ring on Saturday to face-off against old rival Derek Chisora in a bout where the talk strangely orientates around who is not there rather than the Gypsy King's actual opponent.
Having seen off Dillian Whyte in April, Fury set his sights on a 'Battle of Britain' clash against Anthony Joshua or a unification bout with Oleksandr Usyk, though was unable to secure an agreement with either.
Negotiations with Joshua fell flat and Usyk made it clear that he would not fight until 2023, leaving Fury in limbo and in a situation that reflects the messy scene at the top of the heavyweight division beneath the Ukrainian and the Gypsy King.
For all the clamour for a fight between Fury and Joshua, the latter struggled in consecutive losses to Usyk, with a previous defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019 resulting in three losses in the past five bouts for AJ.
Deontay Wilder lost twice in succession to Fury, while Ruiz Jr has fallen since losing his rematch to Joshua, ultimately leaving Fury treading water and forced to wait for other up-and-coming heavyweights to boost their credentials.
Of those, Joe Joyce stands as the most likely to jump to the front of the queue to face Fury but the fight against Chisora presents a massive risk, not just to Fury himself but to the heavyweight division.
A loss, though unlikely, would leave the WBC heavyweight belt tied up for a rematch and fourth bout between Fury and Chisora, potentially pushing back a unification clash with Usyk or a fiercely anticipated meeting with Joshua even further.
Chisora is the big winner in these circumstances, as in reality a fighter with 12 career defeats, including three in a row before victory over Kubrat Pulev in July, would never usually be in contention for a belt of this magnitude.
While Chisora has shown his ability to take significant hits and damage, somehow going the distance in a loss to Joseph Parker in Manchester a year ago despite being knocked down on three occasions, few would give him much of a chance against Fury.
In the heavyweight division, however, it only takes one hit to end a contest and a knockout surely stands as Chisora's only route to victory – though his last came against Artur Szpilka in 2019.
In comparison, Fury has not had a fight go the distance since a unanimous decision triumph against Otto Wallin two years ago and will fancy his chances of another quick win.
Mac Jones said he let emotions get the better of him but was not aiming his frustration at anyone in particular in the New England Patriots' 24-10 defeat to the Buffalo Bills.
After a promising rookie season in 2021, quarterback Jones and the offense in general has struggled for a Patriots side who are now 6-6 and facing a struggle to make the playoffs.
During the game, Jones appeared to be caught saying "throw the f*****g ball! The quick game sucks!" during the broadcast of the game on Amazon Prime Video.
"Obviously, I just kind of let my emotions get to me," Jones said. "What I said was about throwing it deeper within the short game. I got to execute that part better.
"But it's the short game that we kept going to, which is working. But I felt like we needed chunk plays. I shouted that out to kind of get everyone going. That's emotional. That's football. I'm passionate about this game.
"Obviously, you don't want to let your emotions get the best of you. I think that's pretty much it. It wasn't directed at anybody. Just emotion coming out. We kind of needed a spark."
Jones added that the coaching team, including Matt Patricia who makes the calls in the plays to him, were aligned with his thinking.
"It was just [saying], 'let's go for it, let's be aggressive, let's take those shots. Just go down fighting,'" Jones added.
"Matty P was on the same page. We kind of did it there at the end and moved it a little bit more."
Jones was 22-of-36 for 195 yards and a touchdown against the Bills.
Overall the Patriots rank 31st for time in the red zone, 25th for third-down conversion, and 27th for first downs gained per game this season.
"When you're playing from behind against a pretty good team and a good offense, you need to go out there and make better plays," Jones said.
"That starts with me. Definitely wasn't good enough by me. I didn't do a good enough job of getting ahead early, making it work. It's tough to watch the defense play a great game, not being able to give them anything back."
Khris Middleton is set to make his return from injury for the Milwaukee Bucks against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.
The three-time NBA All-Star underwent a procedure to repair torn ligaments in his wrist in July and has yet to play for the Bucks this season.
Middleton's last appearance was back in April when he sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee in Game 2 of the opening round of the playoffs against the Chicago Bulls.
The Bucks went on to lose to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semi-finals in the absence of Middleton.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Bucks are about to have one of their star men back, though, when they host the Lakers at Fiserv Forum.
The Bucks sit second in the East having amassed a 15-5 record through 20 games of the 2022-23 NBA season, three games back on the 18-4 Celtics.
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