Oleksandr Usyk faces off with Jake Paul at Wembley as YouTuber teases MMA fight
The surprising staredown came moments after Usyk stopped Daniel Dubois – for the second time in two years – to become a two-time undisputed heavyweight champion. The Ukrainian, 38, finished Dubois, 27, in round five, having previously beaten the Briton in 2023.
Saturday's result in London saw Usyk retain the unified titles and recapture the IBF belt, and it also ensured the southpaw stayed unbeaten. In his post-fight interview, attention quickly turned to his next fight, after he refrained from suggesting that he could retire, with the Ukrainian mentioning Joseph Parker and old rival Tyson Fury as possible foes.
However, it was YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul who entered the ring to face off with Usyk, before the pair shared a respectful handshake.
American Paul, 28, has a 12-1 record as a professional boxer, and his most recent result was a points win over former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. That result in June followed his decision victory against Mike Tyson, 58, in November.
And after beating a former undisputed heavyweight champion on that occasion, Paul seemingly wants a clash with the current undisputed heavyweight king.
The face-off came days after Saudi adviser Turki Alalshikh said Paul had "accepted" a fight with Anthony Joshua, with whom Alalshikh is set to speak next week.
Joshua last fought in September, suffering a knockout loss to Dubois at Wembley.
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- NBC Sports
Serie A 2025-26 season — Schedule, leading scorers, table, USMNT players
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an hour ago
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A standout off the ice, Bruins defenseman Mason Lohrei continues to grow his game on it
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Skating and explosiveness and a lot of that stuff helps with one-on-one defending against all the best players,' he said. 'It's such a great skating league and guys are so quick and so I've been able to do all that as a reaction. I've been working on that stuff and then just getting stronger and then obviously that helps everywhere with all the battles. And then obviously I still love to work on all the offensive stuff, whatever it's stickhandling and shooting and working on my scoring touch a little bit.' Related : Lohrei will be on his third coach after learning under Jim Montgomery and Joe Sacco . He's had minimal contact with Marco Sturm — the coach called Lohrei shortly after he was hired — but has gotten some info from other sources. 'One of my best buddies in college [ Tate Singleton ] played for Coach Sturm last year in Ontario a bit and he had great things to say,' said Lohrei. 'And then another, Jake Wise , he's in Colorado now with the Eagles, but he was with LA in Ontario for their training camp. And same thing, he said, 'This guy's awesome, you guys are going to love him.' So, we had a good conversation. I'm excited to have him here.' Advertisement Lohrei made a big jump as a sophomore pro last season, suiting up for 77 games and averaging nearly 20 minutes of ice time. Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff LONG HAUL Bruins good fit for Bancroft Dalton Bancroft's first professional road trip is one he'll never forget. Not long after Cornell was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament in March, Bancroft, a big man on campus for the Big Red, had a decision to make. Should he stay or should he go pro? Bancroft chose to leave school and Then came the roadie to remember. 'We got back from the regional [in Ohio] on, I think it was Sunday, and I was in a five-hour Uber ride down to Providence on Thursday,' Bancroft said after wrapping up Bruins development camp last month. A quick price check last week revealed a trip from Lynah Rink in Ithaca, N.Y., to Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence runs just short of $500 — before tip. 'It was three [games in] three days that weekend for Providence,' said Bancroft. 'So, it was a quick schedule change than what we're used to in college, but I think that's the best way to learn is to get thrown into the mix of things and then you'll know what to expect. And I think it's a little bit of a head start going into next year, the pace and the people you're playing with, stuff like that. 'It was really cool for them to do that for me.' Advertisement Bancroft, who turned heads at Boston's Development Camp last year, signed a one-year entry-level deal with a $950,000 salary cap hit and played five games for AHL Providence, scoring one goal. 'I think they preach the blue-collar mentality here. That's kind of the same thing we had going at Cornell. We were never going to be the highest skilled team in the NCAA, but we were going to be teams with grit and physicality. And that kind of played right into the way I play,' said Bancroft, explaining his decision to sign with the Bruins. At 6 feet 3 inches, 207 pounds, Bancroft is a physical player who showed steady improvement at Cornell, where he collected 36 goals and 79 points in 103 games. He acknowledged Related : Prior to his time at Cornell, Bancroft was MVP of the Ontario Junior Hockey League in 2021-22, when he amassed a league-high 92 points (37 goals) for Trenton. Bancroft has good instincts and uses his frame and strength to shield the puck and beat opponents one-on-one. He does a nice job anticipating the play, delivering soft passes and deceptively stinging one-timers. 'I'd say probably the best part of my game would be my physicality. I have the goal scoring touch, too, I like to think. Maybe not as much as some of the higher skill players, but I think that's kind of the big reason they brought me in was I have that mentality, the gritty physical, not afraid to get in there and get my nose dirty,' said Bancroft. 'I think this was kind of the perfect fit.' If the Bancroft name sounds familiar, diehards might remember his dad, Steve , who played for the Calder Cup-winning Providence Bruins in 1998-99. 'Obviously I lean on him a lot for advice. He had an extremely long career,' said Dalton, whose Dad played almost exclusively in the minors from 1990-2006. 'Also, it's kind of fun now too, he might tell me some of the stories that he wasn't allowed to tell me when I was a bit younger.' Bancroft collected 36 goals and 79 points in 103 games at Cornell. Adrian Kraus/Associated Press ETC. Players in limbo after acquittal The fate of the five players Although Michael McLeod , Carter Hart , Alex Formenton , Dillon Dube , and Callan Foote are officially unrestricted free agents, they have yet to be cleared to resume their NHL careers. Related : McLeod, Hart, Dube, and Foote were active NHLers when they were arrested in 2024. Formenton has not been in the league since 2022. 'The allegations made in this case, even if not determined to have been criminal, were very disturbing and the behavior at issue was unacceptable,' the NHL said in a statement. 'We will be reviewing and considering the judge's findings. While we conduct that analysis and determine next steps, the players charged in this case are ineligible to play in the league.' Not surprisingly, the players' union disagrees and is pushing back. 'After missing more than a full season of their respective NHL careers, they should now have the opportunity to return to work,' the NHLPA said in a statement. 'The NHL's declaration that the players are 'ineligible' to play pending its further analysis of the court's findings is inconsistent with the discipline procedures set forth in the CBA. We are addressing this dispute with the League.' It'll be interesting to see if the league makes a decision before NHL camps open next month. Loose pucks Quiz time: With Zdeno Chara set to enter the Cole Spicer , who was originally set to play for Arizona State this season but instead will not play for the Sun Devils, according to a report from the Grand Forks Herald. A Bruins fourth-round pick in 2022, Spicer played two seasons at Minnesota Duluth before playing for Dubuque of the USHL last season. Spicer, a physical forward with a penchant for finishing his checks, has dealt with concussions and wrist injuries. It's unclear why he is not moving forward with his commitment to ASU ... If you're feeling pretty good about your golf game, don't chat up Islanders forward Mathew Barzal because his summer on the links has been better than pretty good. Barzal buried his first two holes-in-one Marat Khusnutdinov , who Brad Marchand hosted a Stanley Cup party this past week and it sure looked like fun. A lot of Adam McQuaid and Chris Kelly as well as fellow Nova Scotian stars Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon . Trey Daerr , who Bobby Orr was inducted in 1979 at 31 years old. Oh, what could have been. Jim McBride can be reached at
