CELEB NEWS

Jesselyn Silva was the embodiment of the never-give-up spirit that she learned as one of the many lessons during her boxing training. While she triumphed over every punch that her opponents threw in the boxing ring, the tussle with her brain cancer proved to be too steep. Her demise, because of DIPG (Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma), an aggressive type of brain cancer, has left Claressa Shields devastated. Silva looked up to the two-division undisputed champion and wanted to replicate her success by following in her footsteps, but cancer cut short her life at just 18 years old.

Jesselyn Silva was 7 when she first entered a boxing gym and never looked back. She impressed everyone, not only with her boxing skills but also with her joyous nature. Destined to be an Olympic boxer, she racked up two national championships and also became a junior Olympic medalist. She had a promising amateur career as she climbed to the #1 spot in the US for 95 lbs. She had also attained the #1 rank in the country at 90 lbs before she decided to move up. However, Silva’s DIPG diagnosis at 15 made it difficult for her to train with the same intensity as she did before.

Sliva was undergoing radiation therapy, and the Christian Rivera Foundation had been helping her since July 2021, when she first detected the DIPG. The New York native’s meteoric rise in amateur boxing had ensured she met and fostered bonds with professional boxers. One such special bond that Silva made was with ‘GWOAT’, who turned to her X handle and shared an emotional message.

Shields, 29, wrote in her post, “🥺💔 Pray for Jesslyn & her family. I pray God wraps his hands around them so tight. I’m torn ☹️.” Shields and Silva had trained and spent some time together, where she gave some tips and boxing knowledge to the rising boxing star. In addition, the 15-0 record holder had posted a string of Instagram stories where she also penned, “My heart is so broken. Rip Jesslyn!!!” In another story, Shields wrote, “This hurts so bad!!! Sweetest baby girl I’ve ever met.”

CELEB NEWS

Charlie Woods: Tiger Woods’ teenage son competes in first US Open qualifier but misses out on progression

Tiger Woods’ 15-year-old son was attempting to clear the first hurdle towards qualifying for June’s US Open at Pinehurst; Charlie Woods finished nine over in local qualifying event in Florida, with only the top five progressing to final qualifying for the year’s third major

Charlie Woods fell short in his first-ever attempt to qualify for the US Open.

The 15-year-old, whose father is three-time US Open winner Tiger Woods, shot a nine-over 81 at his local qualifier at The Legacy Golf and Tennis Club in Florida to finish the single-day event in a tie for 61st place.

Only the top five finishers in the 84-player event advanced to the final qualifying for this year’s US Open, which is returning for the first time in a decade to Pinehurst No 2 on June 13-16 – live on Sky Sports Golf.

The teenage Woods was featuring in one of 109 local qualifying events that are taking place across the USA and Canada in April and May, with the leading finishers in each then progressing to the 13 final qualifying sites in late May and early June.

There were 10,052 entries for 2024’s open qualifying.

Woods’ scorecard included one birdie, four bogeys and three double bogeys. He shot a 40 on the front nine and 41 on the back nine.

It was his second attempt to qualify for a Tour event this year after the teenager competed in a pre-qualifier for the Cognizant Classic in February. He shot an 86 on that occasion.

Tiger and Charlie have played together at the last four PNC Championships, finishing runners-up in 2021.

Played over 36 holes every December, the tournament is for major champions or winners of The Players Championship. It began as a father-son outing but now has players with daughters, grandchildren, even parents as their partners as well.

BOXING

Keeping Personal Beef Aside, John Gotti III Describes “Surreal” Experience Fighting His Idol Floyd Mayweather

Keeping Personal Beef Aside, John Gotti III Describes “Surreal” Experience Fighting His Idol Floyd Mayweather Ahead of Highly Anticipated Rematch

If there was one word to describe the exhibition match between Floyd Mayweather and John Gotti III that took place last year, it would be chaos. Tension started building up from the get-go as the two fighters started trading blows inside the ring since the first bell. As expected, Floyd Mayweather was cruising through the rounds, toying with Gotti III, interspersing his showboating with stinging verbal insults. The situation came to a head when referee Kenny Bayless disqualified the 2-0 professional boxer, midway through round 6 for clinching Mayweather repeatedly. Gotti, angered by the decision, shoved the referee and charged at Mayweather, winging punches at him. Soon, the entourages of both camps rushed the squared circle and wreaked havoc.

Ever since the ill-famed fight, there has been a long-running beef that was quashed as soon as Mayweather accepted Gotti III’s request for a rematch on Aug. 24 in Mexico City. Interestingly, if you were a bystander at the fight with no knowledge of combat sports, you would never have believed that John Gotti III adored Floyd Mayweather since he was a child. In an interview with TMZ, the grandson of former mobster John Gotti revealed what it was like fighting his idol ‘Money Mayweather’ in June 2023.

Big occasion got to Gotti III!

In his candid confession, Gotti III revealed that he was caught “off-guard” during the momentous occasion of fighting the legendary boxer Floyd Mayweather. Ever since the New York-born native started his fighting career as a mixed martial artist, he never thought he would come face-to-face with the 50-0 fighter.

“As we soon got in the ring, you know I was like this is surreal. If you would have told me when I first started my mixed martial arts journey 11 years ago, I would be fighting Floyd Mayweather… I say you’re crazy” Gotti III revealed.

Gotti further stated that the entire experience felt like a “video game”, as Mayweather is someone who he looked up to since he was a child.“It’s a guy who I grew up you know idolizing as a fighter my whole life, you know I was a huge fan of Floyd my whole life uh so it was really surreal,” he said.

Starstruck by Floyd, he couldn’t let his hands go as he wanted to, and a “determined” Mayweather who came on the night intending to hurt him, got the upper hand.

However, the grandson of the former head of the Gambino crime family expects a different outcome in the rematch.

Gotti III here to win!

This time John will not let the big occasion of fighting Mayweather in the rematch ruin his composure. He stated that he has learned a lot from his last fight, and the “improvements” he has made since their last encounter will help him get the victory against the legendary undefeated fighter.

“I really do [believe I can win]. The improvements I made from last year up until now, as far as even mentally, I’m a whole new fighter,” Gotti asserted in his exclusive interview with TMZ. Notably, the undefeated retired professional fighter, Mayweather, has fought six exhibition matches thus far and won all of them comprehensively.

Additionally, he revealed that he knows “what to expect” from the rematch, and is “mentally prepared” for the boxing prowess that an elite fighter like Mayweather would bring.

Would the rematch be another cakewalk for Mayweather? Or, will Gotti III cause a major upset in the rematch? Let us know in the comment section below.

BOXING

Get to It or Die Trying”: Adamant on Fighting Gervonta Davis, Shakur Stevenson Pens Motivational Message About Overcoming Man’s Greatest Fear

Shakur Stevenson isn’t afraid to fail. Harsh criticism is something ‘Sugar’ takes in stride. Case in point: his last performance against Artem Harutyunyan at the Prudential Center in his hometown, Newark, saw fans leaving during the championship rounds, and boos echoing through the stadium. But that isn’t stopping him from challenging the best fighters in the lightweight division. The WBC lightweight champion is currently waiting in the wings for the most explosive fighter in the division, WBA titleholder Gervonta Davis.

In an exclusive interview with Andre Ward, when asked if the fight against Davis would happen or not, Stevenson replied confidently, “Yeah I know it’s going to happen, I mean I’m the best… he the best, so when you got two guys that’s the best how can you not fight.”

To back up Stevenson’s statement, his co-manager, Josh Dubin reaffirmed that ‘Killer Kur’ is “waiting and ready to negotiate” and a financially viable offer is all that is needed to close the deal with ‘Tank’. “[We] have our phone lines open, ready for a call, and they have our numbers. It’s a fight Shakur really wants. He’s been begging for it for a long time,” Dubin asserted.

Even though Shakur Stevenson’s display in his last two matchups in the lightweight division was underwhelming, to say the least, he is still willing to challenge the division’s most exciting fighters as fear has no place in the 25-year-old fighter’s mind. In his latest X post, Stevenson opined, “Get to it or die trying. Fear is fake don’t fear failure long as u always give 110 percent u can live with the results.”

On the other hand, Davis’ plan to fight Ukrainian boxer Vasyl Lomachenko has been foiled, as the latter wants to take a break from boxing “to spend more time with the family.” On that note, a fight against Shakur Stevenson seems like a good option. Possibly, the only factor stopping Davis from taking the fight is his gun-shy performances contributing to his diminishing pay-per-view appeal.

Nonetheless, if the Gervonta Davis fight doesn’t work out for Stevenson, there is another fighter waiting to share the ring with him.

De La Hoya wants to offer Zepeda to Stevenson!

Ranked No. 1 by all four major sanctioning bodies, the WBC has ordered Shakur Stevenson to defend his title against mandatory challenger Zepeda. The sanctioning body has set a deadline for the purse bid on August 20, before which the two fighters need to negotiate a deal.

Likewise, Zepeda’s promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, wants to give him the first world title shot against the Newark native. “I want to make that fight. Shakur, skill-wise, is probably the best fighter on the planet today. “I think the only one that’s in the way of making that fight is me, but I’ll tell you one thing. I will make that fight,” De La Hoya confidently told FightHype.

BOXING

When is Floyd Mayweather vs. John Gotti III? Ticket info, fight card, how to watch and stream

Floyd Mayweather is set for another exhibition fight.

Floyd Mayweather’s next exhibition fight is set for August 24 and it is one which carries bad blood.

The boxing legend will be facing John Gotti III for a second time after their first meeting descended into chaos last year.

Mayweather dominated the first fight, can he produce something similar? Or will Gotti get revenge on his rival?

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Mayweather vs. Gotti III.

The ringwalks for Mayweather vs. Gotti III are scheduled for 11:06 p.m. ET / 4:06 a.m. UK with the event set to begin at 9 p.m. ET / 2 a.m. UK. These timings are subject to change.

Can I watch Mayweather vs. Gotti III on DAZN?

The fight will stream live on DAZN in over 200 countries across the globe on pay-per-view, click here for more information on pricing and availability.

What devices are supported by DAZN?

DAZN has apps available for all of the following platforms: Apple TV, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Stick, Amazon Fire Tablet, Android Phone & Tablet, iPhone & iPad, Android TV, LG, Smart TV, Panasonic Smart TV, Samsung Smart TV, Sony Smart TV, SmartCast, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Roku.

Here is a full list of the devices where DAZN is available, in addition to web browsers on DAZN.com (if you are in Argentina, Chile and Colombia you must download the DAZN app from the Apple App Store or Android Google Play store and then sign up from there, rather than via web browser):

BOXING

Floyd Mayweather Jr. once bought ultra rare Koenigsegg CCXR Trevita

By Admin August 14, 2024

Floyd Mayweather Jrm bg. once splurged on a seriously exclusive Koenigsegg

He spent more than $4 million on a Koenigsegg CCXR Trevita

Only two of the stunning hypercars were ever made

Floyd Mayweather Jr. once splashed the cash on a Koenigsegg hypercar that was one of just two ever made.

The boxing legend – who has the nickname ‘Money’ for fairly obvious reasons – parted with a whopping $4,800,000 to get his hands on a Koenigsegg CCXR Trevita.

With an estimated net worth of around $400 million, money is basically no object to ‘Money’.

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Floyd Mayweather Jr. is happy to splash his cash

From a $50 million private jet that’s like a flying palace to a $1.4 million diamond-encrusted watch, he’s happy to spend big to get what he wants.

It seems one of the things he wants is an epic car collection, which he’s been adding to over the years.

But even among such a high-end collection – stuffed with Lamborghinis, Rolls-Royce, and Ferraris – the Koenigsegg CCXR Trevita is a real gem.

For starters, it is one of the fastest cars ever made with a top speed of 400km/h (248mph).

The CCXR Trevita’s 4.7 liter V8 can produce 1,018 horsepower and 781lb-ft of torque and can hit 100km/h (62mph) in 3.1 seconds.

Only two Koenigsegg CCXR Trevita were ever made

What makes it all the more special is the fact that just two of the stunning hypercars were ever made.

The car gets its name from an abbreviation of Swedish words that translate into ‘three whites’.

It features totally unique, specially designed carbon weave bodywork.

“Prior to the Trevita, car manufacturers only had access to traditional black carbon fiber,” Koenigsegg explained.

“Koenigsegg developed a unique coated fiber solution for the Trevita program that transformed the fibers from black to a sparkling, silvery-white.

“When sunlight hits the Trevita, it sparkles as if millions of tiny white diamonds are infused inside the visible carbon fiber bodywork.” Sounds fancy.

Mayweather showed off the car in an Instagram post when he bought it back in 2015.

“My new 4.8 million dollar car,” he wrote.

“$4,800,000 Koenigsegg CCXR Trevita supercar.

“Koenigsegg is an ultra boutique automobile manufacturer for the super-rich.

“Koenigsegg made only two Trevita for the world and this is the number two of two.”

How the other half live, eh?

BOXING

Anthony Joshua gives new Oleksandr Usyk vs Tyson Fury rematch prediction as he discusses plans for next fight

Anthony Joshua is eager to fight Tyson Fury, but can’t see him getting revenge over Oleksandr Usyk.

Fury lost to Usyk in May in their undisputed title clash, but will get a shot at redemption on December 21 when he rematches the unbeaten Ukrainian.

A win for Fury could set up a showdown for all of the marbles against Joshua, who will be waiting in the wings if he beats Daniel Dubois in his own world title clash on September 21.

Joshua believes a fight with the ‘Gypsy King’ needs to happen, but expects Usyk to pick up a second consecutive win.

He said in an interview with Queensberry Promotions: “I think it’s going to be a tough fight early on and then I feel like Usyk will edge it again.

“He’s a class operator and I feel like Usyk’s one of the best out there. That’s why I think he’ll win.”

On a potential showdown with Fury in 2025, he added: “It needs to happen, it’s just taking a long time, it needs to happen.

“But he’s got his hands full and so have I. Let’s both do our jobs and we’ll see a positive 2025 I’m sure of it because we know that the people that are listening want to make good things happen.

“So potentially we might see Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury enter into a ring in collaboration with Riyadh Season, here in London.

“But let’s get focused on Daniel, that’s our main objective and we’ll see what happens there.”

Joshua clearly is focused on his current task at hand, but two huge paydays could lay in store for the Briton against Fury if they both win.

Irrespective of the result, there would still be huge interest in an all-British mega-fight given the clamour to see it for several years.

CELEB NEWS

Simone Biles Is ‘Unwell’ After Night Out in Paris: ‘Pls Tell Me to Go Home’

Simone Biles is feeling the effects of her night out in Paris following the 2024 Olympics.

“The reason I’m unwell this morning,” Biles, 27, wrote via her Instagram Story on Monday, August 12, alongside a clip from a party where the crowd was cheering and holding up an American flag.

In another video, Queen’s “We Are the Champions” could be heard playing in the background as one partygoer popped confetti and another held up a sign that read, “Gym legend Simone Biles.”

“If you see me out at the club, pls tell me to go home. For my own sake & health in the AM,” Biles wrote via her Instagram Story with a black-and-white video of her with her younger sister, Adria, singing along to Waka Flocka Flame’s 2010 track “Grove St. Party.”

Biles had a lot to celebrate. The Team USA gymnast walked away from the Paris Games with three gold medals in the women’s artistic individual all-around, women’s vault and team all-around with Suni Lee, Jade Carey, Hezly Rivera and Jordan Chiles. She also took home a silver medal in the floor exercise after not placing in the beam final.

“Beam final is always the most stressful,” Biles said during a press conference earlier this month. “Usually we have musical or background noise, whatever that may be, and honestly we do better in environments when there’s noise going on because it feels most like practice. Today you could hear some of the Android ringtones going off, the photo flickers, whatever that was [and] so you try to stay in your zone.”

As for the future, Biles — who’s now the most decorated American gymnast in history — played coy about whether she plans to participate in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

BOXING

Mike Tyson and Jake Paul ‘are never going to fight’ with ‘scam’ accusation made about boxing clash

Former boxing star Butterbean has sensationally claimed that Mike Tyson’s fight with Jake Paul is ‘never’ going to happen.

And he also says the whole thing is simply a ‘scam’ PR stunt as a press conference involving the pair creeps closer.

Tyson and Paul will speak about their upcoming showdown on August 18, with their fight currently scheduled to take place on November 15.

Both men are adamant their battle will go ahead, despite already being delayed once

But Butterbean, real name Eric Esch, believes it won’t ever happen.

“Him and Tyson are never gonna fight,” he said during a Q&A.

“That has been a scam from the very beginning just to boost Jake’s name – and it has!

“This guy, everybody’s talking about him. But he’s never gonna fight Tyson.

They were never planning on fighting each other, because a promoter would never let him fight anyone else in between a fight.

“Never – not that big of a fight. So, it’s been a scam from the beginning.”

There is currently nothing to substantiate his claims.

Both Tyson and Paul are adamant they’re in a position to finally do battle, five months after their fight was first announced.

BOXING

“He Made It Personal”: Accusing Referee of Being Partial Towards Floyd Mayweather, John Gotti III Predicts a Dog Fight In Rematch

An “enemy for life” Floyd Mayweather has now been forgiven by John Gotti III, grandson of former New York mobster John Gotti. After the melee that erupted following John Gotti III’s disqualification during an exhibition match against Floyd Mayweather in June last year, there was bad blood between them for quite a long time. But things have cooled down, and they are now looking to settle the dispute once and for all inside the ring on November 14 in Mexico City, rather than engaging in crude mudslinging on social media.

In an interview with TMZ, Gotti III took a trip down memory lane and narrated the chain of events that happened inside the ring which eventually led to the entourages of both camps rushing into the ring and engaging in a brawl. Furthermore, he revealed his game plan for the rematch against the legendary 50-0 fighter.

Gotti III ties up the loose ends!

In an interview with TMZ, the 2-0 professional fighter shared his perspective on his ill-famed bout with Floyd Mayweather. For the uninitiated, referee Kenny Bayless disqualified him, midway through round 6, for clinching Mayweather, and not adhering to the rules of the bout. This made an angry Gotti III shove the referee and charge at Mayweather while throwing haymakers.

But, the anger was building up in Gotti III from round one. “He made it personal, I didn’t make it personal. You know he came out from the get-go of that first fight. He was on the verbal attack right away you know and Kenny Bayless had no problem with that whatsoever,” he said. The fight was a one-sided domination as an aggressive Mayweather kept peppering him with big shots, all the while shooting insults at him.

Thereafter, he accused the referee of being partial towards Mayweather. “When I started giving it back it became a problem,” Gotti remarked, pointing out that he received warnings for verbally insulting Mayweather, while ‘Pretty Boy’ got away scot-free.