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Plus, Rebeca Andrade on her future in the sport and a look back at Elena Grudneva from the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona

Seven-time Olympic gymnastics gold medallist Simone Biles has her next endeavour: a new restaurant, aptly named “Taste of Gold,” inside Houston Intercontinental Airport.

The venture is in partnership with The Playmakers Group and is set to open in early 2025.

Simone Biles 

“I am a foodie at heart,” Biles said in the press release. “And our hope with Taste of Gold is to offer a beautiful dining experience that features award-winning, signature menu items with some of my favourite flavours sprinkled in for our guests.”

According to the release, Taste of Gold will celebrate Biles’s remarkable global achievements. The chef-crafted menu will feature signature food and beverage items curated by restaurant industry innovator Mark Brezinski and created to ‘wow’ every traveller.

Embarked on the Gold Over America Tour

Beyond her Olympic ambitions, one of Simone Biles‘ big dreams was to tour the U.S. Now, that dream is coming true as she embarks on the Gold Over America Tour (GOAT), traveling to 30 cities to connect with fans. Biles is currently in Los Angeles, meeting the supporters who have cheered her on, especially after her standout performances at this summer’s Paris Olympics.

With 11 Olympic medals under her belt, Biles is the most decorated gymnast in history, and fans are eagerly speculating about what’s next.

Biles’ future plans

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Simone Biles 

In Paris, Biles clinched four medals: three golds (Team, All Around, Vault) and a silver in Floor, fueling excitement about her potential appearance at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. While many see her as a natural contender, Biles recently shared some insight into her future plans that leaves room for possibility.

“It’s like I can never get a break; it’s we won at the Olympics, and then it’s like it’s living in the moment, taking in everything day by day, and just doing the celebration tour with the cast and the audience,” Biles told Young Hollywood on YouTube.

After withdrawing from several events at the Tokyo Olympics due to the “Twisties,” a spatial disorientation that affected her performance, Biles made a triumphant comeback in Paris. However, she remains cautious about her next steps. Speaking to USA Today, Biles hinted at participating in LA 2028, saying, “Never say never.”

By 2028, Biles would be 31, making her the oldest all-around Olympic gymnastics champion in over 70 years. While she’s weighing the demands of the sport and taking time before committing to the LA Games, Biles remains open-minded about her future, showing that her journey – both in and out of gymnastics – is still unfolding.

Fans want to see the devastating power of Gervonta Davis against the impenetrable defence of Shakur Stevenson.

Both lightweight champions, the unification bout seemed close earlier this year when ‘Tank’ and Shakur fought just weeks apart and were then in the market for an opponent.

As with many of the biggest fights in boxing, it is set to marinate for longer. Stevenson is now on the sidelines after hand surgery, leaving ‘Tank’ to defend his WBA belt against another contender before the year is out. When it eventually does happen, many will find it a hard bout to predict.

In an interview on the JAXXON podcast, two-weight world champion Teofimo Lopez didn’t feel as such, saying the big puncher from Baltimore beats all comers in the lightweight ranks, though did say Stevenson could make it competitive.

Gervonta Davis

“Tank is a good fighter for everyone out there who wants to see boxing. He has those things for those people. At 135, yeah he beats all those guys.

The only one that gives him a challenge is Shakur. Shakur Stevenson will give him a challenge. Because Shakur is technical where you gotta think more. Tank has been fighting C to B class fighters. Ryan [Garcia] is an A+ on media, social, but not as a boxer, we all know this.”

Stevenson has promised fans he will return in February of 2025 to take on undefeated number one contender William Zepeda. ‘Tank’ is now slated for December 21 in Washington, where the frontrunner is reportedly super-featherweight titlist Lamont Roach.

Gervonta Davis and Vasyl Lomachenko looked destined to be fighting each other earlier this year.

Negotiations were opened in June between representatives of Loma and Tank for a proposed WBA and IBF lightweight world title unification clash for the back end of this year.

It’s understood conversations between long-time promotional rivals Bob Arum’s Top Rank (who promote Lomachenko) and Al Haymon’s PBC (who represent Davis) were going well.

However, talks came to an abrupt halt in July when Lomachenko opted to take some time away from the sport.

Lomachenko’s manager Egis Klimas insisted that his client ‘wasn’t in the mood to fight Davis right now’ and wouldn’t be returning to the ring until 2025.

Gervonta Davis knocks his sparring partner halfway out of the ring and gets  out himself to mock him

 

The development came amid reports that Lomachenko and Davis had reached an agreement.

But Top Rank President Todd duBoef insists negotiations were only in the early stages with nothing more than a ‘framework’ in place.

Speaking exclusively to talkSPORT.com, duBoef said: “We were all for it.

“We had met with Tank Davis and multiple people from PBC.

“Loma is at a place in his career where he is seasoned, he’s seen it all, he’s done it all.

“But one thing he’s not done is unify all of the titles and go undisputed.

“And I think he really wanted that, that is why his disappointment in the Haney fight was there.

Fans are fearing the worst as ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley prepares to return to the ring.

The former three-weight world champion is set to headline a Celebrity Boxing event in Pennsylvania on Saturday night.

Mosley, 53, will take on full-contact karate fighter Bob Kofroth in a light-heavyweight scrap, eight years removed from his retirement from professional boxing.

During a career stretching from 1993 to 2016, Mosley won world titles at lightweight, welterweight and super-welterweight – achievements that earned him a first-ballot International Boxing Hall of Fame induction in 2020.

Mosley never shied away from a challenge and shared the ring with several great fighters including Floyd Mayweather, Canelo Alvarez, Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya.

floyd mayweather jr Jake Paul

Since hanging up his gloves he has turned his attention to being a boxing trainer and is currently working with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul.

But after 61 pro fights (49-10-1) the California puncher is struggling to kick the boxing bug.

Promoting his upcoming clash with Kofroth on social media, Mosley sent a message to his fans: “Make sure you watch my fight on September 28.”

However, his supporters were left concerned by the delivery of Mosley’s message, with many claiming his speech is ‘slurred’.

Reacting to the video, one fan wrote: “Don’t do it your voice is slurring you’re gonna wind up like Muhammad Ali.”

A third added: “Dude you can barely talk as it is. Stay on your damn couch my guy. Nothing for you to prove.”

There has been a trend of picking four names who best represent a sport

There has been a trend of picking four names who best represent a sport – and Bellew listed Roy Jones Jr, Ricardo Lopez, Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Robinson.

It means no room for unbeaten Mayweather and KO king Tyson but SunSport break down what makes Bellew’s picks so special.

Roy Jones Jr

The American is considered of of the best talents to ever grace the ring, blessed with speed, power and sensational reactions.

He was four-weight champion, winning belts from middleweight all the way up to HEAVYWEIGHT.

 Floyd Mayweather

But Jones has continued fighting well into his prime, as recently as 2023 aged 54.

Ricardo Lopez

The Mexican also had an undefeated 52-bout career but a 1998 draw with Rosendo Alvarez denied Lopez an unblemished record.

He held two world titles and boxed as low as seven-and-a-half STONE.

Lopez had 38 KOs and retired in 2001 and remains one of the most celebrated fighters in Mexican boxing history.

Muhammad Ali

Mike Tyson

Known as ‘The Greatest’ due to his iconic career in the ring and for the work he did outside of it.

Ali reigned as three-time champ and fought George Foreman and Joe Frazier in two of the most famous fights of all time.

The sporting great sadly passed away in 2016 aged 74 as the most beloved boxer of all time.

Simone Biles proved again during the Paris Olympics why she’s considered the best in business. Coming from a bittersweet Tokyo Olympics, she had some people speculating whether she would be at her best this time. However, she ended up shutting down those speculations quickly, winning four medals—3 gold and one silver—in the competition, proving to the world once again that she was the greatest of all time.

Now, to honor her achievements, a company has come forward to honor her. Designsbysantwon, a company that designs rings for winners of competitions, has designed ‘5 CUSTOM CUT STONE’ gold rings for Simone Biles to hopefully present to her. All the rings have the central theme of having both Simone and the Paris Olympics in them.

For example, one ring has Biles written in it with the Eiffel Tower designed in the background. Another has Simone written with the colors of an American flag. The company said that they wanted to gift these rings to Simone Biles herself. “This concept, Should the Queen accept, will be 100% GIFTED✨ REAL GOLD for the REAL DEAL🙌🏿.” They asked the people who were commenting under the post to tag Simone so that this could reach her.

Simone Biles

The company was successful in its pursuit, as Simone commented within an hour of the post being uploaded with a shocked reaction, “😱😱😱😱” It is unclear when the gymnast will receive the rings now that she’s embarking on the Gold Over America tour. But it is a great gift to her for her achievements. The company has designed rings for numerous other competition-winning teams.

Numerous other teams have designed their rings from the company. This includes numerous cheerleading teams like the Sassycats, who became eight-time NCA All-Star National Champions. Roosevelt University, who won the NCA Collegiate National Championship in 2024, the 2024 NHSCC National Champions High School Bobcats, and Team Australia, who won the 2024 ICU World title, are some of their other clients.

However, they won’t be taking any compensation for the rings presented to Simone Biles and want to gift them to her for her incredible achievements. This continues the long list of people who have congratulated and paid tribute to Simone Biles after her incredible Paris Olympics campaign. This list includes not only fans of the gymnast but also celebrities who don’t seem to get enough of her either.

Numerous celebrities paid tribute to Simone Biles for her Olympics campaign

Teofimo Lopez recently called out Gervonta Davis for a fight this year.

‘Tank’ Davis currently holds the WBA Lightweight World Title, being elevated to full champion when Devin Haney vacated and making his first defence against previously-undefeated Frank Martin.

Lopez, who previously held four belts in that division, has settled one weight class up at 140 pounds, winning the WBO belt in his third fight there against Josh Taylor and making two successful defences since.

Both are currently in the market for an opponent and Lopez recently issued the call for Davis to move up and face him before the year is out.

Speaking to Sean Zittel on a potential fight, undefeated super-featherweight Maliek Montgomery used the experience of a 2015 amateur bout with Lopez and more recent sparring sessions with Davis to make a prediction.

Gervonta Davis

“I wasn’t able to get any work with Teo more currently, but from my perspective of being in the ring with both of them, that’s a tough one. I would still probably give the edge to Tank in that fight … just because that power is an equaliser, and it doesn’t help the fact that he has a great boxing IQ also.

So it’s a part of now you gotta go twelve rounds of dealing with somebody who can box, has all those attributes, but also has that type of power that they can hit you one time and change the whole tempo of the fight.”

‘Tank’ is slated to return on December 21 against former super-featherweight champion Lamont Roach, according to Dan Rafael. Lopez is currently without a date or opponent.

On 6th July, Shakur Stevenson recorded a one-sided victory against Artem Harutyunyan in his hometown fight in Newark, New Jersey. However, the hometown hero’s performance put a damper on the celebratory mood as the WBC lightweight champion was soon deemed “boring” by many. Despite being one of the best defensive boxers who rarely gets hit, the boxing world heavily criticized Stevenson for a lack of action in the ring. Clips were circulating of fans leaving the Newark arena before the fight was even over. Fans weren’t fond of this method in his fight against Edwin de Los Santos in December last year, either.

After the fight, American rapper Mason Betha, aka Mase, called out Stevenson on his podcast and stated “I don’t wanna see Shakur fight,” criticizing his boxing style. The 27-year-old boxer was not a fan of this criticism and hit back at Mase, even calling his rap career a failure. In a recent episode of the ‘It Is What It Is’ podcast, Camron Giles aka Cam’ron, Mase’s co-host, asked Mike Tyson about the criticism directed at Shakur over his fighting style, and his lack of fortitude when it comes to dealing with it. While replying to the question, the legendary heavyweight champion was not particularly kind towards his fellow boxer.

Gervonta Davis

Giles laid down the fact that Stevenson was angry at their criticism of him and asked Mike Tyson if he used to respond to criticism in such a manner. “They are entitled to their opinion,” Iron Mike began. The 57-year-old was clear that a boxer should have a thick skin and should know how to handle criticism as it is a part of the sport.

But according to Tyson, the one fact that remains is that even if you are a boxer, you can’t fight everyone, so just accept that fact and move on. Iron Mike continued, “I may be a little sh*tty about it, but they are entitled to their own opinion. I am not gonna kick your a** about it. It’s your opinion.” In a three-decade-long career, Tyson has been on the receiving end of many negative things, but he has always handled it like a professional. Well, most times.

The Mexican is the top star in the boxing business according to Robert Garcia

The commercial success of Canelo Alvarez isn’t up for debate in the boxing world, of which he became the face after the retirement of Floyd Mayweather Jr, the Mexican’s executioner in 2013.

For that reason Saul Alvarez has the luxury of deciding who his opponents are, and regardless of their standing, his drawing power remains unmatched.

Robert Garcia: Canelo is a superstar whoever he chooses to fight

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In his last fight on September 14 against Edgar BerlangaCanelo generated approximately $17 million in box office at the T-Mobile and around $60MDD in pay-per-view (PPV) sales, according to Sports Business Journal estimates. So in total he generated about $80 million by picking his opponent.

Floyd Mayweather

Those numbers deflate any attack on Saul Alvarez over his choice of opponents, believes trainer Robert Garcia, as only stars like Floyd Mayweather Jr. can do that.

That tells you that Canelo is a superstar, he’s the face of boxing right now. People make fun of him for his choice of opponents, but when you look at the buys, when you look at the gate, does he look like he’s found the right spot?

Mayweather was also in that position where no matter who he fights or who he puts on an exhibition with, he’s still going to put up good numbers. So, there are very few that could do that and Canelo is one of them,” Robert Garcia told FightHub TV.

How much did Saúl Álvarez earn in his fight with Berlanga?

Floyd Mayweather

Canelo Alvarez’s fight with the highest PPV sales

  • Mayweather vs Canelo 2013: 2.2 million units
  • Canelo vs Golovkin 2017: 1.3 million
  • Canelo vs Golovkin 2 2018: 1.1 million
  • Canelo vs Chavez Jr 2017: 1 million
  • Canelo vs Cotto 2015: 0.9 million
  • Canelo vs Plant 2021: 0.8 million
  • Canelo vs Berlanga 2024: 0.75 million
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