Category: Other Sports

Floyd Mayweather is coming out of retirement and will return to professional boxing after his exhibition fight with Mike Tyson this spring, the 48-year-old announced Friday.

Former multi-weight world champion Mayweather retired from boxing in 2017, unbeaten in 50 bouts, though he has appeared in several exhibition fights since.

“I still have what it takes to set more records in the sport of boxing,” Mayweather said in a statement to AFP.

“From my upcoming Mike Tyson event to my next professional fight afterwards — no one will generate a bigger gate, have a larger global broadcast audience and generate more money with each event — than my events.”

A first professional fight is tentatively scheduled for this summer, against an opponent to be announced.

Details will be revealed “in the coming weeks,” said the statement.

Nicknamed “Money”, Mayweather was once the world’s highest-paid athlete, with earnings of $300 million in 2015, according to Forbes.

At his peak, he was widely considered boxing’s pound-for-pound king, dominating the welterweight division for more than a decade.

Despite his success, Mayweather has long been a controversial figure.

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He was often criticised for an overly defensive style, and accused by some of dodging the most dangerous opponents simply to embellish his record.

Mayweather has also spent time in prison for one of a string of domestic violence incidents.

But his supreme fitness, work ethic, athleticism and boxing brain earned him the respect of his peers in the ring.

Mayweather’s last professional bout was in 2017 against UFC star Conor McGregor.

He has continued to appear in exhibitions, including a victory over John Gotti III in Mexico in August 2024, as well as bouts with reality television stars and YouTube fighters.

Mayweather has signed an exclusive agreement with promoter CSI Sports/Fight Sports to begin following his Tyson bout.

Boxing outlet Ring Magazine recently reported that Mayweather’s exhibition fight with Tyson will take place on April 25th in the Congo, though neither date nor location has been officially confirmed.

“Iron Mike” Tyson, 59, last appeared in the ring in a lopsided loss to YouTuber-turned-prizefighter Jake Paul in Texas in November 2024.

Tyson barely landed a punch in that Netflix-backed bout, which was watched by a live crowd of around 70,000 spectators with an estimated millions more tuning in around the world.

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KARACHI: Karachi boys and girls teams secured the first place in the Sindh Inter-Division Ring Ball Championship 2026, held at the YMCA Sports Complex in Karachi.

Divisional teams from Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpurkhas, Benazirabad, Sukkur, and Larkana featured around 195 players, team officials, coaches, and technical officials.

All matches were played at the YMCA Sports Complex.

The opening ceremony was attended by Azim Aqili (CEO, SEZMC) as the chief guest, while Farid Ali (District Sports Officer, South Karachi), Imran Syedat (CEO, SIDAT IT Technology), and Madad Ali Shah (Secretary General, Pakistan Shooting Ball Federation) were among the guests of honour.

In the boys’ category, Karachi Division secured first position, followed by Sukkur Division in second place and Mirpurkhas Division finishing third.

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In the girls’ category, Karachi Division clinched first place while Sukkur Division finished second, and Hyderabad Division secured third position.

The closing ceremony of the boys’ event was graced by Dr Nauman Syed (CEO, SI Global Solution Ltd) as the chief guest, while the girls’ event featured Nabila Farhat Junejo (Convent of Jesus and Mary School, Clifton) as the chief guest.

Dr Nauman also assured full support for promoting ring ball in the province.

At the conclusion of the championship, the chief guests distributed prizes among the winning players and congratulated them on their performances.

Results:

Individual Awards (Girls):

Best Shooter: Yeshal Azim (Karachi Division)

Best Centre Player: Rose Maria (Karachi Division)

Best Defender: Hadiya Salman (Karachi Division)

Individual Awards (Boys):

Best Shooter: Saad Haider (Karachi Division)

Best Centre Player: Shehzad Augustine (Karachi Division)

Best Defender: Ahmed (Sukkur Division)

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Novak Djokovic leaves the Australian Open still stuck on 24 Grand Slam titles and with fresh doubts about how many more tries he will have at winning an outright-record 25th.

The 38-year-old, Djokovic, has consistently dismissed talk of retirement and said he is eyeing the defence of his Olympic gold at the Los Angeles Games in 2028.

But after losing to Carlos Alcaraz in four sets in the final on Sunday, the Serb suggested he may not be back in Melbourne.

“God knows what happens tomorrow, let alone in six months or 12 months,” he told the crowd at Rod Laver Arena. “So it has been a great ride. I love you guys.”

Djokovic has won a record 10 Australian Opens and until Sunday had never lost a final there.

But for all his success, Djokovic has not always had an easy relationship with the Melbourne fans.

“I want to just say in the end that you guys, particularly the last couple of matches, gave me something that I have never experienced in Australia,” he said.

“That much love, support, positivity. I tried to give you back with good tennis over the years.”

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It had the ring of a farewell speech and did not appear to have been just an emotional response to defeat. He said he had prepared two speeches, one for winning and the other for losing.

Novak Djokovic won his 24th Grand Slam title at the US Open in 2023, drawing him level with the Australian Margaret Court at the top of the all-time list.

But age and injuries, plus the emergence of world number one Alcaraz and number two Jannik Sinner, have left him unable to win another.

Before Sunday, his previous Grand Slam final had been in 2024, when he lost the Wimbledon decider, again to Alcaraz.

Last year, he reached the semi-finals of all four majors but got no further, with Alcaraz and Sinner sharing the spoils.

He rolled back the years to defeat Sinner, 14 years his junior, in a five-set semi-final marathon in Melbourne.

But after Djokovic won the first set, the 22-year-old Alcaraz took a stranglehold on the final to sweep to victory 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5.

Underlining where Djokovic is now in the pecking order of men’s tennis, he admitted he had not expected to reach another major final.

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Aryna Sabalenka said she was “really upset” with herself for failing to take her chances in defeat to Elena Rybakina in the Australian Open final, having led 3-0 in the deciding set.

The Belarusian world number one crashed 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 to the fifth-seeded Kazakh on Rod Laver Arena.

“I was really upset with myself, I would say, because once again I had opportunities,” she said.

“I played great until a certain point, and then I couldn’t resist that aggression that she had on court today.

“But I think overall I played great tennis here in Australia. Even in this final, I feel like I played great. I was fighting. I did my best, and today she was a better player.”

Sabalenka, the 2023 and 2024 Melbourne champion, has now won four and lost four of the eight Grand Slam finals she has contested.

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That includes losing her last two in Australia after being upset in 2025 by Madison Keys.

Despite this she was optimistic that she was moving in the right direction and confident for the season ahead.

“Today you’re a loser, tomorrow you’re a winner. Hopefully I’ll be more of a winner this season than a loser,” she said.

Asked if she had any regrets on how she played against Rybakina, she felt she could have been more aggressive, but was also effusive in her praise of her Moscow-born opponent.

As to the future, a philosophical Sabalenka said her goals had not changed.

“Keep fighting, keep working hard, keep putting myself out there, and try my best if I have another chance in the final. Just go out there and do my best,” she said.

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Elena Rybakina stifled her emotions to take revenge on world number one Aryna Sabalenka and win the Australian Open on Saturday for her second Grand Slam title.

The big-serving Kazakh fifth seed held her nerve to pull through 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne in 2hrs 18mins.

It was payback after the Belarusian Sabalenka won the 2023 final between two of the hardest hitters in women’s tennis.

Rybakina, 26, who was born in Moscow, adds her Melbourne triumph to her Wimbledon win in 2022.

Rybakina has a reputation for being unflappable, but she said she was nervous about losing the second set, even though she did not show it, and again as she served for the match.

She sealed the championship with her sixth ace of the final.

“Well, the heart definitely was beating too fast, even if maybe my face did not show it,” she told local broadcasters. Inside was a lot of emotions.”

There was more disappointment in a major final for Sabalenka, who won the US Open last year for the second time but lost the French Open and Melbourne title deciders.

She was into her fourth Australian Open final in a row and had been imperious until now.

The 27-year-old top seed had tears in her eyes at the end and draped a towel over her head to hide her feelings.

“Let’s hope maybe next year will be a better year for me,” Sabalenka said ruefully. “She played an incredible match, and I tried my very best. I was fighting until the very last point.”

With the roof on because of drizzle in Melbourne, Rybakina immediately broke serve and then comfortably held for 2-0.

Rybakina faced two break points at 4-3, but found her range with her serve to send down an ace and dig herself out of trouble, leaving Sabalenka visibly frustrated.

Rybakina looked in the zone and wrapped up the set in 37 minutes on her first set point when Sabalenka fired long.

Incredibly, it was the first set Sabalenka had dropped in 2026.

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The second game of the second set was tense, Rybakina saving three break points in a 10-minute arm-wrestle.

They went with serve, and the seventh game was another tussle, Sabalenka holding for 4-3 after the best rally of a cagey affair.

The tension ratcheted up, and the top seed quickly forged three set points at 5-4 on the Kazakh’s serve, ruthlessly levelling the match at the first chance to force a deciding set.

Sabalenka was now in the ascendancy and smacked a scorching backhand to break for a 2-0 lead, then holding for 3-0.

Rybakina, who also had not dropped a set in reaching the final, looked unusually rattled.

She reset to hold, then wrestled back the break, allowing herself the merest of smiles.

At 3-3, the title threatened to swing either way.

But a surging Rybakina won a fourth game in a row to break for 4-3, then held to put a thrilling victory within sight.

Sabalenka came into the final as the favourite, but Rybakina has been one of the form players on the women’s tour in recent months.

She also defeated Sabalenka in the decider at the season-ending WTA Finals.

Rybakina said her overriding emotions were relief, but also hope that she can carry her scintillating form into the rest of the season.

“It gives a lot of confidence for sure,” she said. “Last year, I didn’t start that well… now it’s different. So I just hope that I can carry all this momentum and hopefully do a good job with the team and continue this way throughout the year.”

Rybakina beat second seed Iga Swiatek in the quarter-finals and sixth seed Jessica Pegula in the last four in Melbourne.

Rybakina switched to play under the Kazakh flag in 2018 when she was a little-known 19-year-old, citing financial reasons.

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An ailing Carlos Alcaraz said “believing” helped him pull through one of the most demanding matches of his career to down Alexander Zverev in five epic sets and reach his first Australian Open final on Friday.

The world number one outlasted the German third seed 6-4, 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (3/7), 6-7 (4/7), 7-5 over a titanic 5hrs 27 mins in hot conditions and will play either Jannik Sinner or Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s title match in Melbourne.

The Spaniard only narrowly avoided crashing out after a huge fright at 4-4 in the third set when he pulled up in pain with what appeared to be cramp.

He was allowed to have treatment at the changeover, leaving Zverev furious and angrily remonstrating with officials.

Medical timeouts are not permitted solely for muscle cramping.

Alcaraz continued, but his movement was hampered, and he lost his first set of the tournament, before the pickle juice kicked in and he fought on.

Despite not being at 100 percent the 22-year-old somehow found a way to claw back from a breakdown in the fifth set as the crowd roared him on.

Germany’s Zverev was left shattered in his latest failed bid to win a major.

“Believing all the time,” Alcaraz, into his eighth major final and fourth in a row, said of how he pulled through.

“I always say that you have to believe in yourself no matter what, no matter what struggles you’ve been through, you’ve gotta still believe in yourself all the time.

“I was struggling in the middle of the third set,” he added. “Basically, it was one of the most demanding matches that I have ever played in my short career.

“But I’ve been in these kinds of situations, these kinds of matches before.

“I had to put my heart into the match. I fought until the last ball.”

Alcaraz has won two French Opens, two US Opens, and twice at Wimbledon, but success on the blue Melbourne Park hard courts has eluded him in four previous campaigns.

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Should he snap the drought, he would be the youngest man in the Open era to win all four majors, surpassing compatriot and legend Rafael Nadal, who was 24 when he did so.

His efforts on Friday made him the youngest to reach the men’s singles final at all four Slams.

“I’m really happy to play my first final in Melbourne. It’s something I was pursuing a lot,” said Alcaraz, who collapsed to the court at the end. “It’s been a great two weeks so far. My level is improving a lot.”

The first set went with serve with few meaningful rallies, until Alcaraz unleashed a backhand winner at 3-3 to earn the first break point of the match.

Zverev held on, but the Spaniard worked another break point on his next serve, with the German double-faulting as the pressure mounted.

Alcaraz served out for the set, but the towering Zverev kept his cool and raised his level to earn his first break points of the match at 3-2 in the second set.

The top seed saved two but whipped a forehand long to slide 4-2 behind.

Alcaraz sensationally broke back as Zverev served at 5-3, and it went to a tiebreak, where the world number one prevailed with a scorching forehand.

Disaster struck in the third set when Alcaraz began limping badly.

He managed to hold for 5-4 but took a medical timeout, leaving Zverev fuming, before continuing to another tiebreak where the German made his move.

Despite the problems, Alcaraz continued winning points and holding serve in set four as his movement improved, and another tiebreak beckoned with the third seed again coming out on top.

Zverev broke early in the fifth to move 2-0 ahead, but he folded when serving for the match, and Alcaraz broke back for 5-5, and then again to seal the most dramatic of wins.

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KARACHI: Rashid Naseem on Wednesday became the first Pakistani athlete to set 150 individual Guinness World Records (GWR), the global authority on record-breaking achievements confirmed.

Rashid etched his name into history book after shattering multiple record, including 340 full-extension punches in one minute while holding a 1-kg weight.

He also registered unique records to his name in egg-and-walnut and nunchaku categories.  The all records are now listed on Guinness World Record official website.

In 2025 alone, 31 records have been approved, after 28 records in 2024. He dedicated his 150th record to Palestine.

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Despite bringing global recognition to Pakistan, Rashid Naseem says he has received no government appreciation.

It is worth mentioning that Rashid also holds world records across punching, martial arts, breaking, knee strikes, stick, nunchaku, skipping, and jumping jacks, and has defeated India over 40 times, also breaking records from China, USA, England, Iran, and Switzerland.

For those unaware, Guinness World Records also highlighted Rashid and his daughter achievements on its official page as part of the 70th anniversary celebrations held in November 2025.

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Amanda Anisimova said she will “lose her mind” for a couple of days after suffering defeat in her Australian Open quarter-final on Wednesday to fellow American Jessica Pegula.

The 24-year-old Anisimova’s hopes of a third Grand Slam final in a row imploded in a blur of unforced errors and with several angry shows of frustration.

Sixth-seeded Pegula beat the fourth seed 6-2, 7-6 (7/1) in Melbourne, and Anisimova admitted her opponent was “playing great tennis. She’s always playing stable”.

But Anisimova was annoyed with herself too, as she totted up 44 unforced errors to Pegula’s 21 and made seven double faults.

At one moment in the second set, she had her head in her hands as the match slipped away.

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The defeat and the nature of it will rankle, especially because she was considered a serious challenger for the title.

“I would say as a tennis player, you can be very irrational, and obviously I’m very grateful for the life that I have, the career I have,” said Anisimova, who in 2023 took an eight-month break from tennis for her mental health.

“But you kind of lose your mind after matches like this.

“I think that after a day like today, I’m going to completely lose all sense of rationality for, like, 48 hours.

“That’s just kind of what goes into working so hard for something, and then you have matches and days like this.”

Pegula’s reward is a semi-final meeting with the Kazakh fifth seed Elena Rybakina.

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Jessica Pegula edged past Amanda Anisimova to set up an Australian Open semi-final clash against Elena Rybakina, where Novak Djokovic hopes to join them later Wednesday in his latest history bid.

Moscow-born Kazakh Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, stunned second seed Iga Swiatek 7-5, 6-1 in Melbourne to book her spot in the last four.

Pegula swept aside an error-strewn Amanda Anisimova 6-2, 7-6 (7/1) in an all-American quarter-final.

Rybakina has made the Melbourne final once before, in 2023, when she lost in three tough sets to Aryna Sabalenka.

The 26-year-old fifth seed took her latest victory in her stride, saying a calmer mindset helped in the heat of battle.

“In the beginning, when it’s the first final, and you go so far in a tournament, of course, you are more emotional,” said Rybakina.

“Now I feel like I’m just doing my job, trying to improve each day. So it’s kind of another day, another match.”

Defeat denied Swiatek in her latest bid for a career Grand Slam of all four majors, having already won Wimbledon, the French Open and the US Open.

Sixth seed Jessica Pegula and Elena Rybakina have shared three wins each in their six matches so far.

Pegula is yet to drop a set this year in Melbourne and is arrowing in on her first major crown at the age of 31.

“It’s awesome,” Pegula said of reaching her first Australian semi-final, having beaten defending champion Madison Keys in the previous round.

She was helped by an error-riddled display from fourth seed Anisimova, who racked up 44 unforced errors to Pegula’s 21.

Her frustrations boiled over at the end as her hopes of reaching a third major title in a row melted away in a blur of mistakes.

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Two-time champion Sabalenka faces Ukrainian 12th seed Elina Svitolina in the other semi-final.

Also on day 11 at Melbourne Park, where temperatures were far more comfortable than the 43 °C on Tuesday, Djokovic faces Lorenzo Musetti of Italy.

The winner will meet two-time reigning champion Jannik Sinner or all-action Ben Shelton of the United States in the last four.

Djokovic has won a record-equalling 24 Grand Slam titles, 10 of them in Melbourne.

But a 25th has remained agonisingly out of reach since triumphing at the US Open in 2023.

Djokovic got a free ride into the Musetti showdown when rising Czech star Jakub Mensik pulled out injured, giving the 38-year-old Serb an extra day’s rest.

“Pretty sure he won’t be tired,” said the fifth-seeded Italian Musetti. “But hopefully the rhythm that I have right now… will bring me luck for the next one. I feel ready to try to push him to his maximum.”

The odds are stacked against Musetti, who is into the last eight at Melbourne for the first time, with clay and grass his usual forte.

He has played Djokovic 10 times before — and only beaten him once, back in 2023.

Sinner is bidding to win the Melbourne crown for a third time in a row, something only Djokovic has done in the Open era (since 1968).

He has a tough opponent in Shelton, who reached the semi-finals last year, where he lost in straight sets to Sinner.

The pair have met nine times, with the world number two winning eight of them. But Shelton is a fan favourite and is hoping to harness the energy of a “rowdy” crowd to pull off a shock.

“I’m definitely a competitor, I’m rowdy on court, I look forward to rowdy crowds,” he said.

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