Sports

Adams confident ahead Morocco clash

Published

1 month ago

January 13, 2026

Super Eagles striker Akor Adams remains confident about the team’s objective of winning the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title, ahead of their semi-final meeting with hosts Morocco in Rabat on Wednesday, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

Nigeria set up the meeting against the Atlas Lions following a dominant 2-0 win over Algeria in the quarter-final on Saturday. Morocco had also beaten Cameroon 2-0 in the last eight.

The Super Eagles have been dominant at the AFCON, winning all their matches and scoring 14 goals in the process.

Adams has been involved in four of those goals, scoring two and providing two assists.

“We have just one objective, to win. To win everything,” the striker told OmaSportsTV.

“That’s the only objective and we aim as high as possible and I don’t think that’s bigger than us. We are humble, of course, but we know what we are capable of doing as the Super Eagles, and we work hard, go back, try to get everyone as fit as possible and then see what happens.”

Since making his Super Eagles debut in October 2025 during the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, marking it with a goal in the 2–1 win over Lesotho, the striker has scored four goals and provided two assists in nine matches.

The Sevilla forward has been particularly influential in the knockout stages, scoring in Nigeria’s emphatic 4-0 win over Mozambique and finding the net again in the quarter-final victory against Algeria.

Adams opened his goal account at the tournament with a 70th-minute strike, which completed Nigeria’s commanding display against Mozambique.

In the same match, the 25-year-old also provided the assist for Ademola Lookman’s opening goal and was involved in Nigeria’s second goal, which was finished off by Victor Osimhen.

His fourth goal at the tournament was a composed finish, in which he dribbled past Luca Zidane to score after a selfless pass from Victor Osimhen, following a line-breaking pass from Alex Iwobi.

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Sports

Boxers, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao set for professional rematch in Las Vegas in September

Published

1 day ago

February 24, 2026

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are set to face each other in a stunning rematch in Las Vegas this September.

Mayweather, 48, will officially come out of retirement to face Pacquiao at the Sphere on Saturday, September 19, 11 years on since the legendary boxing duo’s eagerly-awaited first fight.

Pacquiao, 47, came out of retirement on July 19, 2025, when he fought Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight championship, the fight ending in a majority draw as the latter retained his belt.

Mayweather was victorious via unanimous decision when the pair fought on May 2, 2015, in what was billed as the ‘Fight of the Century’.

“I already fought and beat Manny once. This time will be the same result,” said Mayweather.

Mayweather beat fellow welterweight Pacquiao in their money-spinning 2015 “Fight of the Century,” which generated a record 4.6 million pay-per-view buys but largely failed to live up to the hype.

Mayweather is believed to have earned an estimated $300 million from the unanimous points victory over the Filipino icon, which remains the most lucrative fight in history and generated more than $600 million in revenue.

Former multi-weight world champion Mayweather retired from boxing in 2017, unbeaten in 50 bouts, though he has continued to fight in exhibitions since, including an upcoming clash this spring with Mike Tyson.

Pacquiao, also a multiple world champion, retired for a four-year period from 2021, in which he unsuccessfully ran for the Philippine presidency. He came out of retirement last year, held to a draw by Mario Barrios in Las Vegas.

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Sports

UEFA suspends Benfica’s Prestianni over racist abuse against Vinicius

Published

2 days ago

February 23, 2026

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UEFA on Monday suspended midfielder Gialuca Prestianni from Benfica’s Champions League play-off second leg against Real Madrid this week after he was accused of racially abusing Vinicius Junior.

UEFA’s disciplinary body, who are still investigating the alleged incident from last week’s first leg, said in a statement that they had decided to provisionally suspend Prestianni for the next UEFA club competition match.

“Following the appointment of a UEFA Ethics and Disciplinary Inspector (EDI) to investigate allegations of discriminatory behaviour during the UEFA Champions League 2025/2026 Knock-out Play-off match between SL Benfica and Real Madrid CF on 17 February 2026, and upon request of the EDI with an interim report, the UEFA Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB) today decided to provisionally suspend Mr. Gianluca Prestianni for the next (1) UEFA club competition match for which he would otherwise be eligible for the prima facie violation of Article 14 of the UEFA Disciplinary Regulations (DR) related to a discriminatory behaviour.

“This is without prejudice to any ruling that the UEFA disciplinary bodies may subsequently make following the conclusion of the ongoing investigation and its respective submission to the UEFA disciplinary bodies,” the football body said.

The decision follows allegations of discriminatory behaviour during the first-leg encounter on February 17, 2026, in Lisbon, where Real Madrid secured a 1-0 victory.

The incident occurred after Vinícius Júnior scored, leading to a heated confrontation in which the Brazilian forward accused Prestianni of directing a racist slur at him, specifically the term “mono” (Spanish for “monkey”), while covering his mouth with his shirt.

The referee invoked UEFA’s anti-racism protocol, resulting in a roughly 10-minute pause in play as the matter was addressed on the field.

Vinícius initially appeared reluctant to continue but eventually resumed, later posting on social media that “racists are, above all, cowards.”

Prestianni could face further sanctions, including a potential multi-match ban, depending on the evidence presented, which may include referee reports, match footage, witness statements, and player testimonies.

He has denied making any racist remark, claiming instead that he used a homophobic slur (an anti-gay insult in Spanish) rather than a racial one.

Benfica has publicly backed its player, expressing confidence in his character while the club reportedly prepares arguments to challenge or mitigate the sanction.

The case has reignited broader discussions about racism in football, particularly given Vinícius Júnior’s history of facing similar abuse in Spain and Europe.

Prestianni’s absence represents a blow to Benfica’s attacking options ahead of the decisive return leg, where Real Madrid holds a narrow advantage.

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Sports

Boxer Floyd Mayweather to come out of retirement

Published

3 days ago

February 22, 2026

Oluwagbenga Olaoye

Floyd Mayweather Jr. has announced he is coming out of retirement and will return to professional boxing following his upcoming exhibition bout with Mike Tyson.

The 48-year-old former multi-weight world champion retired in 2017 with an unbeaten record of 50 fights, though he has continued to participate in exhibition contests. “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, then (sic) my events.”

Mayweather confirmed that his first professional fight since 2017 is tentatively scheduled for this summer, with the opponent yet to be announced. Further details are expected “in the coming weeks,” according to the statement.

Nicknamed “Money,” Mayweather was once the world’s highest-paid athlete, earning $300 million in 2015, according to Forbes. At his peak, he was widely regarded as boxing’s pound-for-pound king, dominating the welterweight division for over a decade.

His last professional fight came in 2017 against former UFC champion Conor McGregor, a crossover bout that drew global attention.

Since retiring, Mayweather has remained active in exhibition fights, including a victory over John Gotti III in Mexico in August 2024, as well as appearances against reality television personalities and YouTube fighters.

He has signed an exclusive agreement with promoter CSI Sports/Fight Sports to launch his professional return following the Tyson exhibition.

Boxing outlet Ring Magazine has reported that Mayweather’s exhibition fight with Tyson is scheduled for April 25 in the Democratic Republic of Congo, although neither the date nor venue has been officially confirmed.

Tyson, 59, last fought in November 2024 in Texas, losing decisively to YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in a Netflix-backed event attended by approximately 70,000 spectators, with millions more watching worldwide.

Mayweather’s career has been marked by both sporting success and controversy. While praised for his fitness, technical skill and ring intelligence, he has faced criticism over his defensive style and past legal issues. His return to professional competition is expected to draw significant global attention.

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