NBA star Jaylen Brown has hit back at ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith as their public feud continues to spill across social media and broadcast television.
The Boston Celtics forward launched into an expletive-laden response during a Twitch stream, reacting to Smith’s recent criticism that he should “be quiet” following comments made on ESPN’s First Take.
Brown rejected the suggestion outright, accusing Smith of using his platform for “clickbait” rather than journalism, and saying he should “get off these networks” if he wants others to stop speaking.
The row stems from Smith’s comments earlier this month, where he criticised Brown’s outspoken nature during the Celtics’ postseason run and suggested he needed to tone down his public presence.
Brown also pushed back on claims relating to teammate Jayson Tatum, denying suggestions that tensions existed between the pair after Boston’s playoff exit to the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Celtics star has been one of the league’s more vocal figures this season, previously receiving a $50,000 fine from the NBA for comments criticising officiating after a Game 7 defeat.
British Muslim boxer Hamzah Sheeraz captured the vacant WBO super-middleweight title after stopping Germany’s Alem Begic in the second round in Egypt on May 23.
The 26-year-old Londoner controlled the fight from the opening bell, breaking Begic down with sharp jabs, uppercuts and body shots before ending matters with a crushing left hook to the body.
Begic, 39, failed to beat the count as the referee waved the contest off, with the gulf in class evident throughout the brief encounter.
“It was simple – I saw he was very negative from when I landed the first punch,” Sheeraz said afterwards.
“After that it was about walking him down and getting out of there. That is what we’ve done.”
The victory secures Sheeraz his first world championship and continues his rapid rise following last summer’s stoppage win over Edgar Berlanga.
The title had been vacated by retired American star Terence Crawford, with Sheeraz now emerging as one of the leading names at 168lbs.
The bout took place on the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk’s heavyweight title defence against Rico Verhoeven, with the pyramids of Giza providing a dramatic backdrop.
Mexican superstar Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez watched ringside as speculation continued over a potential future showdown between the pair.
“There is boxing royalty ringside and I want to follow in their footsteps,” Sheeraz said.
“I believe he is one of the goats of boxing. To share the ring with him would be an honour.”
A clash with Alvarez could move closer if the Mexican defeats Christian Mbilli in Riyadh later this year.
If that fight does not materialise, Sheeraz still has possible unification bouts available against Jaime Munguia and Osleys Iglesias, who currently hold the WBA and IBF belts respectively.
Earlier on the card, Jack Catterall claimed the WBA ‘regular’ welterweight title with a comfortable points victory over unbeaten Uzbek fighter Shakhram Giyasov.
Bangladesh completed a landmark Test series victory over Pakistan on May 20, winning the second Test in Sylhet by 78 runs to take the series 2–0.
The visitors, chasing 437, resumed day five on 316-7 but were bowled out for 328 in the first session as Bangladesh wrapped up the result with little fuss.
Mohammad Rizwan fought hard with a 94, but Pakistan never seriously threatened the target once Bangladesh’s spinners got to work.
Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam was the key figure, finishing with 6-120 in the second innings and nine wickets in the match as Pakistan’s lower order collapsed.
Bangladesh had earlier built their advantage through centuries from Litton Das (126) and Mushfiqur Rahim (137), with useful contributions from Mahmudul Hasan Joy helping set up the decisive lead.
Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto’s side secure a rare series win over Pakistan and their first home Test series victory against them.
Mohamed Salah has been named in Egypt’s preliminary squad for the 2026 World Cup despite recent controversy surrounding his social media comments.
The Egypt national football team boss Hossam Hassan has shown no sign of concern over the forward’s public criticism of current Liverpool boss Arne Slot, with Salah still expected to play a central role in their tournament plans.
The 33-year-old had sparked debate after calling for a return to the ‘heavy metal’ style associated with the Liverpool FC era under Jürgen Klopp, comments widely interpreted as a swipe at Slot’s approach.
Former players and pundits, including Wayne Rooney and Sam Allardyce, criticised Salah’s decision to air his views publicly, with some suggesting he should be left out of Liverpool’s final Premier League fixture against Brentford.
Despite the noise, Egypt appear to be standing firm. Salah is included in a 27-man preliminary squad, with one player still to be cut before the final tournament selection.
It will be Salah’s second World Cup appearance, after playing at Russia 2018, where Egypt exited at the group stage.
He now heads towards the tournament having endured a quieter season by his standards, but remains central to Egypt’s hopes as captain and talisman.
Amina Orfi became the youngest women’s world champion on May 17 after beating compatriot Nour El Sherbini in a five-game final at the PSA World Championships in Giza.
The 18-year-old won 6-11, 11-6, 11-9, 7-11, 14-12 in a tight match that swung both ways before she edged the deciding game.
El Sherbini, chasing a record ninth world title, took the opening game and forced a fifth, but Orfi held her nerve in the closing stages.
It is Orfi’s 12th PSA title and makes her the first player to hold junior and senior world titles at the same time.
In the men’s final, Mostafa Asal retained his world crown with a straight-games win over Youssef Ibrahim, controlling the match from the outset to secure back-to-back titles.
The UFC’s welterweight division is still taking shape around Islam Makhachev, with fresh speculation that unbeaten contender Michael Morales could be in line for a surprise title shot.
Makhachev only recently moved up after vacating his lightweight belt and went on to win the welterweight title with a dominant performance over Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322, immediately reshaping the division at 170lbs.
Since then, attention has shifted to who gets the first defence, with UFC 330 in August now the target window. Early plans appeared to point towards a fight with Ian Machado Garry, but that picture may be changing.
Morales has added to the uncertainty after suggesting on social media that he sees himself as the next champion. The Ecuadorian, still undefeated at 18-0, has been climbing quickly and made a statement with a stoppage win over Sean Brady.
That run has sparked debate over whether he has done enough to leapfrog more established contenders in the queue for Makhachev.
Garry remains firmly in the mix as well, having rebounded from his first professional defeat with key wins, including over Belal Muhammad, keeping him close to the front of the line.
