Chris Eubank Jr misses weight by less than an ounce and gets £375,000 fine

The controversial and dangerous issue of weight cuts surrounding Saturday night’s fight between Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn has intensified after the former missed two attempts to make the 160lb middleweight limit on Friday morning. The 35-year-old Eubank initially scaled 160.2lb and then, after he tried for a second time, 160lb 0.8oz.That marginal amount of 0

Mark Allen hits Crucible 147 as Barry Hearn warns venue ‘not fit for purpose’

Mark Allen has made a maximum 147 break at the World Snooker Championship, writing his name into Crucible history – but still faces an uphill battle to avoid elimination in his second-round match with Chris Wakelin.Resuming 6-2 behind, Allen endured a nightmare first half of the morning session, losing all four frames to fall 10-2 down and at risk of going out with a session to spare. Wakelin hit breaks of 119, 71 and 75 as Northern Ireland’s Allen failed to pot a ball for three frames, immediately heading to the practice table at the interval.In the next frame, Allen sank a long red to end his drought and quickly manoeuvred his way to a maximum chance. After potting 15 reds and 15 blacks, the world No 8 almost snookered himself behind the blue, but was able to dispatch the yellow – and a tricky pink – before rolling in the final black to huge cheers

Ilona Maher mania helps US women’s rugby set attendance records

Promoters for Saturday’s men’s and women’s rugby double-header in Los Angeles are offering “VIP Courtside” seats, hailed as a chance to “feel the heart-pounding action like never before”.“With courtside seats,” the blurb goes, “you’re not just watching the game – you’re in the middle of the intensity. Every … moment of pure adrenaline is right in front of you.”Rugby is played on a pitch or a field. It has courts, but they are more usually staged on tour, rituals used to foster team unity

Collingwood’s Big Five outclass Essendon on Anzac Day’s big stage

It’s hard to know what was more impressive today at the MCG – Private Hettie Adams’ rendition of the New Zealand national anthem, or Collingwood’s Big Five. Pte Adams is flown in every Anzac Day and she never fails to stir the pulse. Collingwood’s Big Five are just as reliable.Yes, Collingwood have some excellent players who don’t qualify, so apologies to Dan Houston, Jordan De Goey, Bobby Hill and Jack Crisp, who today equalled Jim Stynes’ record for consecutive games. But for the purposes of this exercise, with Darcy Moore absent, let’s call their Big Five Nick and Josh Daicos, Scott Pendlebury, Steele Sidebottom and Jamie Elliott

Chess: Carlsen scores record nine out of nine at Grenke Freestyle Open

Magnus Carlsen, the world No 1, soared to a new landmark in chess history last weekend, when the 34-year-old won all his nine games in the Grenke Freestyle Open at Karlsruhe, Germany.It was a result comparable to the great historical performances. Bobby Fischer won the 1963-64 US Championship with an 11/11 “picket fence”, then defeated Mark Taimanov and Bent Larsen by 6-0 in the 1971 ­Candidates. Anatoly Karpov ­triumphed at Linares 1994 with an 11-2 total, while further back the ­yardstick performance was ­Alexander ­Alekhine’s 14-1 at San Remo 1930.However, Fide does not officially rate Freestyle chess, in which the back rank pieces have randomised starting positions

NFL draft: Jags trade up for Travis Hunter as QB-needy teams pass on Shedeur Sanders

The first pick of the 2025 NFL draft went much as expected as the Tennessee Titans selected the talented Miami quarterback Cam Ward No 1 overall. It was at No 2 – and who wasn’t picked later – where things got a little more interesting on Thursday night in Green Bay.Jacksonville, who had been sitting at No 5, traded up to take the Cleveland Browns’ spot at No 2, where the Jaguars selected Travis Hunter. Hunter is one of the most fascinating players to enter the NFL in years: a superbly talented athlete who can play both offense, at wide receiver, and defense, at cornerback. In return, the Browns received four picks, including the Jags’ second- and fourth-rounders this year and their 2026 first-rounder