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Waseem ready to take on Jakrawut in WBA title defence | The Express Tribune

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Waseem ready to take on Jakrawut in WBA title defence | The Express Tribune


The 38-year-old trained in Liverpool for the event that will feature at least 38 international boxers in Lahore

Muhammad Waseem with his World Boxing Association World Gold title belt. PHOTO COURTESY: MUHAMMAD WASEEM


KARACHI:

“I am trying my best and doing everything for the big fight night on November 29,” Pakistan’s solitary World Boxing Association Gold World Bantamweight champion Muhammad Waseem exclaimed as he is staging the biggest boxing event, where he is defending his title against Thailand’s Jakrawut Majungoen.

Waseem had been training in Liverpool with his coach, Danny Vaughan, and he will be fulfilling his dream of defending the title on home turf.

The 38-year-old also held the fight in Quetta in May, with the help of the Pakistan Army and the Balochistan Government, where international boxers and officials came to the country to witness the first professional bout backed by one of the four recognized boxing bodies in the world.

On Saturday, November 29, the main card flaunts more than seven bouts, and the event features at least 38 foreign boxers and six Pakistani pugilists at Lahore’s Garrison Club.

Waseem, also known as Falcon, has also been working with WBA to promote boxing in Pakistan.

With this bout, he will be bringing boxers from the United Kingdom, the US, Mexico, Germany, and France, according to details shared by Punjab Minister of Sports Faisal Ayub Khokhar, who also toured the Garrison Club for the ‘Fight for Glory’ event.

The provincial minister is also ensuring excellent security arrangements, as this will be the first time the country is hosting 38 foreign boxers at once.

However, with all the hype, Waseem, with his orthodox stance, will be taking on south paw Jakrawut, for which he has worked hard.

“I’ve been training very hard because there is a lot on the line for me,” Waseem told this correspondent from Liverpool, where he was training and putting in at least five hours every day.

“The game plan will be different against Jakrawut than my previous opponent, of course, and mainly there is a focus on combinations; he is a south paw as well, so I am training accordingly.

Later, he took on Sunny Edwards for the International Boxing Federation World flyweight title in 2021, which he lost, but finally won another major bout with the WBA Gold World title in May this year.

Waseem has won accolades for Pakistan in amateur boxing, too, but his professional record is also impressive, with 14 wins out of 16 bouts, and posting 10 knockouts in them.

“Most of the efforts go into strength training, weight, and technique, but also it becomes very hectic at times, because I have to travel at least two hours to Manchester, where I have to spar,” he added.

He added that sparring partners he had in the UK were all helpful in preparing for the fight, as he also gets support from the boxing community in the UK.

“I had amazing sparring partners, and a few of them were also professional boxers, one of them was Indian as well, but the rest of them were English.

“Normally, it is not easy to find sparring partners in the UK, but they are helping me for nothing, only out of goodwill.

“It is encouraging, and for that I have to travel 40 miles from Liverpool. A lot of my time is spent in travelling after training for the fight, and at times, it does become difficult to be out here, away from my two children, and my family, but I believe that this event can be a great trendsetter for Pakistan,” said Waseem, who has previously won the World Boxing Council silver flyweight title in 2016, and successfully defended it as well the same year.

He is also getting American rapper Mr Cappone-E to open for him, while at the heart of it all is to give a taste of professional boxing to the Pakistani sports lovers and, more importantly, a chance to Pakistani boxers to compete in an international event.

With this event, the goal is to make boxing an accessible sport for both the fans and the boxers.

“I am coming from Quetta, and I am always connected to the boxing community, and it breaks my heart that most of the time they are ignored and deprived of opportunities that can change their lives.

“So my goal is to provide exposure for them, help professional boxing take root in Pakistan, too. “We are also making sure that we assist women boxers to have their spot in our event, because at the end of the day, all of this will build our boxing community up.

“I am also grateful to the government of Punjab and the Army for helping me in this, because holding an event of this magnitude wouldn’t be possible without their support,” he concluded.

 

 

 



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Mike Trout crushes fifth Yankee Stadium HR in four games

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Mike Trout crushes fifth Yankee Stadium HR in four games


NEW YORK — Mike Trout‘s latest homer against the New York Yankees put him in rare company, and going deep again made history at Yankee Stadium.

Trout homered for the fifth time during a four-game series Thursday, crushing a 446-foot drive in the seventh inning for the Los Angeles Angels in an 11-4 victory.

A three-time MVP, Trout joined Jimmie Foxx (1933), Darrell Evans (1985) and George Bell (1990) as the only players with five homers in a series against the Yankees, according to MLB researcher Sarah Langs.

Trout homered twice Monday before going deep again in the following two games. In the series finale Thursday, Trout drove a 2-2 slider from reliever Angel Chivilli about halfway up the left-field bleachers to give the Angels a 7-4 lead. That shot made Trout the first player to hit five homers in a series in the Bronx.

“I heard that after the game,” Trout said. “It’s pretty surreal. All the great players that came through here, so it’s pretty cool.”

“Honestly, not surprising,” Los Angeles manager Kurt Suzuki said. “When you’re with Mike every day, there’s nothing that you believe that he can’t do.”

Trout also became the first visiting player to homer in four consecutive days at the current Yankee Stadium, which opened in 2009.

Trout went 6-for-16 with five homers and nine RBIs in the series. He also has homered in his past five games at Yankee Stadium and drew an intentional walk in his next plate appearance before Jo Adell hit a grand slam.

“At this point it’s vintage Mike Trout,” Adell said. “When he’s healthy and feeling good, there’s nothing like it. It’s special. It’s one of a kind. So for all of us to experience it, it’s special.”

“He’s unbelievable,” Suzuki said. “He really is. It’s been an amazing week for him.”

Trout is hitting .246 with seven homers and 16 RBIs. He is 9-for-27 (.333) with five homers and 13 RBIs on the Angels’ road trip, which coincides with him making a mechanical tweak.

Trout’s career-high homer streak is seven games, achieved Sept. 4-12, 2022. He has homered in four straight games for the fourth time in his career.

Trout’s homer was part of a four-game series that featured four homers from Yankees’ slugger Aaron Judge. Judge homered twice Monday, again Wednesday and went deep in the first inning in the series finale.

“He’s unreal,” designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton said after the Yankees lost for the seventh time in nine games. “Cool showing from him and Judgie all series. Obviously, you don’t want that against us, but you got to acknowledge the greatness.”

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first time opposing players who owned multiple MVPs hit at least three homers in the same series.

“It was an impressive show by those two,” Suzuki said.



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2026 NCAA gymnastics championships: Live updates from semifinals

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2026 NCAA gymnastics championships: Live updates from semifinals


FORT WORTH, Texas — The first semifinal session of the NCAA gymnastics championships included LSU, Florida, Georgia and Stanford — with Florida and LSU advancing to Saturday’s final (4 p.m. ET; ABC).

Next up, Oklahoma, UCLA, Arkansas and Minnesota will compete in Semifinal II, beginning at 9 pm ET (ESPN2). Once again, the top two teams will move on.

Individual event titles and an all-around winner will also be awarded today — but not until both semifinal sessions are complete.

Who will make it to the next round? Will an upset surprise us all? We’ll have you covered with all the action here.




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N.J. governor: FIFA should pay extra train costs to MetLife for World Cup

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N.J. governor: FIFA should pay extra train costs to MetLife for World Cup


New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill on Wednesday joined U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer in calling on FIFA to contribute toward World Cup transit security costs.

MetLife Stadium will host eight World Cup games, including the tournament final. The Athletic reported earlier this week that NJ Transit is considering charging $100 for train tickets to shuttle fans between New York Penn Station and the stadium. Standard fare is $12.90.

Parking will be restricted at the Meadowlands stadium complex compared to NFL games — making public transport one of the only options to attend World Cup matches, which get underway June 11.

“We inherited an agreement where FIFA is providing $0 for transportation to the World Cup,” Sherrill said on X. “And while NJ TRANSIT is stuck with a $48 million bill to safely get fans to and from games, FIFA is making $11 billion. I’m not going to stick New Jersey commuters with that tab for years to come.

“FIFA should pay for the rides. But if they don’t — I’m not going to let New Jersey get taken for one.”

Speaking on WNYC on Wednesday, Sherrill said she would approve the fare increase if FIFA doesn’t step in.

“I will, if that’s what it takes, because I’m not putting this on the back of New Jerseyans,” she said.

On Wednesday, NJ Transit’s board of directors unanimously approved a resolution to set transport prices to “cover any and all costs” to transport fans and comply with Sherrill’s directive.

NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri on Wednesday said he supported Sherrill’s plea to FIFA and confirmed that commuters would not pay extra costs, according to NJ.com.

“The governor said whatever the fare will be, it will not be cross subsidized by our regular commuters. I’d think every NJ Transit customer would stand behind that,” Kolluri told NJ.com. “It will cost us $48 million. We will charge FIFA fans for those tickets, and it will not be subsidized by our commuters.”

Schumer on Monday said FIFA should be helping pay for World Cup transit security costs.

“FIFA is set to reap nearly $11 billion from this summer’s World Cup, yet New York area commuters and residents are being handed the bill,” Schumer wrote on X. “The least FIFA can do is ensure New York residents can go to the stadium without being gouged at the turnstile. I am demanding FIFA step up.”

Earlier this month, New Jersey’s host travel committee released a detailed plan for transport and parking during the matches, outlining a park-and-ride plan with specific parking lots and shuttle buses that will run to and from the stadium.

“While rideshare and limited premium parking options will be available, the FIFA World Cup at NYNJ Stadium will be a public transportation first event, largely relying on NJ Transit rail and Host Committee bus shuttles,” Natalie Hamilton, a host committee spokesperson, told NJ.com.

“We are strongly encouraging all ticket holders to utilize expanded NJ Transit rail service and the Host Committee’s Stadium Shuttle.”

A FIFA spokesperson insisted the host city had previously agreed to provide free or at-cost transportation to fans at all matches.

“We are quite surprised by the NJ governor’s approach on fan transportation,” FIFA said in a statement Wednesday.

“The original FIFA World Cup 2026 host city agreements signed in 2018 required free transportation for fans to all matches. Recognizing the financial strain this placed on the host cities, back in 2023 FIFA adjusted the host agreement requirements across all host cities as follows: All match ticket holders and accredited individuals shall be able to access transport [public or additionally planned transport] at cost to allow travel to stadiums on match days.

“Moreover, FIFA has worked for years with host cities on their transportation and mobility plans, including advocating for millions of dollars in federal funding to support host cities for transportation.

“The FIFA World Cup will bring millions of fans to North America along with the related economic impact. Many of these fans will travel to NYNJ to enjoy the eight matches scheduled, including the FIFA World Cup final.

“FIFA is not aware of any other major event previously held at NYNJ Stadium, including other major sports, global concert tours, etc, where organizers were required to pay for fan transportation.”

During the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022, ticket holders enjoyed free transport on the city’s Metro system, funded by the country’s government.

UEFA bore the cost of ticket holders using German public transport in host cities on match days during Euro 2024.

Kansas City, where England’s training camp will be based, will offer free bus travel for fans from the airport close to the Fan Festival in the city center, and daily, weekly and tournament passes for unlimited regional travel costing $5.25 and $50, respectively.

Ticket holders will also be able to use a Stadium Direct service, which connects four park and ride locations as well as the Fan Festival to the Arrowhead Stadium for $15 per person, the host city committee said.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) said that there will be no fare increases connected to the staging of World Cup matches in Philadelphia.

The spokesperson said most if not all of the added operating costs of running the services during the World Cup would be covered by a recently awarded federal grant.

Information from Press Association and The Associated Press was used in this report.





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