![[SPORTS] CRAWFORD, SPENCE JR. MEET FACE-TO-FACE AT HOOKER-SAUCEDO EVENT](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/img_8567-1.jpg?resize=697%2C472&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Nov 17, 2018 | SPORTS
Pound-For-Pound Stalwarts Meet Publicly
They may be on two different sides of the street, but on Friday night the two boxing stars everyone wants to see in the ring against one another came face-to-face.
Kind of.
Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. would come together for the first time publicly for some fun and light-hearted banter in Oklahoma City on Friday night.
The meeting between the two comes after both fighters have had a history of going back and forth with one another on social media, with both staking their claim to the welterweight throne.
https://twitter.com/readytodie___/status/1063658167513436161
Terence Crawford (34-0, 25 KOs) is coming off a dominant 12th-Round TKO win over Jose Benavidez Jr. last month in Omaha, his fifth straight win by knockout to defend his WBO title.
Meanwhile, Errol Spence Jr. last fought in June when he disposed of overmatched mandatory challenger Carlos Ocampo by 1st-Round KO to defend his IBF title.
He is set to face Mikey Garcia on March 16th at the AT&T Stadium in his hometown of Dallas, which will be seen on Fox Sports PPV.
With both fighters tied to different promotions, fans at home can only dream that this match comes into fruition sooner rather than later.
Would you pay to see this fight happen? Leave your comments below!
![[SPORTS] HOOKER BEATS SAUCEDO BY 7TH ROUND TKO TO DEFEND WBO BELT](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/img_8566-2.jpg?resize=640%2C427&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Nov 17, 2018 | SPORTS
Hooker Overcomes Adversity In Entertaining Scrap
Fighting in enemy territory once again, Maurice Hooker expected the best from his opponent Alex Saucedo and felt that would only elevate his game.
In a fight with great action and drama from the beginning, the Missouri native would prevail with his record unblemished in a battle of unbeatens.
Maurice Hooker (25-0-3, 17 KOs) defeated Alex Saucedo (28-1, 18 KOs) by 7th-Round TKO on Friday night at the Chesapeake Energy Arena to defend his WBO junior welterweight title.
Hooker defended his title for the first time since winning it in a upset victory over England’s own Terry Flanagan, who he beat in Manchester back in June of this year.
Showing determination and the heart of a champion, the Missouri native left Oklahoma City with his title belt still around his waist vs a tough and highly touted foe.
Alex Saucedo, coming off an unforgettable war with Leonardo Zappavigna earlier this year, had war on his mind once again to start this one, but his opponent wouldn’t back down.
Both men came out swinging, with Hooker looking to send a message with hard right hand shots going backwards while Saucedo bulled forward with crushing shots to the head and body, none landing too cleanly.
Less than a minute into the second round, the hometown Saucedo would floor the champion with a overhand right to thrill the Oklahoma City crowd.
Saucedo’s right hand would continue to find the chin of Hooker, who spent much of the round trying to recover as he took punishment on the ropes and saw blood beginning to pour from his nose.
Hooker turned the tide, surprisingly, near the end of round two as he started turning up the pressure on the Mexican challenger, landing hard combinations on a fighter there to be hit.
In a groove, Hooker would weather the storm to put together strong rounds against the challenger. He would at times make Saucedo punch at his arms against the ropes as he brilliantly made Saucedo punch himself out.
In round seven he would hurt Saucedo with a hard right hand before using a barrage of punches to make Saucedo buckle near the ropes for a technical knockdown.
After the count, Saucedo would come under siege following an onslaught of punches from Hooker, and the fight would be stopped shortly thereafter.
Hooker, 29, is an impressive fighter when he gets things going. When he got them going following a knockdown in round two, he took over the fight.
That ability and mental toughness to accomplish what he would on the night as quickly as he did makes him a formidable and scary opponent for all suitors wanting a crack at his WBO title belt.
What’s next for Hooker? A possible unification bout with WBC titleholder Jose Ramirez, who is also under the Top Rank banner and was in attendance for Friday night’s fight.
What are your thoughts on tonight’s victory for Maurice Hooker? Leave your comments below!
![[SPORTS] KNICKS BLOW HUGE LEAD IN LOSS TO DAVIS, PELICANS](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/img_8562.jpg?resize=1080%2C675&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Nov 17, 2018 | SPORTS
Knicks Can’t Protect Once 19-Point Lead In NOLA
David Fizdale has not minced words with his thoughts on his New York Knicks play, and challenged his players to answer his team-wide critique with a strong showing in New Orleans.
The New York Knicks showed up on Friday night in the Big Easy, but fell to the New Orleans Pelicans 129-124 at the Smoothie King Center to drop their fourth straight game.
Anthony Davis scored a season-high 43 points and added 17 rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block in the Pelicans come from behind win.
The New York Knicks (4-12) had little answers for the superstar big man and in the second half Jrue Holiday, who finished with 24 points, 10 assists and four rebounds.
The New York Knicks took a commanding 32-16 lead after one as Tim Hardaway Jr. and company came out firing while the Pelicans started cold.
That lead would grow to 19 in the second quarter, but New Orleans would slice into New York’s lead as it was a 64-54 lead at the half for David Fizdale’s Knicks.
New Orleans kept trying to chip away at the lead, but New York’s control over the game would persist into the fourth quarter.
New York held a 114-103 lead with 6:53 remaining in the game, but would come under siege after an avalanche by the New Orleans Pelicans.
A combination of Anthony Davis and Julius Randle would prove to be too much down the stretch as the Pelicans used a 17-point burst over the next four minutes to snatch the lead from the Knicks and wouldn’t look back as they handed New York a stinging defeat.
The Knicks continued to have their problems guarding the paint, as they allowed 68 points in the paint. Their inability to defend that area culminated in 32 free throws for New Orleans, which was eight more than New York’s 24 attempts.
Tim Hardaway Jr. finished with 30 points for the Knicks, but he cooled off tremendously in the second half as New York saw its lead evaporate.
It was one of those teaching losses for a young Knicks team that for the first time since their last victory, looked like a team that had life on the floor offensively and in the first half defensively as well.
New York got a strong effort out of Emmanuel Mudiay, who made his second start of the season, as he scored a season-high 19 points to go along with six rebounds in 23 minutes of action.
Trey Burke was electric off the bench, looking the best he’s looked in that role since being taken out of the starting lineup as he scored 24 points in 26 minutes of action.
Missing though, as mentioned, was a defensive presence in the paint, a issue that some seven-foot-one fella currently recovering from an ACL injury could’ve helped on a night where Anthony Davis isn’t the only headache on the floor.
The New York Knicks will look to salvage their three-game road trip on Sunday when the visit the Orlando Magic at the Amway Center.
Who caught your eyes the most on the New York Knicks tonight? Leave your comments below!
![[SPORTS] DINWIDDIE GUIDES NETS TO WIN IN D.C.](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/img_8565.jpg?resize=1080%2C675&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Nov 17, 2018 | SPORTS
Nets End Losing Skid At 3
The Brooklyn Nets were eager to get on the floor after having one of their worst performances on defense this season in their last time on the court. They were sure to clean up those errors vs a team going through their share of problems.
The Brooklyn Nets defeated theWashington Wizards 115-104 on Friday night at Capital One Arena to end their three-game losing streak.
Spencer Dinwiddie went off for a season-high 28 points in the win. He would also add eight assists to his big night as he was a jack of all trades on the night for a Nets team in need of it.
D’Angelo Russell would score 23 points and add six assists as he rebounded from a shaky performance vs the Miami Heat on Wednesday night.
In a game where both teams shot 42 percent from the field and struggled from downtown equally, the game came down to the team that made enough shots and capitalized on the other’s mistakes.
Brooklyn did just that, scoring 19 points off of Washington’s 13 turnovers and finishing +6 in the 3-point department. They also would finish +3 from the free throw line.
Brooklyn had fallen into an ugly pattern on defense and struggled to hit shots on offense over the past three games, but with the return of center Jarrett Allen from an illness, the Nets got back a much-needed player given they lost Caris LeVert on Monday night to a serious foot injury in Minnesota.
Dwight Howard scored 25 points and grabbed 17 rebounds vs the team he was traded to this past offseason and later reached a buyout with before signing with the Washington Wizards.
Bradley Beal would add 20 points and six rebounds, but the Wizards continued to see little production from downtown as they shot 3-for-17 from 3-point range.
The third quarter proved critical as the Nets came out of the halftime break hot, going on to outscore Washington 35-25 in the period to take a 91-79 lead into the fourth before preserving that lead for their fourth road win this season.
The Brooklyn Nets will have a quick turnaround as they travel back home to the Barclays Center to host the visiting Los Angeles Clippers.
What are your thoughts on the Brooklyn Nets’ win tonight? Leave your comments below!
![[SPORTS] RAVENS MUM ON QB AS FLACCO DOUBTFUL](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/img_8559-1-1.jpg?resize=700%2C390&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Nov 16, 2018 | SPORTS
Ravens Keep QB For Sunday A Secret
The Baltimore Ravens are trying everything in their power to throw off the Cincinnati Bengals ahead of this Sunday’s pivotal game with their season likely on the line.
That means going to great lengths in not naming a starting quarterback for this week’s game.
The Baltimore Ravens have listed quarterback Joe Flacco as doubtful for this Sunday’s game at M&T Bank Stadium, but they have not named a starting quarterback for the Week 11 matchup.
Despite Flacco being unlikely to play and not practicing this week, coach John Harbaugh is not ruling out that the veteran quarterback won’t play this Sunday.
“He’s coming along beautifully,” Harbaugh said on Friday after a team practice. “It’s just amazing. It’s amazing, the recovery he’s making.”
The Baltimore Ravens (4-5) are coming off three consecutive losses, with the last being a 23-16 loss at home to their bitter rival Pittsburgh Steelers.
Joe Flacco has come under scrutiny over the years since the Baltimore Ravens won the Super Bowl back in 2013.
The Baltimore Ravens all-time passing leader has not enjoyed a great deal of success, posting one of the lowest Passer Ratings among active quarterbacks in that span as well as interceptions thrown.
Flacco has thrown for 2,465 passing yards, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions with an 84.2 Passer Rating.
He and coach John Harbaugh appear to winding down in their careers at Baltimore, as many talks from sources close to the Ravens suggest they’ll move on from the coach and quarterback at the end of another year trending to be a fourth straight without a playoff appearance.
Fueling speculation even more that this is Joe Flacco’s last hurrah in Baltimore is the fact that the Baltimore Ravens traded up in the 2018 NFL Draft to select Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson with the 32nd pick in the first round this past April.
If Jackson is to make the start as expected, he’ll be going up against a Cincinnati Bengals team that has lost three out of their past four games and is ranked third worst in the NFL.
Should he not get the start, former Washington Redskins and Cleveland Browns quarterback Robert Griffin III will start for Baltimore.
What are your thoughts on the Baltimore Ravens playing possum with their quarterback situation? Leave your comments below!
![[SPORTS] BETTS, YELICH WIN MVP AWARDS](https://i0.wp.com/sloppyvinyl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/img_8554.jpg?resize=770%2C433&ssl=1)
by sloppyvinyl | Nov 16, 2018 | SPORTS
Mookie Betts and Christian Yelich Take Home MVP Honors
The most deserving position players of the NL and AL MVP awards this season were given their honors in landslides on both ends.
Christian Yelich of the Milwaukee Brewers and Mookie Betts of the Boston Red Sox were awarded the NL and AL MVP awards respectively on Thursday night.
Christian Yelich — who was traded to Milwaukee last offseason from the Miami Marlins — won the National League MVP award mostly due to his torrid performance following the All-Star Break as he hit .367 with 25 home runs and 67 RBIs in 65 games.
He finished the season batting .326 with 36 home runs and 110 RBIs. He also swiped 22 stolen bases.
The star outfielder closed the season strong and helped guide the Brewers to eight straight wins to Storm their way to a NL Central division title, just their second in franchise history.
He established career highs in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, home runs, runs, RBIs and stolen bases.
Christian Yelich beat out Javier Baez of the Chicago Cubs and Nolan Arenado of the Colorado Rockies in voting, with NL Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom being the only player to receive a first place vote.
Fresh off of a batting title, 30/30 season, gold glove award and World Series title, Mookie Betts now adds an American League MVP to his outstanding season.
Mookie Betts batted .346 with 32 home runs and 30 stolen bases. He also collected 80 RBIs and scored a MLB-high 129 runs.
Through May 26, he was hitting .359 with 17 home runs and slugging .750, a stretch that included two three-homer games.
He would miss two weeks of action because of an abdominal strain injury, but voters didn’t count playing in 136 games against him as he was almost unanimously voted as American League MVP.
One of the best defensive players in the MLB this season, Betts is a complete package at just 26-years-old and figures to be adding more hardware to his collection in the near future.
Betts beat out Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels and Jose Ramirez of the Cleveland Indians in voting, taking 28 of 30 first place votes.
What do you think of these two players winning the NL and AL MVP awards for the 2018 season? Leave your comments below!
