The pre-fight feeling was that this occasion bordered on the absurd as a sanctioned world title contest, but Verhoeven went a long way to proving the boxing fraternity wrong.

“I am super proud of my performance, and hopefully the boxing world embraces me as a boxer. I am amazingly hpy to be here,” Verhoeven said.

He emerged with huge credit, underlining his credentials as an awkward, physical operator for any heavyweight.

But was this his best chance, fuelled by the element of surprise?

The crossover blueprint is familiar, with MMA fighter Francis Ngannou famously going close to an extraordinary boxing win against Tyson Fury in 2023 before being stopped early on by Joshua in his second outing.

Usyk’s stock, for the first time in his career, with take a hit on the back of this – and debate around the result and a potential second meeting is only likely to intensify.

Afterwards, WBC mandatory challenger Agit Kabayel entered the ring to make his case.

“I have waited so long for this fight. I am ready and I think Germany is ready for the fight. Let’s do it in a German stadium. I think all the fans want it,” Kabayel said.

Usyk, who has previously suggested he may have two more fights after Verhoeven, responded: “Let’s do it, no problem. I am ready, brother.”

Whatever comes next, Usyk endured the toughest night of his career against a man few in boxing gave a chance.

NASCAR driver Kyle Busch died from severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis, according to a statement provided by the Busch family.

Dakota Hunter, vice president of Kyle Busch Companies, said in a news release that the family received the medical evaluation Saturday.

“The medical evaluation provided to the Busch Family concluded that severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rid and overwhelming associated complications,” the Busch family statement read. “The Family asks for continued understanding and privacy during this difficult time.”

Busch was testing in the racing simulator in Concord, North Carolina, on Wednesday when he became unresponsive and was transported to a hospital in Charlotte, several people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. Busch experienced shortness of breath, felt he was overheating and was coughing up blood the day before his death, according to a 911 call obtained Friday by ABC.

During the emergency call placed late Wednesday afternoon, an unidentified caller calmly told the dispatch: “I’ve got an individual that’s [got] shortness of breath, very hot, thinks he’s going to pass out and is producing a little bit of blood, coughing up some blood.”

The caller said Busch was lying on the bathroom floor inside the complex and told dispatch “he is awake,” according to audio provided by the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office. The man gave directions on where emergency responders should go and asked that they turn off any sirens upon arrival.

Sepsis is considered a life-threatening medical emergency that occurs when the body has an extreme, overactive response to an infection, causing the immune system to damage its own tissues and organs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Typically the immune system releases chemicals to fight off pathogens such as bacteria, viruses or fungi, but with sepsis the response goes into overdrive. The results can cause widespread inflammation, form microscopic blood clots and make blood vessels leak.

Busch was thought to have had a sinus cold while racing at Watkins Glen on May 10 and radioed his team saying he needed a “shot” from a doctor after the race.

However, he bounced back to win the Trucks Series race at Dover last weekend and finished 17th in the All-Star Race on Sunday.

NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski said he knew Busch wasn’t feeling well recently.

“Yes, but I won’t go into any specifics,” Keselowski said. “But then when he ran the Truck race last week, those [thoughts] were honestly kind of erased in my mind.”

Keselowski said running multiple races on the same weekend can be difficult on a driver’s health — but most don’t want to miss a race for fear of being replaced.

“There’s no shortage of drivers that would love to take my seat or anybody else’s seat if we weren’t feeling well, and I think every driver feels that pressure,” Keselowski said. “All athletes do. It’s not unique to NASCAR in that sense. We’re all thinking to ourselves, ‘I don’t wanna be replaced.’ … So you try to power through it the best you can.”

Keselowski said Busch’s unexpected death has forced him to pay attention to his own health moving forward.

Chase Briscoe said Busch’s health issues served as a “wake-up call” for him and other drivers, who often put aside dealing with potential issues because they are so busy traveling around the country and competing on a weekly basis.

He said if something feels off, “you need to get checked out.”

Busch’s Richard Childress Racing teammate Austin Dillon was not made available for comment.

Austin Hill will replace Busch on Sunday and drive the No. 33 car. RCR is temporarily retiring Busch’s No. 8 until his 11-year-old son Brexton is old enough to race.

All 39 cars in the field for Sunday’s race will include a small black No. 8 decal to honor Busch.

Busch won 234 races across NASCAR’s top three series over his two-decade career, more than any driver in history.

Drivers spoke at length Saturday about his accomplishments, praising his toughness, competitive spirit and penchant for speaking his mind — all of which led to him earning a reputation as NASCAR’s villain.

“He was a polarizing figure that no matter if you like him or disliked him as a racer, he was always talked about,” Ryan Blaney said. “Just this guy that was always there and won too much, which is why people didn’t like him. And he always spoke his mind. I think people came to respect that about him, that he was true to who he was and that never changed.”

Blaney added that Busch’s personality outside of the car and his competitiveness behind the wheel made him “a larger-than-life person in racing.”

You can understand why Ilicali feels his Hull team and their fans have been hard done by.

It should have been a triumphant build-up to the play-off final, but it ended up being a week of distraction as Spygate took up the headlines.

The Tigers had a week preparing to play Southampton, then they had to rip up those plans and pivot to Middlesbrough.

By the time the peal was heard on Wednesday night, and Hull were sure they would play Boro, they had just two days’ training left.

Ilicali’s legal team may believe they have a case that Hull should not have to play the final, that they should be automatically promoted. After all, Boro had been eliminated.

Yet this is not how sporting sanctions work in English football, and there seems little chance of a legal challenge being successful.

The precedent is that if a team breaks a regulation in a knockout competition – which the play-offs are – their opponents go through to the next round.

Take the EFL Trophy this season.

In January, Luton Town lost 2-1 at home to Swindon Town in the round of 16.

Swindon were then drawn to play Plymouth in the quarter-finals – but it was discovered that the Robins had fielded two ineligible players against Luton.

Swindon were expelled and Luton reinstated.

The independent disciplinary commission did not put Plymouth directly through to the semi-finals, or go back to the last 32 to find new opponents for Luton in the last 16.

Just as with Boro in the play-offs, Luton progressed to the next round.

Luton, after at one stage being knocked out, would go on to beat Stockport in the final at Wembley and lift the trophy.

What about Ilicali’s claim that Wrexham should have been reinstated? That has little ground either.

Even if you plied Southampton’s four-point penalty to this season’s league table, they would still be in the play-offs against Middlesbrough. Wrexham would still be seventh.

Plus, the league season and the play-offs are considered separate tournaments, which is why the independent disciplinary commission felt it was necessary to ply two punishments – the points deduction and expulsion.

How about Ilicali’s claim that the Southampton v Middlesbrough games should not have taken place?

The issue here, of course, is due process – taking action to stop the game hpening would imply guilt on the part of Southampton.

The EFL opened an investigation on 7 May, the same day it was told about the spying on Boro. It charged them the next day and then, as per EFL regulations, the process was handed over to an independent body.

Hull may feel aggrieved but there is nothing in the decision of the independent disciplinary commission which has deviated from the usual judgements in English football.

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark said her decision not to play Wednesday because of back soreness was largely dictated by her confidence level in her body, particularly as she returns from a variety of injuries that limited her to 13 games last season.

“I think, at the end of the day, it’s me and my confidence,” Clark told reporters Friday before returning against the visiting Golden State Valkyries. “Coming back from injury and having however many soft tissue injuries [in 2025] is a real mental challenge.”

Clark, who missed her first game of the season Wednesday in a win over the Portland Fire, acknowledged that though people expect her confidence to be steady, it can still be up and down.

“These are the best players in the world, and if I don’t feel 100% confident in my body on Game 5 of the year, I don’t know if that’s really worth it in that scenario,” she said.

Clark played 32 minutes Friday, posting 22 points and nine assists in a 90-82 win over the Valkyries.

“Yes, I played USA Basketball [this offseason], but I didn’t play 32 minutes, super physical,” Clark said postgame. “That’s the difference for me right now, but I feel great. I think a lot of the times, it’s for me the next day, understanding how my body feels and understanding that a little bit better. Obviously, your adrenaline is pumping, you don’t always understand right after the game. … Overall, I feel good. It’s just continuing to take care of my body.”

The Fever have six days before their next game, a rematch Thursday against the Valkyries in San Francisco.

Before Friday’s tip-off, Clark detailed the lead-up to Wednesday’s game, saying she received treatment Tuesday, which wasn’t unusual for her, and proached Wednesday as if she was “100% playing.” Once she woke up feeling a little sore Wednesday, Clark did some physical thery at home, then got in a pregame workout and lift at Gainbridge Fieldhouse before deciding not to suit up.

The WNBA confirmed to ESPN on Thursday that it gave the Fever a warning after Clark, who White said did not practice Tuesday, did not pear on the injury report until 100 minutes before Wednesday’s tip, at which point she was ruled out.

“My reaction [to the warning] is, for what?” White said. “Because we did things the right way.”

White wasn’t the only one who expressed frustration with the public reaction to the situation.

“Want to know what I ate for breakfast, too?” Clark asked sarcastically, before listing her morning meal in detail.

“I actually went back and looked because of all these narratives that are going crazy online, about when I told my mom I wasn’t going to play the game: 4:47,” Clark said. “You guys found out at 5:20. So one of the most important people in my life found out 40 minutes before you guys.”

Clark said she feels she is putting her body in the best possible position to get through the season and feels good with where she’s at physically. But she said that doesn’t negate the mental hurdle that comes with returning from injuries, especially because she feels at times last year, she probably pushed her limits too much.

“I think there’s moments where maybe I get in my head a little bit, and that’s understandable,” Clark said. “I need to have a little grace with myself. I need people to give me a little bit of grace, too. When you go through so many things, it becomes a little bit traumatizing, too.”

Clark said she hopes her back soreness is not something that hinders her, adding that she’s “doing everything I can to put myself in the best position I can recovery-wise … and to play the next game.”

George Russell bounced back after a difficult recent run to beat Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli to sprint pole at the Canadian Grand Prix.

The Briton, who is 20 points adrift of the Italian after four races this season, headed Antonelli by 0.068 seconds after being fastest on both runs in final qualifying.

Lando Norris headed an all-McLaren second row, 0.315secs off pole and 0.019secs in front of team-mate Oscar Piastri.

Ferrari and Red Bull completed a two-by-two top eight with Lewis Hamilton ahead of Charles Leclerc and then Max Verstpen in front of Isack Hadjar.

Russell came to Montreal looking to turn around what he admitted had been a “turbulent” start to the season, in which Antonelli has won three of the four grands prix so far, and he has started the weekend off well.

“It feels great after a tough Miami but I never doubted myself,” said Russell. “I always knew what I could do. This is an amazing circuit, high grip, and feels like you’re driving a proper grand prix car.”

Mercedes have a major upgrade on their car for this race and Russell said it had made a significant difference.

“It’s definitely feeling great,” he said. “The team have done a great job to bring this forward. Pleased to have it on the car and pleased to be back in P1. It’s been a little while but still a big focus for tomorrow.”

Antonelli said he had started his l with his tyres under temperature and described his session as “messy”.

McLaren also brought an upgrade to Montreal, their second in as many races, but while it kept them within range of Mercedes it was not enough to counterbalance the effect of Mercedes on this track, where the world champions have often struggled.

Norris said: “A good surprise. After this morning, we were a little bit worried about how far off we were. More just the lack of confidence in the car.

“But we changed some things on the car and seemed to make a good improvement. I could have got more out of it, but not enough to close the g to the guys ahead.”

Hamilton was 0.361secs off pole and 0.084secs ahead of Leclerc on a circuit where he shares the record number of wins with Michael Schumacher.

The seven-time champion was pleased with his performance, saying his decision not to go into the Ferrari simulator before this race, because of a feeling it was leading to incorrect set-up choices, had paid off.

“Probably the best qualifying session we’ve had for some time,” said Hamilton. “Great work with the engineers.

“The car felt really fantastic from P1. We made just subtle changes going into qualifying. Q1 and Q2 was looking good and then I don’t know what the others are able to turn up a bit more, but I am just hpy to be in the fight.

“I was having so much fun out there, and the fact I didn’t do the sim and it was the best I felt all year. I chose a set-up we’ve not used before and it’s transformed the car for me.”

Verstpen, struggling with a car he said was “jumping” at the rear, was just 0.101secs clear of team-mate Hadjar.

“My feeling in the car was not very good,” said Verstpen. “I was struggling a lot with the ride. All over the bumps I couldn’t put my foot down. Actually my feet were even flying off the pedals and it made it very difficult to be consistent.”