Sports

1:20 AM ET Mike CoppingerESPN LAS VEGAS — Canelo Alvarez was, at one point in his career, reserved and respectful ahead of his massive showcase fights — a departure from the traditional fighter archetype. Despite his calm demeanor, Canelo was still the biggest attraction in boxing due to his incredible fighting prowess and his legion

9:30 PM ET Associated Press DEL MAR, Calif. — Knicks Go burst into the lead out of the starting gate and kicked away to a 2¾-length victory in the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday at Del Mar. No one seriously pressed the colt, who earned his fourth straight victory and in the process

1:38 PM ET Associated Press Novak Djokovic will end the year at No. 1 for a record seventh time after rallying to beat Hubert Hurkacz 3-6, 6-0, 7-6 (5) in the Paris Masters semifinals on Saturday. Djokovic, who also stays on course for a record-extending sixth Paris Masters title, moved one ahead of American Pete

9:30 AM ET Associated Press DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Keita Nakajima became the first No. 1 amateur to win the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, closing with a 3-under 68 and outlasting Taichi Kho on the second hole of a playoff Saturday. Needing three putts from 20 feet to win, Nakajima finished in style by making

8:19 PM ET DETROIT — Mayor-elect Eric Adams said Friday night that New York City will not change its COVID-19 vaccination mandate that currently prevents Kyrie Irving from playing in games there. Adams, who won the city’s mayoral election Tuesday, put the onus on the NBA and Irving to find a resolution. The current mandate

1:06 PM ET EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley and safety Xavier McKinney returned to the team after spending several days away because of false positive COVID-19 tests. They were activated from the reserve/COVID list on Friday morning. McKinney was at practice and is expected to play Sunday vs. the

6:36 AM ET The 38th edition of the Breeders’ Cup will kick off two days of action Friday afternoon at Keeneland. A lot of eyes will be on the Breeders’ Cup Classic, and with so many high-profile races in the mix, there are numerous opportunities to wager on horses that offer significant value. Chris “The

7:00 AM ET ESPN staff Among the year’s most baffling storylines is the disappointing results from many of the preseason’s Heisman hopefuls. Spencer Rattler was benched. D.J. Uiagalelei has struggled mightily. D’Eriq King got hurt. JT Daniels has barely played. And North Carolina‘s Sam Howell — he’s disappointed, too, right? That seems to be the

8:04 AM ET Jack Eichel will get artificial disk replacement surgery as soon as this week after being traded from the Buffalo Sabres to the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday morning, sources told ESPN. The return for Buffalo is Peyton Krebs, Alex Tuch, a 2022 first-round draft pick and a 2023 third-rounder, sources confirmed. Vegas

6:34 PM ET ESPN News Services San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey will announce his retirement from baseball on Thursday, according to a report from The Athletic on Wednesday. Posey, 34, has played his entire 12-year career in San Francisco, helping the team win three World Series titles, in 2010, 2012 and 2014. He is

1:57 PM ET There’s the journey, and there’s the destination. For a sport dominated by haves and have-nots — so, most sports — we generally understand that the winner of a league or tournament is going to come from a select minority of teams. But in instances in which the destination is predictable, or even

9:24 PM ET Associated Press Knicks Go is the early 5-2 favorite for the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic this weekend at Del Mar. The two-day world championships drew 169 horses from eight countries, including 46 foreign horses to the seaside track north of San Diego. Del Mar is hosting for the second time in

8:00 AM ET Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman defends his UFC title against Colby Covington, in a rematch of their tremendous 2019 fight, which Usman won by fifth-round TKO. The bout on Saturday headlines a packed UFC 268 card that also includes another title rematch, a must-see lightweight fight and an opportunity for a few fighters

7:15 PM ET Associated Press MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Alex Bowman was the only driver celebrating after NASCAR set its championship four — and he’s not even racing for the title. Bowman picked up the victory Sunday at Martinsville Speedway in the final elimination race ahead of the winner-take-all season finale. Bowman wasn’t eligible to make

7:31 PM BST Beauden Barrett marked his 100th test with two intercepted tries to lead New Zealand to a convincing 54-16 win over Wales in Cardiff on Saturday. The All Blacks outscored their hosts by seven tries to one at a capacity Principality Stadium in another ominous reminder of their power as they went back

6:02 PM ET Associated Press SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda — Taylor Pendrith‘s big game is working just fine on the PGA Tour’s shortest course, giving the Canadian a three-shot lead going into the final round of the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. Pendrith ran off four straight birdies around the turn at Port Royal, and then picked up two

12:49 AM ET NEW YORK — James Harden was in his bag Friday night, dribbling, creating space, draining 3’s and letting everyone know that he was starting to feel more like himself as he yelled out during a timeout while clenching his fists and flexing his arms. Harden also was finally back at a place

7:15 AM ET ESPN staff The Week 8 NFL schedule for the 2021 season is stacked with great matchups, and we got you covered with what you need to know heading into the weekend. Our NFL Nation reporters bring us the biggest keys to every game, a bold prediction for each matchup and, of course,

7:00 AM ET It was nighttime in New Orleans, on Jan. 13, 2019, shortly after the start of the fourth quarter of the College Football Playoff National Championship. Inside the Superdome the game was a rout, the LSU Tigers shocking the defending national champion Clemson Tigers 42-25 in a game that didn’t feel nearly that

9:54 PM ET Joel Quenneville resigned Thursday as head coach of the Florida Panthers following a meeting with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman about his involvement in the Chicago Blackhawks‘ sexual abuse case. Assistant coach Andrew Brunette will take over on an interim basis, an NHL source told ESPN. Quenneville was in his third year as