A bloodied Conor Benn continued his march towards a world title shot with a points victory over a faded Regis Prograis at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The 29-year-old Briton had to contend with cuts above both eyes from head clashes midway through the fight, but used his youth, energy and size to edge a messy but hard-fought contest.

Former world champion Prograis, 37, landed some clean shots of his own but the American struggled for rhythm as the bout progressed, with all three judges awarding it 98-92 to Benn.

The contest was staged at a catchweight of 10st 12lb (69kg), 3lb above the welterweight limit where Benn now hopes to target a world title.

It was Benn’s first outing since his much-publicised two fights with Chris Eubank Jr last year, and since parting ways with lifelong promoter Matchroom, having signed a high-profile one-fight deal with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing outfit in February.

• Chisora suggests retirement U-turn for Wilder rematch
• Fury dominates Makhmudov and calls out Joshua next
• ‘Optimal performance’ – Haye & Lewis react to Fury win

Benn outworks a faded Prograis

Returning to the venue of his two fights with bitter rival Eubank Jr – both contested at middleweight – Benn was met with an emotional reception as he walked to the ring, underlining his status as one of British boxing’s most polarising figures.

Jeers and cheers echoed around the stadium as ‘The Destroyer’, accompanied by his legendary father Nigel, shadowboxed his way to the ring to a string orchestra.

Benn’s career was halted for two-and-a-half years after he failed a drug tests in 2022. Although he was later cleared by an anti-doping panel and denies any wrongdoing, questions continue to linger among sections of critics.

When the action began, Benn rocked Prograis with a right hand in the closing seconds of the first round, briefly buckling the American’s legs.

Prograis was rumoured to be carrying an injury into the fight and did not appear to move fluidly, his back leg looking somewhat stiff at times.

He leaned on his vast experience and remained elusive, but struggled to land clean counters as Benn consistently outworked him in the early exchanges.

A clash of heads in the fourth round caused a small cut above Benn’s right eye. He responded with uppercuts and body shots on the inside, while southpaw Prograis shook his head and replied with a straight left.

Prograis has spent much of his career campaigning at light-welterweight, 10lb lighter than this contest.

Another clash of heads in the sixth opened up a cut above Benn’s left eye. Prograis landed a straight left in the seventh, which wobbled Benn momentarily, before the Essex fighter responded with a series of hooks on the inside.

Benn’s former promoter Eddie Hearn, watching from the front row after their bitter split, looked on as the contest drifted increasingly towards the scorecards.

What next for polarising Benn?

Benn’s surprise move away Hearn – who had staunchly defended him throughout his legal battles – drew accusations of disloyalty from some quarters, even if it reportedly earned the fighter a staggering £11m.

Yet commercially, Benn’s drawing power remains undeniable. In the domestic market he is arguably the biggest active attraction behind only Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.

Backed by UFC chief White and Saudi Arabian investment, Zuffa Boxing has a disruptive agenda. White has spoken openly about sidelining the traditional sanctioning bodies – the WBO, WBC, IBF and WBA – in favour of establishing the Zuffa belt as the sport’s premier title alongside the Saudi-owned Ring Magazine championship.

Whether Benn will remain aligned with White’s new venture or eventually returns to the traditional promotional structure remains unclear, with this contest understood to have been part of a one-fight agreement.

While Benn’s ambition to emulate his father by becoming a world champion remains unchanged, how he pursues that goal may now define the next phase of his career.

Benn has repeatedly called out unpredictable WBC champion Ryan Garcia – a fight that would probably be the most lucrative option available.

However, with Garcia holding one of boxing’s traditional world titles, staging that contest under the Zuffa banner would appear unlikely under the promotion’s current vision of operating outside the sanctioning-body system.

Assessing Benn’s commercial pull on the back of this event is also difficult. Prograis is past his peak and was not viewed by many as a particularly credible opponent.

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British heavyweight Derek Chisora has hinted at a return to boxing despite planning to retire after his loss to Deontay Wilder.

Chisora, 42, suffered a points defeat by Wilder in a wild heavyweight contest last Saturday, with the Brit dropped in the eighth round and sent through the ropes.

Before the bout, Chisora said it would be his final fight – however, he hesitated to confirm this decision in the ring afterwards.

Now, Chisora is pushing for a rematch, saying he was “upset” with the decision.

“I’m very upset with the scoring,” Chisora told TalkSport before Tyson Fury’s return to the ring against Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday.

“The two knockdowns that were given were pushes. It was an embarrassment. I’m not happy with that.

“The whole thing was a shambles, on my side and his side as well.

“I want to get the rematch.”

Chisora went on to confirm that he is only interested in a rematch with his most recent rival.

• Fury dominates Makhmudov and calls out Joshua next
• ‘Optimal performance’ – Haye & Lewis react to Fury win
• Bloodied Benn cruises to points win over Prograis

Remarkably, that fight was the 50th bout of both men’s careers.

It was a 14th career defeat for Chisora, and marked a 45th career win for Wilder.

Having made his professional debut in February 2007, Chisora was handed his first career loss by Fury in July 2011 – and has gone on to lose to his British rival another two times.

With 23 career knockouts, Chisora is also a two-time world title challenger, and has shared a ring with the likes of Vitali Klitschko, David Haye and Oleksandr Usyk.

Chisora wore a T-shirt to Fury v Makhmudov with a strongly-worded slogan that also suggested he would not be retiring.

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• Watch every Born to Brawl episode

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We don’t know for sure this is Alexander Ovechkin’s final season in the NHL, but some people are definitely proceeding as if it is.

The longtime Washington Capitals star, who has said he will make a decision about retirement during the summer, made what could very well be his final road game against his team’s biggest rival, the Pittsburgh Penguins, on Saturday.

During the second period, the Penguins used a break in play to wish Ovechkin well, prompting a standing ovation from a Pittsburgh crowd that has been rooting against him for more than two decades.

“Ovi, thank you for 21 years of the greatest rivalry in hockey. It has been a pleasure,” the Penguins announced said. “And if you want, we’re ready to go for 22.”

The full crowd reaction:

No active player has more goals scored against the Penguins than the NHL’s all-time goals leader, with 44 in 82 games played. The only players with more goals: Mike Garnter (56 goals in 94 games), Bryan Trottier (47 in 82) and Guy Lafleur (46 in 70).

Ovechkin scored one of those goals on Saturday as part of a 6-3 win over the Penguins, improving the Capitals’ record to 41-30-9. Washington is currently five points out of the playoffs with two games to play, so Ovechkin could have only two games left in his NHL career.

One of those games is against the Penguins, in Washington, D.C. this time. The Capitals will play their final home game of the regular season — and Ovechkin’s potential final game at Capital One Arena — against Pittsburgh on Sunday, then face the Columbus Blue Jackets on the road for their last game on Tuesday.

Emil Lilleberg scored on a rebound with 95 seconds left to help the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Boston Bruins 2-1 on Saturday, snapping a three-game losing streak.

Deprived of the chance to win and get in, Boston clinched hours later when Detroit lost in regulation to New Jersey and the Red Wings were eliminated from contention.

THE POSTSEASON AWAITS 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Hd110C9VIt

— x – Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) April 11, 2026

Brandon Hagel also scored and Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 19 shots for Tampa Bay, which had already clinched a spot in the postseason but had fallen to third in the Atlantic Division.

Morgan Geekie scored and Jeremy Swayman made 22 saves for Boston, which has lost five in a row. The Bruins fell to the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with their loss and Ottawa’s victory at the New York Islanders.

The Bruins broke the scoreless tie midway through the second period when Charlie McAvoy found Geekie streaking through the middle of the ice, ahead of the defense. Geekie gathered the puck as he crossed between the faceoff circles and beat Vasilevskiy glove side, just inside the post.

That CMac stretch pass 👌 pic.twitter.com/1VJJnnZevR

— x – Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) April 11, 2026

Tampa Bay tied it with 13 minutes left when Hagel got behind the Bruins defense and wristed it through Swayman’s legs. It stayed that way until Swayman left a rebound to his left and Lilleberg was there to punch it in.

Up next

Tampa Bay: Wrap things up with home games against Detroit on Monday and the Rangers on Wednesday.

Boston: Visit Columbus on Sunday and host New Jersey on Tuesday to finish the regular season.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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The Mets managed to blast three home runs in their 11-6 loss Athletics, but they couldn’t overcome an early deficit and their recent skid is now up to four games.

Kodai Senga got the start and had the worst start of his young season so far. After the Mets had jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, Senga gave it right back when he gave up two runs in the second. The wheels really came off in the third when Senga gave up a two-run shot to Tyler Soderstrom and then a three-run home run to Carlos Cortes later in that same inning. Cortes’s home run ended Senga’s outing after just 2.1 innings pitched. Senga certainly did not have it on the mound, but he was not helped by his defense either. Francisco Lindor did not cover second on a potential double play ball, Marcus Semien and Mark Vientos both allowed infield hits, and Francisco Alvarez allowed a passed ball.

After Senga’s departure Huascar Brazobán, Brooks Raley, and the newly recalled Craig Kimbrel allowed the team to get back into it. Brazobán especially did the heavy lifting pitching 2.2 innings and settling things down at 7-1. The team started to chip away by hitting home runs in three straight innings. First it was Bo Bichette with a two-run home run, and then Francisco Alvarez and Jorge Polanco followed with solo home runs of their own. Brett Baty also added a sacrifice fly in the sixth and, after seven innings, the Mets pulled to within one. They did get runners on first and second after Polanco’s home run in the seventh but two fly outs by Carson Benge and Marcus Semien ended the rally.

Any hope of the team coming back ended in the top of the eighth when Luke Weaver gave up four backbreaking runs with two-outs. After a good start to the season, Weaver has struggled in his last two appearances. Thi is especially concerning given the state of the rotation right now. David Peterson and Kodai Senga struggled in their appearances and Clay Holmes was lifted with an injury in his last start, so the last thing this team needs is an unreliable bullpen.

Absolutely nothing is going right for the Mets right now, but at least the offense finally showed up. Hopefully they can continue hitting the ball in a winning effort sooner rather than later, since they are now under .500 for the season.

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Win Probability Added

Big Mets winner: Bo Bichette, +24% WPA
Big Mets loser: Kodai Senga, -45.0% WPA
Mets pitchers: -62% WPA
Mets hitters: +12% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Jorge Polanco’s home run in seventh, +14.5% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Shea Langeliers’s RBI single in the eighth inning, -12.0% WPA

Usually an offensive explosion to the tune of nine runs involves a lot of running, or at least jogging, around the bases. But I was fine with the Mariners walking around the bases instead last night. Tonight, they’ll have a trickier task. At least theoretically. Lance McCullers is scheduled to start for Houston, but given his injury history, I’ll believe it when I see it. Houston better hope he does start though because the state of the Astros pitching is like, a whole thing right now:

• Tatsuya Imai is headed to Houston for medical evaluation of a “tired arm”
• JP France was sent back to Sugar Land
• Jayden Murray was recalled to take his place

The Mariners will turn to Luis Castillo, who’s looking every bit like himself through his first two starts, though with a lot of bad BABIP luck in his last start. He keeps dialing up his four-seamer and slider useage and dialing down his sinker and changeup. That’s giving him more strikeouts but also making him more prone to damage when guys connect. It’s a recipe for looking pretty good when pitching at T-Mobile Park in April though.

Lineups

Another day off for Brendan Donovan while he recovers from the bug means another day of J.P. Crawford at the top of the lineup, which I always find aesthetically pleasing.

A bit of a shuffle from yesterday’s lineup for Houston. Regular catcher Yainer Diaz is back in there. Jose Altuve heads back into the field, so Yordan Àlvarez can DH. That shifts Isaac Peredes off of second base, and creates a spot in the outfield for Taylor Trammell. Basically this was a lot of shuffling to give the Astro’s two Christians the day off, which maybe should have happened this past Sunday instead.

Game Info

First Pitch: 6:40 PDT
TV: Mariners TV
Radio: Old Reliable

LOS ANGELES — Blake Snell pitched a simulated inning on Saturday afternoon at Dodger Stadium, facing hitters for the first time this year, the latest step in his rehab from starting the season on the sideline with shoulder fatigue.

Snell threw about 15 pitches on Saturday, facing Tommy Edman (the switch-hitter batted both right-handed and left-handed) and Alex Call on the field about four hours before the scheduled first pitch of the Dodgers’ game against the Texas Rangers.

Snellzilla soon. 👀 pic.twitter.com/fbVTUzlvvM

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) April 11, 2026

After an offseason of mostly resting his arm, Snell was well behind during spring training, such that he didn’t even throw a bullpen session until March 12. He’s been throwing off and on since, but Saturday was his first time facing hitters.

“I’m very excited about how I feel, where I’m at. Getting back to some normalcy again feels really good,” Snell said Saturday. “Throwing bullpens, not facing hitters, it’s tough to stay locked in.”

This is essentially the early part of spring training for Snell, who is expected to face hitters in a two-inning simulated outing at some point next week. Manager Dave Roberts said Saturday that he wasn’t sure if Snell would need two or three more such outings before going on a minor league rehab assignment.

“This one for me, personally, is just an exercise. I’m not really looking for command, to be quite honest,” Roberts said. “Just getting out there, competing against hitters, and just trying to get through the, call it 20-pitch exercise.”

Roberts on the last homestand targeted roughly the end of May for Snell’s potential return to the Dodgers rotation, and Saturday’s simulated inning falls in line with that plan. Let’s assume at minimum, Snell would have two more simulated outings followed by three minor league starts, with five days rest in between each one. That would put his last rehab start 30 days from now, on May 11, with his potential return to the Dodgers another six or seven days after that. Adding in a fourth rehab start would push his return into the final week of May.

The Dodgers have shown patience with the top of their rotation before, like last season when Snell missed nearly four months on the injured list before returning for the last two months of the regular season and all postseason. Same for Tyler Glasnow, who missed over two months before returning to the rotation last July.

Take Saturday for what it was, a positive next step for Snell.

“I talked to him yesterday a little bit in the dugout, and he’s getting antsy,” Roberts said. “But I think he’s just excited because he feels strong, he feels healthy. He’s been working on his diet and stuff, so he’s in a good spot.”

The Dodgers on Sunday afternoon finish off their series against the Texas Rangers, with Roki Sasaki making his third start of the season.

Jacob deGrom takes the ball for Texas in the series finale.

The Dodgers have only lost one series to the Rangers over the last decade, going 15-6 in their previous 21 matchups, dating from 2015 through Friday night.

Sunday game info

• Teams: Dodgers vs. Rangers
• Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
• Time: 1:10 p.m.
• TV: SportsNet LA, MLB Network (out of market)
• Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)

The Cincinnati Reds dropped the final two games of their most recent road trip as the Miami Marlins put it to them pretty heavily. Then, on Friday, the Los Angeles Angels came into Great American Ball Park and knocked around Chase Burns en route to a 10-2 win over the good guys.

The Reds offense was sputtering. Their pitching, already held together by a series of unproven arms as Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo sit on the injured list, was wilting. If ever there were a time for a team’s star to put the club on his back and show them how it’s done, it was Saturday, and fortunately for Cincinnati they’ve got Elly De La Cruz on whom to lean.

Elly went 3 for 4 with a pair of doubles and a walk, swiped a pair of bases, and scored to power the Reds offense, who pounced on Angels starter George Klassen for a 4-spot in the Bottom of the 1st en route to an eventual 7-3 victory.

Elly gets Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game treatment in this one, but it was actually Nathaniel Lowe who broke the game open initially. His bases-loaded double cleared the bags in that big 1st inning, as he rewarded manager Terry Francona for giving him a rare start in this one.

Other Notes

• Brandon Williamson got the start in this one and had a hard time finding the plate. He walked 6 batters and needed 93 pitches to get through just 4.0 IP, though he did limit the damage to just 3 ER while on the mound.
• Props to the bullpen, who combined to go the rest of the way with nothing but zeroes. Connor Phillips, Pierce Johnson, Graham Ashcraft, Tony Santillan, and Emilio Pagan got work in today – and that’s what the best of the bullpen theoretically lines up like when all are available.
• Spencer Steer smacked a homer off the LF foul pole in this one, his second dinger of the year.
• Sal Stewart got a rare start at 2B today with Lowe starting at 1B. Ol’ Sal walked twice and singled in a run in the 1st.
• Ke’Bryan Hayes went hitless once again. He’s hitting .079/.146/.079 on the season so far and I truly don’t know how the Reds keep playing him all game, most every game.