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Oscar De La Hoya is holding firm that the highly anticipated clash between Vergil Ortiz Jr. and Jaron “Boots” Ennis remains on track, even as the undefeated junior middleweight finds himself locked in a legal battle with his longtime promoter. A lawsuit has been filed on behalf of Vergil Ortiz to terminate his promotional contract with Golden Boy, The Ring has learned. Ortiz’s attorney cited declaratory relief, breach of contract, interference with [prospective] economic advantage, and the end of Golden Boy’s… pic.twitter.com/OxDQyU7WgC — Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) January 16, 2026 The Golden Boy Promotions chief issued a defiant message this week, insisting that the lawsuit filed by Ortiz on January 16 won’t derail negotiations for what many consider the most compelling matchup in boxing today.​ “It shouldn’t put any fight in jeopardy that Vergil wants. And I’m gonna do what Vergil wants,” De La Hoya told Fight Hub TV, attempting to project optimism amid escalating tensions. His reassurance comes as the 27-year-old undefeated knockout artist seeks to terminate his promotional contract, citing breach of contract and interference with prospective earnings. The crux of Ortiz’s grievance centers on the stalled negotiations for the Ennis showdown, which has been trapped in limbo for months over financial disagreements and contractual complications.​ De La Hoya says Ortiz vs Ennis is not in jeopardy despite the current lawsuit!! “I don’t blame Vergil. I don’t blame his father. I blame the vultures!!!!”- Oscar De La Hoya pic.twitter.com/7YRQlWXdkn — Fight Hub TV (@FightHubTV) January 18, 2026 The lawsuit alleges that De La Hoya’s strained relationships with competing promoters—specifically Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing—have sabotaged attempts to finalize the deal. More provocatively, Ortiz’s legal team claims De La Hoya has unprofessionally attacked other boxing figures on social media and questioned whether De La Hoya’s conduct has undermined potential sponsorships from Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, which had expressed interest in hosting the bout.​ De La Hoya has fired back aggressively, accusing Ortiz’s manager Rick Mirigian of manufacturing the dispute to pursue alternative promotional avenues. “This is all Rick Mirigian’s agenda,” De La Hoya stated, characterizing the lawsuit as a matter of “optics” rather than legitimate grievance. He also took aim at external influences he refers to as “vultures,” claiming they’re attempting to manipulate one of his star fighters away from Golden Boy.​ Despite the acrimony, both camps insist the fight remains desirable. Ennis, promoted by Matchroom, has reportedly accepted his financial terms and awaits finalization. Trainer Robert Garcia has publicly stated that neither Ortiz nor Ennis is interested in discounting what he views as a marquee 2026 spectacle, though purse negotiations in the eight-figure range have continued to frustrate efforts to close the deal. The litigation adds another layer of complexity to boxing’s slowest-burning blockbuster. DAZN has reportedly insisted the Ennis bout be included in any broadcast extension, signaling confidence in its commercial appeal. However, with De La Hoya’s DAZN contract having expired, uncertainty looms over where and when—if ever—this fight materializes.​ What remains clear is that De La Hoya won’t surrender his grip on Ortiz without a courtroom battle, while Ortiz’s team appears equally committed to breaking free. The boxing world watches and waits. The post Oscar De La Hoya remains bullish on Ortiz–Ennis despite lawsuit appeared first on ClutchPoints.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Denver’s defense carried Peyton Manning across the finish line in Super Bowl 50 and Vance Joseph’s bunch will almost certainly have to lead the way for the Broncos to get back to Levi’s Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area for Super Bowl 60. The Broncos (15-3) host the New England Patriots (16-3) in the AFC championship Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High with a journeyman backup QB making his first start in more than two years, a tattered receiving corps and no ground game to speak of unless J.K. Dobbins somehow returns from a mid-November foot operation. Bo Nix broke his right ankle on Denver’s game-winning drive in overtime as the Broncos wrestled their biggest win in a decade from Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills with a 33-30 thriller that sent both tears and barbs flowing in the Bills locker room. Jarrett Stidham, who has appeared in 20 games in six NFL seasons, starting four and winning one, will step in for Nix, who’s undergoing surgery Tuesday in Birmingham, Alabama. Save for the preseason, Stidham hasn’t started a game — or even thrown a pass — in more than two years. “He will be ready to go and ready for the moment,” coach Sean Payton said. Stidham almost certainly won’t have two of the Broncos’ best receivers after Troy Franklin pulled a hamstring and Pat Bryant suffered his second concussion in a month during the Broncos’ first playoff victory since Super Bowl 50. In their absence, Marvin Mims Jr. caught all eight passes thrown his way for 93 yards, with the biggest grab a 26-yard over-the-shoulder touchdown catch from Nix with 55 seconds left in regulation. What’s working Denver’s defense heeded Payton’s edict ahead of the playoffs to produce more takeaways after the Broncos were minus-3 in turnover differential during the season despite an NFL-leading and franchise-record 68 sacks. They forced the Bills into five turnovers, including four by Allen, who hadn’t turned the ball over in his previous six playoff games, and finished the game plus-4. What needs help The Broncos’ ground game was almost nonexistent against the Bills with Nix leading the way with 29 yards on a dozen carries. Jaleel McLaughlin had 21 yards on four rushes and rookie R.J. Harvey had 20 yards on six handoffs. Harvey also had five catches for 46 yards, including a key 24-yarder on the game-winning drive in overtime. Stock up OLB Nik Bonitto had a strip sack and forced both of Allen’s fumbles. He became just the third Denver defender to force multiple fumbles in a playoff game, joining LB Tom Jackson and OLB Von Miller. Safety and All-Pro special teams ace Devon Key recovered James Cooks’ fumble, P.J. Locke saved a touchdown with an interception and Ja’Quan McMillian’s interception when he wrested the ball from Brandin Cooks in overtime set up the Broncos’ game-winning drive that ended with Wil Lutz’s chip-shot field goal. Talanoa Hufanga and Malcolm Roach recovered Allen’s fumbles that were forced by Bonitto. Stock down Denver’s rushing attack. Injuries Bryant suffered his second concussion in a month. His first came in the closing minutes of Denver’s only home loss in a year and a half, to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Dec. 21. Bryant had three catches for 32 yards on Denver’s opening drive Saturday before leaving the game with the head injury. Franklin pulled a hamstring early in the game and had no targets. Key stats — 4 field goals by Lutz in four chances, tied for second-most by a Broncos kicker in the team’s playoff history, behind only Brandon McManus’ five field goals against Pittsburgh following the 2015 season. Lutz also made all three of his extra points. — 3 TD passes from Nix against the league’s No. 1 pass defense tied John Elway and Manning for most touchdown throws in a Broncos playoff game. Elway did it three times and Manning did it against Baltimore following the 2012 season. Next steps The Broncos host the Patriots (16-3), who have lost all four of their playoff games in Denver, for the right to play…

LORETTO, Pa. (AP) — Ahmad Harrison scored 16 points as Saint Francis beat Stonehill 63-61 on Monday. Harrison also contributed five rebounds for the Red Flash (5-14, 3-3 Northeast Conference). Chris Moncrief scored 15 points and added four steals. Skylar Wicks had 11 points and went 5 of 14 from the field. Chas Stinson led the Skyhawks (6-13, 3-3) in scoring, finishing with 19 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Hermann Koffi added 18 points. ___ The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. Source

The first-ever World team for the NBA All-Star Game is already looking loaded. And the fate of LeBron James’ record streak of All-Star selections will now be decided by coaches, or perhaps even Commissioner Adam Silver. Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Denver’s Nikola Jokic, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Doncic and San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama were among those announced Monday as starters — an inexact term this year — for next month’s All-Star Game at the Los Angeles Clippers’ home arena in Inglewood, California. They’re likely heading to the World team, which will take on two teams of U.S. players as part of yet another new format for the midseason showcase. The NBA announced 10 starters, five from each conference. Golden State’s Stephen Curry, New York’s Jalen Brunson, Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey and Boston’s Jaylen Brown all are presumably headed to the U.S. squads that will play in the three-team, round-robin tournament on Feb. 15 — all 12-minute mini-games, with the top two teams advancing to a 12-minute championship game. “It’s still as special as the first one was, honestly,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of the All-Star nod. “I grew up watching All-Star games as a kid, dreaming about playing in them. To be able to play in them will always have that same feeling. All the players that I looked up to, that I imitated my game after, played in those games, played on that stage. And for me to be able do so, it’s a blessing and an honor.” Starters were selected through a weighted formula, with fan voting counting for 50% of a player’s ranking, the votes of a 100-member panel of broadcasters and reporters counting for 25% and voting by NBA players themselves counting for the remaining 25%. The U.S. vs. the World concept was talked about for years before finally becoming a reality this season. The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association unveiled the long-awaited plan earlier this season, after trying yet again to figure out the latest way to spark renewed interest in the game. It seemed like the right time to try a game with national pride at stake, given that it’ll happen this year around the midway point of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. The NBA’s All-Star events, like the Olympics in the U.S., will all be broadcast on NBC’s family of networks. What is the format? There will be three teams of at least eight players. Games will be one standard NBA quarter, or 12 minutes long. Team A will play Team B in Game 1. The winner of that game will play Team C in Game 2. The loser of Game 1 will play Team C in Game 3. The teams with the best two records will play in the championship game. If all three teams are 1-1, point differential would be the tiebreaker. Where things stand The league typically has 10 starters picked by the weighted formula voting, then 14 reserves by the coaches, and that’s also the case this year. It’s just different. In a standard All-Star Game — two teams, 12 players per side — the old voting formula works out perfectly. But this is three teams, with eight players per side. That means at least 15 players will “start” a game in the All-Star tournament. Therefore, it’s guaranteed that some players who weren’t announced as starters Monday will be starting on Feb. 15. And it is possible that some rosters may have more than eight players, if the NBA needs to keep adding in order to get to 16 on the U.S. side or eight on the World side. LeBron’s status James, for the first time in 22 years, wasn’t among the group selected as a starter. His record run of 20 consecutive All-Star Game appearances — not selections, that streak continued — ended last season when he bowed out of another mini-tournament format citing foot and ankle injuries. He could still make it as a reserve, with those 14 spots to be decided by a polling of NBA head coaches. And he also could get an invite as an injury replacement if one is needed, with Silver picking those…

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger speaks after being sworn into office at the Virginia State Capitol Jan. 17, 2026 in Richmond, Virginia. Spanberger is the first woman elected to the Commonwealth of Virginia’s highest office. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)(Getty Images/Win McNamee) Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger speaks after being sworn into office at the Virginia State Capitol Jan. 17, 2026 in Richmond, Virginia. Spanberger is the first woman elected to the Commonwealth of Virginia’s highest office. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)(Getty Images/Win McNamee) Gov. Abigail Spanberger wasted no time during her first day in office, signing 10 executive orders Saturday at the Virginia State Capitol aimed at boosting affordability and steering the commonwealth away from former Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s policies on education, immigration, diversity and public safety. Like many Democrats nationwide, Spanberger seized on the affordability issue on the campaign trail, and three of her 10 executive orders centered around lowering costs for Virginians. One order directs all the state’s executive branch agencies to find ways to reduce living expenses; another establishes a task force to make health care spending more efficient and lower costs; the final affordability minded order mandates a review of housing regulation and permitting practices to encourage more development. “Whether it’s cutting red tape within the government or enacting policy that provides relief, we must address high housing costs, health care, child care and energy costs,” Spanberger said Saturday. Changes to the federal workforce have had a particularly significant impact in Northern Virginia, and that’s also something Spanberger addressed with her initial wave of executive action. With the stroke of a pen Saturday, she created the Economic Resiliency Task Force, which will coordinate a statewide response to federal cuts. “We need a full assessment of the federal funds that have been cut, delayed, reduced or potential projected impacts that we may see in the future, and we need recommendations for how we can mitigate the damage — current or future,” Spanberger said. Related stories Abigail Spanberger sworn in as Virginia’s first woman governor PHOTOS: See Spanberger’s inauguration as Virginia’s 1st female governor Spanberger talks affordability, data centers and top priorities heading into Virginia governorship Spanberger’s final order Saturday related to immigration enforcement, another response to President Donald Trump and his administration’s priorities. Her order rescinds executive action taken by former Gov. Glenn Youngkin that increased cooperation between local and state police and federal immigration enforcement authorities. Democrats nationwide have called for limiting cooperation and criticized the actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency whose officers have been deployed to major cities across the country and tasked with deporting immigrants who are in the country without legal permission. Congressional Democrats have also floated the idea of holding up funding for ICE. “Virginia state and local law enforcement officers must be able to focus on their rapport, responsibilities, investigating crime and community policing,” Spanberger said. Other orders were aimed at targeting discrimination, bolstering education and making sure her office can respond to crisis or emergency situations. The full text of each order is available here. “Executive orders represent just the beginning, first steps that we are taking to make a more affordable Virginia, a safer Virginia and one focused on ensuring that the future of all of our kids is bright,” Spanberger said. Source