Le Journal

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.

The Buffalo Bills had a nightmarish end to the 2025 season. Buffalo lost a heartbreaking overtime game against Denver that featured plenty of mistakes on both sides of the football. That crushing playoff loss clearly shook the organization, as the Bills decided to fire head coach Sean McDermott on Monday. Buffalo’s decision to fire McDermott has already received plenty of backlash. One common argument is that McDermott is being scapegoated despite proving himself as an excellent head coach over the past several seasons. It does not help the optics that QB Josh Allen had a sloppy game against Denver. Allen made his fair share of mistakes against the Broncos. He went 25-of-39 for 283 passing yard with three touchdowns and two interceptions. He also added 12 carries for 66 rushing yards. Beyond those two interceptions, Allen was also sacked three times and lost two fumbles. Allen took full responsibility for Buffalo’s loss, citing his turnovers as the main reason why the game got out of hand. “I let my teammates down tonight. … It’s been a long season. Hate how it ended,” Allen said. “This is gonna stick with me for a long time… Can’t win with 5 turnovers.” To critics, Saturday’s ugly loss probably looks more like a fluke than a fundamental problem with the team as presently constructed. But did McDermott deserve to be fired? And who will the Bills find to replace him? Below we will explore why the Bills were right to fire Sean McDermott following Buffalo’s playoff exit. Sean McDermott had plenty of opportunities to get Buffalo to the Super Bowl Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images Let’s start by acknowledging that McDermott is a talented head coach. He led the Bills to a 98-50 regular-season record in nine seasons. During that stretch, the Bills were the second-winningest team in the NFL. So that should count for something. Unfortunately, the Bills just could not get the job done in the playoffs under McDermott. On paper, it looks okay that McDermott is 8-8 during the playoffs. But when you dig into the details, it is easy to see that Buffalo was unable to sustain success in the postseason. Let’s take a look at how the Bills fared in the playoffs after Josh Allen arrived in 2018. 2019: Lost in Wild Card round to Texans 2020: Lost in AFC Championship to Chiefs 2021: Lost in Divisional Round to Chiefs 2022: Lost in Divisional Round to Bengals 2023: Lost in Divisional Round to Chiefs 2024: Lost in AFC Championship to Chiefs 2025: Lost in Divisional Round to Broncos McDermott had seven opportunities to make the Super Bowl with Allen. In my opinion, that’s more than enough time for ownership to get a little antsy. This is a tough situation because solely based on Buffalo’s performance on Saturday, I don’t actually think firing McDermott makes sense. But when considering the history, I can understand why Buffalo’s ownership wanted a change. If the Bills want to spice things up moving forward, it won’t be by getting rid of Allen. That makes the coaching staff the next logical choice. Could the Bills upgrade at head coach after firing Sean McDermott? One big reason why I think firing McDermott was a good move is that Buffalo now has the opportunity to upgrade their coaching staff. I know that sounds like a bold statement, but hear me out. The Bills should have one of the most appealing head coach openings in recent memory. By firing McDermott, the Bills could suddenly have their pick of almost any remaining candidate. This is an opportunity for Buffalo to redefine themselves during what could be the final handful of seasons of Josh Allen’s prime. And I find it fascinating thinking about all the different directions they could go in. Buffalo could add an innovative offensive-minded head coach to try and maximize Allen’s strengths. Someone like Mike McDaniel or Kliff Kingsbury could make sense if Buffalo wants an experienced candidate. However, if they’re willing to try a first-year head coach then there’s even more options.…

The stage is set for the NFL Conference Championship Game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams on Jan. 25. On Saturday, the Seahawks punched their ticket after defeating the San Francisco 49ers 41-6. Meanwhile, the Rams moved on after an overtime 20-17 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Come this Sunday, many can expect a fundamental clash between two top defensive teams. In fact, one statistic jumps out as it relates to the teams’ Defense-adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA), per Aaron Schatz FTN Fantasy. Both teams have a DVOA over 30%. The Seahawks are at 41.2%, and the Rams are at 39.9%. They have a combined DVOA of 81.1%. Generally speaking, the NFL Championship Game features the highest DVOA over 47 years. Additionally, it is only the seventh playoff game in which this has occurred. In 2017, the Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints played in the championship game with over a 30% DVOA. The Vikings were at 33%, and the Saints were at 32.1%. Four years earlier, the Seahawks and the Denver Broncos had a combined 69.3%; the Seahawks were at 35.8% and the Broncos at 33.5%. The New England Patriots played in the NFL championship game in 2004 against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the two teams combined for a 68% DVOA. In 1997, the Denver Broncos faced the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl, with a combined 66.5% DVOA. The Patriots had the highest DVOA during this time span of 52.4% in 2007. Going into Sunday, the Seahawks have the 6th-highest defensive yardage average at 285, and the Rams are ranked 7th in forcing turnovers. The post Crazy stat shows Seahawks-Rams is an all-time heavyweight fight appeared first on ClutchPoints.

As the Chicago Bears suffered a brutal loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs on Sunday night, 20-17, it marked the end of a successful season under first-year head coach Ben Johnson. Despite the Bears’ heartbreaking loss to the Rams, Johnson would send an uplifting message to opposing head coach Sean McVay. The matchup between Chicago and Los Angeles was one for the ages, as a miracle touchdown by quarterback Caleb Williams to find Cole Kmet in the endzone forced the game into overtime. However, it would be the Rams that outlasted the Bears, as when Johnson went to send his congratulations to McVay, he would have a motivational message. “Hell of a job, man. Go win one,” Johnson said to McVay, via Ari Meirov. #Bears HC Ben Johnson to Sean McVay: “Hell of a job, man. Go win one.” McVay to #Bears DC Dennis Allen: “Hey, unbelievable job. You kicked our a**. A lot of respect.” pic.twitter.com/TxBGIHRClC — Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 19, 2026 While the respect is there from Chicago, there is no doubt disappointment from Johnson as he spoke about it to the media in his post-game press conference. “Disappointing result,” Johnson said, according to Bears Wire. “Our guys are feeling it right now. They all believed, man. They all believed all year long that we could find a way to win each and every week.” Ben Johnson on how “special” the Bears were this season Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images While it’s easy to see the future success that is coming to the Bears under Johnson and Williams, there’s no doubt that they felt they could win it all this season. Johnson would double down on that sentiment, saying how “special” a team it was. “But I am proud of the group. It’s a special group,” Johnson said. “I said that a few weeks ago. I believe that to my core, that when you’re with a group of men for the last time in the locker room, and you know it’s just not going to be the same going forward, that — I appreciate all of them, the men and the women, coaches, players, support staff, everybody that had a role this season. It was a special year.” “This will be hopefully a feeling in this locker room that we won’t forget, and we’ll be able to use it as fuel going forward,” Johnson continued. At any rate, Chicago looks to further improve after finishing with an 11-6 record, which won them the NFC North. The post Bears’ Ben Johnson has on-field message to Sean McVay after epic playoff clash appeared first on ClutchPoints.

The 2026 NBA All-Star Game is right around the corner, and the 10 starters from the Eastern and Western Conferences have been announced. After leading their respective conferences in the fan voting over the last several weeks, Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic are once again at the forefront of this year’s All-Star festivities as starters. Doncic finished with the most fan votes out of any player in the league. Unlike previous seasons, which featured three frontcourt players and two guards for each conference’s starters, this year’s selection pool was positionless. Once again, the All-Star format will be played in a mini-tournament style, where the pool of All-Stars is divided into two Team USA squads and one Team World squad. The fourth team will be made up of those who win the 2026 Castrol Rising Stars. In the Western Conference, Doncic is joined by Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, San Antonio Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama, and Denver Nuggets three-time MVP Nikola Jokic. 2026 WEST NBA ALL-STAR STARTERS: Nikola JokicLuka DoncicShai Gilgeous-AlexanderSteph CurryWemby Any surprises or just right? pic.twitter.com/5IZFXh66Qr — ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 19, 2026 Antetokounmpo will be joined by Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey, New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson, Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, and Boston Celtics wing Jaylen Brown as starters representing the Eastern Conference. 2026 EAST NBA ALL-STAR STARTERS: Giannis AntetokounmpoJalen BrunsonCade CunninghamTyrese MaxeyJaylen Brown Any surprises or just right? pic.twitter.com/u1sB3xrsbN — ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 19, 2026 Notably missing from the All-Star starters list is LeBron James, who has been named an All-Star for 21 straight seasons. Will that historic streak end this year? The only time the 41-year-old didn’t make the All-Star cut was during the 2003-04 season, his rookie season in the NBA. It is likely that LeBron will either be an injury replacement or be selected by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver as a special All-Star selection. While all 10 All-Star starters have participated in All-Star Weekend previously, this is the first time that Wembanyama, Maxey, Brown, and Cunningham will actually be actual starters instead of coming off the bench for the NBA All-Star Game. As for the veterans who are used to being in the spotlight during All-Star Weekend, Curry leads the way for this year’s group of starters with his 12th All-Star selection and 11th start overall. He is now just one of 17 players in league history to make at least 12 All-Star appearances with a single franchise. Antetokounmpo and Jokic are also two All-Star veterans at this point in their careers, making their 10th and eighth All-Star appearances, respectively. Since the NBA is adopting a Team USA vs. Team World format for this year’s All-Star festivities, five of the eight spots for the Team World squad have already been filled by Doncic, Antetokounmpo, Jokic, Wembanyama, and Gilgeous-Alexander. Only three other international players will join these starters as All-Star reserves for Team World this year. A total of 16 players will make up the two Team USA squads, leaving a total of 11 spots open for All-Star reserves in this category. Curry, Brunson, Cunningham, Brown, and Maxey will be the featured starters among these two Team USA rosters. The 2026 NBA All-Star Game will take place in Los Angeles, hosted by the LA Clippers, on February 15 on NBC. The post Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic headline 2026 NBA All-Star starters appeared first on ClutchPoints.