Ryan Garcia’s chaotic career might just lead him to Conor Benn – the … — and more

Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn are a match made in hell, in the exact way that makes them heaven for boxing promoters. For now, a match-up between the American and the Briton is in purgatory, but the barriers could come crumbling down on Saturday.

In Las Vegas, Garcia will challenge Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight title, to which Benn is the next mandatory challenger.

Never mind the fact that Garcia, 27, is receiving this title shot on the back of a loss, in which he was dropped and outpointed by underdog Rolly Romero. Never mind that he entered the Romero fight after a year-long drug ban. Never mind that Benn’s last two fights were middleweight bouts with Chris Eubank Jr, in which he went 1-1. Never mind that hewent through his own drug-test saga beforehand. All roads lead to Garcia vs Benn.

Still, the terrain is rocky in this sport.

Benn, 29, has long said his greatest desire is to become WBC welterweight champion, yet he has also barked at any American star who will listen, as well as a 47-year-old Manny Pacquiao. Just a few weeks ago, the Briton was face-to-face with new WBO champion Shakur Stevenson, having “messaged” the four-weight king over a possible showdown in the preceding weeks.

Yet the general thinking is that the unbeaten Stevenson, 28, would prove too slick for Benn, in a way that the inconsistent Garcia might not. Indeed, in Garcia, Benn might have found the ideal opponent and perfect rivalry to follow the blood feud with Eubank Jr.

However, Garcia must first overcome Barrios, and “King Ryan”’s past struggles in and out of the ring mean that is no guarantee. One cannot overlook his loss to Romero in May, his stoppage by Gervonta Davis in 2023, nor past concerns over his mental health – due to, in his own words, his habit of “drinking every day” before his bout with Devin Haney.

In that contest in 2024, Garcia was electric. He had gone 3-3 with his fellow American during their amateur careers, but the feeling was that, at this level, the unbeaten Haney would prove too clinical and elusive for Garcia. But Garcia dropped the “Dream” three times en route to a points win. Of course, that victory was ruined by the revelation of a failed drug test, with the result overturned and Garcia banned for a year.

Naturally, that adverse test result had fans and pundits questioning the legitimacy of Garcia’s performance against Haney, but King Ryan may not need to match that level to see off Barrios; with respect, the 30-year-old is seen as one of the weaker champions in boxing right now, and he enters Vegas on the back of two straight draws – one of which came against an aged Pacquiao. So, Garcia is the favourite on Saturday, and the question is whether he can live up to that status, after he failed to against Romero.

If he can, boxing may have a scintillating new rivalry: one between two admittedly-flawed fighters.

For Benn, Garcia represents a more-beatable opponent than Stevenson, and a more-marketable one than Barrios. In that way, a Garcia victory would be the perfect outcome for Benn this weekend.

There are other options out there for Benn, such as a clash with Northern Ireland’s Lewis Crocker for the IBF belt. However, the risk-reward ratio of that fight might not tip in the right direction for the “Destroyer”.

In truth, the profile of Benn’s opponents from here on out feels more important than their status; that is to say: Benn should share the ring with big names, whether or not they carry title belts.

But again, in Garcia, he might have encountered someone who can bring both. And so Benn will watch from ringside at T-Mobile Arena, it seems.

“I don’t think he has a big presence in America, but I would be willing to go to the UK,” Garcia said of Benn in November. “I would definitely be willing to go to the UK to fight him. He seems like a fun match-up. He’s gonna come crazy and throw bombs all night and thinks he’s gonna overwhelm me, but he won’t.

“But I would love to fight him. I love fighting Eddie Hearn’s fighters, I don’t know why, I just love to beat them up. He just makes you want to beat his fighters up. It’s just the way he talks, the way he moves, I can’t wait to look at his face and say: ‘I did it again.’

“That would bring so much joy to me, almost more than a championship title. I would be ecstatic just to see Eddie's face, sad and confused. I beat Luke Campbell, Devin Haney – he was representing him, I beat him. I’m ready to beat up Conor now.”

First, Garcia must beat up Barrios. Then, fans will hope the road to Garcia vs Benn remains firm under the fighters’ feet. The press conferences would be engrossing, and the fight itself would be captivating. Yes, Garcia and Benn are flawed, but at this precise moment, they could make each other whole.

The San Francisco 49ers have key players hitting the market this offseason, including wide receiver Jauan Jennings, who is set to become a free agent for the first time in his NFL career.

Jennings, 28, was looking for a long-term extension with the 49ers last offseason, but the two sides agreed to a reworked contract in August, giving him extra incentives for the year.

While San Francisco has said they want to bring back Jennings for 2026 and beyond, it seems like he's destined to hit the market.

With many teams likely interested in Jennings' services this year, ESPN's Matt Bowen identified the Carolina Panthers as the best fit for him.

"The 49ers' top WR in 2025 can use his 6-foot-3, 212-pound frame and route-running skills to make himself available to quarterback Bryce Young, especially in critical down-and-distance situations," Bowen said. "Plus, with Jennings joining Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker, the Panthers would have a versatile receiving group that can work every level of the field."

Heading into the new league year, the 49ers only have Ricky Pearsall, Demarcus Robinson, Jordan Watkins, Jacob Cowing, Junior Bergen, Colton Dowell and Malik Turner in the wide receiver room.

Jennings was, by far, their most productive receiver in 2025, catching 55 passes for 643 yards and a team-high nine touchdowns. San Francisco would need to make significant changes to their wide receiver room if they were to lose him.

Meanwhile, Carolina could add form an impressive trio with McMillan, Coker and Jennings that would give Young an opportunity to prove himself in 2026.

More 49ers: 49ers EDGE, WR picked as possible cap casualties in 2026

This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: Panthers projected as best free agent fit for 49ers WR Jauan Jennings

A few weeks ago, we took a much-needed break and watched that Duke Blue Devils-North Carolina Tar Heels basketball game, and we noticed something. Both sides tend to hire their own. Jon Scheyer was Mike Krzyzewski's successor. He also played for him. You never see UNC's basketball team hire anything but Tar Heels. That made us think about the Baltimore Ravens coaching staff. There are so many familiar faces, so many men we're already proud of.

Let's just start at the top. The head coach, Jesse Minter, was once part of John Harbaugh's staff (2017-20). Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver played here once (2002-05), as did special teams coordinator Anthony Levine.

Their hires felt like seeing family members return home. For Weaver, this is a third stint, as the opportunity to be this team's defensive coordinator almost came two years earlier.

He also coached under Harbaugh, serving in several roles: defensive line coach and run game coordinator (2021) and assistant head coach/defensive line coach (2022-23). In 2024, he interviewed for the then-vacant defensive coordinator position after Mike Macdonald's exit. Zach Orr was hired for the position, and Weaver left to join the Miami Dolphins, accepting the job title of DC under then-head coach Mike McDaniel.

Weaver was in Miami for two seasons. Yeah. He never looked right in aqua, orange, and marine blue. Black and purple suit him just fine, but to his credit, he never saw being passed over for the DC role in 2024 as a setback.

Anthony Weaver reframed a previous rejection by the Ravens as motivation.

Coach Weaver, head coach Jesse Minter, offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, and special teams coordinator Anthony Levine met with the Baltimore media on Wednesday. The expected conversations were addressed: Doyle's age, his budding relationship with Lamar Jackson, and this reunion. Much is expected from this new Ravens coaching staff.

Weaver was asked about being passed over for the DC position in 2024. As expected, he offered a classy, motivating response. Pay attention. What he says is something we all can learn from.

"My reaction at that particular time wasn't much of a reaction at all. I think that'd probably be a question more suited for [former Ravens head coach] John [Harbaugh], who I love and respect, and I love [former Ravens defensive coordinator] Zach Orr. Shoot, I coached Zach in college, so it's not like when that hire happened, I was shocked because I have so much love and respect for Zach, too. So, it certainly made sense. Going to Miami was just an opportunity. It was an opportunity to go and show I can lead a defense again as a coordinator. So, I jumped at it, and I'm going to be honest, the no state taxes and being in sunny south Florida – that was a plus, too. But [I had] a lot of learning experiences [in Miami]. I thought we had a very connected group that flew around, played fast and physical with elite technique and fundamentals, and we'll try to recreate the same thing here but even better and try to step it up a notch. So, hopefully that answered your question."

It certainly did, Coach. That answered our question and a few others. We're feeling better about these hires with each passing day.

If this week proved anything, it's that culture still matters in Baltimore. This familiarity isn't just about nostalgia or getting the band back together. It's about shared standards, accountability, and men who already understand what winning is supposed to look like inside this building.

Coach Weaver didn't just come back with a more impressive and heavier resume. He returned with perspective, growth, and something to prove, and that mindset tends to spread quickly through a locker room.

Pair that with the leadership of Jesse Minter, the fresh offensive vision of Declan Doyle, and the emotional intelligence of Anthony Levine, and you start to see why optimism is building before a single snap has been played.

Now comes the challenge: turning comfort into results, belief into execution, and promise into postseason success. If they can do that while maximizing a roster led by Lamar Jackson, the Baltimore Ravens won't just feel like an ongoing family reunion. They'll feel dangerous.

This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Anthony Weaver turned past Ravens rejection into positive outlook

Kansas Jayhawks star Darryn Peterson went off in the team's Wednesday night road victory over the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The problem? He only lasted 18 minutes. During the second half, Peterson pointed to the Kansas bench to be taken out of the game with 17:42 remaining in the second half due to cramping, ending the freshman's night. Jayhawks head coach Bill Self spoke on the matter after the game. "We've had it happen [Peterson get hurt] more than a couple of times. I didn't anticipate that tonight at all," Self said in his postgame press conference about Peterson leaving the Jayhawks' 81-69 win over the Cowboys. "I thought he was good to go, but, obviously, we only got 18 minutes out of him. That's disappointing because he could've had a really big night, but one thing about it is it's happened often enough that our guys have learned to play without him, even though that's not the way we want to play. But that's certainly something that we're not unaccustomed to right now." Peterson has missed 11 games this season due to a combination of hamstring, quad, ankle and cramping issues, while also missing time due to illness. Wednesday night was one of multiple instances where Peterson has checked himself out of a game. "It's a concern," Self said about Peterson, according to ESPN. "I thought we were past it, but obviously we're not. It's certainly a concern. "You get into the NCAA tournament, you're playing a team just as good as you and you need to have all your best players available, so to speak. All it takes is for one day like that to derail not only a game, but a season. "It's concerning, but I do think we're making progress with it." When Peterson has been on the floor, he has dazzled. Despite his night ending early, Peterson still finished Wednesday with a game-high 23 points on 7 of 12 shooting from the field, 6 of 10 shooting from behind the arc and 3 of 4 shooting from the charity stripe. Across the 15 games that he has appeared in this season, Peterson, a potential top-five pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, is averaging 20.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 steals in 26.9 minutes per game, while shooting 48.5/43.1/79.5. The No. 8-ranked Jayhawks are 20-6 overall and 10-3 in Big 12 play, good for fourth in the conference.

Following a failed drug test and mental health struggles, Garcia is at a crossroads. Analysts suggest Benn could be the opponent to salvage his momentum, despite the chaotic nature of his recent endeavors.