'Canelo' Alvarez wins back WBC title from Mbilli in Riyadh

Manila Times - Nov 1, 2026

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Mexican veteran Saul "Canelo" Alvarez produced a commanding performance to defeat French fighter Christian Mbilli and regain his WBC super middleweight title in an emotional victory in Saudi Arabia. Alvarez won a 12-round decision in Riyadh after exerting his influence in the second half of a fight that went ahead despite the escalating conflict between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Houthi movement. The 36-year-old Mexican was returning to the ring for the first time since he was beaten by American Terence Crawford in September 2025. That loss ended Alvarez's reign as holder of the division's four major titles. He faced Mbilli, 31, who was elevated to titleholder in January, but a fight that started off as a tight contest turned into a convincing victory for Alvarez. The judges scored the contest 115-112, 116-111 and 117-110 in Alvarez's favour. The Mexican superstar struggled for words after receiving the belt. "It's so difficult to explain, it's so difficult to explain," Alvarez said in English. "It's something unbelievable. It feels like my first title. Now, after 20, 21 years as a professional -- 16 years ago, I won my first title. Now I won the title again." Alvarez added another world title to a haul that stretches from light-middleweight to...

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Oct 31, 2026

Cone surprised with Ginebra's 2-0 lead vs SMB

TIM Cone admitted he and his gritty Barangay Ginebra squad are surprised to be up, 2-0 in their PBA Season 50 Governors' Cup best-of-five quarterfinal series against powerhouse San Miguel Beermen (SMB). The Gin Kings took the series-opener, 104-95, followed by a 126-99 annihilation of the Beermen in Game 2 to move them within a victory from advancing to the semifinals. "Is everyone as surprised as I am about this?" said Cone, visibly in disbelief of how seemingly easy Ginebra has handled SMB through the first two games of the series. "We didn't even dream that we would be able to get out, even 1-1, much less 2-0." With solid team play and defense as Ginebra's trump card, the Gin Kings were smoking from the field en route to finishing Game 2 with a hot 55.1-percent shooting. Ginebra also outrebounded San Miguel, a team that boasts of nine-time league Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo, 48-30, while the team also enjoyed a massive 32-14 advantage in assists department. Import Jordan Murphy has also found his rhythm as evidenced by his near triple-double effort of 33 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Ginebra's backcourt pair of RJ Abarrientos and Scottie Thompson delivered all-around numbers, too, while Stephen Holt provided the spark, too. Abarrientos went on to score 22 points, highlighted by four threes, along with five rebounds and six assists, Holt scattered 19 laced with five triples while Thompson added 12 points, seven rebounds and 11 assists. "We're definitely on a roll. Our offense is clicking and guys are locked in defensively. We are just trying to keep the pressure on San Miguel, keep on attacking, keep going at him, and so far, it's working," Cone stressed. And while Ginebra is just a win away from reaching the Final Four, Cone isn't one who will make a big deal of their series advantage. "I don't have any complaints at this point. But again, two games doesn't make a series as we all know. We've heard that many times," he added. The American coach knows the Beermen are always capable of coming back. For one, San Miguel, the league's all-time winningest team is the only ball club in professional basketball history to complete a comeback from a 0-3 deficit and win the Philippine Cup finals series against Alaska in the 2016 season. San Miguel will try to live for another day and win Game 3 as the series set next Tuesday, will shift to the Dasmariñas Arena in Cavite.

Oct 31, 2026

LeBron, Maxey fuel 76ers over NY Knicks

LOS ANGELES, California — LeBron James scored 20 points including a late tip-in to help seal the Philadelphia 76ers’ 98-93 victory over the NBA champion New York Knicks on Friday (Saturday in Manila). The 76ers notched their second win of the young season over the Knicks after spoiling their championship banner-raising with a victory at Madison Square Garden on opening night. The win had a double edge as Friday’s games marked the start of the fourth edition of the NBA Cup, the NBA in-season tournament won by the Knicks before they went on to beat the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals for their first championship since 1973. Group-stage Cup games will be played throughout November, all counting in the regular-season standings. Quarterfinals will be played Dec. 4–5 and semifinals Dec. 8–9 before the final on Dec. 11 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. Tyrese Maxey scored 27 points to lead the Sixers, who took control early against the sloppy Knicks. They led by 14 in the third quarter and weathered a late Knicks surge. Jalen Brunson’s step-back three-pointer put New York up, 90-89, with 1:32 remaining. James, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, answered with a basket that put Philadelphia back in front and pushed the lead to 96-91 with a tip-in off a Maxey miss with 11.9 seconds left. James, 41, added nine rebounds, eight assists, one steal and a vintage chase-down block in what 76ers coach Nick Nurse called his best game since joining as a free agent in June. Brunson led New York with 24 points, and Karl-Anthony Towns added 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Knicks, who fell to 2-4. The Dallas Mavericks, fueled by 35 points from Kyrie Irving and 33 from Cooper Flagg, rallied to hand the Houston Rockets their first defeat of the season, 116-111. The Rockets had emerged from a back-and-forth first half with a 51-44 lead, pushing the advantage to as many as 11 before taking an eight-point lead into the final frame. Irving’s three-pointer with 7:01 remaining put Dallas back in front, and they wouldn’t trail again, the Mavs finding an answer when Houston twice pulled level in the final stretch. Golden State star Stephen Curry scored 31 points to lead the Warriors to a 112-95 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in a roller-coaster contest in San Francisco. The Lakers out-scored the Warriors, 38-15, in the first quarter, the Warriors erasing the 23-point deficit by outscoring Los Angeles, 38-15, in the second to knot it 53- 53 at halftime. Luka Doncic scored 37 points for the Lakers.

Oct 31, 2026

Fil-Canadian Fernandez reaches Tokyo final

Oct 31, 2026

Novak builds 3-shot lead in Mexico Open

VALLARTA, Mexico — Andrew Novak caught up to the lead with an eagle and pulled away with three birdies on his last four holes Friday (Saturday in Manila) to match his low score on the PGA Tour, a 10-under 61 that gave him a three-shot lead in the Mexico Open. Novak drove the reachable par-4 13th and holed a 12-foot eagle putt and it looked to be a two-man race to the finish line of the second round between him and Ben Griffin. But on the par-4 15th, Griffin drove into the water and had to scramble for a bogey, while Novak holed a birdie putt from just outside 15 feet for a two-shot swing. Novak closed with a 20-foot birdie putt to finish at 14-under 128, three shots over a group of five players that included Griffin (67) and Kihei Akina, the 20-year-old sophomore at BYU who had a 64 to post his ninth round of 67 or lower in his last four PGA Tour starts. Also in the mix were Matthieu Pavon (66), Adrien Dumont du Chassart (67) and Kensei Hirata of Japan (68). "I separated a little bit, but we're halfway there. There's so much golf to play," Novak said. "I'm going to have to go out and keep hitting a bunch of fairways. If I'm hitting my irons like this, I'm going to be able to give myself a lot of opportunities. "I don't know if I'll make as many putts as I did today, but as long as I'm maximizing my opportunities and make a few of those with the putter, I should be in a good spot." Conditions have been favorable for scoring at Vidanta Vallarta. The average score for the opening two rounds was roughly two shots below par. The cut came at 4-under 138. Among those who failed to make it to the weekend were Tony Finau, who missed a 6-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a 71 to miss the cut by one, and US Open champion Wyndham Clark (73), the only player from the top 10 in the world in the field. Novak, who reached the Tour Championship last year, is at No. 89 in the FedEx Cup Fall. He recently checked his statistics and found them similar to last year, except for the putting. "I was just truly one of the worst putters in the world for — well, on the PGA Tour — for about eight months," Novak said. "I turned a bunch of 66s and 67s into 69s and 70s and that doesn't really get it done out here. I think the putter I put in at Wyndham has actually shown up, and my game never left; it's still there. Now when I actually am putting decent, it's turning into good results." Alvaro Ortiz, who grew up in Guadalajara, overcame a double bogey on the 18th hole at the turn and shot 68. He was five shots behind, the low Mexican player going into the final two rounds. Ortiz won the Mexico Open when it was a PGA Tour Latinoamérica event. He will have a full card on the PGA Tour next year from being in the top 20 on the Korn Ferry Tour.

Oct 31, 2026

LIV Golf faces uncertain future as players flee

LIV Golf didn't generate this much suspense at tournaments when the music was blaring, the Saudi cash was flowing freely and players from the Cleeks and Majestics headed off in carts for the shotgun start. Every day, there's more speculation. Who's leaving? Who's staying? Weren't these the same questions four years ago? It was May 31, 2022, when a group of golf writers out to dinner in Ohio received emails announcing the field for the inaugural LIV Golf event — Dustin Johnson and 12 other PGA Tour members — and had to leave before the crème brûlée arrived. And now another waiting game, not for the launch but whether LIV survives. LIV Golf is working through Chapter 11 bankruptcy with a pledge of $300 million from BC Partners Credit, a far cry from the $5 billion the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia dropped in four years before abruptly pulling the plug. Key to the "LIV 2.0" version — at least 10 tournaments, player equity and prize money half of what it used to be — is getting a "critical mass" of players to buy into the plan. How many players comprise a critical mass is unclear. And while LIV officials don't plan to announce each decision piecemeal, players are doing that for them. Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia have court-approved separations from LIV and are free to go. Louis Oosthuizen, Ian Poulter, Tom McKibbin and Adrian Meronk have said they are leaving. Graeme McDowell added his name to the list Monday with a succinct message on social media. Adding a wrinkle to the immediate future of LIV was a report by The Athletic that Johnson was among more than 10 players seeking severance deals from PIF worth more than $100 million in contract payments. Johnson's attorney suggested a deal was tied to players sticking with LIV 2.0. "The decision to release potential claims against the PIF and join LIV 2.0 will be influenced largely by how the PIF manages the windup of LIV 1.0," David Cornwell told The Athletic. An amended restructuring agreement approved by the New Jersey bankruptcy court indicates LIV no longer has a hard deadline for players to decide. The hope was to have a decision by the end of the month. LIV remains bullish about a 2027 season. That won't be the end of the drama, however, and it would seem the golf landscape is still a long way off from being stitched back together, if it ever can be. The PGA Tour has yet to say whether defectors — currently banned for one year from the date of their last LIV appearance — have a place. It's not a high priority as the tour seeks to fill out its lucrative "Championship Series" schedule in 2028 and find sponsors for the second tier.

Oct 31, 2026

Resilient Constantino conquers LPGT Finale in Davao

RUNNING low on motivation after an exhausting season that had taken her to nearly 20 tournaments, Harmie Constantino appeared to have little left in the tank. But when the final round demanded one last fight, the multi-titled campaigner found a fresh reserve of resolve — and turned a potentially wild, down-to-the-wire finish into a commanding two-shot triumph in the season-ending Ladies Philippine Golf Tour event in Davao City. Constantino overcame a two-shot deficit, shrugged off an early miscue and ignited her charge with a string of birdies, including three straight from No. 5. What initially shaped up as a volatile duel for the crown gradually tilted in her favor as she stayed patient, kept her shots under control, and watched her chief rival falter under pressure. She closed with a 69 for a 54-hole total of 213, capping a stirring comeback that belied her recent admission that the grind of a long campaign had drained her motivation. By the finish, she had transformed a tight leaderboard battle into a two-shot victory over Korean Kim Seoyun, who faltered with a 73 and a 215. The turnaround was all the more striking given how the final round began. Kim, tied with Chanelle Avaricio after 36 holes, initially seized control despite opening with two bogeys, answering with three consecutive birdies from No. 6. Avaricio, meanwhile, stumbled with three bogeys on the front nine and never recovered. Avaricio faded with a 76 and dropped to joint third at 218 with Yvon Bisera and Princess Superal, who shot 71 and 74, respectively. Constantino, playing in a separate flight, began to make her move with her birdie run from No. 5. As the contenders traded blows, the prospect of a dramatic finish remained very much alive. But the complexion of the championship changed on the back nine, where Constantino's steady play contrasted sharply with Kim's unraveling challenge. Kim bogeyed three of the first four holes coming home, opening the door for Constantino to stretch her lead to as many as three strokes. The Korean managed a birdie on the final hole, but it was too little, too late to prevent Constantino from securing the title. For Constantino, the victory was less about a sudden swing change than a decision to trust her game and resist the temptation to force the issue. "I think it's a hard question," she said when asked how she had summoned the energy to contend after admitting she was exhausted and had run out of motivation following a season of close to 20 tournaments. "I think I just tried to fight through it. I saw that I was hitting it well and I had a good chance. So, I just kept trying to fight through it," she said. Asked what had changed to help her rediscover her form, Constantino pointed not to a major adjustment but to patience and discipline.