Sports News Roundup: Japan PM Suga urges travel curbs as COVID-19 cases surge before Paralympics; Boxing-Nico Ali Walsh, the grandson of Muhammad Ali, wins pro fight debut and more

The 21-year-old signed a deal https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/nico-ali-walsh-grandson-muhammad-ali-signs-pro-boxing-deal-2021-06-26 with Bob Arum's Top Rank Boxing in June ahead of his first professional fight in the U.S state of Oklahoma. Tennis-Tsitsipas making noise in Toronto with Big Three absent The 'Big Three' of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal all decided to sit out this week's Masters 1000 event in Toronto but Stefanos Tsitsipas has provided plenty of buzz as he stormed into the semi-finals of the U.S. Open tune-up on Friday.

Following is a summary of current sports news briefs.

Japan PM Suga urges travel curbs as COVID-19 cases surge before Paralympics

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Friday urged people to refrain from traveling as COVID-19 cases spiked to new records in Tokyo and nationwide, heaping pressure on the medical system. His comments follow health expert recommendations to strengthen states of emergency now in place in the capital and other hot spots.

Boxing-Nico Ali Walsh, the grandson of Muhammad Ali, wins pro fight debut

Nico Ali Walsh, the grandson of former heavyweight champion and boxing legend Muhammad Ali, defeated Jordan Weeks by technical knockout in his professional boxing debut on Saturday. Middleweight fighter Ali Walsh is the son of Robert Walsh and Rasheda Ali Walsh, Muhammad Ali's daughter. The 21-year-old signed a deal https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/nico-ali-walsh-grandson-muhammad-ali-signs-pro-boxing-deal-2021-06-26 with Bob Arum's Top Rank Boxing in June ahead of his first professional fight in the U.S state of Oklahoma.

Tennis-Tsitsipas making noise in Toronto with Big Three absent

The 'Big Three' of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafa Nadal all decided to sit out this week's Masters 1000 event in Toronto but Stefanos Tsitsipas has provided plenty of buzzes as he stormed into the semi-finals of the U.S. Open tune-up on Friday. The French Open finalist continued the stellar form he has displayed all season during a 6-1 6-4 thrashing of sixth-seeded Norwegian Casper Ruud that gave Tsitsipas his tour-leading 45th victory of the year.

Soccer-Messi unveiled ahead of PSG match but is not included in match squad

Paris St Germain presented Lionel Messi to fans inside the Parc des Princes stadium ahead of their Ligue 1 clash with Strasbourg on Saturday, but the Argentine was not included in the squad for the match. Messi took to the field pre-match along with fellow new recruits Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Achraf Hakimi, and Georginio Wijnaldum, and spoke to the raucous crowd.

Olympics: PETA calls on IOC president to remove equestrian events from Games

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Friday to eliminate equestrian events from future Olympics citing cruelty to horses during the recent Tokyo Summer Games. In an incident that went viral on social media Germany's Annika Schley was filmed whipping her horse Saint Boy after he refused to jump during the modern pentathlon competition.

Athletics: Jacobs left smiling as media focus turns to British doping case

Italy’s double Olympic champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs said it made him smile to see the British media switch focus to a doping case in their own country, after previously raising suspicions that he could be a drug cheat. Britain’s 4x100m relay silver medallist Chijindu Ujah was provisionally suspended on Thursday for allegedly breaching anti-doping rules after he returned an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) from a test carried out during Tokyo 2020.

MLB roundup: Tyler Gilbert throws no-hitter in first MLB start

Left-hander Tyler Gilbert threw a no-hitter in his first major league start to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 7-0 win against the visiting San Diego Padres on Saturday night. Gilbert (1-1) is the fourth major leaguer to throw a no-hitter in his first major-league start, and first since Bobo Holloman of the St. Louis Browns against the Philadelphia Athletics on May 6, 1953.

Athletics-Britain's Ujah 'shocked and devastated' by positive test

British sprinter CJ Ujah said he was "shocked and devastated" after a positive drugs test that could see his country stripped of their Olympic silver medal in the 4x100m relay. The 27-year-old ran the first leg of the final in Tokyo as Britain narrowly missed gold, but has been provisionally suspended after prohibited substances showed up in tests.

NFL roundup: Justin Fields flourishes as Bears rally past Dolphins

Rookie Justin Fields rushed for a touchdown and threw for another to give the host Chicago Bears a 20-13 win over the Miami Dolphins on Saturday afternoon in the preseason opener for both teams. The Bears traded up nine spots with the New York Giants to grab Fields with the 11th overall pick out of Ohio State in the 2021 NFL Draft. He was the fourth quarterback selected.

Tennis-Osaka to donate prize money to Haitian earthquake relief efforts

Naomi Osaka has pledged to donate her earnings from next week's Western & Southern Open to support earthquake relief efforts in Haiti, the Caribbean nation her father hails from. The four-time Grand Slam champion announced her pledge in response to the 7.2-magnitude quake that struck the impoverished country on Saturday, killing at least 304 people and injuring hundreds.

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