Could Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua hinge on 'delusional optimism?'

Anthony Joshua towered over Jake Paul. The moment underscored themassive size differencebetween the two men.

It was their first faceoff, and it had all the looks of a monumental mismatch waiting to happen, with the 6-foot-6 Joshua and the 6-1 Paul set to fight in aneight-round heavyweight bout Dec. 19in Miami.

But during a press conference held at the same place they'll fight – the Kaseya Center in Miami – Paul on Nov. 21 cited "delusional optimism'' as he prepares for an eight-round heavyweight bout against the former two-time heavyweight champion from Great Britain.

"All of these things I've gotten to where I'm at today (are) because of delusional optimism,'' Paul said. "And so it's delusion until it's not, because look at where we're sitting today.

"No one ever thought that this would be possible, that we would be here when I first started boxing, and no one thinks I'm going to win. So join the list and be ready to be shocked.''

How much taller is Anthony Joshua than Jake Paul? See them face off

Joshua expressed respect for Paul, who made his pro debut in January 2020 and is now 12-1 with seven knockouts. But Joshua, who is 28-4 with 25 knockouts, surely knows he will be thebiggest challenge yet in Paul's boxing career.

"If I'm going to be honest, I'm going to break his face, I'm going to break his body up, I'm going to stomp all over him,'' Joshua said.

Paul indicated he would welcome punishment from Joshua.

"I want him to cut me up,'' Paul said. "I want him to break my face, but guess what? He's going to have to kill me to stop me and I'm ready to die. Seriously. Ready to die in the ring to win this fight.''

Jake Paul gestures during his weigh-in ahead of his heavyweight boxing match against Former US heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson in Irving, Texas, on Nov. 14, 2024.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Mike Tyson slaps Jake Paul as they face off during their ceremonial weigh-in at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory on Nov. 14, 2024 in Irving, Texas.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Mike Tyson and Jake Paul fight during LIVE On Netflix: Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium on Nov. 15, 2024 in Arlington, Texas.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jake Paul is announced as winner against Mike Tyson during LIVE On Netflix: Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson at AT&T Stadium on Nov. 15, 2024 in Arlington, Texas.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />

See Jake Paul's professional boxing career in photos

The weight issue

Joshua must weigh no more than 245 pounds at weigh-in, according to the fight rules as announced by Most Valuable Promotions, which is partnering with Netflix.

That's about 100 pounds more than Gervonta Davis was expected to weigh in for his fight against Paul. The fight wascanceled amid legal issues stemming from a lawsuit filed against Davis.

Joshua, asked how much he expected to weigh by the time of the fight without a rehydration clause in place, said he's focused on 245 pounds.

"Anything else is a bonus after that,'' said Joshua, who has weighed in at 250 pounds or more for his last five fights.

Paul, who was required to weigh in at no more than 195 pounds for his fight against Davis, said he expects to weigh between 215 and 225 pounds for the fight against Joshua.

"Man, I was cutting down for Gervonta, so it's been a little tough getting back up and some strength for this,'' Paul said.

But Paul also rejected the notion that his being smaller than Joshua will put him at a disadvantage.

"Look, he's one of the best heavyweights ever,'' Paul said of Joshua. "But I believe that fighting a smaller man is oftentimes harder as a heavyweight because of the speed difference and because of the foot speed, because of the angles, because the head being off of the center.

"And so all of that power is great and he's knocked people out. I just have to avoid that one shot for eight rounds and I believe that I can do that.''

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Jake Paul, Anthony Joshua boxing faceoff shows huge size difference

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November 21, 2025

Could Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua hinge on 'delusional optimism?'

Anthony Joshua towered over Jake Paul. The moment underscored themassive size differencebetween the two men. It ...

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LaMelo Ball says he loves playing for the Hornets and denies reports that he's frustrated

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — LaMelo Ball said Friday he wants to stay with the Charlotte Hornets despite the team's struggles and increasing speculation about his future from outside the organization.

"Yeah, I love being here," Ball said following practice in Charlotte. "I ain't saying nothing. I'm just trying to win, that's it. That's what we're going to keep doing."

Hornets coach Charles Lee said Ball, who became the team's first max contract player in July of 2023 whenhe signed a $260 million deal, remains a cornerstone piece of the organization.

"He's a huge, huge piece of what we do, offensively and defensively," Lee said.

The comments followed a Yahoo Sports report, which cited anonymous sources, that said the 2022 All-Star point guard was growing increasingly frustrated with the team's losing ways and was open to a trade.

Ball appeared to take exception to the report, reposting the storyon social mediawith a clown emoji.

The Hornets are 4-11 and have not been to the postseason since Ball's arrival as the No. 3 pick in 2020.

"He never heard that come from me, so the source is not from me," Ball said. "So it's just false info."

Ball said he doesn't like commenting on rumors, but felt he had to speak out before the reports got out of hand.

"When they get too big, you know, you gotta say something," Ball said. "It was so much that it was making headlines in Bleacher Report and this and that, so I didn't want it to keep going on."

Lee, the team's second-year coach, said he has a great working relationship with Ball and is thrilled to hear that the sixth-year pro is committed to the Hornets building a winning franchise.

"I think that our perspective, I'm glad to hear what he had to say because I would echo a lot of the same things," Lee said. "Our ability to have communication between myself and Melo and (general manager) Jeff (Peterson) is really high, and I think that he's always communicated to us that he wants to build this thing with us.

"He understands what it's going to take to try to win and who we need in the building and stuff, so I think that he is just committed to Charlotte. He's talked about how much he loves the city and the fans, and that's all I ever heard and that's all I focus on."

Charlotte opened the season with a healthy dose of optimism, but shooting guard Brandon Miller injured his shoulder in the second game of the season and hasn't played since.

The 24-year-old Ball has played in only nine games due to a right ankle sprain. He is back on the court now, but remains on a minutes restriction.

In his first five seasons, Ball managed to play in only 231 of 410 of the team's games due mostly to ankle issues. He has tried a variety of braces along the way, but nothing seems to have fully corrected the problem.

Ball is averaging 21.6 points and 9.6 assists per game this season, but has struggled to get his shot to fall posting career lows in field-goal percentage (.385) and 3-point percentage (.298).

Even if the Hornets were wanting to move Ball it would require an enormous commitment from a trade partner. Ball is under contract through the 2029-30 season and has slightly more than $168 million left on his contract, including $37.9 million this season.

Ball said his focus is on seeing things through in Charlotte and building a winner.

"It's ups and downs," Ball said. "We are in a down right now, but we are definitely going to go up. I am still confident in this whole group and everybody here."

The Hornets host the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.

AP NBA:https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

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November 21, 2025

LaMelo Ball says he loves playing for the Hornets and denies reports that he's frustrated

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — LaMelo Ball said Friday he wants to stay with the Charlotte Hornets despite the team's struggl...

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Retirement era? Chiefs TE Travis Kelce not talking '26

Contractually speaking, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is tied to Kansas City for only seven more games.

The 36-year-old kept the door ajar to a possible 14th NFL season in 2026, and based on his production -- 50 receptions for 631 yards and four touchdowns -- Chiefs general manager Brett Veach and head coach Andy Reid appear unlikely to lock it when the 2025 season ends.

But Kelce knows the painstaking process took a lot of out his older brother, Jason, who retired from the Philadelphia Eagles before the 2024 season.

With that in mind, Travis Kelce said Friday that he has every intention of telling the Chiefs his plans before free agency begins in March.

"I want to give the Chiefs a good opportunity, whether I come back or not -- or whether they want me back or not. I'd like to make that decision before they've got to get draft picks and free agency opens to fill the roster appropriately," he said.

"All that will be at the end of the season. I won't be thinking about it until then."

Kelce turned 36 in October and was determined to give Kansas City another productive season after falling short of his own standard in 2024.

Entering Sunday's game against the Colts, Kelce leads the Chiefs in catches, yards and TD catches. He scored his 84th career touchdown during last week's loss to the Denver Broncos to break Priest Holmes' franchise mark.

"He's done a heck of a job," Reid said. "He worked like crazy in the offseason to get himself in tip-top shape, which you have to do when you start reaching an older age. You've got to work a little bit extra, and he did that. It's paying off for him."

--Field Level Media

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November 21, 2025

Retirement era? Chiefs TE Travis Kelce not talking '26

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Authorities arrest 7 bodyguards in connection with a Mexican mayor's assassination

URUAPAN, Mexico (AP) — Authorities on Friday arrested seven bodyguards suspected of being involved in theassassinationearlier this month of a popular mayor in west-central Mexico who they were supposed to be protecting.

The Associated Press saw at least five of the suspects arrested by state and federal authorities in Uruapan on Friday, steps away from the site where Mayor Carlos Manzo was killed during Day of the Dead festivities on Nov. 1.

Later, the Michoacan state prosecutor's office said in a brief statement that seven public officials, who it did not identify, were arrested for "their likely participation in aggravated homicide."

An official familiar with the operation said all seven had been bodyguards for Manzo. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about it.

Soldiers, National Guard troops and state agents led the suspects out of a city building Friday beside the central plaza where a teenage gunman had shot Manzo. Attention had immediately turned toward Manzo's large security detail that had failed to stop the lone gunman and suspicion only grew when it appeared that the gunman had been shot dead by members of the security detail after they had him on the ground.

On Wednesday, Mexican authorities announcedthe arrest of a manthey said was involved in planning and orderingthe killing. They connected the plot to the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel, one of the organized crime groups operating in Michoacan.

Manzo's wife was sworn in as Uruapan's mayor following his killing.

On Friday, members of Manzo's — and now his wife's — team recorded the arrests, some while crying as they watched colleagues hauled off. Two people who spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared for their safety said that among those arrested were member's of Manzo's inner circle.

Uruapan's central plaza is still filled with candles in tribute to the slain politician, who had been outspoken against organized crime's grip. Notes expressing sadness about Manzo's slaying and demanding justice still hang around the plaza.

The mayor's killing brought renewed pressure on President Claudia Sheinbaum to adjust her security strategy. Days later she announcedPlan Michoacan, which while heavy on spending for social programs, also included having 10,000 troops spread out across the state to get control of the various criminal organizations operating there.

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November 21, 2025

Authorities arrest 7 bodyguards in connection with a Mexican mayor's assassination

URUAPAN, Mexico (AP) — Authorities on Friday arrested seven bodyguards suspected of being involved in theassassinationear...

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Driver says eagle dropped cat through car's windshield on highway

A driver in North Carolina told emergency responders that a bald eagle dropped a cat that crashed through her windshield, police said.

The incident happened around 8:15 a.m. Wednesday on U.S. Route 74 in Swain County, North Carolina Highway Patrol said. The driver was not injured.

Highway patrol did not provide additional information.

A photo shared by officials showed the car's broken windshield with a massive hole.

In a 911 call, obtained by CBS News, the driver told the dispatcher that the cat probably did not survive.

"OK, you may not believe me, but I just had a bald eagle drop a cat through my windshield," the 911 call said, according to WLOS. "It absolutely shattered my windshield."

The driver told the dispatcher that another person also saw the cat drop, remarking, "He's like, 'That is the craziest thing I've ever seen.' I'm like, 'Really?'"

The dispatcher offered some assurance, saying, "Oh my goodness. Let's see. I've heard crazier."

"Well, that's terrifying," the caller said, to which the dispatcher replied with, "Yeah."

Bald eagles are predatory birds that can stand up to 3 feet tall and have a wingspan stretching more than 8 feet. They weigh between 8 to 14 pounds and can typically carry things between 3 to 5 pounds. Bald eagles are native to North Carolina and most of North America.

Domestic cats are about 2 feet long and weigh between 5 to 20 pounds. While bald eagles can carry smaller cats, they are not a common prey for the bird.

In 2019, a large catfish crashed through a woman's windshield in North Carolina afterreportedly getting droppedby a flying bird.

Kendrick Weeks, Western Wildlife Diversity Program supervisor for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, told the Associated Press the cat dropped on the car could have been roadkill scavenged by the eagle.

"But they can take animals the size of a cat," he said. "It is much harder for them to take a live cat than a dead cat. They usually don't prey on something they don't find palatable. And, scavenging is a common behavior in bald eagles."

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November 21, 2025

Driver says eagle dropped cat through car's windshield on highway

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A federal judge blocked Trump's National Guard deployment to DC but troops aren't leaving just yet

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday ordered President Donald Trump toend the deployment of National Guard troopsto the nation's capital. But the ruling is unlikely to be the final word by the courts, the president or local leaders in the contentious duel over the federal district.

U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb put her order on hold for 21 days to allow the Trump administration time to either remove the troops or appeal the decision. The ruling marks another flashpoint in the months-long legal battle between local leaders and the president over longstanding norms about whether troops can support law enforcement activities on American streets.

Trump issued anemergency orderin the capital in August, federalizing the local police force and sending in National Guard troops from eight states and the District of Columbia. Theorder expired a month laterbut the troops remained.

The soldiers havepatrolled Washington's neighborhoods, monuments, train stations, and high-traffic streets. They haveset up checkpointson highways and supported federal agents in raids that have arrested hundreds of people, often for immigration-related infractions. They've also been assigned to pick up trash, guard sports events, conventions and concerts and have been seen taking selfies with tourists and residents alike.

The White House has said Trump's deployment was legal and vowed to appeal the ruling.

Here's what to know about the National Guard deployment in the nation's capital.

The judge ruled the deployment was unlawful

District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalbfiled the lawsuitagainst the administration that led to Cobb's ruling.

Cobb ruled that Trump's troop deployment violated the governance of the capital for a variety of reasons, including that the president had taken powers that officially resided in Congress; that the federal district's autonomy from other states had been violated; and that Trump had moved to make the troop deployment a possibly permanent fixture of the city.

"At its core, Congress has given the District rights to govern itself. Those rights are infringed upon when defendants approve, in excess of their statutory authority, the deployment of National Guard troops to the District," Cobb wrote.

The judge also added that D.C. "suffers a distinct injury from the presence of out-of-state National Guard units" because "the Constitution placed the District exclusively under Congress's authority to prevent individual states from exerting any influence over the nation's capital."

Cobb added that repeated extensions of the troop deployment by the National Guard into next year "could be read to suggest that the use of the (D.C. National Guard) for crime deterrence and public safety missions in the District may become longstanding, if not permanent."

Troops won't necessarily leave the capital following the ruling

The Trump administration has three weeks to appeal the decision and White House officials have already vowed to oppose it. Troops remained stationed around the city on Friday after the ruling came down.

Before the ruling, states with contingents in the capital had indicated their missions would wrap up around the end of November unless ordered otherwise by the administration. According to formal orders reviewed by The Associated Press, the Washington D.C. National Guard will be deployed to the nation's capitalthrough the end of February. One court document indicated that the contingent could stay into next summer.

Deployments in Los Angeles, Portland, Oregon and Chicago have each faced court challenges with divergent rulings. The administration has had to scale back its operations in Chicago and Portland while it appeals in both cases.

The White House stands by the deployment

The White House says the Guard's presence in the capital is a central part of what it calls successful crime-fighting efforts. It dismissed the ruling as wrongly decided.

"President Trump is well within his lawful authority to deploy the National Guard in Washington, D.C., to protect federal assets and assist law enforcement with specific tasks," said White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson. "This lawsuit is nothing more than another attempt — at the detriment of DC residents — to undermine the President's highly successful operations to stop violent crime in DC."

That stands in contrast to what local D.C. leaders say.

Schwalb, the District's attorney general, praised the judge's decision and argued that the arrangement the president had sought for the city wouldweaken democratic principles.

"From the beginning, we made clear that the U.S. military should not be policing American citizens on American soil," Schwalb said in a statement. "Normalizing the use of military troops for domestic law enforcement sets a dangerous precedent, where the President can disregard states' independence and deploy troops wherever and whenever he wants, with no check on his military power."

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, who has tried to strike a balance between working with some federal authorities and the opposition of some of her voters, has not publicly commented about the ruling.

States across the country have watched D.C.'s legal case play out

The case could have legal implications for Trump's deployment of National Guard troops to other cities across the country. Dozens of states had joined the case, with their support for each side split along party lines.

The District of Columbia has always had a unique relationship with the federal government. But the legal dispute in D.C. raises some similar questions over the president's power to deploy troops to aid in domestic law enforcement activities and whether the National Guard can be mobilized indefinitely without the consent of local leaders.

Prior to the D.C. deployment, Trump in June mobilized National Guard troops in Los Angeles as some in the city protested against immigration enforcement activities. Since deploying troops to Washington, Trump has also dispatched National Guard troops to Chicago, Portland and Charlotte, with more cities expected to see deployments in the future.

The mostly Democratic governors and mayors who lead the cities and states in the administration's crosshairs broadly oppose the deployments. Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois, in aNovember interview with the AP, warned of the "militarization of our American cities." Pritzker and other Democratic governors have been among the most intense legal opponents to Trump's troop deployments and federal agent surges nationwide.

Some Republican leaders have welcomed federal law enforcement intervention into their states and lent state resources and agents.

Yet some of Trump's allies have expressed concern.Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, chair of the Republican Governors Association, warned that Trump's deployment of National Guard troops without a state's consent "sets a very dangerous precedent."

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November 21, 2025

A federal judge blocked Trump's National Guard deployment to DC but troops aren't leaving just yet

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Thursday ordered President Donald Trump toend the deployment of National Guard troop...

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Mo'ne Davis picked 10th overall in Women's Pro Baseball League draft, Kelsie Whitmore goes first overall

More than a decade after reaching viral stardom in the Little League World Series, Mo'ne Davis about to start playing baseball again. Now 24 years old, Davis was the 10th overall pick of the Women's Pro Baseball League's inaugural player draft on Thursday, going to the Los Angeles team.

The first overall pick was another trailblazer in Kelsie Whitmore, who has made appearances in multiple independent baseball leagues and appeared with the Savannah Bananas this year.

In total, 120 players were selected across the four teams.

WPBL Draft 2025: Round 1 Recap (1/5)Round 1, Pick 1 | San Francisco | Kelsie WhitmoreRound 1, Pick 2 | Los Angeles | Ayami SatoRound 1, Pick 3 | New York | Kylee LahnersRound 1, Pick 4 | Boston | Hyeonah Kim

— Women's Pro Baseball League (@wpbl_official)November 21, 2025

Davis remains one of the biggest names in Little League history. At age 13, she became the first girl to win a game in LLWS history, posting an eight-strikeout, two-hit shutout against a Nashville team that included a future MLB player in Robert Hassell III.Davis and Hassell recently reunited for a first pitch at Nationals Park, where Hassell now plays.

Since then, Davis has released a memoir, played softball at Hampton University and graduated from Columbia University with a master's in sports management. But she's now making a return to baseballafter taking part in the WPBL's tryouts in August.

Rather than pitcher, however, Davis was selected as a center fielder.

Speaking to 6abc Philadelphia, she alluded to some arm issues that may impact her ability to stay on the field, but expressed gratitude for the emergence of a women's professional baseball league:

"It was a shock, I didn't think I was going to go that early, just because my arm is a little messed up ... It's the next chapter of my life. Especially over the years, focusing on school, not knowing what's next and then having this league come up at the perfect time. It feels great."

What is the Women's Pro Baseball League?

An awkward part of the modern baseball landscape is that while softball is often treated as the other side of the coin between genders, it is a different sport. And quite a few of the girls who grew up playing baseball would like to keep playing baseball rather than shift to softball, the sport sanctioned by the NCAA.

The WPBL is intended to offer those girls and women a chance to continue playing baseball. The leaguewas officially founded in 2024by Justine Siegal, the first woman to coach professional men's baseball in the U.S. when she joined the Oakland Athletics organization in 2015, and Keith Stein, the owner of the Intercounty Baseball League's Toronto Maple Leafs.

Siegal's founding statement:

"I am so excited that there will finally be a professional women's baseball league. It is a dream come true for all the girls and women who play America's pastime.

"The Women's Pro Baseball League is here for all the girls and women who dream of a place to showcase their talents and play the game they love. We have been waiting over 70 years for a professional baseball league we can call our own. Our time is now."

The league's structure breaks down into 15-player rosters for four teams:Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Boston. While geographically distant, those teams willmostly play in only one location at Robin Roberts Stadium at Springfield, Illinois, with some barnstorming games for the teams' namesakes still being organized.

PerFront Office Sports' Annie Costabile, the league drew nearly $3 million in Series A funding after initially planning to raise only $2 million.

Play will commence with a four-week regular season and two-week postseason in 2026, with two seven-inning games per week. Teams will have a $95,000 salary cap and will cover living costs for the players, who will reportedly receive a percentage of sponsor money as well.

The league also plans to expand to six teams in 2027.

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November 21, 2025

Mo'ne Davis picked 10th overall in Women's Pro Baseball League draft, Kelsie Whitmore goes first overall

More than a decade after reaching viral stardom in the Little League World Series, Mo'ne Davis about to start playing...

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