Arsenal beat Napoli 2-0 in the first leg of their Europa League quarterfinal tie on Thursday.

Aaron Ramsey's early strike and a Kalidou Koulibaly own goal in the 25th minute gave the hosts a straightforward win heading into next Thursday's second leg in Naples.

And it was the departing Welshman who opened the scoring on 14 minutes after a free-flowing attacking move by the Gunners -- the future Juventus midfielder nonchalantly passing into Alex Meret's net after an alert layoff by Ainsley Maitland-Niles inside the penalty area.

The goal marked Ramsey's third in eight appearances for the club since signing for the Serie A giants.

Unai Emery's squad went two goals up nearly 10 minutes later when Lucas Torreira's scuffed left-footed shot from the top of the box took a wicked deflection off Koulibaly before looping past Meret.

Galle 337 for 7 (Thirimanne 115, Hasaranga 87) vs Colombo (match abandoned due to rain)

Rain washed out the entire second innings of the final of Sri Lanka's Super Four Provincial Limited-Over tournament, but not before Lahiru Thirimanne threw his hat in the ring for a World Cup berth, hitting 115 off 128 balls.

Thanks in part to the platform that Thirimanne had set, the Galle team's lower middle order amassed some quick runs towards the close of the innings, to propel the team to an imposing 337 for 7. The most notable among the middle-order contributions was that of Wanindu Hasaranga, who struck 13 fours and a six in a 53-ball innings that yielded 87. Milinda Siriwardana, Minod Bhanuka and Lahiru Madushanka also produced quick runs through the final overs.

There were no standout performers from among Colombo's bowlers, with five players taking no more than one wicket apiece. Significantly, however, Akila Dananjaya - who had taken a five-wicket haul in his previous game - went wicketless in the final, conceding 63 from his nine overs.

Thirimanne's hundred means he ends the tournament as its second-highest run-scorer, with 213 at an average of 53.25 and a strike rate of 81.92. Only Angelo Mathews, who made 227 runs at an average of 56.75, fared better. With the team's regular openers Danushka Gunathilaka and Niroshan Dickwella having fared poorly throught the Super Four tournament, Thirimanne perhaps has an outside shot of making the World Cup squad. Dimuth Karunaratne - a potential captain - produced the second-highest run tally from among the opening candidates, hitting 165 at an average of 55.

The rain meant the selectors could not have a proper look at fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera. With Lasith Malinga and Isuru Udana virtually certain to feature in the World Cup squad, the selectors are understood to be mulling over several of their other fast-bowling options. Chameera took four wickets at an average of 23.00 in the three previous games.

With the Super Four tournament now concluded - Galle and Colombo shared the trophy - the selectors will finalise their World Cup squad over the next few days.

Chennai Super Kings 155 for 6 (Dhoni 58, Rayudu 57, Stokes 2-39) beat Rajasthan Royals 151 for 7 (Stokes 28, Buttler 23, Jadeja 2-20) by four wickets

Mitchell Santner's dramatic last-ball six capped Chennai Super Kings' fourth successful chase of the season, and sixth win overall, as the visitors recovered from a massive hole at 24 for 4 in the Powerplay to pull off a chaotic four-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals.

Ben Stokes was tasked with 18 to defend off the final over but just as he had famously fallen short against Carlos Brathwaite in the final of the 2016 T20 World Cup, he was outdone again by a combination of Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni and Santner. Jadeja slapped an off-balance six off the first ball of the over before Stokes overstepped on the next ball to create a free hit for Dhoni.

Stokes bounced back with a slower ball for two before bowling Dhoni with a yorker on the third legal ball of the over. Santner's final-ball heroics wound up erasing a minor controversy that had started brewing on the fourth ball of the over. Standing umpire Ulhas Gandhe clearly signaled with his arm for a no-ball after Stokes delivered a full toss well over waist height but then rescinded his call, prompting Dhoni to charge onto the pitch to remonstrate with both Gandhe and leg umpire Bruce Oxenford but to no avail.

With four to get off the final ball, Stokes bowled one well outside off stump for a wide to give Santner a second crack with two to tie and three to win. On the redo, Stokes missed his length going for a yorker and Santner responded by heaving a full delivery over the bowler's head to end the match and strengthen Super Kings' position at the top of the table, now four points clear of a trio tied for second.

Royally mediocre

The home side scraped their way to 151 for 7 through a series of starts that were never converted. Eight of the nine batsmen who came to the crease reached double-digits, but none made more than the 28 from Stokes at No. 6 after they were sent in at the toss.

Royals had decent momentum at the start of their innings having reached 31 for 0 in the third over before Deepak Chahar convinced Dhoni to review a not out decision on field with Ajinkya Rahane on 14. The ball appeared to be angling down leg but Dhoni finally signaled to go for the review on the brink of the 15-second cutoff.

It proved to be a key moment as the replay showed the ball striking leg stump flush for the crucial third red to overturn the decision. It wound up ending the largest partnership of the innings. Only a late burst from Shreyas Gopal and 18 runs in the final over took Royals to a competitive total past 150.

Yellow caution

Contrary to the hot start from the Royals, Super Kings got off to a miserable early reply. Shane Watson was bowled four balls into the chase with a beautiful delivery from Dhawal Kulkarni that held its line. Suresh Raina then committed a juvenile error loafing a single to fine leg as he watched Jofra Archer field, not expecting a throw to be sent to the non-striker's end where Archer connected with Raina a foot short to make it 5 for 2 in the second.

Faf du Plessis picked out one of the two boundary riders in the Powerplay at deep midwicket to gift Jaydev Unadkat a wicket in the fourth. Stokes looked like he was making a bid for Man of the Match when he pulled off an early contender for catch of the tournament at backward point, flying to his left to knife Kedar Jadhav's attempted cut off Archer to make it 24 for 4 with one ball to go in the Powerplay.

Dhon't count MS out

But the Super Kings captain flipped the script by combining with Ambati Rayudu for a 95-run stand. Momentum truly started to shift in the 10th over when Dhoni charged Gopal to loft him over long-on for six. He slog swept debutant Riyan Parag in the following over to continue the counterattack before a third six off Gopal in the 13th.

Until that point, Rayudu had been milking singles and twos but gained confidence from Dhoni's aggression and soon uncorked a sweetly driven six off Stokes in the 14th. Rayudu brought up a 41-ball half-century before he fell in the 18th, brilliantly caught by Gopal at deep midwicket off a Stokes slower ball.

Dhoni fought off getting hit in the helmet by Archer in the 17th to eventually bring up his 50 off 39 balls with a two behind point off Archer in the 19th over, after which he started sucking wind heavily. Another two required an extended break with the physio coming on field while Dhoni caught his breath. A four flicked off his pads to end the 19th brought the equation down to 18 off the final frame to set up the thrilling finish.

This is the summer that the ECB hopes will help "inspire a generation" of cricket fans, with England jostling to the front of the pack as favourites for a home World Cup. However, it could also be a last hurrah for one-day cricket in the UK, with the domestic 50-over cup set to become a "development competition" from 2020 onwards.

Gordon Hollins, the new managing director of county cricket, conceded that downgrading the 50-over tournament was "a price that has to be paid" in order to make room for The Hundred. Both competitions are set to run side by side, with the best England-qualified players involved in the new format, but Hollins said it was essential that the ECB came up with something to "make cricket cooler to more people".

Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, has previously claimed that The Hundred will not impact on the success of England's ODI team, and while Hollins suggested that 50-over batting skills could be honed in the shorter formats, he confirmed that the domestic cup would become a breeding ground for younger players.

The domestic List A competition is also likely to see the involvement in some form of the "national counties" - as the minor counties have been rebranded - in an attempt to further aid the spread of the game.

"I don't buy that [county cricket] is being devalued," Hollins said. "It might be different. Clearly the 50-over competition will become under this model a development competition. Nobody is going to deny that. But that's a price that has to be paid to fit the different formats in. There's a plus, too, in that you get the next round of players coming through.

"What we're also doing in that competition is going back to having warm-up matches against some of the national counties. A lot of the feedback I've heard over the last couple of years is, it was great when we had the NatWest Trophy/Gillette Cup, where you had Devon hosting Yorkshire in the first round and so on. We're introducing that in the County Partnership Agreement, where a first-class county will go to a national county. And I think that connects the first-class game with a broader audience, too."

Hollins said that while traditional county supporters were part of what he termed "the core" - devoted followers of the game - the goal of The Hundred was to further increase the base from which counties, and England, can recruit in the future.

"What I hear most often is there are not enough: people in club cricket saying, where's our next groundsman coming from, where's our next scorer coming from, there's not enough volunteers. Therefore, for me, what The Hundred is designed to do is to generate and inspire more people to engage in our game than ever before," Hollins said.

"I genuinely believe that The Hundred plays a really important role in achieving that because if it can generate 'water-cooler moments', where people say cricket is sexy and it's engaging and inspiring more people from different audiences, then more of that comes back into the system.

"Cricket is still cool to us, and the core. But it needs to be cool to more people. What makes that challenging and really important to address is that young people now have more distractions than we did. We used to have cricket, rugby, football … That's not the case anymore. In the last round of Sport England funding, I think it was 64 sports that got funding. So by definition, there's a lot more competition for kids' time and attention and passion. That's before you start talking about these devices [mobile phones].

"There's so many distractions now, that we need to make cricket cooler to more people. And by doing that, I think everyone wins. It might not be the same as it's always been, but the world's not the same as it's always been."

Concerns have been expressed about the impact of The Hundred, with PCA chairman Daryl Mitchell warning it could threaten the viability of some of the smaller clubs. However, Hollins said that there were no plans to reduce the number of first-class counties.

He did acknowledge, though, that coming up with something entirely new had been central in securing a return for cricket on free-to-air television when the rights were negotiated in 2017 - despite the ECB denying that 100-ball cricket, which is designed to be completed in two-and-a-half hours, was a made-for-TV product.

Asked whether the BBC would have signed up to broadcasting a county T20 competition, Hollins replied: "No. You'd need to ask them [why]. But their agenda, you can see what they're doing with sport generally, around women's football, their support of the FA Cup. You can see the sort of narrative they produce."

While Ricky Ponting is mightily impressed by Rishabh Pant's skills as a white-ball player, the Delhi Capitals coach believes his impatience can lead to his downfall.

Speaking ahead of Capitals' return fixture against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens, Ponting was in praise of his three young top-order batsmen - Pant, Prithvi Shaw and the captain Shreyas Iyer - but said each of them had areas to work on, Pant in particular. Even so, he said he wouldn't try to curb his natural style too much.

"With Rishabh in white-ball cricket, the issue is that he's such a competitor that sometimes that gets the better of him," Ponting said. "He wants to get things done quickly in the white-ball game. In the Tests he doesn't so much because there's not as much scoring pressure in Tests.

"But I'm not going to curb the way he plays, I'm not gonna tell him to slow down because if he plays his best he will win games for us. I want him to go out with pure freedom and with no other thought other than hitting the ball for a six. We saw in Mumbai. - when it comes off, we're going to win. He made 77 facing just 28 balls. But he needs to understand we need him to bat in the last four overs. We need our best batsmen to stay till the last four overs, and we expect that from him."

Ponting also expected Shaw to end up as one of the top run-getters in the tournament if he continued his current form. Shaw's most notable performance this season so far is his 99 against Knight Riders in Delhi, but Ponting also highlighted his 22-ball 28 in what eventually proved a tricky chase against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

"Prithvi Shaw, I've seen him develop as a player," Ponting said. "We took a punt on him as a young guy who hadn't played any T20 cricket. And from the moment I saw him, I knew he was ready to play.

"He showed that last year and has shown glimpses this season too. I was absolutely heartbroken for him when he was out for 99, he deserved to get a hundred. He's got us off to some good starts. He single-handedly helped us win against Bangalore, with some aggressive batting in the Powerplay, although Shreyas played well. He'll be one of the leading run-scorers if he plays like this by the end of the season."

This time last year, Iyer was shoved into the limelight when he took over the captaincy following Gautam Gambhir's resignation. Ponting said he had big expectations from him as both batsman and captain. Despite the Capitals dugout including strong personalities such as himself and the advisor Sourav Ganguly, Ponting said Iyer was the team's primary leader.

"It's 100 per cent Shreyas Iyer's team," Ponting said. "It's not my team, it's not the coach's team, it's Shreyas Iyer's team. He's the captain, and with captains of any team, once the game starts the captain is the coach. He's a terrific young man, determined, very good player. He's developing his leadership well. Halfway through last year, then he's captained for Mumbai [in domestic cricket], and finally India A. It's a high-pressure environment, the IPL, and I love working with him."

Capitals have tended to suffer collapses late in their chases this season. They slid to a scarcely believable defeat against Kings XI Punjab and nearly did the same against Royal Challengers too, but Ponting wasn't too worried.

"We can look at it in two ways," Ponting said. "I was worried about the Kings XI run chase. We should've won that with an over to spare, but what didn't worry me about the RCB game was that the boys were taking the opposition on. They were being ultra-aggressive, maybe recklessly.

"But I don't mind that, we need that mindset to win big games, but you must ensure you get across the line. We had the game won when the collapse happened in Bangalore. Collapses will happen if your best batsmen aren't there at the end, which our batting group is now aware of."

Floyd Reifer has been unveiled as West Indies' new interim head coach, replacing Richard Pybus with immediate effect, with Robert Haynes taking over from Courtney Browne as the new chairman of selectors.

The changes were announced at a press conference by Ricky Skerritt, the new president of CWI, who recently defeated the previous incumbent, Dave Cameron, in the board elections.

The appointments came as part of Skerritt's commitment to what he described as a "Cricket First" mantra, his bid to draw a line under a controversial period for West Indies cricket and pave the way for the return of a number of former West Indies star players who, he said, had been "secretly, but actively, victimised" by the previous regime, and "banished … from selection consideration".

"We have found it necessary to immediately adjust our selection policy to become more open, inclusive and player-centric," Skerritt said. "The changes we have triggered this week are more than a change in personnel or a shake-up in the ranks. This is a calculated strategic move designed to reignite the passion for a culture, where our cricket is being put back where it belongs - at the very centre."

Reifer, who comes from Barbados, played six Tests, eight ODIs and one T20I for West Indies between 1997 and 2009, when he returned to the side after more than a decade's absence to lead a depleted team against Bangladesh, following a strike by several of the region's senior players.

"[Reifer] has lived the same principles of West Indian excellence that we now insist must prevail in our cricket," said Skerritt, who also cited the importance of local coaches in bringing out the best in the region's diverse but talented pool of cricketers. A new directive states that "not less than 4 out of every 5 members" of the coaching and support staff should be of West Indian origin.

"Up to the end of 2018 Floyd Reifer had been identified as the outstanding emerging local coach. He displayed this by leading the West Indies A team successfully, including victories against the England Lions, and ended the past year by coaching the Senior men's team to a T20 series win in Bangladesh.

"Mr Reifer's key coaching role in helping to set up the Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) Marooners impressive win in the 2018 Regional Super 50 tournament is well documented."

The appointments come after an uplifting home campaign against England in February and March, in which they pulled off a famous series win in the Tests, thanks in no small part to an inspirational run of form from their captain, Jason Holder, before securing a highly creditable 2-2 draw against England's No.1-ranked ODI team.

"With a focused team that will be led by the new No.1 allrounder in the world, Jason Holder, and filled with a collection of our best possible available cricketers, I have no doubt that Coach Reifer is the right man at the right time."

"Our landmark decision to immediately introduce a well-suited young West Indian professional as our men's team coach … represents our commitment to celebrate the best of what it means to be West Indian. This decision also underscores the need for fresh thinking, and an even more urgent need to embrace the new inclusive selection policy.

"And in the midst of change, we have no doubt that our West Indian players, led expertly by Jason Holder, will be well prepared going to the World Cup. What we are now enforcing ahead of the upcoming World Cup is a new approach to strategic thinking while reviving authentic West Indian team spirit."

Haynes, 54, played eight ODIs between 1989 and 1991, was described by Skerritt as the "most experienced and best suited" candidate for the interim selection role.

"We have found an interim Chairman who shares the philosophy of inclusiveness and therefore believes in our new selection policy," Skerritt said. "Because of his impressive track record of good relations with players and past players, we have no doubt that Mr Haynes will engage with players everywhere, strictly in the interest of what is best for West Indian cricket."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette was arrested Thursday afternoon after a traffic stop and charged with knowingly driving with a suspended or revoked license, according to Jacksonville jail records.

Fournette paid a $1,508 bond and was released after spending less than 30 minutes at the Duval County Jail.

The Jaguars released a statement in which they said they were aware of Fournette's "situation," are gathering more information and would not have any further comment at this time.

Fournette's arrest is related to a speeding ticket he received in Jacksonville Beach on Nov. 17, 2018. Fournette was cited for driving 12 mph over the posted 25-mph speed limit, which carried a $204 fine. Court records show he did not pay the fine, and the case was sent to a collection agency on March 18.

In Florida, failure to pay a speeding ticket results in a suspended license.

This is the latest trouble for Fournette, who already was facing questions about his maturity, commitment to football, conditioning, on-field behavior and production after a disappointing 2018 season.

Fournette, the fourth overall pick in 2017, missed six full games and half of two others with a right hamstring injury in the first eight weeks of the 2018 season, and there was mounting frustration inside the organization about the length of his absence. The Jaguars built their offense around a power-run game that had a hard time functioning consistently without him on the field.

Fournette was also suspended without pay for one game for leaving the bench and fighting with Buffalo Bills defensive lineman Shaq Lawson during the Jaguars' 24-21 loss at Buffalo on Nov. 25. Fournette said he ran across the field because he saw Lawson shove Carlos Hyde and wanted to defend his teammate.

Shortly after that, the Jaguars told Fournette they were voiding the guaranteed money remaining in his contract as punishment, a move that Fournette has appealed with the NFL.

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Tiger Woods grabbed an early share of the first-round lead Thursday at the Masters before a late bogey dropped him to 2-under-par 70 and a rare opening round under par at Augusta National.

Making his 22nd Masters start, Woods -- a four-time winner of the event -- started slowly before picking up birdies at the 13th and 14th holes to tie for the lead.

The birdie at the par-4 14th was somewhat miraculous, as he hooked a drive into the trees, hoisted a second shot over those trees and onto the green, then got a 25-foot curling putt to drop.

That got him to 3 under par, the lowest he has been through 14 holes in the first round of the Masters in his career.

The 14-time major champion has shot in the 60s on the opening day of the Masters just once, in 2010.

Woods started nicely with a big drive at the first hole and a birdie at the second. He bogeyed the fifth when he missed a 5-footer and failed to convert a 4-foot birdie putt at the sixth. He also missed from 9 feet for birdie at the eighth, but finished off a front-side 35 with a 5-footer for birdie at the ninth.

Solid pars at the 10th, 11th and 12th holes preceded a two-putt birdie at the 13th from 50 feet.

At the par-5 15th, Woods had just 230 yards to the green for his second shot, but it hit over the green and had to scramble to save par. He added pars at the 16th before tree trouble led to a bogey at the 17th.

When he walked off the 18th green, Woods was 1 shot off the lead.

Woods, 43, is playing in his sixth tournament of 2019. Last year he finished in a tie for 32nd at the Masters.

At this point, it's the only question worth asking: Who will win Friday night's lightweight title bout between Vasiliy Lomachenko and Anthony Crolla at Staples Center in Los Angeles? Our experts make their picks.

Dan Rafael
ESPN.com

Lomachenko by decision
Crolla is a solid pro and former world titlist who has faced good opposition and always gives a good effort. But Lomachenko is on an entirely different level. No knock on Crolla, but this looks like a one-sided Lomachenko victory, as are most Lomachenko fights. Lomachenko in dominating decision.

Timothy Bradley Jr.
ESPN boxing analyst/former champion

Lomachenko by KO6
It's been a while since Lomachenko has been 100 percent, and we know what he can do when he is. I go with a sixth-round KO. The man is back walking on his hands.

Juan Manuel Marquez
ESPN Deportes boxing analyst/former champion
Lomachenko by KO
Lomachenko will show his speed, punching combinations and accuracy. He is so much better than Crolla at everything. That's why Lomachenko is clearly the favorite to get his hand raised on Friday.

Nick Parkinson
ESPN UK

Lomachenko by KO6
Crolla is dreaming of pulling off one of the biggest shocks in British boxing history, but the reality is Lomachenko will be too slick, quick and accurate for him to last beyond the halfway mark. You won't be able to fault Crolla's spirit and courage. The trouble for Crolla is he won't be able to find any fault in Lomachenko.

Teddy Atlas
ESPN boxing analyst

Lomachenko by TKO
I believe Crolla's style is made to order for Lomachenko. Then again, you could probably say that about many fighters out there when they have to go against the top fighter in the world. I do think that when Crolla puts the ear muffs on (and covers up defensively), Lomachenko will find his body an inviting target, and then when Crolla begins to lean forward, look for Lomachenko's uppercuts to score. Six or seven rounds of that should be enough for Lomachenko to get the TKO win.

Nigel Collins
ESPN.com

Lomachenko by TKO
Crolla's high point was most likely his first bout with Jorge Linares, in which he lost a decision in a very competitive fight. Linares won the rematch in a much more convincing manner. Lomachenko, on the other hand, stopped Linares, and he'll probably do the same to Crolla. The Englishman is a good fighter, but Lomachenko is a great one.

Steve Kim
ESPN.com

Lomachenko by KO
While Crolla is a solid professional fighter, Lomachenko is on a different level. Crolla is sound enough and experienced enough to not get blown out early -- and he certainly won't fold up his tent like others have in the past. Crolla will eventually get worn down by the skills of Lomachenko, who I think stops him between Rounds 8 and 10.

Eric Raskin
Showtime Boxing

Lomachenko KO8
No disrespect to Crolla, who has proven himself a solid contender over the years, but it's hard to see him winning a round, never mind winning the fight. Lomachenko is on a whole different level, and he figures to pile up points and punishment until the ref or Crolla's corner takes mercy on him and stops the fight.

Charles Moynihan
ESPN bureau producer

Lomachenko by TKO8
Lomachenko, with the most diversified set of tools in his boxing toolbox, thoroughly outclasses Crolla and wins via eighth-round TKO.

Salvador Rodriguez
ESPNdeportes.com

Lomachenko by KO
I recognize Crolla as one of the most intense fighters of recent times in British boxing, but I think he has very little chance against a man with the quality of Lomachenko. I think it will be another Loma concert, and we will see a technical knockout within eight or nine rounds. Be prepared to watch the excellence of "Hi-Tech."

Claudia Trejos
ESPNdeportes.com

Lomachenko by KO7
Crolla lost twice to Jorge Linares. Linares lost to Loma in the 10th round by TKO. Let's do the math, shall we? Lomachenko will beat Crolla by KO. I don't think it will get past Round 7.

Bernardo Pilatti
ESPNdeportes.com

Lomachenko by decision
Lomachenko has the speed, throws a lot of punches and has technical advantage. Crolla is strong, takes punches well and has height and reach advantages. That won't be enough, though. Lomachenko's IQ will lead him to an easy unanimous-decision victory.

Jorge Eduardo Sánchez
ESPN Deportes boxing host

Lomachenko by KO
Crolla has good technique, but he's pretty far from elite. He is aggressive, but that will not be enough against a fighter with Lomachenko's skills.

Your take:

Pound-for-pound king Vasiliy Lomachenko has always been vocal about the kinds of fights he wants: big ones. He wants to win as many belts in as many divisions as he can, and he wants title unification fights.

In just 13 professional bouts, Lomachenko, a two-time Olympic gold medalist from Ukraine and viewed by many as the greatest amateur boxer in history thanks to a 396-1 record, has already won world titles in three weight classes: featherweight, junior lightweight and lightweight.

In his most recent fight, he got a chance to unify two belts, doing so at lightweight with a one-sided decision over Jose Pedraza in a December fight in which he dropped Pedraza twice in the 11th round to punctuate the victory.

Now Lomachenko is set for his third lightweight bout and ready to make his second title defense against former titlist and mandatory challenger Anthony Crolla, whom he will meet in the main event of a Top Rank Boxing on ESPN+ card on Friday (ESPN+, 11 p.m. ET main card, 8 p.m. ET for preliminaries) at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The fight was scheduled to coincide with the one-year anniversary of the debut of ESPN+.

Lomachenko is a huge favorite to defeat Crolla, but that is certainly no knock on Crolla. Lomachenko would be heavily favored to beat anyone in the world at lightweight and below not named fellow lightweight titleholder Mikey Garcia. But a fight with Garcia or another unification bout was not available to Lomachenko for this date, and without a unification fight being possible he was ordered to make the mandatory against Crolla.

"I want to fight the best, but now Crolla is the best choice," Lomachenko said. "He is the mandatory challenger and wanted to fight me. That is why I accepted this fight. I prepare like always and will put on a great performance for my fans in Los Angeles and on ESPN+. I will show everyone my best style and hope everyone enjoys it."

Crolla (34-6-3, 13 KOs), 32, had become one of Lomachenko's mandatory challengers when he won a unanimous decision over Daud Yordan in a title eliminator on Nov. 10 in Manchester, England, Crolla's hometown.

Had Lomachenko not taken the fight, he would have been stripped of one of his belts. Given his tunnel vision of wanting to win all the belts in his division, there was no way he would have allowed that to happen.

So Crolla, who is experienced, hungry and has a dogged determination and belief in himself, gets another title shot.

"It's been a long camp and the hardest of my career, physically and mentally, but I am in a great place and I'm raring to go," Crolla said. "He's seen by many as the best fighter on the planet and I know that I have a huge challenge ahead of me. But these are the kinds of fights that I got into the sport for at the age of 10. I've dreamt about nights like this and it's almost time."

This is your Ringside Seat for the fight:

Crolla, not Commey

Lomachenko (12-1, 9 KOs), a 31-year-old southpaw, had hoped to quench his desire to unify titles by facing fellow 135-pound belt-holder Richard Commey (28-2, 25 KOs).

In fact, Top Rank had in place a deal for the winner of the vacant world title fight between Commey and Isa Chaniev on Feb. 2 to face Lomachenko next. However, when Commey won the title by drilling Chaniev in the second round, he injured his right hand, putting him on the shelf for several weeks and making him unavailable to face Lomachenko on Friday.

That turn of events dropped the bout in Crolla's lap, although if Lomachenko wins he probably will face Commey, who was cleared to return to training last week, later in the year.

Crolla, who will be boxing in the United States for the first time and outside of the United Kingdom for the second time, was happy to get the fight. He has big respect for Lomachenko but is unmoved by the underdog status.

"He's a very unique fighter, his movement is exceptional and he creates great angles," Crolla said about Lomachenko. "You can see what all the praise is about. He's one of the greatest amateurs ever and he's taken that into the pro ranks. It's unbelievable what he's done in a short space of time in the pros, but I am here not just to test myself against the very best but to give it everything I have to shock the world.

"People aren't giving me a chance but that doesn't matter to me. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. The motivation to me is attaching my name to one of the biggest upsets in British boxing history without a doubt, and I don't think I'm speaking out of turn there. As a boxing fan and someone that lives and breathes the sport, that's all the motivation I need. I've been the underdog all throughout my career and I know that this is by far the biggest challenge I've faced, but it's one I can't wait to get stuck into."

Underdog or not, Joe Gallagher, Crolla's trainer, said whatever happens, his man will give it everything he has like other fighters he has trained have done when taking on pound-for-pound stars.

"It helps that I've been in this position before," Gallagher told the U.K.'s Sky Sports. "Do I think that [Paul Smith] was disgraced against Andre Ward? No. Was Liam Smith disgraced when he fought [Canelo] Alvarez? Not a chance.

"This is just part of the business when you're going in against guys at the absolute highest level of the sport and I know for an absolute fact that whatever the result when Crolla takes on Lomachenko, he'll give it his all and he won't disgrace himself either."

Common opponent: Linares

The most obvious way to compare Lomachenko and Crolla is based on how each performed against a common opponent in Jorge Linares, the well-respected former three-division world titleholder.

Lomachenko said he is familiar with Crolla only because he fought Linares.

"I don't know too much about him," Lomachenko said. "I know him from his two fights with Jorge Linares. I do know he is an aggressive fighter, and I like to fight guys who come forward."

Crolla won a lightweight title in 2015 and made one defense before squaring off with Linares in Manchester in September 2016. It was a fantastic fight and highly competitive, but Linares' speed, skills and outstanding body attack gave Crolla problems and he lost the belt by unanimous decision.

They met six months later in an immediate rematch, also in Manchester, and Linares had a much easier time, knocking Crolla down in the seventh round and winning a more decisive decision, after which Crolla won three fights in a row to set up the Lomachenko fight.

Linares would go on to retain the title twice more before defending against Lomachenko, who was moving up from junior lightweight, last May at a raucous Madison Square Garden in New York.

Linares dropped Lomachenko in the sixth round of a very competitive fight in which Lomachenko, despite suffering a torn labrum in his right shoulder in the second round, rallied for a dramatic body-shot knockout victory in the 10th round to take the title in a fight that was even on the scorecards entering the round.

Although comparing results against a common opponent is not necessarily a predictor of what is to come -- after all, Muhammad Ali lost to Joe Frazier, who lost to George Foreman, who lost to Ali -- it is worth noting that Crolla lost twice to Linares, who was knocked out by an injured Lomachenko.

Face to face

• Lomachenko: Making the second defense of the WBA lightweight title, first of WBO lightweight title

• Lomachenko: 11-fight win streak dating to June 2014

• Lomachenko: 6-1 vs. world titleholders -- only loss came to Orlando Salido in 2014 (split decision in his second fight as a professional). Two-time Olympic gold medalist for Ukraine (2008, 2012)

• Lomachenko: Lands 47.7 percent of power punches, according to CompuBox (lightweight average is 36.1 percent). Opponents land 17.2 percent of punches, second lowest, according to CompuBox

• Crolla: Has won three straight fights after losing back-to-back fights to Jorge Linares (Linares lost to Lomachenko in 2018)

• Crolla: Held WBA lightweight title from 2015-17

• Crolla: 2-2-1 in world title fights (2 KO)

• Crolla: 49.1 percent of landed punches land on the body, CompuBox average is 28 percent. Lands 38.9 percent of power punches, lightweight average is 35.7 percent, according to CompuBox

Lomachenko's future?

Certainly, if Lomachenko wins, the Commey fight remains on the drawing board for later this year. But what else is there for Lomachenko, especially given that a fight with Garcia is so unlikely for several reasons, including questions about whether Garcia will ever even fight at lightweight again?

"I still want that fight, 100 percent, but it is up to Mikey," Lomachenko said. "Can he cut the weight? I don't know. But if he can make 135, I want to fight."

Last month, Garcia lost a shutout decision to Errol Spence Jr. in a welterweight title fight, but Garcia has not decided whether he'll return to lightweight. If he doesn't, that would leave his belt vacant and it's not out of the question that Lomachenko could fight for it or perhaps the winner of that belt.

Lomachenko is not a big lightweight by any means, so he has also said there is a chance that for the right fight he would return to junior lightweight.

"Right now, I am a lightweight, but lightweight is not my ideal weight category," he said. "My goal now is to unify all four titles, and then, we'll see. Maybe I'll move back down to 130 pounds and win world titles there for a second time."

Although this possible fight doesn't fall into the unification category, it would be somewhat of a significant bout: Miguel Berchelt. He holds a junior lightweight belt, and should he defeat former titlist Francisco Vargas in their May 11 rematch, Berchelt and Top Rank have talked about a possible fight with Lomachenko. Of course, maybe Lomachenko would want to return to junior lightweight and challenge him for the belt in that division.

Then there is also one other fight that would surely create huge buzz against 2018 ESPN prospect of the year Teofimo Lopez Jr. (12-0, 10 KOs), an electrifying 21-year-old and 2016 Olympian who has dazzled on Lomachenko undercards and called out for a fight with Lomachenko, something few fighters do.

Lomachenko would have little to gain from the fight unless Lopez could find his way to a title first, but it would be a big promotion, create huge fan interest and is certainly makeable since they are both with Top Rank.

Asked about his interest in that fight, Lomachenko said, "I'm ready for everyone. I need the belts. If you have a belt, you can come in the ring and I'll fight with you. My goal is to unify all the titles. If it's Commey later this year, that would be a great fight. Any champion, I would want to fight. I want to go down in history as a great champion."

Crolla is hoping to render that discussion moot.

"I've boxed at elite level before, I've been boxing at world title level for years and I've earned this shot; it's not been given to me," Crolla said. "I know that I have to pull off something massive, but I do belong at this level and I'll prove it. I won't be in awe. I've worked far too hard to let that happen and I am confident.

"It's just me and him in the ring. Like any sport, you need that little bit of luck, but I have worked immensely hard to get as lucky as I can, but we're going in with a good game plan and I cannot be better prepared."

Rafael's prediction: Lomachenko by wide decision.

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