After months of arduous negotiations between competing promoters and rival champions, the contract for a two-fight deal between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua to unify the heavyweight titles has been finally signed.

"We'd like to get a site deal confirmed in the next month," said Eddie Hearn, managing director of Matchroom Sport, Joshua's promoter. "The hard part is always getting everybody to put pen to paper. But this was a major effort from all parties to get this over the line. You had rival promoters, rival networks and rival fighters."

Not to mention, rival egos, always a factor in boxing. The final signature came Saturday, in a Provision of Services agreement whose signees are believed to include Fury and Joshua; Joshua's promoter, Matchroom Boxing; Fury's American promoter, Top Rank; Fury's English promoter, Queensbury; and Fury's management company, Dubai-based MTK.

With the terms of the deal now agreed, principals can solicit offers from prospective sites.

"I actually feel we've done the hard part," said Hearn. "Speaking for myself, Anthony and his team at 258 management, I know how hard we've worked hard these last couple of months and I just feel that this fight is so big it's not a difficult sell. We've already had approaches from eight or nine sites. The offers have come from multiple countries in the Middle East, from Asia, eastern Europe and America."

The smart money, however, continues to be on the Middle East, where Hearn secured a site fee in excess of $40 million to promote Joshua's 2019 rematch with Andy Ruiz in Saudi Arabia. The need for a huge site fee becomes particularly acute with seating restrictions and businesses still reeling from COVID, as middle eastern countries are seeking less in attendance than favorable publicity.

"This is the biggest fight in boxing and one of the biggest sporting events in the world," Hearn said. "It will be a major, major win for a country that wants to showcase itself."

As ESPN previously reported, the contract calls for a 50-50 split in the first fight and 60-40 in the rematch, with the winner taking the higher share. The plan is for both fights to take place in 2021 -- the first in June or July, the rematch ideally taking place in November or December. But news of the deal comes just days after Fury expressed frustration with the negotiations that began back in January, telling IFL-TV that he had ceased training for Joshua and was drinking "up to 12 pints a day."

"You never really know with Tyson," said Hearn. "It could be mind games. He could be having a bad day. He could be a little pissed off. Or he could be having a joke.

"One of the fascinations about this fight will be the build-up because they're two totally different characters, two totally different personalities," Hearn said. "The mind games will be on another level for this fight. Tyson is very good at that. Anthony is excited by that...He's so pumped, so focused, he hasn't stopped training since the [Kubrat] Pulev fight [in December]. He's like a caged lion. The buildup is going to be epic."

Dani Stevens, Nina Kennedy and Yaime Perez were among those providing highlights on an NCAA-dominated weekend

The major event that took place over the weekend was the NCAA Championships, but there was plenty of high quality outdoor track and field action around the world.

For our coverage of the weekend’s NCAA action, see the following links.

JuVaughn Harrison’s unprecedented high and long jump double, CLICK HERE

Abby Steiner and Athing Mu shine in the women’s sprints, CLICK HERE

Cole Hocker seals one mile and 3000m double, CLICK HERE

Tara Davis produces long jump world lead, CLICK HERE

Sydney, Australia, March 13
Nina Kennedy cleared an Australian pole vault record and world outdoor lead of 4.82m on her first attempt at the Sydney Track Classic. It improved the previous national record by Alana Boyd by one centimetre.

The former world champion Dani Stevens won the discus with 63.36m with Briton Jade Lally third with 59.26m, her best throw since 2018.

Kurtis Marschall won the men’s pole vault with 5.75m and the track highlights were Riley Day’s 22.77 200m and Liz Clay 100m hurdles in 12.88.

In the 5000m races which incorporated the Australian Championships at the distance, Matthew Ramsden won the men’s title in 13:29.99 while Canada’s Andrea Seccafien won the women’s race in 15:25.62 from Jenny Blundell (15:25.84).

Watching Nina Kennedy break the Australian women's pole vault record will be the best thing you do today.

Pure, unfiltered joy. ?

? – Athletics Australia/YouTube pic.twitter.com/iZGGCY8DwO

— ABC SPORT (@abcsport) March 13, 2021

Havana, Cuba, March 12-13
World discus champion Yaime Perez set a world-leading mark of 67.73m and also threw 67.27m.

Croatian Winter Throwing championships, Split, Croatia, March 13
Double Olympic discus champion Sandra Perkovic opened her season with a 65.25m victory.

Canberra, Australia, March 11
Linden Hall clocked the fastest 1500m time ever by an Australian on home soil with a world-leading 4:02.02, while Catriona Bisset won the women’s 800m by four seconds in 2:00.19.

Nagoya Women’s Marathon, Japan, March 14
The first mass participation road race in Japan to take place since the pandemic was held in windy conditions. Mizuki Matsuda won in 2:21:51 from Sayaka Sato (2:24:32) and Natsumi Matsushita (2:26:26) as the first 13 finishers broke the 2:30-barrier.

Nairobi, Kenya, March 13
The double world 5000m champion Hellen Obiri won the 10,000m in 31:24.7 from Eva Cherono (31:29.6) while Naomi Korir won the 800m in 2:02.3.

Kingston, Jamaica, March 13
European 100m champion Zharnel Hughes equalled the world lead with a 10.14/-0.1 victory ahead of Oblique Seville’s 10.19. Former world champion Yohan Blake won a different heat in 10.29/0.0.

The other British victory was provided by Miguel Francis, who won the 200m into a stronger headwind in 20.51/-1.5.

Some of the top Jamaican sprinters tested their endurance by running 400m but both Asafa Powell (50.32) and Elaine Thompson-Herah (56.26) showed they won’t be changing their events this summer!

NCAA II Indoor championships, Birmingham, USA, March 12-13
Trevor Bassitt won the 200m in 20.48 but also won the 60m hurdles in 7.83 (after a 7.78 heat), was third in the 60m in 6.76 and ran a 45.52 relay leg all within the space of two hours to help Ashland to team victory.

James Young won the mile in 4:00.40 while fellow Brit Sebastian Anthony set a big PB to finish second in the 800m in 1:48.74.

Chengdu, China, March 13
The 2018 world indoor silver medallist Su Bingtian showed sharp from to win the 60m in 6.49. A competitive triple jump was won by Zhu Yaming with a 17.32 leap ahead of Wu Ruiting’s 17.20m and Fang Yaoqing 17.15m.

Pombal, Portugal, March 13-14
European indoor champion Auriol Dongmo of Portugal won shot put with 19.20m.

Ha Khula Marathon, Israel, March 14
Maru Teferi clocked 2:07:44 to miss his Israeli record by only 24 seconds with Girmaw Amare (2:07:50) and Godadaw Belachew (2:07:54) also inside 2:08. European 10,000m champion Lonah Chemtai Salpeter won the women’s race in 2:22:37.

Spanish Walking Championships, Murcia, Spain, March 14
A guesting Sweden’s Perseus Karlstrom won the 20km race walk in 1:18:45 as Diego Garcia won the national title in 1:19:40. Jesus Angel Garcia clocked a world M50 record of 1:31:08 to finish 21st. European champion Maria Perez won the women’s race in 1:28:26.

Polish Indoor Masters Championships, Torun, Poland, March 13
Well-known pacemaker Aneta Lemiesz set a world indoor W40 400m record of 54.80.

Queensland Championships, Nathan, Australia, March 13
Alex Beck won the 400m in 45.72.

Italian Cross-Country Championships, Campi Bisenzio, March 14
Uganda’s World half-marathon champion Jacob Kiplimo won the 10km in 30:09 from title winner Iliass Aouani (30:49). Burundi’s Francine Niyomukunzi, competing for an Italian club, won the women’s race in 28:40 from Belay Tegegn from Ethiopia (28:47). Fourth and top Italian was Nadia Battocletti (29:01).

ELKHART, Ind. – The Hahn family has raced in the outlaw super late model category for more than 20 years and the excitement for the upcoming season has never been higher for the father-son team.

After spending the 2020 season running a weekly series, the team has committed to hitting the road to compete for the Reveal The Hammer Championship.

Rick Hahn and his son, Rick Hahn Jr., have logged plenty of race miles behind the wheel of the family’s No. 22 outlaw car over the years. Since 2009, Rick Hahn Jr. has been behind the wheel gaining experience at places like M-40, Kalamazoo and South Bend.

Lately the team’s schedule often varied due to any number of reasons. In 2020, the team upped their game with Jeff Ganus setting up the suspension on the Finishline chassis and relying on horsepower from Ultra Tech. Even with the limited 2020 schedule, the hard work at the shop paid off with a faster, better handling hotrod.

“We love to go racing and running in the outlaw super late model is all either one of us knows,” noted Rick Hahn “We really made a commitment in the shop before last season, and our hard work began to show up at the track. Unfortunately, the season was limited. Both of us are really looking forward to running the entire Reveal The Hammer schedule. Only time will tell how we stack up against the best outlaw super late model drivers in the country.”

AVONDALE, Ariz. – Martin Truex Jr. is the latest NASCAR Cup Series driver who has revealed plans to get a little extra practice racing on dirt ahead of the Food City Dirt Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on March 28.

Truex revealed in his post-race teleconference after his victory Sunday at Phoenix Raceway that he’ll compete in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Bristol on March 27 aboard a Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota with sponsorship from Auto-Owners Insurance.

“I’m excited about it,” Truex said. “I’ve only raced twice on dirt. Both of them were at (Ken) Schrader’s, having a charity race out in Missouri, did that a few times in a modified. I grown up on four-wheelers and motorcycles. It’s going to be a learning curve for sure.”

Initially when asked about his plans to gain additional experience racing on dirt, Truex was coy and didn’t confirm his plans to race in the Truck Series event at Bristol.

However, when a member of the media pointed out that Auto-Owners Insurance had already revealed the news via a social media post, Truex caved and confirmed the news.

“Damn, they spilled the beans?” Truex said laughing. “Okay, yeah, we are. We’re going to run the truck race.”

Truex has two previous Truck Series starts during his lengthy NASCAR career, both for team owner Billy Ballew. The first came at The Milwaukee Mile in West Allis, Wis., in 2005 and the second came the following year at Michigan Int’l Speedway.

The 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion is the third Cup Series regular to confirms plans to race in the Truck Series event at Bristol on March 27. He’ll be joined by Kevin Harvick and rookie Chase Briscoe in that event.

Truex has never won at Bristol during his career and admitted the track has been one of his worst in recent years. With that in mind, he said that throwing dirt into the mix will make it both fun and challenging.

“I look at it as Bristol has been our worst track for the past couple years,” Truex explained. “Why the heck not lay down dirt and see what we can do? I think it’s going to be fun. New challenge, something different.”

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Officials from NASCAR and Pit Boss Grills have announced a multi-year extension, continuing the brand’s designation as the official grill of NASCAR.

Pit Boss Grills entered the sport as an official partner in 2018, marking the brand’s first professional sports property agreement.

“Based on the success of our initial agreement, Pit Boss Grills has since expanded its NASCAR presence with partnerships across the industry, the most effective way to market to our fans.” said Michelle Byron, vice president, partnership marketing, NASCAR. “Our partnership with Pit Boss Grills is built upon our joint family values and the organic connection between our fans and their love for grilling, a staple at any NASCAR race weekend. We are very excited to continue this partnership in the years ahead.”

Pit Boss Grills recently announced a partnership with Speedway Motorsports, which includes a race entitlement at the highly anticipated NASCAR debut at Circuit of the Americas in May – the NASCAR Xfinity Series Pit Boss 250.

In addition, Pit Boss Grills partnered with NASCAR Cup Series driver Aric Almirola and the No. 10 team of Stewart-Haas Racing, debuting its sponsorship this past weekend at Phoenix Raceway.

“We are blessed to extend our partnership with NASCAR and take our relationship to the next level,” said Dansons President Jeff Thiessen. “Not only do our companies share the same core values and beliefs, but race fans are also our consumers. Both NASCAR and Pit Boss support an atmosphere of family and friendship and are supported by a common community of individuals who are passionate about those same principles. We’ve seen continued successes for our brand within the sport over the last two years and look forward to where the future will take us.”

The NASCAR partnership renewal solidifies the future of Pit Boss Grill’s involvement in the sport. Through the extended partnership, Pit Boss Grills will expand its activation across NASCAR-owned race tracks, bringing its presence to 18 at-track activations across the NASCAR schedule in 2021. Pit Boss Grills will continue to activate at retail and key race events throughout the season for strategic hospitality events.

Pit Boss Grills will continue to participate in the NASCAR Fuel for Business Council, which brings together an exclusive group of more than 50 Official NASCAR Partners to construct business-to-business deals and co-marketing initiatives.

DETROIT – Corvette Racing will return to competition in the FIA World Endurance Championship this year, culminating with the program’s return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Fresh off a victory in the Rolex 24 At Daytona in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, Corvette Racing is set to campaign two of its mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette C8.Rs in the GTE Pro category at Le Mans on June 12-13. It will mark the team’s 21st appearance in the French endurance classic.

Its string of 20 consecutive trips to Le Mans was interrupted last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The team’s return to Le Mans was confirmed last week when ACO officials revealed the 24 Hours of Le Mans entry list.

Corvette Racing is steeped in Le Mans lore with eight class victories since its first start there in 2000. The last victory came in 2015.

Rolex 24 winners Antonio Garcia, Jordan Taylor and Nicky Catsburg will look to add another 24-hour victory as they share the No. 63 Mobil 1/SiriusXM Chevrolet Corvette C8.R. In the No. 64 Corvette, the trio of Tommy Milner, Nick Tandy and Alexander Sims seek their first 24-hour victory together after a runner-up finish at Daytona.

The six drivers sport multiple starts at Le Mans, and the group has combined for 43 appearances and seven victories – Garcia has three, Milner two, and Taylor and Tandy with one each. Catsburg and Sims each will make their third Le Mans starts.

To help in preparation for the race, Corvette Racing will enter a single C8.R in the season-opening WEC round: the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. Garcia and team veteran Oliver Gavin will drive the No. 63 C8.R at the Belgian circuit – the first time they have shared a car in their Corvette Racing careers.

Competing at Spa will provide the Corvette Racing team a bit of a refresher on specific rules and strategy methods that are unique to FIA WEC races. Pit stop operations and safety car procedures are among the biggest differences in IMSA and WEC competitions.

It will be Garcia’s second start in FIA WEC competition outside of Le Mans. He drove the 1,000 Miles of Sebring in 2019 in a Corvette C7.R and was the fastest driver in GTE Pro qualifying. Gavin will make his third non-Le Mans start in the WEC, the most recent coming at Shanghai in 2018 as part of the lineup for the special Redline Edition Corvette C7.R with long-time teammate Milner.

Gavin is Corvette Racing’s all-time leader in starts (202), wins (51), pole positions (25), Le Mans wins (five) and IMSA championships (five). This will mark his first start in a No. 63 Corvette Racing entry since Le Mans in 2002.

The current GTE regulations allow for the Corvette C8.R to continue competing against other manufacturers in the World Endurance Championship. In addition to its 2021 European races, Chevrolet and Corvette Racing plans to continue racing in future years at Le Mans and in select WEC rounds.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Two players made 11^th-hour moves into the top 64 in the Official World Golf Ranking to earn themselves starts in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play later this month.

Talor Gooch closed with a 67 at The Players Championship to finish tied for fifth place and jump from 82^nd to 64^th in the rankings. France’s Antoine Rozner moved from 97^th to 63^rd thanks to his victory at the Qatar Masters on the European Tour.

The top 64 in the world ranking qualify for the Match Play, which will be played in two weeks in Austin, Texas, but officials will need to go beyond the 64^th player to fill the field.

Tiger Woods, who is ranked 56^th, remains in a California hospital following a single-vehicle car crash last month that required surgery to his right leg. No. 38 Justin Rose withdrew from The Players citing “personal medical reasons” and it remains unclear if he will be able to play the World Golf Championship.

No. 66 Erik van Rooyen and No. 67 Adam Long both dropped out of the top 64.

Other notable moves after The Players include champion Justin Thomas gaining one spot to No. 2 and Lee Westwood, who finished solo second, jumping 12 spots to No. 19.

Below is a look at the current top 10, with where they stood the previous week in parentheses:

1 (1). Dustin Johnson

2 (3). Justin Thomas

3 (2). Jon Rahm

4 (4). Collin Morikawa

5 (6). Bryson DeChambeau

6 (5). Xander Schauffele

7 (8). Patrick Reed

8 (7). Tyrrell Hatton

9 (9). Patrick Cantlay

10 (10). Webb Simpson

Barcelona's teenage midfielder Pedri has been promoted to Spain's senior squad for this month's World Cup qualifiers against Greece, Georgia and Kosovo.

Pedri, 18, has made 40 appearances, including 26 in La Liga, since joining Barca from Las Palmas last summer.

- Hunter: Messi is Barca's talisman but Pedri is the future

Spain coach Luis Enrique had monitored the Under-21 player in recent months and has named him in his 24-man squad.

"In the case of Pedri, he has the ideal condition to play in our midfield. He has the quality to do so," Luis Enrique said at a news conference on Monday.

"For some time, we have seen all the possibilities he has to offer. Among the things that I like the most is the calmness and humility he shows on the pitch while being very ambitious. The way he positions himself on the pitch is spectacular. One thing to highlight is the balance that he shows whether it's in attack or defensive play. I'm very eager to see him play with us."

Brighton & Hove Albion goalkeeper Robert Sanchez is another uncapped player called up by Luis Enrique.

The 23-year-old has impressed in the Premier League and takes the place of Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, who has been dropped after losing his starting spot with the London club.

⚠️ OFICIAL | Estos son los jugadores convocados por Luis de la Fuente para disputar la Fase de Grupos del Europeo Sub-21.

? El combinado nacional, encuadrado dentro Grupo ?️, se enfrentará a Italia, Eslovenia y República Checa.

? https://t.co/XxnFuImiMu#U21EURO pic.twitter.com/xXbMiOmGOS

— Selección Española de Fútbol (@SeFutbol) March 15, 2021

"We have gathered information on his past as this is the first year in the Premier League. He is a young player with a lot of potential," Luis Enrique added. "A very interesting player and we hope he can continue to show his potential.

"I don't have a starting goalkeeper. We have three goalkeepers that can play."

Of the 24 players called up by Luis Enrique, nine of them are 23 and under -- with Pedri being the youngest.

Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea has kept his place in the squad. Barcelona left-back Jordi Alba, Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara and Leeds United defender Diego Llorente return to the fold after missing previous call-ups.

Eibar sensation Bryan Gil, 20, has also been included in the rejuvenated Spain squad.

Spain open their World Cup qualifying campaign against Greece in Granada on March 25 before travelling to Tbilisi to face Georgia three days later. La Roja host Kosovo in Seville on March 31.

Squad in full

Goalkeepers: David De Gea (Manchester United), Robert Sanchez (Brighton), Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao)

Defenders: Pedro Porro (Sporting), Eric Garcia (Manchester City), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Diego Llorente (Leeds United), Inigo Martinez (Athletic Bilbao), Jordi Alba (Barcelona), Jose Luis Gaya (Valencia)

Midfielders: Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Rodrigo (Man City), Thiago Alcantara (Liverpool), Pedri (Barcelona), Marcos Llorente (Atletico Madrid), Sergio Canales (Real Betis), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Fabian Ruiz (Napoli)

Forwards: Gerard Moreno (Villarreal), Ferran Torres (Man City), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Alvaro Morata (Juventus), Bryan Gil (Eibar), Dani Olmo (RB Leipzig).

Zinedine Zidane has said he "can't explain" Eden Hazard's latest injury setback but admitted "something is going on" after the forward was ruled out of Real Madrid's Champions League round-of-16 second leg clash with Atalanta.

Hazard had made yet another return from injury on Saturday, coming off the bench in the 75th minute of Madrid's 2-1 La Liga win over Elche, but missed training on Monday.

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"He won't be in a condition to be with us," Zidane said at a news conference ahead of Tuesday's game. "I can't say more. There are things I can't explain... I hope, because I'm always positive, that it isn't too much."

"Something is going on. He's a player who had never been injured in his career, or not many times. It's new for him. I can't explain more. We want him to be well, we want to help, and I hope he'll be with us again soon."

Real Madrid released a statement on Monday confirming that Hazard had sustained "an injury in the right psoas muscle."

Hazard returned to training last Wednesday after missing the previous six weeks with a thigh problem.

The Belgium international has been beset with injury problems since signing for Madrid from Chelsea in the summer of 2019. He suffered two ankle fractures in his first season -- which Hazard called "the worst of my career" -- making just 16 league appearances and scoring one goal.

This campaign he has played in nine league games, being absent with another ankle injury, a hamstring strain and a thigh problem, as well as testing positive for COVID-19.

"The fans will have to wait," Zidane added. "We know the player he is. We want to see Eden Hazard play -- the club, the players, the coach, the staff -- but right now he can't do what he wants to do. We'll be patient."

Zidane also denied that Real Madrid's medical staff are to blame for the team's injury issues, calling them "very competent."

"Eden hasn't had a lot of luck since he arrived here," teammate Karim Benzema said at the news conference. "It makes me a bit sad for him because everyone knows Eden is a top player. He wants to show that he's a star. We're here to help."

Benzema also refused to speculate about a return to Madrid for Cristiano Ronaldo -- saying "I can't say if I'll come here, I'm not the coach or the president" -- and was asked about reports linking Erling Haaland with a move to the Bernabeu.

"How can I talk about a player who isn't at the club?" he said.

"I've been here for a lot of years. Every month they talk about other forwards. What I'll say is he's a good, young player who scores a lot of goals for [Borussia Dortmund]. He has to work more for his team and if one day he has the chance to come to Madrid, let him come here."