SPORTS

Prior to the surprise loss of his junior welterweight on Saturday night in New York to Chris Algieri, Russian boxer Ruslan Provoknikov was considered a serious contender to be Manny Pacquiao's opponent in the Filipino boxer's bout on Nov 27 in Macau.

The San Antonio Spurs had the Miami Heat on the ropes in last year’s championship series. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard have LeBron James and his crew pushed against the wall again.

Switzerland and Ecuador open the action in Group E in the 2014 World Cup at the Estadio Nacional Brasiliaon on Sunday 1:00 pm local time (2:00 am in Australia).

Houston Rockets point guard Jeremy Lin is very open to take his talent back to the Big Apple, if the New York Knicks eventually pull off a trade to reacquire him, as per report by a number of media outlets.

Formula One driver Michael Schumacher is reportedly clinically awake and already moved from intensive care unit to a rehabilatation facility after spending the last six-month in medical-induced coma. However, despite the development, the Ferrari driver's chance of full recovery has faded.

After a semifinal stint in the last World Cup, Uruguayan national football team is gunning for the gold with Luis Suarez leading the charge. On Saturday, Suarez and Uruguay embark into their first major test as they play Costa Rica (5:00 a.m Sydney Time) at Estadio Castelão in Fortaleza, Brazil.

Two European teams, England and Italy, to square off in a Group D match-up in the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Colombia and Greece open their campaign in Brazil at the Estadio Mineiro, Belo Horizente on Saturday 1:00 pm local time (2:00 am in Australia).

The FIFA World Cup heads into the second day with three pulsating matches slated throughout the afternoon, but none more intriguing than the Group A showdown between emerging powerhouse Mexico and African superpower Cameroon Monday (2:00 a.m Sydney Time) at Estadio das DunasNatal in Brazil.

Jennifer Lopez sizzled in a plunging short green dress and looked her best as she kicked off the Football World Cup on Thursday evening in Sao Paulo in Brazil with Pitbull and Claudia Leitte. The trio performed on FIFA song We Are One (Ole Ola) and gave power-packed performance to the audience. JLo looked sexy in a sparkling green leotard dress which the Latin beauty teamed up with equally glittery stockings.

The 2014 FIFA World Cup is a billion dollar business. The money that goes into staging the sport is phenomenal beginning from the various infrastructure projects and promotions by the host country to the millions spent by each individual participating team in their own preparations leading up to and during the games

Australia has never won against Chile in four meetings in World Cup history. The Socceroos can change that if they win as 6.5-to-1 underdogs against La Roja in their opening matches of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Michael Schumacher has reportedly been released from neurosurgical intensive care unit, a new report states.

Julius Randle, one of the projected top pick for the 2014 draft, dismissed rumours on the status of his right foot which may be a cause of concern for some NBA executives.

The seventeenth match of the FIFA World Cup 2014 is going to be held between Russia and Korea Republic.

The thirteenth match of the FIFA World Cup 2014 is going to be held between Iran and Nigeria.

The fourteenth match of the FIFA World Cup 2014 is going to be held between Ghana and the United States.

In order to stop the illegal streaming of World Cup matches, FIFA has taken actions. Apparently, FIFA has sent warnings to the owners of different Web sites that host or link to illegal live streams of World Cup and other sports events. The organisation states the site owners face criminal liability.

The FIFA World Cup 2014 kicked off in a big way as Barcelona superstar Neymar scored two goals and Oscar added one more to seal a Brazil's 3-1 victory over Croatia in the opening game of the biggest tournament in sports on Friday in Brazil.

NBA News - Michael Jordan made a name in the sports world by collecting NBA rings; years after his retirement from the league he’s still collecting a lot of winnings off the court.

The twelfth match of the FIFA World Cup 2014 is going to be held between Germany and Portugal.

The sixteenth match of the FIFA World Cup 2014 is going to be held between Brazil and Mexico.

The fifteenth match of the FIFA World Cup 2014 is going to be held between Belgium vs. Algeria.

Mark Muñoz has signed a new four-fight contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) despite losing his last match and the last two fights in his career.

Tennis couple Maria Sharapova and Grigor Dimitrov sure make time for each other whenever they can as the duo was recently spotted out and about in Southwest London.

World Cup fans and viewers at home reportedly weren’t so pleased with Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull’s performance in the opening ceremony, not because of the duo’s singing talents, but due to the abysmal sound quality heard on their television sets at home.

Cristiano Ronaldo has caused scare in the Portugal team after he reportedly cut his recent training session and left the field with an ice pack on his left knee.

It will be a battle of Group B's titans as Spain will be taking on Netherlands for their opening match of the World Cup.

Everton FC have had current manager Roberto Martinez pen a five-year deal, that will see him take charge of Goodison Park until 2019.