Second Thoughts

Mascot KO'd by champion on TV show

Heavyweight champion boxer Deontay Wilder allegedly broke the jaw of a person wearing a cartoonish ESPN mascot outfit during an episode of the Spanish show, Nacion ESPN.
Heavyweight champion boxer Deontay Wilder allegedly broke the jaw of a person wearing a cartoonish ESPN mascot outfit during an episode of the Spanish show, Nacion ESPN.

Heavyweight champion boxer Deontay Wilder allegedly broke the jaw of a person wearing a cartoonish ESPN mascot outfit during an in-show stunt showcasing his pugilistic skills. The incident happened during a Spanish language episode of Nacion ESPN.

Wilder, undefeated at 40-0 and nicknamed "The Bronze Bomber," was invited by the show hosts to kiddingly box the hot dog-like Nacion ESPN mascot in what was supposed to be a jokey moment.

Wilder apparently didn't get the memo, sending the mascot to the floor with a vicious right-hand shot after a few feints.

The moustached mascot did not get up from Wilder's blow. There were no updates immediately available on the mascot's condition or exactly who was in the mascot costume.

Some reports claimed Wilder didn't know there was a human inside the mascot costume, but Wilder denied it on social media.

Next stop, Hawaii

With a runaway victory at the CIMB Classic in Malaysia, Marc Leishman qualified for a return to the winners-only Sentry Tournament of Champions in Maui. But it doesn't mean the Aussie will have to add any new travel plans to start the new year.

Leishman told reporters that he and his wife, Audrey, had already booked travel to the Aloha State in January with the hope that it might include a little golf.

"I was actually talking to my wife about that two weeks ago, and we booked flights to go back to Australia and had to book sort of return ones back to America, and I just booked them for Maui, thinking that I'll either be playing in the tournament or we'll go for a vacation there," Leishman said.

"Now I'll be playing a golf tournament. I know Audrey will be very excited, as my kids will be."

Leishman won twice last year on Tour to qualify for his first start at Kapalua since 2013. He tied for seventh on the Plantation Course this January, then followed with a tie for 47th at the Sony Open in Honolulu the next week.

Who's going to watch?

Fans hoping to get an up-close glimpse of Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson during their upcoming high-stakes match in Las Vegas may be out of luck.

According to a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal, there will not be any tickets made available to the public for the $9 million match between the two Nov. 23 at Shadow Creek. The event will be broadcast on pay-per-view, and the report added that only a "small gathering of sponsors and VIPs" will have access to the exclusive course, which is owned by MGM Resorts International.

While Mickelson told reporters in August that the duel would include primetime golf, the report indicates that it will be played during the day and that "no parts of the match will be played under the lights" -- although, with an estimated 4:28 p.m. Pacific sunset, there is a chance that play could extend beyond without turning on the lights.

Organizers have yet to make an official announcement on the timing of the event, which will be held the day after Thanksgiving, nor have they confirmed the pay-per-view price.

Woods and Mickelson combined to go 0-6 last month at the Ryder Cup. But thanks in part to his Tour Championship win the week prior, Woods is currently listed as the favorite over Mickelson.

Sports on 10/15/2018

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