07-03-2023 Breakfast Bites Podcast S04E65 #TeivovoSports #TeivovoDigital #TeivovoRugby #TeivovoLeague

Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula and Welcome to Season 08 Episode 67 of Breakfast Bites, by TeivovoSports.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on a sunny and bright Monday morning 11 March 2024.
                                                                  
Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian in the middle of the Blue Continent. 
 
In rugby union: Fijian Drua fans are still drooling over sensational rookie flyhalf Isaiah Armstrong-Ravula. The young gun had a flawless game against the Crusaders at Churchill Park, Lautoka last Saturday with the Kiwis Coach even mentioning him in his media conference post game.
 
How good is this kid!
Meanwhile, the Saint George Dragons are reportedly chasing 24-year-old Wallabies star Jordan Petaia, who can play Centre, Wing or Fullback, and is off contract at the end of the season.
Petaia is also exploring rugby union options in France and Japan, according to The SMH, and has played 27 Tests for Australia, including at the past two Rugby World Cups.
In football: Liverpool’s blockbuster clash against Manchester City at Anfield has just ended in a one all draw.
Earlier Arsenal needed Kai Havertz’s late winner to go top of the Premier League by beating Brentford 2-1 as Manchester United kept alive their faint hopes of finishing in the top four with a 2-0 win over Everton.
An eighth consecutive Premier League win sees Mikel Arteta’s men level with Liverpool and one clear of defending champions Man City.
In SportsBiz: Paris Olympics Organizers have announced that about 326,000 spectators will be allowed to watch this summer’s Olympic Games opening ceremony along the River Seine.
 
While that revised total is almost 50% less than the 600,000 initially expected and will shut out some hopeful fans. The good news: It still allows for four times the crowd capacity of the Stade de France.
 
In rugby league: Sheriff Todd Peyton and his Cowboys rode into town and silenced the derby home crowd, scoring seven tries – two to Zac Laybutt, and all converted by Valentine Holmes for a 43-18 win, leaving Wayne Bennett and his pod with plenty of questions to ponder.
 
Meanwhile, Penrith Panthers young gun Izack Tago has reportedly penned a new deal that will make him one of the highest-paid Centres in the NRL.
 
Tago was already contracted until 2025 but has agreed terms at A$3Million that will keep him at the Club until the end of 2028 on an extended deal averaging around A$750,000 per season.
In Combat sports: UFC boss Dana White has hinted at his concern over the upcoming boxing clash between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul.
"Tyson gets mad when I do this but Mike's 60. I love Mike Tyson, personally as a friend and he's one of my favourite athletes of all time, and I don't like the 31-year age difference," White told reporters.
Former World Heavyweight Champion Tyson will fight Paul on 20 July at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. It will be Tyson's first fight since taking on Roy Jones Jr in an exhibition in November 2020.
Tyson has not fought professionally since 2005 when he quit on his stool after five rounds of his clash with Kevin McBride.
The fight will be broadcast by Netflix in the summer as the streaming service makes its move into live sports. 
Madness driven by money!
 
And that’s a wrap!
 
Please hit the like and subscribe buttons below if you want to receive more Pasifika sports highlights from Breakfast Bites.
 
Mahalo and Ka kite; I’m Culden Kamea, tanking you all too mass for all your love and support.
 
#TEIVOVORugby  #TEIVOVODigital #TeivovoRugby #TeivovoDigital #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #Raka #team #rugbytraining #sports #FRU #Fiji #womensrugby #rugbygirls #wrugby #ladiesrugby #womeninsport  #woman #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #fitness #weightlifting #training #team #rugbytraining #sports  #rakavi  #DevelopmentFiji

Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula and Welcome to Season 08 Episode 66 of Breakfast Bites, by TeivovoSports.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on a sunny and bright Sunday morning 10 March 2024.
                                                                  
Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian in the middle of the Blue Continent. 
 
In rugby union: All is well in rugby in Fiji again after the Fijian Drua lit up Churchill Park in Lautoka yesterday with a powerful display by their forwards, matching and then outmuscling the best that Scott Barrett and his Crusaders could throw at them for a solid 20-10 win in front of another full house.
 
In other games: Rebels 29-23 Moana Pasifika, Highlanders 23-21 NSW Waratahs, Brumbies 22-19 Western Force, Hurricanes 29-21 Blues and the Reds 25-19 Chiefs.
 
In football: Sports clashes don’t get much bigger than this - Manchester City versus Liverpool - the last dance between Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola, two iconic football Managers.
With 11 rounds remaining in the Premier League, one gets the feeling that this weekend’s game could prove crucial to deciding who lifts the trophy.
As Manchester City star Phil Foden put it this week: “It’s massive … It’s games we want to play in, the biggest games and the biggest occasions. We’re ready.”
In SportsBiz: F1 Racing valuations by Forbes last summer had an average team valuation of US$1.88Billion, more than triple the comparable US$500Million mark from 2019.
 
Liberty’s recent earnings confirmed the drive behind the surge in team valuations as F1’s full-year attendance finished up 5% in 2023 to 6 million, revenue grew 25% to US$3.22B and operating income surged 64% to US$392M.
Helping drive those numbers were mushrooming fan interest in the US and the Las Vegas Grand Prix, despite heavy upfront infrastructure costs.
 
In rugby league: It was an encouraging night for the Parramatta Eels who beat the Canterbury Bulldogs 8-26 at CommBank Stadium last night. One of the biggest disappointments last season, the Eels still managed a crowd of 29,171 – their biggest regular season attendance at the venue.
 
Bulldogs fans spent the entire off-season dreaming of a rapid turnaround after their Club recruited heavily over summer, but yesterday was a nightmare for them after the blue and whites went down to the Eels and they could be without the ‘Foxx’ for a while.
 
In Combat sports: Anthony Joshua totally destroyed Francis Ngannou, in their fight in Saudi Arabia yesterday, knocking out the former UFC World Heavyweight Champion in the second round after knocking Ngannou down late in the first round, with the Cameroonian getting back to his feet.
Former Kiwi-Samoan World Heavyweight Champion Joseph Parker claimed a stunning majority decision win over Chinese star Zhilei Zhang to win the WBO Interim heavyweight title.
Parker was knocked down in the third round by a thudding straight left from southpaw Zhang, who again dropped Parker in the eighth with a short right hook that sent Parker down to one knee. But Zhang let Parker off the hook both times, failing to follow up.
Parker outworked his rival – who was considerably bigger; 20kg heavier at 132.3kg and much taller at 1.98M.
In the end, Parker’s fitness and greater work rate saw him earn a 113-113, 114-112, 115-111 unanimous points win.
Talofa lava Joseph Parker!
 
And that’s a wrap!
 
Please hit the like and subscribe buttons below if you want to receive more Pasifika sports highlights on Breakfast Bites.
 
Mahalo, Ka kite and tank you all too mass for all your love and support.
 
#TEIVOVORugby  #TEIVOVODigital #TeivovoRugby #TeivovoDigital #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #Raka #team #rugbytraining #sports #FRU #Fiji #womensrugby #rugbygirls #wrugby #ladiesrugby #womeninsport  #woman #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #fitness #weightlifting #training #team #rugbytraining #sports  #rakavi  #DevelopmentFiji

Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula and Welcome to Season 08 Episode 65 of Breakfast Bites, by TeivovoSports.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on a sunny and bright Saturday morning 09 March 2024.
                                                                  
Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian in the middle of the Blue Continent. 
 
In rugby union: Fiji rugby 7s fans at home and around the world expressed relief that Ben Gollings was sacked by the Fiji Rugby Union yesterday after a record 19 HSBC SVNS Rugby 7s Series tournaments without a win.
 
While there is some anxiety that it happened just six months out from the Paris Olympics, where Fiji is the defending gold medalist, fans harbor hope that with the selection of World Rugby Hall of Famer, and Rio Olympics rugby 7s gold medal-winning Captain Osea Kolinisau, now a Level 3 World Rugby qualified Coach, that the Fiji Men’s 7s team will rise to the occasion.
 
But what about the Team Fijiana Head Coach – or don’t Fiji rugby 7s fans really care about the Women’s game?
 
In football: Liverpool remain on course to send Jurgen Klopp off with a quadruple of trophies as they surged towards the Europa League quarter-finals after a 5-1 win away to Sparta Prague on Thursday; the Reds not distracted by Sunday’s massive Premier League showdown against Manchester City.
 
In other Europa League games: Roma thrashed Brighton 4-0 in the Italian capital and Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen had to come from 2-0 down to preserve their unbeaten season with a 2-2 draw against Qarabag in Azerbaijan.
 
In SportsBiz: Already boasting one of the fastest-growing franchise valuations in sports, Formula One is reaching another milestone as every team is worth at least US$1.3 billion, according to McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown.
 
Speaking to Bloomberg in Jeddah ahead of Saturday’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Brown credited a surge in American popularity and overall revenues under the leadership of Liberty Media, which purchased the motor-sports circuit in 2017.
“Half the grid is profitable. They weren’t five years ago,” Brown said. 
In rugby league: It took an eternity for the first and only try of the game, but it finally arrived when Storm Centre Reimis Smith crossed out wide in the 50th minute, enabling his side to pull off a gritty 8-0 win over the reigning premiers, the Penrith Panthers in Melbourne last night.
 
The win preserved a unique record for Storm Coach Craig Bellamy - 22 straight Round One wins to continue an incredible record that dates back to his first season as an NRL Head Coach in 2003.
 
Meanwhile, Broncos star Ezra Mam has rejected Spencer Leniu’s offer to fly to Brisbane for a face-to-face apology for calling him a “monkey” during their Las Vegas clash on Sunday.
 
Too little too late mate, you had your chance during and after the game in Vegas.
 
In Combat sports: In 2012, at the age of 26, fired by dreams of becoming a professional boxer, Francis Ngannou, left his brutal work in the sand pits of Cameroon to make a break for Europe and a better life.
He crossed the unforgiving Sahara, travelled through Nigeria, Niger and Algeria before reaching Morocco.
There, after half a dozen failed attempts, he finally made it across the Mediterranean to Spain where he was promptly jailed for making an illegal crossing.
Completing a trip of around 5000Km, he took a train to Paris, lived in a car park before local boxing Coach Didier Carmont found him a place to live and a gym in which to train.
The rest is history - Francis Ngannou fights Anthony Joshua later this morning in Saudi Arabia for which he is being paid US$20.2Million.
Now is that a real life Rocky story or what?
 
And that’s a wrap!
 
For TeivovoSports.com I’m Culden Kamea – please hit the like and subscribe buttons below if you want to receive more Pasifika sports highlights on Breakfast Bites.
 
Mahalo, Kakite and tank you all too mas for all your love and support.
 
#TEIVOVORugby  #TEIVOVODigital #TeivovoRugby #TeivovoDigital #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #Raka #team #rugbytraining #sports #FRU #Fiji #womensrugby #rugbygirls #wrugby #ladiesrugby #womeninsport  #woman #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #fitness #weightlifting #training #team #rugbytraining #sports  #rakavi  #DevelopmentFiji

Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula and Welcome to Season 08 Episode 64 of Breakfast Bites, by TeivovoSports.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on a sunny and bright Friday morning 08 March 2024.

Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian in the middle of the Blue Continent.

In rugby union BREAKING NEWS: Sources inside Rugby House say that Fiji Men’s 7s Coach Ben Gollings was sacked last night by the Fiji Rugby Union.

They also say that he will be replaced by Rio Olympics 2016 gold medal-winning Captain Osea Koilnisau who was originally short-listed with Gollings for the job.

In football: Manchester City cruised into the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals with a second-straight 3-1 win over FC Copenhagen, while Real Madrid were pushed all the way by RB Leipzig but narrowly made it through after a 1-1 draw.

In other games, Bayern Munich hammered Lazio 3-0 and PSG beat Real Sociedad 1-2.

In SportsBiz: During 2023, the NFL teams’ total number of posts on social media platforms - X, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube impressions and engagements were tracked and their overall value calculated. As such, the NFL’s overall social media value is estimated to be worth US$1.1Billion.

In rugby league: Sydney Roosters prop Spencer Leniu has pleaded guilty to racially abusing Ezra Mam and issued a public apology to the Broncos young gun, “I want to apologise to Ezra and his family for using the word I did and I am sincerely sorry to cause him such distress,” Leniu said.

The Samoan international is likely facing up to two months on the sideline for calling Mam a “monkey”.

In Combat sports: Francis Ngannou will earn US$20.2Million from his fight against Anthony Joshua in Saudi Arabia later today. This figure could increase as it doesn't include earnings from pay-per-view sales or any extra bonuses agreed in the contract.

In comparison, Ngannou's biggest UFC payday was after he defeated Ciryl Gane and he took home US$608,000.

Welcome to the big league Francis!

And that’s a wrap!

For TeivovoSports.com I’m Culden Kamea – please hit the like and subscribe buttons below if you want to receive more Pasifika sports highlights on Breakfast Bites.

Mahalo, Kakite and tank you all too mas for all your love and support.

#TEIVOVORugby #TEIVOVODigital #TeivovoRugby #TeivovoDigital #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #Raka #team #rugbytraining #sports #FRU #Fiji #womensrugby #rugbygirls #wrugby #ladiesrugby #womeninsport #woman #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #fitness #weightlifting #training #team #rugbytraining #sports #rakavi #DevelopmentFiji

Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula and Welcome to Season 08 Episode 63 of Breakfast Bites, by TeivovoSports.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on a sunny and bright Thursday morning 07 March 2024.

Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian in the middle of the Blue Continent.

In rugby union: Fiji defeated Junior Manu Samoa 31–17, to claim the inaugural Oceania Rugby U20s Challenge at North Harbour Stadium in Auckland yesterday.

The young Fijians combined finesse and firepower in a dominant performance and their ability to stay composed under pressure was the difference in the end.

The final was a brilliant display of young Pasifika talent, showing that the future of rugby in the Islands is very bright.

In football: British Police allege Matilda’s Captain Sam Kerr called an officer a “stupid white bastard” in her taxi run-in that has her facing a trial next year.

The Sun is reporting that Kerr made the comment to one of two officers after being sick following a night out amid a dispute over her taxi fare at Twickenham in south west London, in January 2023 but Kerr only faced a London court this week.

The Matildas Captain, who is part Indian and English, denies the allegation.

In SportsBiz: During 2023, the NFL teams’ total number of posts on social media platforms - X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube impressions, and engagements were tracked and then ranked based on overall value. The report notes that the NFL’s overall social media value is worth US$1.1Billion and the social media value of the Top 5 NFL teams are:
· Eagles: US$52.6M
· Cowboys: US$40.7M
· 49ers: US$39.9
· Chiefs: US$38M
· Steelers: US$32.3M
In rugby league: The 2024 NRL season is off to a flying start with the four teams in Las Vegas putting on a show for fans old and new.

No team is ever perfect in March, but the overall quality on display far exceeded that of typical Round 1 games as the Roosters and Sea Eagles broke patterns of previous seasons to hit the ground running

The Roosters are well known as slow starters, up against 2023 grand finalists Brisbane, expected to be one of the best teams in the NRL this year, the Tricolours played out of their skin in Vegas.

Did you know, Manly had lost nine season-openers in a row before their 36-24 victory over the Rabbitohs in Sin City?

In Combat sports: ON THIS DAY in 1964, less than two weeks after Cassius Marcellus Clay claimed the World Heavyweight boxing title from Sonny Liston, he revealed his new name, Muhammad Ali, along with his conversion to the Nation of Islam.

The new champion said, adopting the new name allowed him to be “freed from the identity given to my family by slave masters.”

It signaled a refusal to conform to American societal expectations of the time - one that would ultimately define his career and legacy.

Ali ultimately refused induction into the US military, upon being selected three years later, citing his religious beliefs and opposition to US participation in the Vietnam War.

Ali’s refusal to be drafted became a high-profile legal case, rising to the US Supreme Court, where his conviction was ultimately overturned.

During this extended saga lasting nearly four years, Ali did not fight as he was denied a boxing license, essentially robbing him of the athletic prime of his mid to late 20s.

But national sentiment steadily turned against American involvement in Vietnam and Muhammad Ali's standing as an influential cultural force in America was cemented in the pages of history.

Rest in Peace Champ.

And that’s a wrap!

For TeivovoSports.com I’m Culden Kamea – please hit the like and subscribe buttons below if you want to receive more Pasifika sports highlights on Breakfast Bites.

Mahalo, Kakite and tank you all too mas for all your love and support.

#TEIVOVORugby #TEIVOVODigital #TeivovoRugby #TeivovoDigital #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #Raka #team #rugbytraining #sports #FRU #Fiji #womensrugby #rugbygirls #wrugby #ladiesrugby #womeninsport #woman #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #fitness #weightlifting #training #team #rugbytraining #sports #rakavi #DevelopmentFiji

Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula and Welcome to Season 08 Episode 62 of Breakfast Bites, by TeivovoSports.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on a sunny and bright Wednesday morning 06 March 2024.

Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian in the middle of the Blue Continent.

In rugby union: What is going on with Fiji 7s rugby? Who is to blame – Ben Gollings? What will Fiji Rugby Union do – name Waisale Serevi to Coach the Fiji Men’s 7s team and Senirusi Seruvakula to Coach the Flying Fijians as ordained by a higher power?

In football: Football Australia boss James Johnson says superstar Matildas Captain Sam Kerr “has rights” and there will be no moves on her leadership after shock revelations she had been charged by UK police for allegedly racially harassing a police officer more than a year ago.

In SportsBiz: On LeBron James reaching a milestone 40,017 NBA career points, his career earnings while with the Cleaveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and now the LA Lakers, amounts to US$479,466,457, which would mean King James has earned an average of US$11,981.56 per point.

In rugby league: The President of one of the most successful and popular NFL franchises of all time and Super Bowl LVIII finalists - the San Francisco 49ers, Al Guido has expressed an interest in potentially purchasing an NRL team: “We will look at anything that has a passionate fan base,” Guido said.

Guido also said that the NRL’s foray into the American sporting market was the right call and that having games in Las Vegas, the entertainment capital of the US, on the heels of the Super Bowl is really smart.

In Combat sports: Having given Tyson Fury a major scare, in a fight many believed he should have won on points, Francis Ngannou is confident he can now derail Anthony Joshua’s plans and is sensing anxiety from his opponent.

“We were doing the promo and he was very chilled, very relaxed,” Ngannou said. “I asked him if he was OK, because he looked a little nervous.”

Nervous? AJ is scared stiff.

And that’s a wrap!

For TeivovoSports.com I’m Culden Kamea – please hit the like and subscribe buttons below if you want to receive more Pasifika sports highlights on Breakfast Bites.

Mahalo, Kakite and tank you all too mas for all your love and support.

#TEIVOVORugby #TEIVOVODigital #TeivovoRugby #TeivovoDigital #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #Raka #team #rugbytraining #sports #FRU #Fiji #womensrugby #rugbygirls #wrugby #ladiesrugby #womeninsport #woman #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #fitness #weightlifting #training #team #rugbytraining #sports #rakavi #DevelopmentFiji

Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula and Welcome to Season 08 Episode 61 of Breakfast Bites, by TeivovoSports.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on a sunny and bright Tuesday morning 05 March 2024.

Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian in the middle of the Blue Continent.

In rugby union: France and New Zealand women – the Black Ferns 7s swept the Los Angeles 7s with Fiji Men losing to Argentina again in finishing 6th and Fijiana dropping out of sight. What is going on? Who is to blame? What will Fiji Rugby Union do – name Serevi?

In football: Real Madrid Coach Carlo Ancelotti slammed an ‘unprecedented’ refereeing decision as midfielder Jude Bellingham was sent off after the controversial final whistle in their 2-2 La Liga draw at Valencia.

England’s Bellingham was shown a red card for protesting after the referee blew for time an instant before Bellingham hit what would have been a 99th minute winner.

In Combat sports: Boxing legend Mike Tyson has expressed his shock at Canelo Alvarez's decision to turn down a US$60Million offer to fight two-time WBC Super Middleweight Champion with a 28-0 record, David Benavidez.

“I can't believe what I just heard. What is wrong with Canelo? Is he afraid? Doesn't he want to give the fans the fight they want to see? Does he not respect the legacy of the great Mexican champions who faced the best regardless of the money? This is a shame for boxing and for Mexico,” Tyson said.

Canelo holds the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO Super Middleweight world titles.

In SportsBiz: The sixth season of Drive to Survive is out, while ESPN enters the second season of its three-year US media rights deal believed to be worth US$85Million annually, and F1 just completed a 10-year pact with beIN Sports for broadcast rights in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey that multiple reports are saying is worth US$500M in total.

In rugby league: “The NRL is in Las Vegas, like every other punter or entertainer in the city, to make money,” The Guardian’s Angus Fontaine writes. “It craves a slice of the US$119.84Billion, the American Gambling Association says was bet in 2023, and a turbo-boost of the NRL brand to lure revenue from US broadcasters and sponsors.”

Meanwhile, Spencer Leniu has been charged by the NRL after Broncos young gun Ezra Mam alleged he aimed a racial slur at him on the field during the Las Vegas season opener.

The Rooster has been referred straight to the NRL judiciary, with a contrary conduct charge for allegedly calling Mam a “monkey”.

And that’s a wrap!

For TeivovoSports.com I’m Culden Kamea – please hit the like and subscribe buttons below if you want to receive more Pasifika sports highlights on Breakfast Bites.

Mahalo, Kakite and tank you all too mas for all your love and support.

#TEIVOVORugby #TEIVOVODigital #TeivovoRugby #TeivovoDigital #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #Raka #team #rugbytraining #sports #FRU #Fiji #womensrugby #rugbygirls #wrugby #ladiesrugby #womeninsport #woman #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #fitness #weightlifting #training #team #rugbytraining #sports #rakavi #DevelopmentFiji

Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula and Welcome to Season 08 Episode 60 of Breakfast Bites, by TeivovoSports.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on a sunny and bright Monday morning 04 March 2024.

Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian in the middle of the Blue Continent.

In rugby union: At the Los Angeles 7s today, Spain reached their first ever Men’s semi-final with a comeback win over Fiji 19-21 to join an all European Men’s semi-finals line-up of France vs Ireland and Spain vs Great Britain.

The Women’s quarter-finals sees France vs Canada, New Zealand vs Ireland, USA vs South Africa, Australia vs Brazil.

In the NBA: LeBron James has added another first to his illustrious career, after bringing up 40,000 career points in the NBA.

He reached the figure in a 114-124 loss to the Denver Nuggets yesterday afternoon, having entered the game needing just nine points to become the first player to achieve the feat.

James had already surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s previous all-time NBA scoring record of 38,387 points against the Thunder last year.

In Combat sports: YouTuber & fake boxer Jake Paul got a haircut on Saturday night in Puerto Rico that ended up costing him US$1.5Million.

That’s how much his MVP Promotions company had to refund fans after hair treatment caused MVP’s star women’s boxing champion, Amanda Serrano to pull out of her main event fight on Saturday night, after chemicals from her hair procedure leaked into her eyes, burning her cornea so badly doctors refused to let her fight Nina Meinke.

In SportsBiz: “You look at examples like the Jordan brand; I’m trying to build my version of that,” Steph Curry said in an interview with Bloomberg, on his ongoing efforts to elevate the Under Armour brand to a level that resonates with sneakerheads like Michael Jordan, Ja Morant and LaMelo Ball, all of whose shoes currently outsell Curry’s.

The Warriors’ star agreed to a contract extension with Under Armour last March that included US$75Million in stock.

While Under Armour doesn’t provide specific numbers, Bloomberg estimated the Curry brand generated up to US$250M in annual sales of Under Armour’s annual US$1.5Billion footwear segment revenue last year, still trailing Nike and Adidas.

In rugby league: Rugby league has been given a giant tick from American spectators following a thrilling double-header at Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas yesterday.

Manly put on a show to down South Sydney 24-36, while the Roosters out-muscled the Broncos to win 20-10.

Of course the majority of the over 40,000 spectators who attended were Australians, but there were plenty of locals there too.

“If we can make it here, it’ll be worth tens, if not thousands, of millions of dollars for the game over five years. This is the start, this is the foundation, we now have to build the house,” Peter V’Landys said on Fox League.

“Also the opportunity is here for sports betting. The Super Bowl alone generated over US$23Billion so there’s a market here for sports betting as well.

It’s all about the money folks!

And that’s a wrap!

For TeivovoSports.com I’m Culden Kamea – please hit the like and subscribe buttons below if you want to receive more Pasifika sports highlights on Breakfast Bites.

Mahalo, Kakite and tank you all too mas for all your love and support.

#TEIVOVORugby #TEIVOVODigital #TeivovoRugby #TeivovoDigital #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #Raka #team #rugbytraining #sports #FRU #Fiji #womensrugby #rugbygirls #wrugby #ladiesrugby #womeninsport #woman #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #fitness #weightlifting #training #team #rugbytraining #sports #rakavi #DevelopmentFiji

Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula and Welcome to Season 08 Episode 59 of Breakfast Bites, by TeivovoSports.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on a sunny and bright Sunday morning 03 March 2024.

Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian in the middle of the Blue Continent.

In rugby union: At the Los Angeles 7s yesterday, Brazil beat Fijiana 5-12. The Fiji girls play South Africa at 8.26am this morning and New Zealand at 1.24pm in their final pool game. The Women’s Cup quarters will kick off at 6.14am Monday.

And the Fiji Men’s 7s team beat Great Britain 12-15 and hammered Canada 40 zip this morning. They play France at 10.22am today in their last pool game. The Men’s Cup quarters kick off at 3.26pm later today.

In football: France star Paul Pogba has been given a four-year ban from football by Italy’s anti-doping tribunal after testing positive for testosterone last August, his club Juventus said yesterday.

Pogba announced he would appeal the ruling, “When I am free of legal restrictions the full story will become clear, but I have never knowingly or deliberately taken any supplements that violate anti-doping regulations. I will appeal this before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”

The ban means Pogba will not be able to play again until the 2027/28 season, by which time he will be 34.

In Combat SportsBiz: US$614Million is the revenue reported by TKO Group Holdings in its first full quarter after their US$21Billion merger of the UFC and WWE. The breakdown for Q4 in 2023, which ended Dec. 31, was US$282.8M revenue for UFC and US$331.2M for WWE.

For 2024, TKO is targeting revenue of at least US$2.575B. Last month, Netflix signed a 10-year, US$5B media rights deal for WWE’s “Raw”. This year, UFC will be shopping for its next broadcast pact, as its current contract with ESPN expires in 2025.

In rugby league: All eyes are on Las Vegas today where the South Sydney Rabbitohs take on the Sydney Roosters followed by the Brisbane Broncos taking on the Manly Sea Eagles in the NRL Vegas extravaganza. What more is there to say except, “Let’s get it on baby!”

And that’s a wrap!

For TeivovoSports.com I’m Culden Kamea – please hit the like and subscribe buttons below if you want to receive more Pasifika sports highlights on Breakfast Bites.

Mahalo, Kakite and tank you all too mas for all your love and support.

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Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula and Welcome to Season 08 Episode 58 of Breakfast Bites, by TeivovoSports.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on a sunny and bright Friday morning 01 March 2024.

Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian in the middle of the Blue Continent.

In rugby union: The Los Angeles 7s kicks off tomorrow, with Team Fijiana playing Brazil at 1.14pm Saturday in their first pool game, they will then play South Africa at 8.26am Sunday, before playing New Zealand at 1.24pm Sunday afternoon in their final pool game.

The Fiji Men’s 7s team play Great Britain at 2.54pm Saturday, followed by Canada at 5.30am Sunday, before playing France at 10.22am Sunday in their last pool match.

In rugby league: Some 14,000 Aussies are expected to be in Vegas for the NRL extravaganza — something big boss man Peter V’landys is very proud of: “Everyone is decked out in their gear. We’re expecting at least 40,000 tickets to be sold, we might get 45 to 50,000 which would be a spectacular result.”

V’landys noted though that the success of the NRL’s Vegas project will be determined by how many viewers tune into Fox Sports 1.

“Fox 1 goes out to over 100 million viewers in the United States. The more that view it the more successful it will be,” he said.

In football: Manchester City’s Erling Haaland scored five times as the FA Cup holders ran riot in a 6-2 rout of Luton in the fifth round.

Aided by Kevin De Bruyne’s trio of assists, Haaland completed his treble inside the first 40 minutes at Kenilworth Road before Jordan Clark struck twice to briefly reduce Luton’s deficit to just 3-2.

But any Luton hopes of an incredible comeback were ruthlessly erased by Haaland as the Norway striker scored twice more after the interval to send City into the quarter-finals.

In Combat Sports: Seven years after Jeff Horn upset the legendary Manny Pacquiao in front of 60,000 screaming fans at Suncorp Stadium, Fox Sports Australia has revealed a push is now underway for undefeated 25-year-old mandatory IBF super Bantamweight challenger, Sam Goodman to fight the division’s undisputed King and arguably the greatest fighter on planet earth, Japanese megastar Naoya Inoue down under.

In SportsBiz: US$1,717,000 is the combined amount of money won between golfers Joe Dean and Jake Knapp on Sunday.

Dean, who is also a part-time grocery delivery driver for the UK supermarket chain Morrisons, tied for second place at the Kenya Open and called the moment “life-changing” as he received a cheque for US$217,000.

Knapp, who was a bouncer at a nightclub in his home city of Costa Mesa, California, two years ago, trying to save money and keep his PGA Tour dreams alive, won the Mexico Open and took home a US$1.5M first-place prize, he also earned a spot in this year’s Masters.

And that’s a wrap!

For TeivovoSports.com I’m Culden Kamea – please hit the like and subscribe buttons below if you want to receive more Pasifika sports highlights on Breakfast Bites.

Mahalo, Kakite and tank you all too mas for all your love and support.

#TEIVOVORugby #TEIVOVODigital #TeivovoRugby #TeivovoDigital #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #Raka #team #rugbytraining #sports #FRU #Fiji #womensrugby #rugbygirls #wrugby #ladiesrugby #womeninsport #woman #rugby #rugby7s #FijiRugby #rugbyunion #rugbyleague #fitness #weightlifting #training #team #rugbytraining #sports #rakavi #DevelopmentFiji