ALBANY, N.Y. — New York will require $1 million coverage for life-threatening brain injuries and other new health insurance for both professional boxers and its first group of licensed mixed martial artists under regulations slated to take effect in September.

The State Athletic Commission, which already regulates pro boxing, is carrying out the decision by the Legislature and Gov. Andrew Cuomo to legalize professional mixed martial arts and revamp oversight of combat sports generally. Regulation varies among states. New York’s $1 million coverage appears to be the highest insurance minimum in the U.S.

The detailed plan, still subject to public comments, will formally end New York’s opposition to the combination of wrestling, kickboxing and jiu-jitsu inside an enclosure. The amateur sport has grown in the state unregulated, though the commission is authorized to establish its oversight as well.

“The New York State Athletic Commission has taken another step toward ensuring the health, safety and integrity of its athletes and events,” the commission said, while declining to discuss specifics. “The commission looks forward to receiving feedback from all stakeholders before finalizing rules and its implementation.”

Higher insurance was one concession to critics, however, some still wanted the violent sport banned. Others wanted better protection for fighters, several of whom came to Albany to lobby for legalization.

The insurance minimums were specified in the law. In addition to the $1 million in brain injury coverage, provisions require $50,000 coverage for other injuries, up from the longstanding minimum of $7,500 for boxers, and a $50,000 death benefit, down from $100,000 for boxers. The commission acknowledged some small promoters may find the overall insurance cost “problematic” — estimating it will cost $7,500 to $9,000 for a 10-bout card — but said it would be against the fighters’ best interests and the intent of lawmakers to lower the minimums.

Officials at the California State Athletic Commission said their requirement is for $50,000 medical coverage and were unaware of any other state requiring $1 million for possible brain injuries.

Michael Mazzulli, president of the Association of Boxing Commissions, agreed, adding “I believe in fighter safety. If that’s what New York thinks it needs, I’m all for it.”

Supporters say mixed martial arts has evolved from early unregulated days with a set of unified rules widely used. Prohibited acts include strikes to the spine, back of the head or throat; head butts; and stomping a grounded opponent.

Fighters also can be disqualified for downward strikes with the point of the elbow, kneeing or kicking a downed opponent in the head, “spiking” an opponent to the floor on his or her head or neck and heel kicks to the kidney.

The UFC, the sport’s largest promotion and lead lobbyist in Albany, has announced plans to hold a Nov. 12 show at Madison Square Garden. UFC officials declined to discuss the regulations.

The commission also proposed prohibiting promoters from acting as managers, limiting management contracts to three years, requiring fighters get paid at least $150 after all expenses are deducted from purses, and that they get at least 50 percent of all ring earnings after those deductions.

The governor’s office has estimated the sport will yield almost $140 million in annual economic activity in New York from gym expansions and about 70 yearly mixed martial arts events.

LAS VEGAS — The UFC says heavyweight Brock Lesnar failed a second doping test in a sample taken on the night of his victory over Mark Hunt at UFC 200.

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency notified Lesnar last week about his first potential violation of the UFC’s policy from an out-of-competition test last month.

The UFC says Lesnar tested positive for the same unnamed substance in both tests.

The 39-year-old Lesnar declined to comment Tuesday on the UFC’s disclosure of his second positive test.

Lesnar is among the most popular athletes in both mixed martial arts and professional wrestling. He beat Hunt by decision on July 9, handily winning his first MMA fight in 4½ years.

He made a UFC-record $2.5 million guaranteed purse at UFC 200, likely along with undisclosed millions in bonuses.

CHICAGO — Holly Holm was the unforgettable champ for four months.

Her shocking knock out of Ronda Rousey in Melbourne at UFC 193 instantly changed the dynamics of women’s mixed martial arts.

The 34-year old from Albuquerque, New Mexico, put the face of the UFC into hiding, but Holm’s reign as champ was short-lived when she was put to sleep by Miesha Tate’s rear naked choke at UFC 196.

Just over eight months after shocking the MMA world, Holm (10-1) is attempting to make another run for the women’s bantamweight belt as she headlines UFC Chicago in a five-round fight against Valentina Shevchenko (12-2) on Saturday night.

Holm, a former welterweight boxing champ, can possibly put herself in contention to fight now champ Amanda Nunes, who dismantled Tate earlier in the month at UFC 200.

But Holm knows how easily she can be pushed back from the spotlight with a poor showing against Shevchenko.

“If I don’t win here, then what opportunities are going to be there, I don’t know. So I need to make sure I get through this weekend and do a good showing this weekend first,” said Hohm.

Of course, a shot at the belt will most likely depend on when or if Rousey will fight again.

Even with a potential rematch with Rousey and a chance at Nunes for the belt, Holm is not distracted. Her focus is on Shevchenko.

“She’s got a ton of Muay Thai background,” Holm said. “I’m telling you those Muay Thai fighters are as tough as nails. She’s been through battles before, she’s been through hard fights. She is very mentally strong, very physically strong so I feel that makes a very tough opponent.”

Less than two months ago, Shevchenko was at a chicken restaurant in Lima, Peru, when it was raided by armed robbers. Her trainer Pavel Fedotov was shot during the robbery. Shevchenko was not harmed in the raid, but Fedotov was shot in the abdomen. He has recovered from the gun shot and is expected to be in the corner of Shevchenko on Saturday.

However, the traumatic night didn’t put Shevchenko’s training on hold as she will get a chance to move up the women’s bantamweight by beating the former champ.

“Those days it was impossible to do nothing. It was really, really hard because I could not think about nothing, I could not do nothing, I could not train, I just spent the whole time with Pavel in the hospital, but I knew I had to prepare for this and I knew I had to go forward. First week or 10 days was very difficult, but when I did my training I started to focus on the training and the preparation and it helped me,” said Shevchenko, from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. “I tried to close everything around me, all feelings, and I put my mind on the training.”

The co-main event features a fight between Edson Barboza (17-4) and Gilbert Melendez (22-5) at the 155-pound division. Both fighters are trying to solidify themselves as potential contenders to the belt held by Eddie Alvarez.

Melendez, a former Strikeforce lightweight champion is not ducking Barboza, who beat former lightweight UFC champion Anthony Pettis in April.

“That’s why I’m here, I’m here to test myself against great guys like Edson. He is one of those guys that I think a lot of guys don’t want to fight, but I’m up for the challenge,” Melendez said.

His opponent, a brutish brawler with a nasty streak forged in the Soviet Union, stands a head taller and punches like a piston. But Omaha’s Terence “Bud” Crawford — the next great American boxing superstar, some say — carries a confidence born of versatility.

“I feel, all around, I can do whatever I want in there,” said Crawford, the 28-year-old junior welterweight champion who on Saturday will take on Ukraine’s Viktor Postol.

“If I have to box, I box. If I have to brawl, I brawl. If I have to trade, I trade,” Crawford said. “In those types of fights, I have the power to back you up. All in all, I feel like my IQ is what takes me to the next level.”

The next level, for Crawford or Postol, will come in their title unification fight in Las Vegas, a pay-per-view bout that will unite two titles in the rough-and-tumble 140 pound division. Postol owns the WBC belt he won off Argentina’s Lucas Matthysse in a heavy-handed knockout last year in Los Angeles.

Crawford carries the WBO title once held by Denver’s Mike Alvarado, a belt he has defended twice in a quick rise up the pound-for-pound rankings. Behind light heavyweight Andre Ward of Oakland, Crawford is the highest-rated American boxer in Ring Magazine’s pound-for-pound rankings.

As Crawford carved out a hometown faithful in Omaha, where he sold out three marquee fights at the Century Link Center, he earned impressive victories over Yuriorkis Gamboa, Ray Beltran and Dierry Jean. In his last fight, a fifth-round TKO of Hank Lundy at Madison Square Garden in New York, Crawford solidified a claim as America’s next great prizefighter.

But for the past four years, he made his training camp home in Colorado Springs, running up the Barr Trail on Pikes Peak, training at the U.S. Olympic Center and a local YMCA and sparring at the Triple Threat Gym near the airport.

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Crawford said. “We have been having good success out there. You get away and we get to have a great camp. Plus the high altitude gives us a little edge.”

Crawford (28-0, 20 knockouts) wins with a variety of looks, switching to southpaw when the whim hits, acting defensive when he wants to draw in an opponent, then pouncing with aggression. In the 20 fights he stopped early, 14 came by TKO after he wore down the other guy.

Against Postol (28-0, 12 KOs), Crawford will face a taller, older boxer who broke onto the scene with an upset victory over Matthysse with a 10th round knockout in October. A stablemate of Manny Pacquiao, Postol trains under Freddie Roach in Los Angeles.

“Viktor has a height advantage and a little bit of a reach advantage,” Roach said. “He sets things up real well with his left hand. He is a complete fighter.”

The junior welterweight division hasn’t seen a unified champion since Danny Garcia held two titles in 2012. But Saturday’s bout, at the MGM Grand, will have more than belts on the line. Either Crawford will take another step toward the American mantle once held by Floyd Mayweather or Postol will solidify his stateside spot as a spoiler.

“This is a very big fight for me at a very critical time of my career,” Crawford said. “Because this fight can take me to that next level.”

CHICAGO — A traumatic start at Valentina Shevchenko’s training camp didn’t deter her from pulling off another shocking upset in the UFC women’s bantamweight division.

Shevchenko, from Kyrgyzstan, stunned Holly Holm on Saturday night at UFC Chicago, unanimously outpointing the former UFC champion.

Less than two months ago, Shevchenko was at a chicken restaurant in Lima, Peru, when it was raided by armed robbers. Her trainer, Pavel Fedotov, was shot in the abdomen during the robbery. He has recovered and was in Shevchenko’s corner Saturday.

Fedotov pushed Shevchenko to continue to train for the fight.

“It was a very different camp than I had to endure in all my life,” Shevchenko said. “After two days when he (Pavel) was in the hospital he said, you should take this fight and prepare. It doesn’t matter what happened.”

Fighting for the first fight since losing the belt to Miesha Tate at UFC 196, Holm had losing scores of 49-46 from all of the judges.

Her stunning knockout of then-champ Ronda Rousey in Australia at UFC 193 catapulted Holm (10-2) into the spotlight of mixed martial arts, but she followed with the back-to-back losses.

“I know I’m capable of more. I think I just need to believe in myself a little more. Like I said, I know I can do more. I didn’t perform well tonight. Valentina is really tough, we know that,” said Holm. “It’s not like I haven’t been taught the right things, it all comes down to my performance, it wasn’t great tonight.”

Shevchenko (13-2) put herself in the mix to contend for the women’s bantamweight title at 135 pounds that is held by Amanda Nunes, who she lost to in March at UFC 196.

Holm knocked Shevchenko to the mat with a quick hook early in the first round as Shevchenko quickly got back to her feet. Shevchenko had a takedown late in the round.

In the third round, after Shevchenko got in a few jabs, Shevchenko caught Holm’s leg on a kick attempt and took her down. Shevchenko had another takedown and kept Holm on the mat for the rest of the round as she landed punches.

“I’ve never in my career, whether it be boxing or MMA ever felt like that I’m at the top because I always know there is somebody else aspiring to be the best,” Holm said. “Just as I first came into MMA, I want to have titles in both. I had drive in me. I still do so I never look at a division and think I made it to the top and I’m just going to stay there. There is always somebody hungry.”

Shevchenko may get another shot at Nunes, who dismantled Tate for the belt at UFC 200.

Nunes in a tweet insinuated that Shevchenko is not ready for a rematch.

“She is definitely scared. I’m ready for five rounds with her, I will take whoever is next, but I think she is scared,” responded Shevchenko.

In the co-main event, Edson Barboza won in a unanimous decision over Gilbert Melendez in a lightweight fight.

Barboza (18-4) began to take control late in the second round. Melendez attempted a kick, but Barboza caught Melendez’s leg and took him down. Barboza had Melendez (22-6) pinned to ground as he landed a series of punches, but Melendez was saved by the bell.

Barboza scored with the judges on a number of kicks to Melendez’s left knee in the third round as the judges scored the fight 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 in favor of Barboza.

Barboza backed up his last win against former lightweight champ Anthony Pettis

Melendez, who hasn’t fought since June 13, 2015, losing a split decision to now-champ Eddie Alvarez, has lost his last three fights.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Terence Crawford was so sure of his victory Saturday night that he spent part of the final round with his hands at his side, taunting Viktor Postol.

What he’s not so sure of is that Manny Pacquiao will agree to his terms and fight him at 140 pounds in November.

“It will be at 140, definitely,” Crawford said. “But I’m going on vacation now. We’re not worried about Manny Pacquiao right now.”

Crawford turned in a dominating performance Saturday night in a battle of unbeaten champions, knocking Postol down twice on his way to a lopsided 12-round unanimous decision to put himself in the running for a fight with Pacquiao — who has fought most recently at 147 pounds — in November.

Crawford took control of the 140-pound title unification fight with two knockdowns in the fifth round, and then shut down Postol the rest of the way. He was so far ahead in the 12th round that he put his arms down at his side at one point, taunting Postol.

Both fighters came into the bout with titles and records of 28-0. But Crawford was clearly the best technical fighter, despite giving away significant height and reach advantage to the Ukrainian.

Crawford won 118-107 on two ringside scorecards, and 117-108 on the third. The Associated Press had him winning 118-107.

“Postol is a great champion and he was undefeated for a reason,” Crawford said. “We got the job done tonight.”

Crawford, who has won all seven of his title fights, was impressive in spurts as he controlled the fight from the early rounds on. He dropped Postol with the first punch of the fifth round, then dropped him again later in the round after battering him across the ring with a big left hand.

The knockdowns seemed to take some energy out of Postol and Crawford spent the rest of the fight circling and not allowing Postol to get set. When Crawford did stop to punch, he landed some big shots to Postol’s head.

“That’s boxing,” Crawford said. “That’s how you box, with movement. That’s what boxing is all about.”

Crawford, who was cheered by a vocal contingent of fans from his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, was a 6-1 favorite heading into the fight despite both fighters holding identical records and pieces of the super lightweight title.

It turned out the oddsmakers were on target as Crawford took what was an even fight on the scorecards after four rounds and turned it into a runaway win.

“He was just too fast,” said Postol’s trainer, Freddie Roach. “I was surprised at how fast and good he was.”

Crawford spent almost the entire fight as a southpaw, switching early from a conventional stance as he often does. He frustrated Postol, who tried to fight from the outside but seemed unwilling to trade punches.

Crawford said he wanted to fight Pacquiao, but that the fight would be at 140 pounds. Pacquiao, who has fought at 147 pounds in recent years, is tentatively set to return to the ring Nov. 5 and promoter Bob Arum said the winner of the fight would be a prime candidate as an opponent.

Postol, whose wife gave birth to twins earlier in the week, said Crawford forced him out of his rhythm and he was unable to carry out his fight plan.

“He was quicker than me. He’s one of the best in the world,” Postol said. “I just didn’t have the answers tonight.”

Two-time Mexican Olympian Oscar Valdez Jr. won a piece of the featherweight title on the undercard, stopping Argentina’s Matias Rueda with a series of punches in the second round.

Valdez dominated the fight between two unbeaten boxers, landing big shots to the head in the first round and dropping Rueda with a hook to the body in the second. Rueda got up but Valdez swarmed over him, landing several more punches to put him down for a second time and end the fight at 2:18 of the second round.

Valdez leaped into the arms of his cornerman screaming in joy at becoming a champion in his 20th professional fight.

“It’s a dream,” he said. “Since I started boxing at 8 years old I wanted to be a world champion.”

The title was vacant after Vasyl Lomachenko vacated his belt after moving up to super featherweight.

Valdez, a bronze medalist in the 2012 Olympics, improved to 20-0 with 18 knockouts, while Rueda fell to 26-1.

LOS ANGELES — Baby Slice is ready to fight.

Kevin Ferguson Jr., the oldest son of late fighting star Kimbo Slice, will make his professional mixed martial arts debut next month for the Bellator promotion, The Associated Press learned Monday night.

Bellator MMA via AP

Ferguson had his first amateur MMA fight in March, stopping his opponent in 83 seconds. Less than three months after the death of his father, who also fought for Bellator, the 24-year-old Ferguson will fight on the undercard of Bellator 160 in Anaheim, California, on Aug. 26.

“I was always around the fight business and everything, so I saw it and I understood what was going on,” Ferguson told the AP. “I just knew without a doubt that one day, this was what I wanted to do.”

Ferguson showed a glimpse of his father’s punching power in his amateur debut in March, but he has been training full time in MMA for just two years. He studied photography at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco before deciding to pursue his first athletic passion in the cage.

“I trained (in MMA) a little bit in college, but not really,” Ferguson said. “I was more focused on having fun and partying a little bit, getting that out of my system early. I trained a little bit, like once a week.”

Although he played football and basketball at his private high school in South Florida, Ferguson preferred the one-on-one rawness of wrestling and MMA.

Despite his collegiate photography training and his father’s imposing shadow, Ferguson decided to pursue a fighting career seriously with the blessing of Slice, who parlayed his fame from viral backyard fighting videos into a lucrative career in MMA and boxing.

The 42-year-old Slice also fought for Bellator earlier this year, but he had been diagnosed with congestive heart failure and needed a heart transplant when he collapsed at his home on June 6. He died at a hospital several hours later.

“I won’t say I adjusted well or it didn’t bother me, but I was talking to him a few days before, so I understood what was going on,” Ferguson said.

“It was more of a shock to the world, put it like that. It was still a very big tragedy, but I got through it. I’m still getting through it. I won’t say I’m over it, but I’m working on it, I guess.”

Ferguson has two younger brothers and three younger sisters. Slice once said the most important function of his fighting career was to provide his children with college educations.

Ferguson trained in Connecticut before moving to Long Beach, California, two months ago to train in the gym of veteran MMA fighter Antonio McKee. He has been working alongside fellow Bellator fighters A.J. McKee, Bubba Jenkins and Joey Davis, who are all fighting at Honda Center in Anaheim next month.

“Antonio just changed the game for me,” Ferguson said. “He understood what I needed, and he understands the science behind it all.”

Bellator is likely to build up Ferguson against comparable competition. His opponent for next month’s debut should be selected this week.

Bellator 160 in Anaheim will be headlined by former UFC champion Benson Henderson and Patricio “Pitbull” Freire. The show airs on Spike.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Although Antonio Vargas still thinks about the cut that nearly ended his Olympic dream, his unprotected head will be clear when he steps into the ring in Rio de Janeiro.

Vargas grew up sparring and competing in protective headgear, so he had never been cut in a fight before his face split open in that bloody loss at the U.S. Olympic team trials seven months ago. The gifted flyweight from Florida had to fight his way back through the challengers’ bracket, surviving to earn a spot on the team.

Cuts haven’t been a major concern in Olympic boxing since 1980, but they will be a constant danger in Rio, where the 250 male fighters will box without headgear for the first time since Moscow.

Fighters have had three years to adjust to the change, and they’ve adapted with the same tenacity that made them boxers in the first place.

“I’m always going to do what I have to do,” Vargas said. “I don’t think it’s really changed my style. I’ll still have the same style going into the Olympics. I just have to be careful.”

The International Boxing Association (AIBA) made a highly visible alteration to its sport when it removed the headgear ahead of the 2013 world championships. Many fighters are excited for fans to see a sport that looks more like the pros, but the move is still criticized by other fighters and coaches who believe safety has been made secondary to appearance, particularly because of the high potential for cuts in a short, multi-fight tournament.

“I don’t think it was a good idea, taking off the headgear, because we’re still amateur,” U.S. light flyweight Nico Hernandez said. “I got cut on both eyes before. I got stitches and stuff from head-butts. I just don’t think it’s as safe for the amateur boxers. But I also like it, because you can have more peripheral vision and you don’t get as hot. I’ve had a lot of fights without now, so I’m used to it.”

The bulky protective pads were placed on Olympic fighters’ heads in 1984 because organizers wanted to improve safety, and they’ve been pulled off the fighters heading to Rio for ostensibly the same reason.

In its lengthy quest to become a professional boxing promoter with control over the Olympics , AIBA went to great lengths to establish a scientific backing for its decision to drop headgear. The IOC also cited research to support the notion that the bulky head guards reduced the number of knockouts and stoppages, thereby reducing concussions.

Their conclusions have been disputed by other scientists and fighters alike, but the benefits of removing headgear go beyond any concussion data in an inherently dangerous sport: Quite simply, the removal of headgear allows television audiences to see the fighters’ faces.

Billy Walsh competed in headgear for his native Ireland at the 1988 Seoul Olympics before becoming one of the amateur sport’s foremost teachers. The new U.S. coach has adjusted his instructions under the new rules.

“Without the headgear, we’ve now got to be a bit more mobile, a bit more flexible, a bit more careful of heads,” Walsh said. “We’ve got to be a bit more elusive. With headgear, we just locked up. We’ve had to adapt some skills and techniques, but we’ve adapted similar stuff we would have been teaching when they had headgear. We all have to adapt.”

AIBA’s changes are expected to continue after Rio, too. Women’s boxing kept the headgear for its second Olympic tournament because AIBA says it doesn’t have enough concussion data on women, but most female fighters expect AIBA to remove their headgear next year. The male boxers are still wearing tank tops in the ring in another holdover from the sport’s amateur days, but those are likely to be removed soon as well.

Hernandez is among dozens of top Olympians who got experience without headgear by participating in World Series of Boxing, one of two professional leagues launched by AIBA. The WSB fighters have five-round fights that largely resemble pro bouts.

Even fighters who don’t agree with the science of the decision credit AIBA for attempting to improve their sport’s marketability, and the governing body has conducted a lengthy campaign to persuade boxers to fight without the in-close, head-butting style that could ruin the tournament.

Most of the American fighters also plan to turn pro shortly after the Olympics, so the absence of headgear gives them a head start on the process.

But all fighters in Rio will have to be careful with the knowledge that one cut could end their Olympics.

“With no headgear, at first I was nervous, and I didn’t really want to do it,” 18-year-old U.S. middleweight Charles Conwell said. “But when I got in there, it was the same, basically. You just have to worry about cuts and head-butts. I’m less worried now, because I’ve got more experience with it. I know the dos and don’ts of not having headgear on. So I’m going to adjust, because I know there’s going to be some dirty things that are going to happen out there.”

COLORADO SPRINGS — Claressa Shields won a gold medal as the most dominant fighter in London at the first Olympic women’s boxing tournament. After reigning atop the amateur sport for the ensuing three years, the ferocious American middleweight was favored to win gold again in Rio de Janeiro.

And here came this Irish boxing coach trying to change her game.

“Oh, we clashed heads quite a bit in the first few months,” Billy Walsh said with a grin. “It came to the stage where she was going or I was going.”

Shields also smiles at the memory of her introduction to Walsh, the respected amateur coach who took over the U.S. boxing team late last year. The fearsome puncher from hardscrabble Flint, Michigan, and the soft-spoken ex-Olympic fighter from County Wexford disagreed over everything from training methods to their relationship in the corner.

They fought through it all to form a bond they’ve carried into Brazil.

“He understands me as a fighter, and I’m pretty different from all the other fighters,” Shields said after a recent workout with Walsh at the Olympic Training Center. “I used to tell him, ‘You want me to win an Olympic gold medal, just let me do what I do, OK?’ But then he taught me a lot of things, and I’m teaching him a little bit.”

Walsh is the women’s head coach for USA Boxing, but he essentially is in charge of the entire eight-person Olympic team. Shields’ success in London, along with the cachet of women’s boxing in general, allowed the once-beleaguered organization to attract funding to hire the elite coach who built Ireland’s remarkable amateur program.

Ryan Jones, The Gazette via AP

But no U.S. amateur is more important than Shields, who built on her teenage dominance in London with two world championships and a Pan-Am Games gold. Now a smooth 21-year-old team leader with major endorsement deals, Shields was understandably resistant to alterations in her winning formula when Walsh arrived in Colorado Springs.

“I had to explain to her I wasn’t trying to change her,” Walsh said. “What I said to her was, ‘What you did in London won’t be good enough in Rio. Everybody has been watching you, studying you, getting better to beat you. We’ve got to keep ahead of the posse. So the tools I’m giving you are to make you better, so you can fight any girl at any distance in any situation.'”

Their disagreements occurred in several areas, including their training philosophies. Shields has precise standards for her own daily workouts, and she often does extra work after practice when she doesn’t feel tired enough. When Walsh tried to give her a morning off, she would show up anyway.

Walsh also wanted Shields to learn different fighting strategies, particularly in case she needed to change her strategy late in close bouts — something Shields hasn’t experienced much in her career.

Their initial interactions were perplexing for Shields, who had recently split with Jason Crutchfield, her longtime personal coach in Michigan.

She recalls being surprised by Walsh’s screaming from the corner in the first round of their first fight together: “Why do you have your hands down? Put your hands up!”

“I have to come back to the corner, and he’s like, ‘That was a very close round,'” Shields added. “And I’m like, ‘No, I won that round clearly.’ He wasn’t used to being in my corner. It’s different. So then when I won (the fight) 3-0, I said, ‘Coach Billy, we have to sit and watch the fight together.’ We sit and watch, and I said, ‘What was close about that? Listen, whatever you tell me to do in the corner, I’m going to do, but you’ve got to be calm. Don’t be freaking out in the corner.'”

According to Walsh, the conflict culminated shortly before Christmas.

“I said, ‘You go home and think about it, OK?'” Walsh recalled. “‘I’m going to be here until 2020. You’re going to be here for a few months. I’ve got to implement the program. I want you a part of it, but here are my rules and regulations. This is what we need to be doing.’ So she went home, had a good think about it, came back in, and we started all over again.”

With Shields living in Colorado Springs over the next six months, they gradually developed the shorthand necessary for fighters and trainers to communicate. They also got to know each other outside the ring after Walsh learned about the tragic dimensions of Shields’ difficult upbringing from watching a documentary about her life that describes her father’s imprisonment and her mother’s struggles with addiction.

“I went to see it and I said, ‘Wow,'” Walsh said of the film. “I began to find out how she lived. Sometimes you can say things that might not be inappropriate, but could be pushing someone in the wrong way when it’s a very sensitive area. I had to learn on my feet.”

Walsh’s connection with Shields now appears strong, and they banter after workouts with the familiarity of old friends.

When they come together in the corner in Rio, the coach and the fighter are confident they share the language to win gold again.

“I wasn’t sure if I was going to win the battle,” Walsh said. “Some days I still struggle with her to win the battle, but we’ve been getting there and working well. She’s a different person than when I got her.”

RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazilian police say they have jailed a Moroccan Olympic boxer on allegations he sexually assaulted two Brazilian women.

In a statement, police say they arrested boxer Hassan Saada Friday for possible assaults on two Brazilian women who worked as waitresses in the Olympic Village.

According to the statement, the attacks happened on Wednesday. No other details were given.

Police say Saada will be jailed for a period of 15 days while they conduct a rape investigation. Under Brazilian law, suspects can be held for a long period of time while a case is examined.

He was due to compete Saturday. A light heavyweight boxer, he was set to fight Mehmet Nadir of Turkey in the preliminary rounds Saturday at 12:30 p.m. He was not predicted to be a medal contender.

RIO DE JANEIRO — His focus seemingly unflappable, Shakur Stevenson was briefly distracted when he heard a familiar voice as he walked out for his Olympic bout.

“Augie! Augie!”

Floyd Mayweather Jr. was in the house and shouting at U.S. boxing assistant coach Augie Sanchez.

Stevenson had been bummed out when he was told Mayweather had left the Rio de Janeiro Games. Turned out, the rumor was false and one of Stevenson’s biggest fans had the best seat in the arena to watch the top U.S. prospect continue his medal run.

“I got a little more nervous again,” Stevenson said.

Stevenson, who is from Newark, New Jersey, calmed his nerves and made a lasting impression on Mayweather with a convincing win over Mongolian fighter Tsendbaatar Erdenebat. The retired, undefeated Mayweather went wild for the 19-year-old Stevenson in a unanimous decision victory that guaranteed him a medal.

And why not? Mayweather saw Stevenson fight with a style in the ring that reminded him of another great fighter.

“I see the next Floyd Mayweather,” Mayweather said. “If anybody can break my records, this young kid right here can do it. I truly believe in him.”

Mayweather believed in Stevenson (24-0 in international competition) so much that he expected more than gold for Stevenson — Money May wanted the prized prospect on his blossoming Mayweather Promotions roster. Of course, he’ll have to compete with other promoters to grab the best U.S. amateur.

“When I saw him at my gym, I said, ‘Who is this guy?’ I want to sign him instantly,” Mayweather said. “I thought he was a professional. They said he was an amateur but he’s got a professional style. He’s the No. 1 guy, of course, that I’m interested in.”

Dan Gelatin, The Associated Press

All eyes were on Mayweather more than any fighter in the ring.

Mayweather is still the undisputed top attraction at the boxing tournament in what was at least his third visit to the venue. The U.S. bronze medalist at the 1996 Atlanta Games smiled when he was shown and introduced on the big screen to a roaring ovation. Dozens of fans hurried his way for selfies. He never removed the earbuds attached to his mobile phone when he posed for a few fans.

They were quickly shooed away and blocked off by members of Mayweather’s friends known as TMT: The Money Team.

Mayweather invited Popo Freitas, a former Brazilian boxing world champion, down to his seat for a quick chat.

Mayweather enjoyed the fights, first from the front row of the corner of the bleacher seats, then he moved to dead center for the two American bouts.

The 39-year-old Mayweather retired last year after a 49-0 career. The International Boxing Association (AIBA) changed its rules this year to allow professionals to fight at the Olympics, but Mayweather had no interest.

He also ruled out a comeback.

“I’m an old man,” he said, laughing. “I’m treating my body good, being smart. I was still able to compete at the top level for 20 years. I’ve done a lot in boxing. I just want to give back to young champions right here.”

Stevenson (wearing a “Team Shakur” shirt) and some friends and family joined Mayweather in the stands and posed for even more pictures.

But Mayweather’s A-list pull might not be enough to convince Stevenson to join the team. Stevenson is widely expected to sign a professional contract in the fall with Top Rank Boxing.

Stevenson’s grandfather, Wali Moses, began teaching him how to box when he was 5, and he has barely lost since he won his first fight at 8. Stevenson’s mother, Malikah, named him after Tupac Shakur, the rapper and social activist who died nine months before her first son was born. Stevenson mostly avoided trouble on Newark’s tough streets, and his grandfather’s steady influence kept him devoted to his sport.

Stevenson remains the brightest candidate to win the first men’s gold medal in 12 years from once-proud USA Boxing.

Andre Ward was the last American man to claim the top prize with at the 2004 Athens Games, and the London men’s team failed to win any medals.

Kansas fighter Nico Hernandez snapped the medal drought last week with a bronze.

Stevenson has Russian fighter Vladimir Nikitin up next and the winner goes for gold.

He was all smiles Tuesday when he had Mayweather by his side as they fought through a mob to escape the arena. It’s even better for Mayweather to have his back.

“It’s everything,” Stevenson said. “That’s the greatest of all time.”

The UFC 202 pre-fight press conference takes place at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

RIO DE JANEIRO — The International Boxing Association removed an undisclosed number of referees and judges from the Olympics on Wednesday after determining they had not met the organization’s standards of competence.

AIBA declined to provide the judges’ names or the fights in which they failed. The results of all bouts will stand, however.

In a statement, the governing body said its refereeing and judging committee reviewed all 239 bouts from the first 11 days of the Olympic tournament. The committee determined that “less than a handful of the decisions were not at the level expected.”

The banished judges apparently didn’t include some of the participants in the two most prominent disputed decisions.

Russian heavyweight Evgeny Tishchenko’s victory over Kazakh power-puncher Vassiliy Levit sparked a wide public outcry over the decision, which rewarded Tishchenko’s retreat over Levit’s power and excitement. AIBA executive board member Tom Virgets told The Associated Press the result is likely to be a catalyst for changes in the organization’s judging criteria.

Judge Armando Carbonell Alvarado of Colombia, who joined his two colleagues in awarding that fight 29-28 to Tishchenko, was on the AIBA’s list of judges and referees working Wednesday’s fights.

Irish bantamweight world champion Michael Conlan also complained vociferously and profanely after his quarterfinal loss to Russia’s Vladimir Nikitin on Tuesday, accusing AIBA and Russia of wholesale corruption. A Sri Lankan judge and a Brazilian judge from that fight were on AIBA’s list of working officials Wednesday as well.

“In terms of the response from the boxing federation this morning, I think it’s a very professional response to some concerns people have about the judging system,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said.

Those disputed decisions and a handful of less-prominent calls took attention from an otherwise entertaining Olympic tournament. Coaches and fighters have piped up with their usual complaints about unfair scoring, but Levit in particular appeared to have such a strong case that even AIBA officials were clearly concerned.

“It’s very, very subjective,” U.S. coach Billy Walsh said. “Some days the aggressor wins. The next day, the counterpuncher wins. Each five judges have a different set of criteria. They can emphasize whatever they want. … You sit a few guys down to look at any fight, and they might all come up with a different decision and interpretation of it. But these are highly educated and competent referees and judges that are on the circuit full-time, being paid, so they should know better than we do.”

Other fighters also entered the ring worried about fairness after the heavyweight title fight and Conlan’s loss to Nikitin, who bled profusely from a cut on his scalp from a previous fight.

“I’m not a judge, but the fact I’ve seen some pretty bad judging yesterday, especially people going against Russia, it did give me a little scare,” said defending middleweight gold medalist Claressa Shields after her dominant victory over Russia’s Anastasiia Beliakova in her Rio debut Wednesday. “But the judges can’t be God.”

Indeed, amateur boxing is a notoriously difficult sport to score with its three-round fights and wide variations in skill sets. The dilemma extends to the entire sport, of course: professional boxing judges are routinely accused of incompetence and corruption by angry fans and fighters.

The majority of fighters who reach the second half of a major tournament like the Olympics inevitably will claim robbery or incompetent judging, with almost every national team seeing a conspiracy against its fighters.

AIBA moved from a long-reviled punch-counting system to a traditional 10-point pro scoring system three years ago. Many boxers and coaches have embraced it, but not Walsh, the longtime Irish national coach.

“To me, it’s back to what we were in 1988, when I fought in the Olympic Games and Roy Jones got robbed in the final,” Walsh said. “I haven’t seen it as bad since then. What happened after that? The computer came into the equation. Maybe we need to go back to the computer.”

AIBA picks its Olympic referees and judges from a pool of 36 men and women. Five judges score each fight, but a computer randomly throws out two of the scores.

AP Sports Writer Stephen Wade contributed to this report.

LAS VEGAS — From the late entrance to the expletive-laden comments to the bottle-throwing finale, Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz left no doubt that the drama will definitely be there for their highly anticipated rematch at UFC 202.

McGregor showed up about 30 minutes late Wednesday to his news conference with Diaz to promote Saturday night’s main event at T-Mobile Arena. So Diaz started without him.

“Nah I don’t care, it’s rude,” Diaz said when asked whether he was bothered by the featherweight champion’s tardiness.

The fight itself is late in coming.

Diaz beat McGregor by submission in the second round of a welterweight bout March 5 at UFC 196, ending McGregor’s 15-fight winning streak. McGregor had asked for a quick rematch and it was scheduled during the landmark UFC 200 card in July, but McGregor announced he was retiring during the spring. He later relented, but by then UFC had dropped him from that card. Saturday’s rematch was announced in June.

When asked if Diaz thinks he exposed McGregor as a better talker than a better fighter in their first fight, Diaz said: “I think I beat him, I thought I could beat him the whole time.”

Not surprisingly, the first question for UFC President Dana White at the beginning of Wednesday’s news conference was about McGregor’s whereabouts. White quickly replied, “He’s on his way.”

Erik Verduzco, Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP

He was. The crowd erupted when McGregor walked on to the stage about 30 minutes late.

“I was told half (past) one,” McGregor joked. “Vegas traffic is heavy as well this time of year. There must be a McGregor show going on because the place is tagged out.”

“Look, I’m just happy to be here and I’m ready to fight,” he said.” You know you’re going to get a fight when I’m here.”

As McGregor was answering questions, Diaz stood up and left the stage, and he and his entourage moved to leave the theater.

Diaz and McGregor and members of their groups yelled at each other and taunted one another and eventually began hurling water bottles at one other. Police and security separated the two groups and the news conference ended. White wrapped up with an apology, “Sorry guys, see you Saturday.”

RIO DE JANEIRO — U.S. boxer Shakur Stevenson reached the Olympic bantamweight final Thursday after his Russian semifinal opponent was unable to fight because of an injury, marking the first time since 2004 that an American fighter will be in a gold medal match.

Stevenson won by walkover against Vladimir Nikitin, who sustained heavy damage in three consecutive brutal fights, clearing the way for Stevenson to advance to the final against Robeisy Ramirez of Cuba on Saturday.

“I always want to fight, but once I found out I wasn’t fighting (Nikitin), I kind of liked it,” Stevenson said. “I can use the extra days off. Once I found out I wasn’t fighting, I just kept moving to Saturday.”

Stevenson will secure either gold or silver for the U.S., something the country hasn’t accomplished since Andre Ward won gold in Athens in 2004.

Ramirez, the London Olympics gold medalist at flyweight, advanced with a masterful victory over Uzbekistan’s Murodjin Akhmadaliev while Stevenson watched from the stands.

“I paid close attention to it,” Stevenson said. “He had a tough opponent from Uzbekistan, and he got it done. He made it look easy, and we’re about to get after it, I swear.”

Stevenson is an elite 19-year-old prospect from Newark, New Jersey, with sophisticated boxing skills and remarkable athleticism. He hasn’t lost an international bout in his amateur career, and he received a preliminary-round bye as a seeded fighter in Rio before beating Brazil’s Robenilson de Jesus and Mongolia’s Erdenebat Tsendbataar, both by unanimous decision.

The U.S. men won just one bronze medal in Beijing and none at all in London. With light flyweight Nico Hernandez’s bronze medal and Stevenson’s win, the Rio men’s team will leave the Olympics with two medals for the first time since Athens 12 years ago.

Nikitin took a pounding Tuesday from Irish world champion Michael Conlan. Nikitin still received the decision in a hard-fought bout, prompting an outraged Conlan to denounce the international boxing association and Russia as conspirators in corruption.

Nikitin also won a disputed decision over Thailand’s Chatchai Butdee before taking on Conlan. The Russian started his tournament by beating Vanuatu’s Boe Warawara in a bout that left Nikitin bleeding grotesquely from a cut on his shaved scalp, and the cut opened up in each of his two ensuing fights.

Conlan’s potential semifinal matchup with Stevenson was one of the most anticipated bouts of the Rio tournament. Even Stevenson’s personal coach, Kay Koroma, was excited about the potential test.

“I’ve had many conversations with him where he said that he made his own list when he got here,” said Koroma, who is also a coach for USA Boxing. “‘I saw my bracket. I get to see Conlan in the semifinals and Robeisy in the finals.’ He didn’t get to see Conlan, and he didn’t get to see the Russian, but the end of it is happening, and now he’s got to fulfill it. What a way to win a gold medal, fighting the person you want to fight.”

Stevenson has been widely expected to begin his pro career with Top Rank Promotions this fall, but Floyd Mayweather tweeted Wednesday that he wished to “extend a warm welcome to @ShakurStevenson into The Money Team family.” Mayweather runs an eponymous promotional company, but has no stars under contract with the potential drawing power of Stevenson.

Stevenson declined to confirm he had teamed up with Mayweather to be his promoter or in another capacity, grinningly saying he hasn’t even decided whether he will go pro.

“Nothing is decided yet,” Stevenson said. “I’m going to focus on winning the gold medal, and after I win the gold medal, I’m going to weigh my options and see what’s next for me.”

But Stevenson spoke glowingly of the retired champion after meeting him earlier in the Rio tournament. Mayweather, who attended Stevenson’s fights, subsequently referred to Stevenson as “the next Floyd Mayweather.”

“If he calls me and tells me stuff, I’ll take it, but I’m focused,” Stevenson said. “I’m ready. It don’t matter who I talk to.”

LAS VEGAS — Now the action finally moves into the octagon.

Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz capped promotion of Saturday’s UFC 202 main event this week with an expletive-laden news conference that ended in a bottle-throwing melee. If it’s any indication of what their highly anticipated rematch will actually look like, fans will be in for quite the show.

McGregor, the featherweight champion who had a meteoric rise in popularity during a 15-fight winning streak that ended with a loss to Diaz, has said he would finish Diaz off early this time around.

“That’s what he said last time,” Diaz said. “I think he has a lot of people around him and so he pumps himself up. He’s either lying to himself or trying to make himself believe it.”

“When he goes to sleep at night, he remembers what happened last time,” Diaz said.

During their first fight at UFC 196 on March 5, Diaz weathered a first-round storm from McGregor, absorbing multiple shots and suffering a bloody facial cut. McGregor seemed to have exhausted himself by the second round and Diaz capitalized, dominating McGregor and forcing him to tap out with a rear naked choke. Diaz took the fight on short notice and the two agreed to meet at welterweight.

McGregor had asked for a quick rematch and it was scheduled during the landmark UFC 200 card in July, but McGregor announced he was retiring during the spring and he refused to meet some of the media obligations. He later relented but UFC had dropped him from that card by then.

McGregor (19-3) agreed to meet Diaz (20-10) at welterweight again for the rematch. Win or lose, the Irishman will drop back down to featherweight following this fight.

While Diaz quipped that “they’re trying to make an escape route,” McGregor said: “The way it all planned out I’ve got quite a business to handle after this fight. But make no mistake, there will be a trilogy fight down the line.”

The co-main event pits former light heavyweight title challengers Anthony Johnson and Glover Teixeira against each other with the winner inching closer to another title opportunity. Johnson lost to current light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier in a title bout last May, but a victory makes it three wins in a row and a likely second shot at a championship. Teixeira lost to then-champion Jon Jones in 2014. A win will give him a four-fight win streak.

In other bouts, Donald Cerrone (30-7) continues his torrid fight pace, matching up against Rick Story (19-8) in a welterweight bout and undefeated bantamweight prospect Cody Garbrandt (9-0) meets Takeya Mizugaki (21-9-2).

UFC’s welterweight division looks like it’s fitting just fine for Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.

In his third fight since moving up to the 170-pound division, Cerrone won via second-round technical knockout over Rick Story Saturday at UFC 202 in Las Vegas.

“I feel good, I feel solid,” he said in a post-fight in-ring interview.

Cerrone (31-7) connected on a combination of punches and kicks that sent Story (19-9) sprawling to the Octagon fence. The fight was called two minutes and two seconds into the second round.

When asked if he would continue to fight in the welterweight division, he said he wanted to drop back down to the 155-pound lightweight class.

“I think (UFC lightweight champion) Eddie Alvarez has something that belongs to me,” Cerrone said.

The win marks his 18th with the UFC, moving him into third place all-time behind Georges St-Pierre and Michael Bisping, who have 19 each.

LAS VEGAS — Conor McGregor got his revenge. Now he wants a third fight on his terms.

McGregor avenged for his loss to Diaz by outpointing him Saturday night at UFC 202 in a rematch of their two-round welterweight thriller in March.

The two put on an action-packed fight in which McGregor came out strong and then hung on in a tiring slugfest. Two of the judges scored it 48-47 for McGregor, and the other had it 47-47.

McGregor immediately challenged Diaz to a third fight — but only if Diaz would come down to the lightweight division.

“Surprise, surprise! The king is back!” McGregor said. “If you want this trilogy, it’s on my terms. I came up to 170, now you’ll come back to 155 and we’ll finish what we’ve started. I knew what I had to do this time around and I did it.”

McGregor (20-3) forced the action in the opening round, landing multiple leg kicks to Diaz’s lead leg and a straight left that knocked down Diaz (20-11).

The Irishman knocked down Diaz twice more in the second round, bloodying his nose and appearing to have total control of the fight.

The persistent Diaz found his footing later in the second, though, unleashing a flurry of strikes and knocking down McGregor against the fence. Diaz continued to attack in the third and, for the final 90 seconds of the fourth, they stood in the center of the cage and exchanged punches.

They traded punches again in the fifth, and neither gained an edge until the final 10 seconds, when Diaz secured a trip and landed a few final shots from on top before the bell rang.

“I came here to fight. I want No. 3, I gave him No. 2, so let’s do it,” Diaz said.

McGregor exacted revenge for a loss at UFC 196. McGregor was initially scheduled to face Rafael dos Anjos for the lightweight title, but dos Anjos pulled out due to injury and McGregor agreed to fight Diaz at welterweight on late notice.

Diaz’s endurance was the difference in the first fight. McGregor pummeled Diaz with multiple shots in the first round, giving Diaz a bloody facial gash, but Diaz weathered the storm and countered with a few shots of his own near the end of the round. Then Diaz dominated the second round with accurate, well-timed boxing before finishing the exhausted McGregor with a rear naked choke.

They were supposed to battle again at welterweight at the landmark UFC 200, but that bout was canceled after McGregor announced his retirement and refused to meet with media. McGregor didn’t end up retiring, but the disturbance got him and Diaz dropped from the card.

Instead, the anticipated rematch was set for UFC 202. The garrulous McGregor had promised to finish Diaz early this time around, and promotion for the fight included a bottle-throwing melee at a press conference Wednesday.

Earlier, Anthony Johnson landed an uppercut 13 seconds into the first round to knock out Glover Teixeira in the co-main event between top-ranked light heavyweights. Johnson (22-5) flattened Teixeira (25-5) with the shot, forcing the referee to call an early end to the fight. Johnson has 13th victories in his past 14 fights.

“I’m coming for you Daniel,” Johnson said, speaking to current light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, who was seated near the cage.

Donald Cerrone (31-7) stopped Rick Story (19-9) in a battle of ranked welterweights.

LAS VEGAS — Conor McGregor has received a medical suspension of up to six months following his five-round victory over Nate Diaz at UFC 202.

McGregor outpointed Diaz in a bloody, tiring slugfest Saturday and came out with issues in his foot and ankle, including a possible fracture, and also said after the fight that his shin was sore from landing so many kicks. He hobbled into his post-fight press conference on crutches and needed assistance walking out.

The medical suspensions aren’t uncommon. McGregor can have his waived if he is cleared by an orthopedic doctor. Otherwise, he’s unable to train with contact until Oct. 5 and is suspended from fighting until Oct. 20, when he can be re-evaluated.

Diaz came out of the fight with his face bloodied and swollen but was only issued a 30-day suspension.

McGregor and Diaz both called for a third match between the pair, though UFC has insisted that McGregor first drop down to defend his featherweight title.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Demian Maia backed up his calls for a welterweight title shot with an early submission victory over Carlos Condit in the main event of UFC Fight Night at Rogers Arena on Saturday night.

Ranked third in the division, Maia said this week that with a victory over Condit, he should be in line for a fight for the title now held by Tyron Woodley. And, at 38 years of age, Maia may get his wish later in the year after forcing Condit to tap out at 3:08 of the opening round.

Maia made quick work of the fight, which was scheduled for five rounds. He broke down in tears in the middle of the octagon when it was over. Now he will await word on when a potential title fight could take place.

Maia said during a post-fight interview that if the UFC gives Stephen Thompson, the No. 2-ranked fighter in the welterweight division, the next title shot, he wants his opportunity right after that.

“I’m very grateful for everything I’ve accomplished in my life and very grateful for my family,” said Maia, who has won six straight fights. “My life is complete already. The title shot, that will be something else, something amazing if it happens.”

Tom Wright, executive vice president and general manager for UFC Canada, Australia and New Zealand, called Maia’s performance “dominant” but said a decision on a possible title fight for Maia has not been made.

Saturday’s fight may have been the last for Condit. There has been speculation about Condit’s future in the UFC, and he strongly suggested following his loss to Maia that his days as a fighter could be over. He stopped just short of confirming his retirement, saying he hopes the loss won’t be his “swan song.”

He said he’ll talk to his management team and his wife and make a decision after that. But he said possible retirement has been “in the back of my mind for a while.”

“I don’t know if I have business fighting at this level anymore. I’ve been at this for a really long time,” Condit said. “It’s been awesome. I’ve got to do what I love for a living for a very long time, but I don’t know if I belong here.”

Anthony Pettis submitted Charles Oliveira in the third round in their featherweight bout.

Pettis, who flirted with a knockout win in the first round, was able to roll Oliveira into a guillotine choke, forcing his opponent to end the fight at 3:11 of the third round.

After taking time away from the Octagon to appear on Dancing with the Stars, Paige VanZant returned to UFC with a second-round knockout over Australia’s Bec Rawlings.

VanZant, who last fought on Dec. 10, 2015, when she lost by submission in the fifth round, was able to land a kick to the head of Rawlings, driving her opponent to the ground. VanZant continued with a series of punches before the fight was stopped.

Jim Miller opened the main card with a split-decision victory over Joe Lauzon in a rematch between the two lightweight combatants following their bloody, gruesome fight from UFC 155 four years ago.