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PITTSBURGH -- Something feels right about football here when the weather turns cold -- yellow towels waving and gloved hands clapping rhythmically while Renegade pulses out across three rivers in the fourth quarter.Something feels right about the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens hitting the three-quarter mark of the NFL season in a flat-footed tie, even if theyre each a ho-hum 7-5 and have both gone through four-game losing streaks.Something feels right about ugly in the AFC North, where the teams are built for chilly crunch time and each fan base in the division outside of Cleveland has come to expect not just big-time December football, but the January football that follows.So it was that on the first weekend of December, the Steelers took the field here against a New York Giants team that came in on a six-game winning streak and?found a way to win?despite?12 penalties and a pair of turnovers. This just a few hours after the Ravens ended the Miami Dolphins six-game winning streak in Baltimore.The 2016 editions of the AFC Norths black-and-blue bloods are by no means perfect. But in the cases of Pittsburgh and Baltimore, they appear to be putting things together at the right time -- and setting themselves up for a fun (if flawed) division race.Hopefully, we can build upon this performance as we move forward, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Sunday night.And thats the right way to look at what the Steelers did here Sunday. Beating the Giants, who came in with the leagues fourth-best record, was no small accomplishment. But the way they did it was by no means perfect. You couldnt watch the Steelers on Sunday and think this was a team clicking on all cylinders. Some cylinders? Sure. More cylinders than were clicking earlier in the season? Absolutely. But this doesnt look like the elite AFC title contender most people thought they could be in 2016.Too many penalties. Too many odd playcalls that stalled promising drives. Not much rhythm. A workmanlike victory built on screen passes and the breakout performance of tight end Ladarius Green, whose season just got going a couple of weeks ago after a rash of injuries delayed his Steelers debut.Hes finding a comfortable seat on a moving train, Tomlin said of Green. And we need him to.The Steelers know theyre a work in progress. They have the benefit of a quarterback/coach combination that has built teams into playoff contenders and even Super Bowl champions as difficult seasons have gone along. In that way, theyre a little bit like their rivals in Baltimore -- even if they insist theyre not paying attention to what the Ravens are up to.Were trying to focus on being inside our own stadium and taking care of what we need to take care of, linebacker Ryan Shazier said. Well see them soon enough.They will. In their own stadium. On Christmas Day. The Ravens beat the Steelers in Baltimore earlier this season, which is why they are currently listed atop Pittsburgh in the AFC North standings despite their identical records. But depending on what happens the next two weeks -- which see the Ravens play at New England and home against Philadelphia, and the Steelers go to Buffalo and Cincinnati -- that Dec. 25 game is going to be more than enough reason to take a three-hour break from A Christmas Story reruns and tune in for an AFC North slobberknocker.The Steelers have the better quarterback and appear to have the softer schedule. The Ravens have the more dominant defense. Pittsburgh has won three in a row. Baltimore has won four of its last five. They each beat one of the leagues hottest teams Sunday. This race sets up nicely for a lot of reasons. But the very best is the two teams pedigrees.Its that time of year that we have to be our best self, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said.Lots of sayings bounced around the Pittsburgh locker room Sunday night. That thing about be inside our own stadium is clearly something Tomlin is preaching, because he said it and so did several players. The be our best self thing also got echoed in a few different corners of the locker room. Youve got to find those mantras that work, and youve got to make sure you have the people in place to make sure they dont end up just being empty words.The Steelers can do that, and so can the Ravens, which is what makes their burgeoning December division race so much fun. Neither is perfect, and at this point, neither appears to be great. But they have the players to help them get there, and the experience to know how. And whether they roll or limp through the tough tests they face over the next two weeks, Ravens-Steelers?should be quite a present for NFL fans to find under the tree. Fake Vans Outlet . 10 VCU 85-67 on Thursday night at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. The Seminoles (4-0) have scored at least 80 points in each of their games. Fake Vans SK8 . There are some early surprises in the race for the Hart Trophy, but two of the contenders are the leagues biggest stars over the past decade. There are many more players in contention for the awards than just the three that Ive named, and a good or bad week can easily alter the landscape, but through the first 20 or so games of the NHL season, this is how the awards races look to me. http://www.fakevans.com/ . Q: Team Canada announces their Olympic roster three weeks from today. Who is general manager Steve Yzerman watching? LeBrun: Over the last 48 hours, hes taken in the home-and-home between the Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche with Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene being the obvious targets. Fake Vans Online . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers. Fake Vans Old Skool . James, who turned 29 on Monday, injured his groin Friday during the Heats overtime loss at Sacramento. He sat out the following game, a 108-107 win Saturday in Portland, before coming back to help send the Nuggets to their seventh consecutive loss. A roundup of the past weeks notable boxing results from around the world:Saturday at Manchester, EnglandAnthony Joshua TKO3 Eric Molina -- Fight recapRetains a heavyweight titleRecords: Joshua (18-0, 18 KOs); Molina (25-4, 19 KOs)Rafaels remarks: Making his second title defense, Englands Joshua, 27, blew out Molina, 34, of Raymondville, Texas, as expected. What added to the significance of the bout was what was at stake besides Joshuas belt -- he had to win to set up a mega fight with former champion Wladimir Klitschko on April 29, at Wembley Stadium in London. Klitschko (64-4, 53 KOs), who has not fought since losing his belts by decision to Tyson Fury in November 2015, was ringside and watched as Joshua destroyed Molina much more easily than titlist Deontay Wilder did in June 2015, in a fight with some anxious moments before a ninth-round knockout win.After Joshua decked Molina with a left hand in the third round and followed up with a brutal assault of punches that left Molina out on his feet, referee Steve Gray stopped the fight at 2 minutes, 2 seconds. The CompuBox punch statistics show just how one-sided this was, as Joshua landed more punches than Molina threw; Joshua landed 38 of 105 shots (36 percent) and Molina landed just 6 of 34 (18 percent). Klitschko then joined Joshua in the ring for a very respectful joint interview -- Joshua is a former Klitschko sparring partner, and they are fond of each other -- as they announced what looms as one of the biggest fights of 2017.Dillian Whyte W12 Dereck Chisora Heavyweight title eliminatorScores: 115-114, 115-113 Whyte; 115-114 ChisoraRecords: Whyte (20-1, 15 KOs); Chisora (26-7, 18 KOs)Rafaels remarks: British countrymen Whyte, 28, and former title challenger Chisora, 32, seemed to have genuine bad blood coming into the fight. Chisora even threw a table at Whyte during a news conference during fight week, in an incident that saw Chisora fined and a chance to win Whytes British title taken away. But in the ring, they put on a razor-thin, close and thrilling war that could have gone either way -- and it was a fight of the year candidate, to be sure.They let it all hang out in a grueling brawl that featured massive ebb and flow, with both fighters on the verge of going down or getting stopped several times, including one particular moment in which Chisora badly rocked Whyte in the fifth round (round of the year candidate), only to see Whyte come storming back later in the round. It was like that throughout a terrific fight that could spawn a welcome rematch, though this win certainly moved Whyte one step closer to a mandatory shot at the world title held by Deontay Wilder.Scott Quigg KO9 Jose Cayetano FeatherweightRecords: Quigg (32-1-2, 24 KOs); Cayetano (20-5, 9 KOs)Rafaels remarks: In February, Quigg suffered a broken jaw in a split decision loss to Carl Frampton in their long-anticipated junior featherweight unification bout. Returning from the loss and injury, Quigg, 28, moved up to featherweight and shook off the rust in front of a hometown crowd against Mexicos Cayetano, who gave a good effort but was outclassed. Quigg ended the fight in spectacular fashion, forcing Cayetano to the corner and absolutely annihilating him with a right hand to the head. This is a KO of the year candidate, as Cayetanos whole body swivelled sideways and banged into the top rope before he dropped to his backside against the corner post with his right leg bent underneath him. Quigg could be in line for a title shot against Wales Lee Selby (23-1, 8 KOs).Khalid Yafai W12 Luis ConcepcionWins a vacant junior bantamweight titleScores: 120-108, 119-108, 117-110Records: Yafai (21-0, 14 KOs); Concepcion (35-5, 24 KOs)Rafaels remarks: Panamas Concepcion, 31, was 117.5 pounds -- 2.5 over the division limit -- and he was stripped of the title. That left Yafai, 27, of England, able to win the vacant belt, which he did with ease. Yafai dropped Concepcion to his backside with a left hand in the 10th round and totally dominated.Callum Smith KO10 Luke BlackledgeRetains British super middleweight titleRecords: Smith (22-0, 17 KOs); Blackledge (22-3-2, 7 KOs)Rafaels remarks: Englands Smith, 26, was never in danger against countryman Blackledge, 26, whom he dropped with a combination in the third round and then stopped with a massive left hook to the head at 2 minutes, 34 seconds of the 10th round. This is a KO of the year candidate as Blackledge fell limp immediately and was out cold. The win also kept Smith on track for a mandatory world title shot against the winner of the Jan. 14 Badou Jack-James DeGale unification fight.Luis Ortiz TKO7 David AllenHeavyweightRecords: Ortiz (27-0, 23 KOs); Allen (9-2-1, 6 KOs)Rafaels remarks: Fighting for the second time in 28 days (and second time since signing with Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn), top contender King Kong Ortiz, a 37-year-old Cuban defector living in Miami, battered Englands Allen. Although Allen, 24, never went down, he took a beating and was bleeding from his mouth and being pummeled when referee Darren Sarginson stopped it at 2 minutes, 59 seconds of the seventh round.Saturday at Los AngelesAbner Mares W12 Jesus Cuellar -- Fight recapWins a featherweight titleScores: 117-110, 116-111 Mares; 115-112 CuellarRecords: Mares (30-2-1, 15 KOs); Cuellar (28-2, 21 KOs)Rafaels remarks: For those that may have written off Mares, 31, you better think again. The three-division titleholder looked sharp, especially considering he had not fought in 16 months because of two postponements, and that he was coming off a grueling decision loss for a vacant title to Leo Santa Cruz. But Mares, a Mexico native living in Los Angeles, did a tremendous job of outboxing the rugged Cuellar, especially in the later stages, to win the secondary title in an entertaining fight. Mares, who dropped Cuellar with a right hand to the chin in the 11th round, had spent the better part of the past year working with new trainer Robert Garcia -- and it was clear he was very well prepared against Argentinas Cuellar, a 29-year-old southpaw whom Garcia used to train.While the powerful Cuellar, who was making his third defense, was aggressive and awkward, Mares did a fine job of boxing him on the outside, staying in the middle of the ring and rumbling only when necessary -- the exact strategy that Garcia has been drilling into him. With Mares winning (giving Garcia a win over training rival Freddie Roach) the door is now open for very makeable major fights with other titleholders, whether it be the Carl Frampton-Santa Cruz II winner, Gary Russell Jr. or Lee Selby.Jermall Charlo KO5 Julian J Rock Williams -- Fight recapRetains a junior middleweight titleRecords: Charlo (25-0, 19 KOs); Williams (22-1-1, 14 KOs)Rafaels remarks: Charlo, 26, of Houston, had a big chip on his shoulder throughout the build up to this fight, because Williams was trash-talking him before the mandatory bout was even made. Charlos view was that even though Williams was unbeaten, he had never fought anyone remotely on his level -- and his aim was to prove it. Charlo, making his third title defense, did just that in devastating fashion; he scored three knockdowns in all, and left Williams on the mat in la-la land. Charlos jab was sensational, and he fired one down the middle to drop Williams in the second round that left him wobbly-legged.The right uppercut that Charlo dropped Williams with in the fifth round was highlight-reel material, as it spun him halfway around and dropped him face first. Credit to Williams for getting to his feet, but Charlo blitzed him with shots when the fight resumed, including a left hand that dropped him again and forced referee Wayne Hedgepeth to call off the fight at 2 minutes, 6 seconds of that same round. Charlo proved his point impressively, and although he called out titleholder Canelo Alvarez and others (although not fellow titlist and twin brother Jermell Charlo), we could see him abandon his title and move up to middleweight.Sergey Lipinets KO9 Lenny ZappavignaJunior welterweight title eliminatorRecords:?Lipinets (11-0, 9 KOs); Zappavigna (35-3, 25 KOs)Rafaels remarks: This was a terrific battle that should go down as a fight of the year honorable mention, as they both left it all in the ring in a bloody slugfest. Lipinets, 27, of Russia, earned a world title shot against newly-crowned titleholder Julius Indongo (21-0, 11 KOs), of Namibia, but it did not come easy against former lightweight title challenger Zappavigna, 29, of Australia. Zappavigna, who opened a bad cut over Lipinets right eye in the action-packed fourth round, found himself on the ropes in the fifth round when Lipinets cut him over the right eye and dropped him with a left hook. Two judges had the fight 66-66 and one had Lipinets ahead 67-66 after seven rounds, but then Lipinets blasted Zappavigna with a clean right hand to the head, dropping him to his backside as referee Thomas Taylor counted him out at 1 minute, 23 seconds. It was a terrific fight.Also on the card, blue chipp junior middleweight prospect Erickson Lubin (17-0, 12 KOs), 21, of Orlando, Florida, fought as a middleweight to accommodate the heavy Juan Ubaldo Cabrera (23-2, 15 KOs), 37, of the Dominican Republic, but the weight made no difference as Lubin destroyed him.dddddddddddd He dropped him twice en route to a knockout at 2 minutes, 9 seconds of the second round.Saturday at Omaha, NebraskaTerence Crawford TKO8 John Molina Jr. -- Fight recapRetains unified junior welterweight titleRecords: Crawford (30-0, 21 KOs); Molina (29-7, 23 KOs)Rafaels remarks: Crawford, 29, gave his adoring crowd of 11,270 (including Omaha billionaire Warren Buffett) reason to cheer as he absolutely destroyed the overmatched, overweight Molina in a wicked mismatch. HBOs Max Kellerman went so far as to compare it to the horrific beating then-heavyweight champion Larry Holmes dished out to Randall Tex Cobb in a 15-round decision in 1982 that was so bad it caused broadcaster Howard Cosell to quit calling fights. Although Molina, 33, of Covina, California, was coming off of a quality win over ex-titlist Ruslan Provodnikov in June, he was a massive underdog against Crawford. Then he badly missed weight, coming in at 143.4 pounds for the 140-pound fight and was thus not even eligible to win the belts. Crawford, seeking to make his closing argument for fighter of the year honors (which he won in 2014), brutalized the painfully slow Molina.Crawford beat Molina to the punch and blasted him with every shot in the book. Molina showed only heart as he took a bad beating that finally concluded with Crawford pummeling him with body shots and head shots in the eighth round. He unleashed a 13-punch flurry in which virtually everything connected, including a fight-finishing right hand to the body and one to the head that dropped Molina in a corner and caused referee Mark Nelson to stop it at 51 seconds. The CompuBox punch statistics were incredibly one-sided, as Crawford landed 184 of 419 shots (44 percent) and Molina landed just 41 of 287 blows (14 percent). Crawford, who would like for the oft-discussed fight with Manny Pacquiao to become a reality, is in dire need of a big-time opponent.Raymundo Beltran KO7 Mason MenardLightweightRecords:?Beltran (32-7-1, 20 KOs); Menard (32-2, 24 KOs)Rafaels remarks: The last time Beltran, 35 -- a Mexico native living in Phoenix -- boxed in Omaha, he was routed in a one-sided decision loss challenging then-lightweight champion Terence Crawford. Beltran returned to Omaha to fight on Crawfords undercard and put on a much better display in a tremendous performance against up-and-comer Menard, 28, of Rayne, Louisiana, who replaced injured former titleholder Juan Diaz on about three weeks notice.Beltran, the longtime Manny Pacquiao sparring partner, showed he still has something left as he dominated Menard. After a very competitive first round, Beltran took over as he walked Menard down and showed he was a level above him. Although Beltran suffered a cut over his left eye in the fifth round, it was not an issue. His left hook was on point, and he battered Menard until flattening him with a left hook in the eighth round -- causing referee Mark Nelson to stop the fight at 51 seconds. Beltran then called for a fight against any of the titleholders and said hed be interested in facing junior lightweight titlist Vasyl Lomachenko, too, should he move up.Saturday at Auckland, New ZealandJoseph Parker W12 Andy Ruiz Jr. -- Fight recapWins a vacant heavyweight titleScores: 115-113 (twice) Parker, 114-114Records: Parker (22-0, 18 KOs); Ruiz (29-1, 19 KOs)Rafaels remarks: When troubled heavyweight champion Tyson Fury gave up his title belts in September, it paved the way for New Zealands Parker, 24, to meet Ruiz, 27, of Imperial Valley, California, for the vacant belt in one of New Zealands biggest-ever sports events. Ruiz was bidding to become the first heavyweight titleholder of Mexican descent and he came close, but Parker got the well-deserved nod in a majority decision that was in no way a hometown call. He earned it as he rallied over the second half of the fight (though it was not very exciting).After Ruiz put several early rounds in the bank against the slow-starting Parker, the latter picked up the pace and landed some nice combinations to do just enough to eke out the rounds he needed for victory. According to CompuBox punch statistics, he landed 119 of 560 punches (21 percent) and Ruiz connected with 107 of 416 (26 percent).Saturday at Monterrey, MexicoJulio Cesar Chavez Jr. W10 Dominik BritschSuper middleweightScores: 99-91 (three times)Records: (50-2-1, 32 KOs); Britsch (32-3-1, 11 KOs)Rafaels remarks: Former middleweight world titleholder Chavez has been a huge disappointment in recent years for his failure to take boxing seriously, as hes missed weight regularly and even quit against Andrzej Fonfara three fights ago. But Chavez, fighting for the first time in 17 months (since missing weight for a win against Marcos Reyes), made weight for a change (167.8 pounds) and then rolled to a one-sided decision against Britsch, 29, of Germany. With his legendary father Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. ringside, Chavez, 30, of Mexico, imposed himself on Britsch for most of the fight. It was a textbook outing by Chavez, who relied on left hooks to the body and right hands to head. Britsch took a lot of shots, but he was game to the end in the one-sided loss. Chavez looked okay considering the layoff, and said he hopes to get more active in 2017.Saturday at MontrealEleider Storm Alvarez W10 Norbert DabrowskiLight heavyweightScores: 99-91, 98-92, 97-93Records: Alvarez (21-0, 10 KOs); Dabrowski (19-6-1, 7 KOs)Rafaels remarks: Although Montreals Alvarez, 32, a native of Colombia, is the mandatory challenger for world champion (and Montreal rival) Adonis Stevenson, he is instead scheduled to face former super middleweight titlist (and Montreals most popular fighter) Lucian Bute (32-3-1, 25 KOs) on Feb. 24 in Quebec City. To make that fight official, Alvarez had to take care of Dabrowski, 28, of Poland, and he did just that by outpointing a durable opponent who has never been stopped. Dabrowski was picked as an opponent largely because he is a southpaw, so that Alvarez could get that look before facing the left-handed Bute.Saturday at Bethlehem, PennsylvaniaBerlin Abreu W10 David Emanuel PeraltaWelterweightScores: 96-94, 96-93 Abreu; 97-93 PeraltaRecords: Abreu (14-1, 11 KOs); Peralta (26-3-1, 14 KOs)Rafaels remarks: In August, Peralta, 34, who was essentially in retirement from boxing and driving a taxi in his home country of Argentina, took a fight with former two-division titleholder Robert Guerrero and scored perhaps the upset of the year with a split decision win. It was such a big win that Peralta quit driving and relocated to Miami, Florida, to box full time. But in his first fight since that huge victory, he was on the losing end of a split decision to the unheralded Abreu, 24, of the Dominican Republic, which will surely put a dent in the big plans Peralta and his team had following the August victory.Also on the card, former welterweight titlist Kermit Cintron (39-5-2, 30 KOs), 37, of Reading, Pennsylvania, stopped Rosemberg Gomez (19-6-1, 15 KOs), 30, of Nicaragua, who retired after the fourth round.Saturday at Miami, OklahomaIvan Baranchyk W8 Wilberth LopezJunior welterweightScores: 98-91 (twice), 97-92Records: Baranchyk (13-0, 10 KOs); Lopez (15-7, 10 KOs)Rafaels remarks: New York-based Russian prospect Baranchyk, 23, has found a home on the regular cards at the Buffalo Run Casino, racking up his fourth win in a row there as he got in good work against a determined Lopez, 21, of Tucson, Arizona, who dropped his second eight-round decision in a row. In the fourth round, the aggressive Baranchyk suffered the first knockdown of his career, but ultimately cruised to the decision.Also on the card, heavyweight Trey Lippe-Morrison (13-0, 13 KOs), 27, of Vinita, Oklahoma, the son of late heavyweight titleholder Tommy Morrison, dropped Ty Cobb (19-8, 11 KOs), 41, of Wichita Falls, Texas, twice before notching a knocking out at 2 minutes, 10 seconds of the second round.Saturday at Wroclaw, PolandKrzysztof Wlodarczyk W12 Leon HarthCruiserweightScores: 116-112 (twice), 115-113Records: Wlodarczyk (52-3-1, 37 KOs); Harth (14-2, 10 KOs)Rafaels remarks: Wlodarczyk, 35, of Poland, successfully defended his cruiserweight world title six times during his 2010 to 2014 reign before losing it by decision to Grigory Drozd. Since that loss, Wlodarczyk, who did not fight at all in 2015, has notched three wins in a row, including this victory against Harth; he outboxed the defensive-minded Harth, and put himself in position for another title shot next year. Harth, an Armenian based in Germany, had only one previous loss -- a fourth-round knockout in 2014 to Murat Gassiev, who claimed a world title on Dec. 3. ' ' '