division, unify titles and then go to heavyweight,

Riyad Mahrez could miss the start of the 2016/17 season due to the Rio Olympics. Sky Sports News HQ has been told that Leicesters Algerian ace Mahrez, Evertons Argentinian defender Ramiro Funes Mori, Arsenals Nigerian midfielder Alex Iwobi and his compatriot Manchester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho are all being targeted by their countries.The Olympic football tournament kicks off in Rio de Janeiro on August 4, nine days before the Premier League season, and players could miss two weeks of games, should their country reach the gold or bronze medal matches. Olympic rules could also lead to Liverpools Philippe Coutinho and Man Citys Sergio Aguero being called up. The 16 countries competing in the Olympics will select a squad of players born after January 1, 1993, plus three senior players, who are also eligible for selection. Leicester star Mahrez could play for Algeria at the Olympics Clubs do not have to release players for the tournament because it falls outside of the FIFA calendar, but many players will be keen to represent their country.With Euro 2016 and Copa America 2016 also taking place in the off-season, some players could be facing an extremely busy summer. Below is a country-by-country guide to players in England who could be selected, along with what Sky Sports News HQ has been told by their countries:ALGERIAOver-23 player: Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City)They say: The Algerian FA has told Sky Sports News HQ that it is extremely keen to name Mahrez as a senior player. It plans to hold talks with the player and Leicester next week.DENMARK Denmark could call on the experience of Christian Eriksen Under-23 players: Andreas Christensen (Chelsea), Lasse Vigen Christensen (Fulham), Jonas Knudsen (Ipswich)Over-23 players: Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester), Anders Lindegaard (WBA), Erik Sviatchenko (Celtic), Jores Okore (Aston Villa), Christian Eriksen (Tottenham), Lasse Vibe (Brentford)They say: The Danish FA, U21 coach and European clubs are in talks about who will be available. The Danish FA will not be drawn on speculation that its keen to call up Schmeichel and Eriksen.Denmark could have the biggest impact on English football with nine players up for consideration.NIGERIA Nigeria hope to select Arsenals Alex Iwobi Under-23 players: Kelechi Iheanacho (Manchester City), Alex Iwobi (Arsenal)Over-23 players: John Obi Mikel (Chelsea), Odion Ighalo (Watford), Efe Ambrose (Celtic)They say: The Nigerian FA has told us it hopes to select Iwobi and Iheanacho. It is in discussions with the clubs and hopes to have a list of players it can select from in a fortnight. Ighalo and national team captain Obi Mikel are also under consideration.GERMANY Arsenals Serge Gnabry could represent Germany Under-23 players: Emre Can (Liverpool), Serge Gnabry (Arsenal)Over-23 players: Mesut Ozil (Arsenal), Per Mertesacker (Arsenal), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Manchester United)They say: Sky Sports News HQ has been told Can, although an under-23 player, wont be selected for the Olympics as he will be selected for the Euros earlier in the summer. The DfB wants to select players from outside the Bundesliga 1 to avoid disrupting its season.Germany will not pick players in Champions League or Europa League squads, either. Gnabry is the only Premier League player under serious consideration.ARGENTINA Ramiro Funes Mori is understood to be wanted by Argentina Under-23 players: Tiago Casasola (Roma)Over-23 players: Ramiro Funes Mori (Everton), Pablo Zabaleta (Manchester City), Martin Demichelis (Manchester City), Sergio Aguero (Manchester City), Marcos Rojo (Manchester United), Erik Lamela (Tottenham Hotspur).They say: Argentina head coach Tata Martino has confirmed Ramiro Funes Mori is under consideration for the Olympic team, with Everton manager Roberto Martinez admitting he wants clarity on the issue. Argentina could use the tournament to look at players on the fringes of the senior squad, so the likes of Sergio Aguero and Pablo Zabaleta could miss out.BRAZIL Chelsea midfielder Willian may be selected by hosts Brazil Under-23 players: Andreas Pereira (Manchester United)Over-23 players: Willian (Chelsea), Oscar (Chelsea), Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool), Lucas Leiva (Liverpool), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), Fernandinho (Manchester City)They say: The Brazilian FA expects Barcelona to release Neymar for the tournament, even if it means he wont play at this summers Copa America in June. Neymar will be the star of the competition as the hosts look to win their first ever Olympic gold. There has been no confirmation of who the other two senior players will be, with Willian and Coutinho linked in the Brazilian press.OTHER COUNTRIESSOUTH AFRICAOver-23 players: Tokelo Rantie (Bournemouth)SOUTH KOREAOver-23 players: Lee Chung-Yong (Crystal Palace)PORTUGAL Southampton captain Jose Fonte is an over-23 option for Portugal Under-23 players: Lucas Joao (Sheffield Wednesday)Over-23 players: Cedric Soares (Southampton), Jose Fonte (Southampton), Fernando (Manchester City)SWEDENOver-23 players: Martin Olsson (Norwich), Marcus Olsson (Derby), Ola Toivonen (Sunderland), Kristoffer Nordfeldt (Swansea), Seb Larsson (Sunderland) Martin Olsson, of Norwich, could be called up by Sweden COLOMBIAOver-23 players: David Ospina (Arsenal), Carlos Sanchez (Aston Villa) Also See: Argentina want Funes Mori Olympics news Wholesale Basketball Shoes . 8 Kansas to a 64-63 win over Texas Tech on Tuesday night. The freshman from Vaughan, Ont. Cheap Basketball Shoes Wholesale . JOHNS, N. http://www.wholesalebasketballshoes.us/ .Y. -- Jayna Hefford scored the winning goal Friday as Canada survived a scare with a 4-3 win over Sweden at the Four Nations womens hockey tournament. Cheap Basketball Shoes Free Shipping . Peter Gammons, an analyst for Major League Baseballs network and website, drew the ire of hockey fans on Sunday when he criticized the two NHL teams on Twitter for their physical game the night before. Clearance Basketball Shoes . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season. So far, Oleksandr Usyks plan is working perfectly -- but it is not quite done yet.The 2012 Olympic heavyweight gold medalist from Ukraine came into the professional ranks with a goal to quickly win a cruiserweight world title, which he did in only his 10th professional fight on Sept. 17, when he traveled to Poland and won a unanimous decision to take the belt off Krzysztof Glowacki.Usyks checklist, however, also includes making it big in the United States, unifying cruiserweight titles, and then moving on -- like many top cruiserweights do -- to the heavyweight division for bigger fights and bigger money.Usyk will get started on the second item on his checklist on Saturday (HBO, 10 p.m. ET/PT) at The Forum in Inglewood, California, where he will make his U.S. debut and his first title defense against South Africas Thabiso The Rock Mchunu (17-2, 11 KOs), a 28-year-old southpaw contender, in the opener of a tripleheader.I have a very good impression of the United States, and I am very excited to fight here, Usyk told ESPN through translator, good friend and light heavyweight contender Oleksandr Gvozdyk, his bronze medal-winning Olympic teammate. From the beginning of my career I wanted to fight in the United States, and now my dreams come true.The card is headlined by legend Bernard Hopkins (55-7-2, 32 KOs), the former middleweight and light heavyweight world champion from Philadelphia, who is a month shy of his 52nd birthday, closing out his 28-year career with a 12-round light heavyweight farewell fight against Joe Smith Jr. (22-1, 18 KOs), 27, of Shirley, New York.In the co-feature, 24-year-old featherweight up-and-comer Joseph JoJo Diaz (22-0, 13 KOs), a 2012 U.S. Olympian from South El Monte, California, will fight Horacio Violento Garcia (30-1-1, 22 KOs), 26, of Mexico, in a scheduled 10-rounder.Besides defending the belt, the 6-foot-3 Usyk also wants to entertain the fans. He is a showman with a big personality who likes to perform the traditional Ukrainian Hopak dance of the Cossacks in the ring.It comes from my heart, Usyk said of his dancing prowess. I was born with this, and I was thinking when I was a kid I would like to be an actor. I became a boxer, so I tried to combine the two by dancing.It is the showmanship as well as his fighting ability that made manager Egis Klimas, who has known the 29-year-old Usyk for years, want to get involved with his career. He finally signed him shortly after he won his title.I think because of his personality, the way he acts, I think he will have a very big fan base, said Klimas, who also manages former unified light heavyweight titlist Sergey Kovalev, Gvozdyk and junior lightweight titlist Vasyl Lomachenko, who is also a close friend and Olympic teammate of Usyks. I truly believe people [are] going to like him a lot.Usyk, a southpaw, is a popular fighter in Ukraine, where he sells out 10,000-seat arenas. He is promoted by K2 Promotions, whose figurehead, Vitali Klitschko, the former heavyweight world champion and current mayor of Kiev, is a fixture at his fights; he is expected at The Forum on Saturday. As popular as Usyk is in Ukraine, he and Klimas agreed that it was time to come to the U.S. and make a move.If all goes well, Klimas said Usyk probably would fight two of every three fiights in the U.ddddddddddddS. with one in Ukraine.America is still the mecca of boxing, Klimas said. You can be the most popular guy in Ukraine, but if you want the world to know who you are, and you want to unify titles, you need to be on this soil. That was his dream, to fight in America and to fight in a big arena.Definitely, being with the legendary Bernard Hopkins means a lot to him and our whole team. We have so much respect for Hopkins. Hes been a great fighter. Thats what Usyk wants to be. Our goal is also to get American fans and American [television] network behind us.By winning the 200-pound belt in his 10th professional fight, Usyk broke the division record for fewest fights needed to win a world title. He surpassed the mark held by Evander Holyfield, the recently elected International Boxing Hall of Famer who won a cruiserweight world title in his 12th fight when he beat fellow Hall of Famer Dwight Muhammad Qawi in an epic 15-rounder in 1986.It was a record Usyk said he had his eye on from the start of his pro career.I knew about it. This was my goal to beat this record, he said. I was really happy when I did it. I like and respect Holyfield. I saw a lot of his fights growing up, and I am happy I can do it faster than he did.Then Usyk flashed his wit, adding with a laugh, Holyfield, nothing personal. Sorry, just business.Holyfield became the undisputed cruiserweight champion and then moved up to heavyweight division and became the undisputed champion there also. Usyk hopes to follow in his footsteps in the not-too-distant-future.Im not fighting at heavyweight now because we should go step-by-step, said Usyk, who was introduced to boxing at age 15 by his late father. I want to become a star in the United States because I want to show everyone quality boxing.Unifying all the belts could be a very time-consuming effort, so Usyk said he would like to at least unify two belts before leaving the division.From the beginning I wanted to dominate in the cruiserweight division, unify titles and then go to heavyweight, Usyk said. I think maybe in a couple of years, maybe in 2018, you will see me in the heavyweight division.Said Klimas: The most exciting thing about working with Usyk is maybe in a year and half, after unifying titles, he will turn into a heavyweight. This is a key. Thats a plan.Gvozdyk and Klimas believe Usyk can accomplish all that he says he wants to.I have no doubts about it, Gvozdyk said. I watch the cruiserweight champions, and he has a big chance to be the unified champion if he gets a chance to fight those guys. I know him. I used to spar with him. I have seen him against tough opponents. I see what he can do, and I think he can beat all of the [cruiserweight] champions.Said Klimas: I believe Usyk is right there with Kovalev and Lomachenko, the same level. I havent seen him live in a fight yet, only videos, but [Ive] seen him training and sparring. He went 15 rounds with four different sparring partners the other day and stepped out of the ring and went right to the heavy bag. His stamina is good. He has a big desire and heart. He has desire to prove to the world what he can do. ' ' '