■ Boxing
Ex-champ jailed over fight
Former WBC light heavyweight champion Graciano Rocchigiani will serve five months in jail for hitting a taxi driver. The 42-year-old German, already on probation, was sentenced on Friday by a Berlin court for the incident two years ago in which he hit the taxi driver, then damaged his car. Rocchigiani has a long history of run-ins with the law, including a conviction for assaulting a police officer. He won a US$31 million judgment against the WBC in 1998 over the loss of his light heavyweight title, but settled for less when the WBC planned to dissolve itself under bankruptcy laws. The WBC declared its light heavyweight title vacant when champion Roy Jones Jr said he was moving up to the heavyweight division and Rocchigiani won the vacant title against Michael Nunn. When Jones Jr returned, he was restored as light heavyweight champion. The WBC wrote to the German saying the official rankings that had him as champ were a "typographical error."
■ Rugby Union
Wellington fixed on circuit
The Wellington rugby sevens tournament will be a fixed part of the International Rugby Board's world circuit for the next five years, the New Zealand Rugby Union said yesterday. The tournament is one of seven confirmed on the 2006-2007 circuit which starts in Dubai. Other tournaments will be played at George in South Africa, San Diego, Hong Kong, Adelaide in Australia and London. The venue for the eighth tournament has yet to be confirmed. "The New Zealand International Sevens tournament has been a commercial success as well as a sporting and social event triumph and the IRB has recognized that," New Zealand union deputy chief executive Steve Tew said.
■ Basketball
All-Stars beat Yulong
World champion Serbia and Montenegro easily defeated Argentina 83-64 on the first day of the Singapore Cup on Friday. Serbia and Montenegro took an early lead over Argentina, who were led by San Antonio Spurs player Manu Ginobili. Fifth-ranked Spain beat Slovenia 96-85. The four countries are using this tournament as a warmup for the world championship starting next week in Japan. The competition also includes regional club teams. The Singapore All-Stars beat Taiwan's Yulong Club 80-74. The competition continued yesterday, when Argentina took on Slovenia, and Spain met Serbia and Montenegro.
■ Basketball
Lithuania edge South Korea
Forward Linus Kleiza of the Denver Nuggets scored 12 points yesterday as Lithuania edged South Korea 83-81 at the World Basketball Challenge. Kleiza scored six points in the fourth quarter when the Lithuanians outscored their opponents 25-22 en route to their first win of the tournament. South Korea dropped to 0-2. In yesterday's final game, Turkey defeated Italy 72-61 to improve to 1-1. Italy is 0-1.
■ Soccer
Brawling coaches banned
Two coaches have been fined and banned in Colombia after exchanging insults and punches on the touchline and being sent off in a game last Sunday. Jorge Luis Pinto of Cucuta was suspended for six games and fined the equivalent of US$466 while Julio Comesana of Real Cartagena was banned for eight games and fined US$1,700. The Colombian league said former Costa Rica coach Pinto was guilty of "slandering the referee and provoking his opposite number" by saying that Comesana had bribed the official. Comesana, a Uruguayan, was sanctioned for violent conduct after he aimed a punch at Pinto in the 80th minute incident during the 1-1 draw.
■ Soccer
Kahn reaches milestone
Bayern Munich goalkeeper Oliver Kahn made his 500th Bundesliga appearance in Friday's season opener against Borussia Dortmund. Kahn, 37, played his first Bundesliga game in 1987 for Karlsruhe and it was an unpromising start, as his side lost 4-0 to Cologne. He joined Bayern in 1994 and has since won the Champions League and seven league titles, as well as two German Player of the Year awards.
■ Soccer
Mourinho weighs up options
Jose Mourinho said on Friday he is considering "other options" in defense after being unable to prise Ashley Cole from Arsenal for what he considers a fair fee. Mourinho is reported to have offered ?16 million (US$30 million) for the 25-year-old England left back, but Arsenal want nearer to ?25 million. Cole was conspicuous by his absence from the Arsenal team photocall on Thursday at the club's new Emirates Stadium. But Mourinho insists the Premiership champions will not dip further into billionaire owner Roman Abramovich's pockets. "Nothing has changed," Mourinho said on Friday at a press conference ahead of the Community Shield against Liverpool. "He [Cole] is for sure an Arsenal player, and he is probably training with them. I cannot say more than that." The situation was not desperate, Mourinho insisted. "I am looking first of all to what I have," he said. "I have [Wayne] Bridge, Paulo Ferreira, I have [Lassana] Diarra, if I need, [Michael] Essien if I need," he said.
■ Rugby Union
Carter tries hand at soccer
All Blacks golden boy Daniel Carter has found a way around his tightly controlled rugby playing regime -- he's turned out for a social soccer match in a move that has surprised his rugby bosses. They are offering little comment on Carter's switch from the oval ball to the round ball and are unsure whether he had broken any conditions of his contract. During the All Blacks current three-week break in the Tri-Nations series, head coach Graham Henry has dictated which players he wanted to have a run out in the provincial competition and who he wanted to have a complete rest. Carter, arguably the most skillful rugby player in the world, was among those ordered to have a complete rest, but he was sighted having a run with a soccer team in his hometown of Christchurch, the Press newspaper reported yesterday. One player on the team said Carter had plenty of natural ability and came along to make up the numbers. In a recent appearance, he put in a cross that resulted in a goal, but the teammate said Carter "shouldn't change his day job" just yet.
Twelve days after winning her second Grand Slam title at the French Open, Coco Gauff fell at the first hurdle on grass in Berlin on Thursday as beaten Paris finalist Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the quarter-finals. Recipient of a first round bye, American Gauff lost 6-3, 6-3 to Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu as world number one Sabalenka beat Rebeka Masarova 6-2, 7-6 (8/6) in her second round tie. Winner of 10 main tour titles, including the US Open in 2023 and the WTA Finals last year, Gauff has yet to lift a trophy in a grass-court tournament. “After I won the first
While British star Jack Draper spent the past week trying to find rhythm and comfort in his first grass tournament of the season at the Queen’s Club Championships in London, Jiri Lehecka on Saturday bulldozed everything in his path. After more than two furious hours of battle, their form was reflected in the final scoreline as Lehecka toppled a frustrated Draper, the second seed, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 to reach the biggest final of his career, against Carlos Alcaraz. Lehecka is also the first Czech to reach the men’s title match at Queen’s since Ivan Lendl lifted the trophy in 1990. Draper, who
Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka staged a “crazy comeback,” saving four match points before beating Elena Rybakina 7-6 (6), 3-6, 7-6 (6) in the quarter-finals of the Berlin Open on Friday. Sabalenka was 6-2 down in the final-set tie-breaker, but won six straight points to reach her eighth semi-final of the season. “Elena is a great player and we’ve had a lot of tough battles,” Sabalenka said. “I have no idea how I was able to win those last points. I think I just got lucky.” “I remember a long time ago when I was just starting, I won a lot of matches being down
The Canterbury Crusaders edged the Waikato Chiefs 16-12 in an intense Super Rugby Pacific final battle in Christchurch yesterday to claim their 15th title in 30 years of the Southern Hemisphere competition. Hooker Codie Taylor scored a try and Rivez Reihana contributed 11 points from the kicking tee as the most dominant team in Super Rugby history extended their perfect home playoff record to 32 successive matches since 1998. The Chiefs, who were looking for a first title since 2013, scored first-half tries through George Dyer and Shaun Stevenson, but were unable to register a point after the break and fell to
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