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■ BOXING
Diaconu wins shot at title
Romanian-born Adrian Diaconu improved to 24-0 on Wednesday night, stopping the US' Rico Hoye 42 seconds into the third round of their WBC light heavyweight elimination fight. With the victory, the Canada-based Diaconu became the mandatory challenger to WBC champion Chad Dawson, the undefeated American who won the title with a Feb. 3 decision over Poland's Tomasz Adamek. Hoye dropped to 20-2.

■ TENNIS
Long odds for Hewitt win
Australian punters have all but given up hope of Lleyton Hewitt winning this month's French Open, with bookmakers offering the extraordinary odds of 200-1 on the former world No. 1. When Hewitt was at the peak of his powers, Australians bet millions of dollars on him winning events, but no longer. The 26-year-old has not won a grand slam title in almost five years and has slipped to 20th in the world rankings. "He was an enormously popular player a few years back," Glenn Munsie, spokesman for bookmakers TAB, told Sydney's Daily Telegraph. "Everyone from big punters to pub and club punters backed him consistently. He had the image of the little Aussie battler. But it's not hard to track the decline in his popularity."

■ SOCCER
Hammers rule out appeal
West Ham United will not appeal the ?5.5 million (US$11 million) fine imposed by the Premier League for contract irregularities over the signing of Argentine internationals Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano. The London side were hit with the massive penalty following a two-day hearing last month. Controversially, however, the Hammers avoided a points deduction and have subsequently climbed out of the relegation places. New chairman Eggert Magnusson, who was not involved in last summer's signings, said in a statement: "I think it is now time to draw a line under this matter. The fine imposed on us was very significant but we accept that mistakes were made and it is now time to move on." West Ham's decision will come as little surprise, given that the punishment meted out to them was deemed lenient by their relegation rivals, who have threatened legal action.

■ BASKETBALL
Yao Ming plans new gym
Yao Ming plans to open a fitness center in China. The health club chain 24 Hour Fitness Worldwide announced the partnership with the National Basketball Association All-Star on Wednesday. The California Fitness-Yao Ming Sport Club will open in August. California Fitness currently operates 24 centers across Asia. "California Fitness/24 Hour Fitness is the best at what they do -- helping people improve their lives through health and fitness," Yao said. "Especially in the larger cities in China, people's lifestyles are changing and it's having an impact on their health. In order to achieve my personal goals, I spend a lot of time getting stronger through exercise. I want to lead by example and encourage people to live better by incorporating fitness into their daily lives." As part of the multiyear joint venture, Yao will be an equity partner. He will appear in advertising and make promotional appearances on behalf of the club.


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