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Sports Briefs

■ Boxing
Laila Ali marries NFL star
Boxer Laila Ali and retired NFL star Curtis Conway were married on Sunday, her manager, Eric Kaufman, said on Monday. Kaufman wouldn't release any details of the wedding in Los Angeles. Guests included Ali's parents, Muhammad Ali and Veronica Porsche Anderson; her sister Hana Ali; Conway's 12-year-old twin sons, Cameron and Kelton; and his eight-year-old daughter, Leilani, People magazine reported on its Web site. The 29-year-old four-time super-middleweight champion wore a champagne-colored silk charmeuse strapless mermaid gown, the magazine reported.

■ Soccer
Kangaroo cleats banned
The California Supreme Court has banned the sale of soccer cleats popularized by David Beckham and other goods made from kangaroo leather. But the statewide prohibition -- the only one of its kind in the US -- may be short-lived. Legislation allowing kangaroo-derived products made by the sporting goods maker Adidas and other companies passed the state Senate this year. It's expected to clear the Assembly and land on California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's desk as early as September. Still, animal rights activists who sued Adidas were emboldened by Monday's ruling, which overturned two lower court decisions holding that California's kangaroo ban interferes with federal support of Australia's wildlife management plans.

■ Rugby Union
School year changed for Cup
New Zealand will change its school year to allow as many people as possible to watch the final of the 2011 Rugby World Cup, after the proposed date of the Auckland match was announced yesterday. The final will be played at Auckland's Eden Park on either Saturday, Oct. 22 or Oct. 23, 2011, a Labor Weekend public holiday in New Zealand, Rugby World Cup organizers said. The date is likely to be finalized during this year's World Cup in France. New Zealand's Labor Party government has consulted with education sector groups over the change and reached agreement that the final term of New Zealand's four-year school term should be shortened to fit in with the Cup final.

■ Soccer
Fiszman keeps Arsenal stake
Arsenal's largest shareholder, Danny Fiszman, intends to hold on to his stake in the Premier League club in the face of rumored interest from American billionaire Stan Kroenke. The ownership of the club has been discussed since vice president David Dein was ousted from the board in April, but Fiszman said on Monday he would not be tempted into any deal. Fiszman, who is also a director of the club, said the agreement the board entered into in April to hold onto their interests for at least a year still held. "I have no intention of selling my shares in Arsenal for the foreseeable future," Fiszman said.

■ Cricket
Black Caps retain Bracewell
John Bracewell will continue as New Zealand cricket coach for another two years, while former India mentor John Wright joins the national team in a new high-performance role. "We believe that John [Bracewell] has made good progress with the [New Zealand team] and we are delighted to retain him as the team's coach," New Zealand Cricket chief executive Justin Vaughan said yesterday. Bracewell, a former Test off-spinner, has coached the team since 2003 when he succeeded Denis Aberhart. His new contract will see him steer the team until April 2009.


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