■ BOXING
Marquez to fight Pacquiao
Mexico's Juan Manuel Marquez will defend his World Boxing Council super featherweight crown against Filipino star Manny Pacquiao on March 15 in Las Vegas, promoters announced on Thursday. The bout, backed by Golden Boy promotions, is a rematch of a 2004 draw in which Pacquiao knocked Marquez to the canvas three times in the first round. One judge scored the fight for each boxer and the third had the matchup even. Marquez, 34, is 48-3 with one drawn and 35 knockouts while Pacquiao, who turns 29 next month, is 45-3 with two drawn and 35 knockouts.
■ SOCCER
Beckham to play in Hawaii
David Beckham's Los Angeles Galaxy will lead a four-team field for the inaugural Pan-Pacific Championship exhibition tournament in Hawaii in February. The event will also include Japanese champions Gamba Osaka, the Major League Soccer Cup champions Houston Dynamo and a team from the Australian A-League Final Series. The tournament will feature a pair of doubleheaders on Feb. 20 and Feb. 23, with the first day's winners playing for the title and the losers for third place. Gamba Osaka will open the tournament against the Galaxy, with Houston facing the Australian team.
■ BIATHLON
Defrasne wins in Finland
France's Vincent Defrasne won the season's first event in the men's biathlon World Cup, a 20km race in Kontiolahti, Finland, on Thursday. Defrasne, last year's Olympic pursuit champion, produced a faultless shooting display on his four visits to the range to secure his third World Cup victory. He finished the course 23.6 seconds ahead of Norwegian Halvard Hanevold with Maxim Tchudov of Russia almost seven seconds further adrift in third. Defrasne, 30, was one of only two biathletes in the field of 120 not to miss a target, and showed his off-season focus on honing his skiing technique had paid dividends.
■ BASKETBALL
Jackson extends contract
Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson said he has agreed to terms on a two-year contract extension believed to be worth about US$24 million, putting him under contract through the 2009-2010 season. The Hall of Fame coach announced his decision and discussed his contract situation before Thursday's game against Denver. He said it was likely to be his last contract. "I was in my 50s in the last era, I'm in my 60s in this era and maybe I can go on into my 70s," he said. "But I really don't think so. I'm losing a step as I go -- mentally and physically. Being abreast of all these kids is not an easy task. I can hardly speak their language, but I'm trying."
■ RUGBY UNION
Laporte backs Japanese bid
France's secretary of state for sport, Bernard Laporte, has backed Japan's bid to host the 2015 Rugby World Cup, saying it would help internationalize the game. Laporte, who coached his country's national team at this year's World Cup hosted by France, said that bringing the tournament to Japan was "in the sport's global interest." He said that while he was not involved in voting at the International Rugby Board, "I think it would be good for Japan to organize the World Cup, as this is a rugby nation. To organize the World Cup, the priority is to have stadiums and the infrastructure is there. Rugby also needs this continent," he told reporters late on Thursday on a visit to Tokyo.
■ CRICKET
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