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■ BOXING

Molitor retains title

Canadian Steve Molitor retained his IBF junior featherweight title and improved to 26-0 on Saturday with a points victory over Mexican Ricardo Castillo. Molitor won the title in 2006 and has now defended it three times. All three title defenses have been staged in the 5,200-seat hall at Casino Rama in Ontario. He stopped South African Takalani Ndlovu in July and outpointed Thailand's Fahsan Por Thawatchai -- fighting under the sponsored surname 3K Battery -- in October. "Castillo was 10 times better than 3K Battery" Molitor said.



■ SOCCER

Donovan breaks goal record

Landon Donovan became the all-time leading scorer in US history on Saturday when he converted a penalty in the 48th minute of a 2-0 victory over Sweden in a friendly international match. Donovan, 25, notched his 35th goal in 97 international appearances, surpassing the mark of 34 goals by Eric Wynalda. Eddie Robinson had opened the scoring for the hosts at the Home Depot Center in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson in the 15th minute, firing home from a corner kick from Brad Davis. The match against a Sweden "B" selection was part of the US' preparations for 2010 World Cup qualifying.



■ SOCCER

Fiorentina take points

Adrian Mutu and Christian Vieri scored from penalties on Saturday to give Fiorentina a 2-1 victory over visiting Torino in Italy's Serie A. Vieri put Fiorentina ahead as first-half injury time expired, after Mutu was fouled in the area. Torino midfielder Vince Grella equalized with a low shot in the 57th, but Mutu earned the second penalty in the 76th and converted it himself. Vieri's goal was his 200th in Italy's Serie A and B. In Saturday's other game, Marco Borriello and Luciano Figueroa scored to earn Genoa a 2-1 win over Atalanta. Cristiano Doni had given Atalanta the lead in the 68th minute.



■ SOCCER

Guinea goes soccer mad

Guinea's coastal capital Conakry was decked out in the red, yellow and green colors of the national side on Saturday as fans celebrated on the eve of their opening African Nations Cup match against hosts Ghana. A giant placard of a soccer player adorned a major roundabout at the entrance to the city, while whistle-blowing supporters stopped traffic to collect money for the team. Guineans are fanatical soccer fans and power cuts during televised Nations Cup matches have sparked riots in Conakry in previous years.



■ SOCCER

Becks visits Sierra Leone

David Beckham met with children in Sierra Leone on Saturday as part of his role as a Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF, the UN child agency. The LA Galaxy midfielder arrived in West Africa late on Friday on a two day trip to a country struggling to recover from a 1991-2002 civil war. Infant and maternal mortality are among the highest in the world, where roads, schools and hospitals were devastated. "He's covering programs on child survival in Sierra Leone; visiting a number of UNICEF programs in the northern part of the country on malaria prevention and immunization." UNICEF spokeswoman Alison Parker said. The former England captain travelled beyond the hot hilly coastal capital Freetown on Saturday to deprived rural areas in the north of the country, once held by rebels during the war.
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