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■ BOXING

Chagaev ditches rematch

WBA heavyweight champion Ruslan Chagaev has pulled out of his rematch against Russian Nikolai Valuev on May 31 because of health problems, his promoter said on Tuesday in Hamburg, Germany. “Ruslan Chagaev is weakened at the moment by a badly treated virus and has to definitely interrupt his training in order to be cured once and for all,” his doctor Michael Ehnert explained. A new date has not yet been set for the bout. The 145kg Valuev — who is more than 2m tall — lost the WBA title to Chagaev in April 2007 on a majority points decision in the only defeat of his career and the pair had been due to meet again in Oberhausen. Since the fight, Uzbekistani Chagaev has been blighted by health problems and has defended his title just once against British fighter Matt Skelton in January. He has an unblemished record of 24 wins with 17 knock-outs.



■ CRICKET

Council mulls new rule

Cricketers could soon be able to challenge decisions made by umpires during test matches. The International Cricket Council’s cricket committee announced on Tuesday that a trial on an umpire review system will be used in a test series this year, including the Hawk-Eye technology used in tennis. Under the proposal, each team would be limited to a maximum of three unsuccessful challenges per innings. The on-field umpire would consult with the third umpire when a decision was challenged, before the on-field umpire gave the final decision. “The committee recommended that Hawk Eye technology could be used by the third umpire, but only for the purposes of determining the actual path of the ball up until the point that it struck the batsman and not the predictor function of the technology,” the ICC said in a statement concerning leg-before-wicket challenges.



■ BOXING

Pacquiao expects tough fight

World Boxing Council super featherweight champion Manny Pacquiao expects the toughest fight of his career on June 28 when he moves up in weight to face WBC lightweight champion David Diaz. The 29-year-old Phillipines legend could complete a quest to capture five world titles in as many weight classes when he fights the 31-year-old American for the lightweight crown in a showdown of southpaws. “This will be my hardest-fought battle,” Pacquiao said. “It has been over three years since I have changed weight divisions and I will be doing it against the lightweight division’s world champion. “But this is my drive for five world titles in five different weight classes and I will not be denied. I am fighting for history, for destiny and for the people of the Philippines.”



■ HORSE RACING

Toxicology scan ordered

The trainer of Kentucky Derby runner-up Eight Belles on Tuesday ordered a toxicology scan as part of any autopsy, intent on dispelling any suggestion the fallen filly may have been doped. Larry Jones said the tests for performance-enhancing substances will come back negative on Eight Belles, who was euthanized after breaking both front ankles Saturday. “I guarantee there were no steroids ever on the horse,” Jones said at a news conference at Delaware Park, site of the filly’s first win. Jones said he was responding to unspecified criticism that his horse must have been given steroids because she was so large. “We’re taking a lot of abuse out there ... We’re being accused of steroid abuse because she was so large,” he said.

■ OLYMPICS

China's tickets sold out

China’s mad dash for Olympics tickets in Beijing ended yesterday with the final tranche earmarked for domestic customers sold out a month ahead of schedule, organizers said. After tens of millions went online and queued at banks for the last 1.38 million tickets, all seats at venues in Beijing and for equestrian events in Hong Kong had been snapped up, the organizing committee said on its Web site. Only tickets for Olympic soccer matches at Shanghai, Shenyang, Tianjin and Qinhuangdao were still available to domestic buyers in the sales period ending on June 9. Beijing had allocated around 75 percent of the 7 million tickets in total to its vast domestic audience, with the rest made available overseas through each country’s national Olympic committee.



■ SOCCER

PSG make Cup final

Paris St Germain took one step toward silver-lining their disastrous league season by beating second-division Amiens 1-0 on Tuesday to book a spot in the French Cup final. Substitute Yannick Boli scored the tie winner in the 78th minute of an otherwise forgettable encounter whose most exciting moment until then was a mass walk-off of the players in the 33rd minute. “It’s amazing, but we have to take things as they come. We’ll try to recover well for Saturday,” and the latest installment of their survival battle against Saint Etienne, PSG coach Paul Le Guen said. Both teams left the park just after the half-hour mark after a fan had thrown a tear gas canister on to the pitch, forcing a 10-minute stoppage. Lyon faced Sedan in the other semi-final yesterday.



■ SOCCER

Liverpool plans cleared

Liverpool’s redesigned plans for a new stadium were given the green light on Tuesday. The Premier League club have twice won permission from Liverpool city council to build on Stanley Park, near their current Anfield home, but they have been forced to reapply on both occasions after changes were deemed necessary. Now planning councilors have cleared the new £350 million (US$688 million) scheme, which includes a number of changes, notably a smaller car park beneath the stadium and a reduced height, although it is still unclear when work will begin on the 60,000-seat stadium. The club’s controversial US owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett ordered a complete redesign of the original proposal when they took over last year and their plan was approved last year. But it was redrawn a second time by Dallas-based architects HKS earlier this year when the tycoons decided it was too expensive.



■ SOCCER

Owls looking for buyer

Sheffield Wednesday is up for sale. The club, which plays in English soccer’s second-tier League Championship, made the announcement yesterday morning as it looks for the investment needed to regain promotion to the Premier League. “The board have now requested that its financial adviser, Deloitte & Touche LLP, actively seek a buyer that shares the boards’ vision for the long term success of the club,” the club announced to the London Stock Exchange. “If a buyer is found and its terms are acceptable to the board, then that party would be required to make an offer to all shareholders subject to the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers for the entire issued share capital of the Company. There is no certainty that such a party will be found at this time.”