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■BOXING

Holt surprises Torres

Kendall Holt survived two knockdowns in the first 35 seconds, then landed a right that stopped Ricardo Torres just over a minute into the first round to capture the WBO junior welterweight championship on Saturday in Las Vegas. The Colombian fighter stopped Holt last September in their first 140-pound title fight, and dropped him with a right to the head just 15 seconds into this one. Holt was knocked down a second time moments later, and Torres could have been deducted a point when he took a swipe at the American as he tried to stand back up. Not that it would have mattered. Holt regrouped and landed a left to the body that forced Torres to drop his hands and fall backward off balance.

■RUGBY UNION

French forwards suspended

French forwards Renaud Boyoud and Imanol Harinordoquy were suspended yesterday for three weeks for brawling with a rival player during the team’s record 40-10 loss to the Wallabies. Both players pleaded guilty to striking charges laid at a disciplinary hearing yesterday. Dax tighthead prop Boyoud and Biarritz flanker Harinordoquy both punched Wallabies second-rower James Horwill in separate instances during the melee in the 28th minute of the first half on Saturday, the hearing found.



■SOCCER

Brother of star kidnapped

Gunmen in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, kidnapped the younger brother of Nigerian soccer star Joseph Yobo on Saturday, police said. The unidentified men seized Norum Yobo at gunpoint before dawn as he was returning from a party, Rivers State police spokeswoman Rita Inoma-Abbey said. No group claimed has responsibility for the kidnapping and no ransom demand had been made, she said. Joseph Yobo played for Everton soccer club in the British Premier League last season and is a regular fixture on Nigeria’s national team, the Super Eagles.



■BOXING

Sturm wins WBA title

Felix Sturm jabbed his way to lopsided decision over American Randy Griffin on Saturday and earned a fourth successful defense of his WBA middleweight title in Halle, Germany. The German, whose victory comes eight-and-a-half months after the two fought to a draw in October, repeatedly used his left jab from the opening seconds and won 116-113, 116-112 and 118-110. Sturm took control in the fifth round, following his lefts with immediate right-hand blows. “I had to make this rematch with Griffin,” said Sturm, who improved to 30-2 with one draw and 13 knockouts. He repeatedly scored with combinations in the 11th, ending the round by thrusting his arms upward in victory.



■RUGBY

Porn interrupts match

Viewers of a grassroots rugby television program in New Zealand received more than they bargained for Sunday when onfield play gave way to hardcore pornography. Nearly four minutes of a porn segment were screened on the free-to-air Prime Channel before order was restored and the rugby returned. A statement from Prime said a distribution fault had allowed “inappropriate material” from the pay-per-view Spice Channel to appear in the rugby program. Rival Television Three reported that “parents were outraged” at the programming blunder that saw the rugby replaced by Desperate Black Wives 2. One father said his eight-year-old son’s innocence was ruined while the rival station showed a 12-year-old girl with her hands over her eyes saying “eww” and “gross.”


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