■BOXING
Gatti widow gets C$100,000
The widow of Arturo Gatti has been awarded C$100,000 (US$99,000) from his estate by a Quebec Superior Court judge, nine months after his death. Amanda Rodrigues received the money as financial compensation for the legal fees she was forced to pay following the former champion’s death. In the court judgment on Thursday, she also received C$2,000 a month for the couple’s 18-month-old son. In November, a Quebec judge awarded Rodrigues C$40,000 to cover legal fees and child care costs. Rodrigues’ claim to her husband’s estate was being contested by the former fighter’s mother and brother. Gatti was found dead under mysterious circumstances at a Brazilian seaside resort in July.
■BOXING
Hearns holds auction
Thomas “Hitman” Hearns says an auction to help him pay off a US$448,000 tax debt went well. The 51-year-old Hearns said he didn’t yet know how much Saturday’s auction raised. He said it “went well” and people were “very kind” to come out for the event billed as the “Battle of His Life.” The event at the Auction Block featured a 1957 Chevy, three boats, a three-wheeled motorcycle and boxing memorabilia. Obie Moore, owner of the Auction Block, said the IRS was on hand and will get the money. Hearns held WBA, WBC, WBU and IBO titles ranging between 1980 and 1999. His three-round loss to Marvin Hagler for the middleweight title in 1985 is generally considered one of the best bouts in boxing history.
■BOXING
Ikeke retains title
Nigeria’s Kingsley Ikeke successfully defended his North American Boxing Association super middleweight title in Tacoma, Washington, on Saturday, overcoming a sluggish start to outpoint Zane Marks in a split decision. Two judges scored the fight 97-93 for Ikeke, while the other had it a 95-95 draw. Ikeke, who lives in Los Angeles, won his fourth straight fight to improve to 27-3-0. Marks (17-5) came out the aggressor, immediately getting Ikeke onto the ropes and commanding the first round. Marks maintained his edge in the second before Ikeke seemed to find a groove and take the lead in attacking through the fourth, fifth and sixth. Ikeke regained the edge in the final two rounds.
■POWERBOAT RACING
Racers die at Aussie event
US racer David Bryant has been identified by Australian police as one of two competitors killed at a weekend event on the Manning River in northern New South Wales state. Bryant, 44, is listed in his biography as having competed in powerboat racing for 15 years. He won the US Super Stock Racing Association Series championship in 2002, 2006 and 2007 and won titles in various flatbottom championships. He was the 2007 American Boat Racing Association unlimited hydroplane rookie of the year. A statement from New South Wales police yesterday said the American was ejected from his craft as it traveled at a speed of about 220kph. Police said emergency services attended to Bryant at the scene and he was taken to a hospital, where he died. On Saturday, a 61-year-old Australian was racing around a circuit on the same river when his boat flipped. Police identified him as Brian McCosker. A number of divers on the course went to McCosker’s aid but he was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital. Glenn Banks, president of the Australian Power Boat Association, told the Seven television network that he had never heard of a double tragedy in the 60-year history of the event.
Jannik Sinner continued his quest to become the first man in history to win five Masters 1000 tournaments in a row with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Danish qualifier Elmer Moller at the Madrid Open on Sunday. The world leader extended his winning streak to 19 matches, a run that began early March in Indian Wells, and he has captured 24 consecutive victories at the Masters 1000 level, dating back to the Paris Masters last October. Searching for a maiden title at this level on clay, Sinner advanced to the round of 16 at the Caja Magica with a 77-minute performance against
When Paddy Dwyer arrived in China in 1976, crowds jostled to catch a glimpse of him and his companions — the first Western soccer team to play in the country. China was emerging from the chaos of the Cultural Revolution, and on the brink of market reforms that would take the country from economic stagnation to explosive growth. “All we could see was lines of people running beside our bus, trying to look in the windows, to see their first visual of a white person,” he said. “It was all bicycles,” he said. “There were very few cars to be seen.” Dwyer,
Tennis players are facing an unexpected opponent at the Madrid Open. A stomach virus or food poisoning has affected Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Marin Cilic and others, raising concerns. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka avoided an upset by Naomi Osaka on the court on Monday and said she is trying to avoid illness by sticking to a diet of chicken breasts, rice and salad. The rumor among the players was bad shrimp tacos were to blame. Sabalenka knocked on wood for luck and said, “So far, so good. I heard that I have to avoid those tacos,” she laughed, adding “I stick to the
Some of Clearlake Capital Group’s largest investors are growing increasingly concerned about how much time the company’s co-founders are spending on sports investments as they have struggled to complete the fundraising for the private equity firm’s latest flagship fund. One of Clearlake’s co-founders, Behdad Eghbali, has been spending what some investors described as a disproportionate amount of time on the firm’s investment in Chelsea Football Club in recent months. Now, co-founder Jose E. Feliciano and his wife, Kwanza Jones, are nearing a record US$3.9 billion deal to acquire the San Diego Padres. That personal investment by Feliciano has set off the latest
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