BOXING
Klitschkos vow to fight Haye
Ukrainian brothers Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko, who hold four out of five world heavyweight title crowns, on Saturday promised a much-anticipated fight with WBA champion David Haye would take place next year. “We promise that a fight with David will take place in 2011,” the brothers told Germany’s Bild newspaper. “He can choose who of the two of us he will fight and will lose his world title to.” Wladimir, who holds the WBO, IBF and IBO belts, pulled out of his bout against Britain’s Dereck Chisora on Dec. 11 with a stomach muscle injury. Vitali retained his WBC world heavyweight title by beating Shannon Briggs of the US on points in October. Haye easily defended his WBA title against fellow Briton Audley Harrison in Manchester, England, on Nov. 13. He had been due to fight Wladimir, the younger of the brothers, in June last year, but withdrew citing an injury.
CYCLING
Contador remains optimistic
Triple Tour de France winner Alberto Contador issued an optimistic Christmas Day message on Saturday, declaring he would be cleared over a doping charge and that next year will be “historic.” The 27-year-old Spaniard was provisionally suspended in September after trace amounts of clenbuterol, a banned weight loss/muscle-building drug that is also used to fatten cattle, were found in a urine sample taken during this year’s Tour de France. However, Contador expressed his confidence on Twitter that his claims he unknowingly ingested the clenbuterol from beef brought from Spain to France during the second rest day of the Tour, just four days before he won his third title on July 25, would be borne out. Clenbuterol was banned by the EU in 1996, but it is still administered illicitly by some ranchers. “I cannot say it has been either the best Christmas nor the most tranquil, but I am confident that in 2011 reason, ethics and the truth will prevail, and that justice will be done,” he said.
SWIMMING
Annual race called off
An annual Christmas Day swimming race in the lake in London’s Hyde Park was called off on Saturday after the water froze — although some hardy people could not resist a quick dip in the icy shallows. The 100 yard (91m), open-air race in the Serpentine was first held in 1864 and sees a clutch of swimmers don red and white Santa hats and take the plunge into the murky, freezing waters of the lake, but, for the first time since 1981, they arrived on Christmas Day morning to find the lake had frozen over. The race was canceled, although about 40 people still could not resist a quick dip in a gap in the ice, before warming up with a cup of tea. “We just went for a quick dip and a wade in the ice. It was chilly, but invigorating. I got in, splashed around a bit and got out again. We’re not stupid, so we don’t stay in for ages,” swimming club secretary Brian Thomas said.
SOCCER
Vasco agree Costa loan deal
Former Brazil international midfielder Eduardo Costa agreed to a six-month loan spell with Brazilian giants Vasco da Gama on Saturday from French Ligue 1 strugglers Monaco. The 28-year-old — capped seven times since making his international debut in 2001 — has been at Monaco since August last year, but has fallen out of favor with coach Guy Lacombe since suffering a knee injury. “The deal is done. We have reached a verbal agreement,” his agent Paulo Affonso announced, though Monaco have to send the papers authorizing the loan today.
A sumo star was born in Japan on Sunday when 24-year-old Takerufuji became the first wrestler in 110 years to win a top-division tournament on his debut, triumphing at the 15-day Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka despite injuring his ankle on the penultimate day. Takerufuji, whose injury had left him in a wheelchair outside the ring, shoved out the higher-ranked Gonoyama at the Edion Arena Osaka to the delight of the crowd, giving him an unassailable record of 13 wins and two losses to claim the Emperor’s Cup. “I did it just through willpower. I didn’t really know what was going
The US’ Ilia Malinin on Saturday produced six scintillating quadruple jumps, including a quadruple Axel, in the men’s free skate to capture his first figure skating world title. The 19-year-old nicknamed the “Quad god,” who is the only skater to land a quadruple Axel in competition, dazzled with an array of breathtakingly executed jumps starting with his quad Axel and including a quadruple Lutz in combination with a triple flip and a quadruple toe loop in combination with a triple toe. He added an unexpected triple-triple combination at the end to earn a world-record 227.79 in the free program for a championship
Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
HSIEH MAKES QUARTERS: Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and Elise Mertens of Belgium won in the women’s doubles and face Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Sofia Kenin of the US Top-ranked Iga Swiatek and US Open champion Coco Gauff were knocked out of the women’s singles at the Miami Open on Monday, while Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei advanced in the women’s doubles. Swiatek lost to Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-4, 6-2, hours after third seed Gauff fell in three sets to No. 23 Caroline Garcia 6-3, 1-6, 6-2. Alexandrova beat a top-ranked player for the first time and advanced to face Jessica Pegula, a 7-6 (7/1), 6-3 winner over Emma Navarro, in the quarter-finals. Alexandrova recorded her second win over Swiatek, following a 2021 victory in Melbourne. Swiatek had won their three matches since. “We played quite