BOXING
Uchiyama knocks out Solis
Titleholder Takashi Uchiyama of Japan scored a technical knockout to beat Jorge Solis of Mexico and defend the WBA super featherweight crown on Saturday. The knockout time came 19 seconds into the 11th round when Uchiyama fired a left fist straight to the face to send Solis onto the floor. “I trained hard to use this punch, because I couldn’t use my right fist for 11 months due to an injury. I wanted to fight longer, but I was lucky to win by a knockout,” Uchiyama, 32, said, as he improved his unbeaten record to 18 wins, including 15 KOs. The 32-year-old Solis, who could not stand up after the knockout, has 40 wins, including 29 KOs, against four defeats.
TENNIS
Ivan Lendl to coach Murray
Andy Murray hired eight-time Grand Slam winner Ivan Lendl as his new coach on Saturday in a bid to finally win a major title. The fourth-ranked Briton will begin working with the Czech-born Lendl as he prepares for the Australian Open, which starts on Jan. 16. “It was important to me that any new person joining my team was able to add fresh insight,” Murray said in a statement. “Ivan’s impact on the game is unquestionable and he brings experience and knowledge that few others have, particularly in major tournaments. I look forward to working with him going forward.” The 24-year-old Murray spent all of last season ranked in the top four, but still ended it without a first Grand Slam title.
SOCCER
Murray Barnes passes away
Football Federation Australia said Murray Barnes, a former captain of the Socceroos who played 51 times for Australia, died at the age of 57. Barnes was the 24th captain of Australia and scored nine goals in internationals. He was appointed captain for the team’s 1982 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign and led the team nine times in 1980 and 1981. He also won four domestic championships with Sydney City Hakoah — the only National Soccer League club he played for — in 1977 and in the early 1980s.
BASEBALL
Padres trade for Quentin
Carlos Quentin, a two-time All-Star outfielder, was traded from the Chicago White Sox to the San Diego Padres on Saturday. Padres general manager Josh Byrnes traded Quentin while they were both with Arizona only to regret the move after the outfielder became a hit with the White Sox. This time, he sent developmental-level pitchers Pedro Hernandez and Simon Castro to Chicago to make Quentin the Padres’ starting leftfielder. “Having a chance to get him back became very appealing,” Byrnes said. Quentin belted 105 home runs in four seasons with the White Sox and provides power for the heart of the Padres batting lineup. The Padres were worst in the major leagues last season in batting against right-handed pitchers with a .229 average.
ATHLETICS
Jeptoo wins at San Silvestre
Kenya’s world championship marathon silver medalist Priscah Jeptoo won the women’s San Silvestre race in Sao Paolo, Brazil, on Saturday in a record time of 48 minutes, 48 seconds. The 27-year-old — winner of the Paris and Turin Marathons during her career — beat home Wude Ayalew of Ethiopia, while another Kenyan Eunice Kirwa was third for the second successive year in the 15km race that saw 25,000 runners from 34 different countries compete. The men’s race was won by 24-year-old Ethiopian Tariku Bekele. The younger brother of athletics great Kenenisa timed 43 minutes, 35 seconds.
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
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB