BOXING
Williams’ title win panned
Rugby World Cup winner Sonny Bill Williams won the New Zealand Professional Boxing Association’s heavyweight title, but his fight against an overweight US opponent who showed little skill or interest in fighting has been disparaged at home. Williams, 26, won the belt with a first round technical knockout over Clarence Tillman in Hamilton, New Zealand, on Wednesday. The fight lasted less than three minutes, with the grossly overweight Tillman showing little enthusiasm for the fight or any technical skill when Williams managed to land his shots, forcing referee Lance Revill to stop the bout. Boxing commentator and historian Bob Jones disparaged the fight, calling Tillman a “joke opponent” and the bout itself a farce.
TENNIS
Sanchez Vicario lashes out
Former Spanish tennis ace Arantxa Sanchez Vicario blames her parents for losing the roughly 45 million euros (US$60 million) she earned throughout her career, in a new book published this week. The 40-year-old, who retired in 2002 after winning four Grand Slam titles and once holding the No. 1 ranking, said she no longer speaks to her parents, whom she accuses of mismanaging the money she earned through endorsements and tournament wins. “They left me with nothing,” she wrote in the book of memoirs called Let’s Go! Memories of a fight, a life and a woman, which hit bookstores in Spain on Tuesday.
BASKETBALL
Magic, Bird hit Broadway
Showtime is about to have a whole new meaning for Magic Johnson. The story of the NBA Hall of Famer’s rivalry and friendship with Larry Bird is coming to Broadway in Magic/Bird, set to open in April. The two consulted in its production, and Johnson cannot wait to watch their story told. His “Showtime” Lakers of the 1980s were a Hollywood hit, and now he is ready to see his name in Broadway’s lights. Johnson said: “I guess it’s the real Showtime.” It is the second in a planned series of sports-themed plays from producers Tony Ponturo and Fran Kirmser, the team behind Lombardi. Kirmser says they wanted to tell the story of Johnson and Bird, who started as rivals in college and ended as Olympic teammates and friends.
SKIING
Maria Hoefl-Riesch injured
Double Olympic champion Maria Hoefl-Riesch said she was battling with a “very painful” rib injury ahead of this weekend’s giant slalom and slalom World Cup races in Andorra’s Soldeu--Grandvalira. Last season’s overall World Cup winner took a tumble in training on Tuesday, leaving her with bruising on the left side of her ribcage and an injury to her left shoulder, but no broken bones. “Skiing is currently only possible with painkillers and I hope that I won’t be too impaired, especially in the slalom,” she said.
MOTOR RACING
Plunging driver a hit
An Australian driver flew off a road at 130kph and landed in a riverbed, but was not injured during the Tasmanian state rally. The incident involving 24-year-old George Miedecke, who has driven in some NASCAR developmental series races in the US, occurred on Jan. 28, but has become popular on Internet video sites since a film clip was released this week. Miedecke was driving his father Andrew’s 1970 Ford Capri Perana as it rounded a corner in the Targa Rally and crashed into the Huon River south
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was