BOXING
Date set for Klitschko bout
The long-anticipated bout between WBA heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko and Russia’s Alexander Povetkin will be held in Moscow on Oct. 5, the boxers confirmed on Monday. Klitschko was first set to defend his heavyweight title against Povetkin three years ago, but the contract for the fight was never finalized. “We had a long story with Alexander and could have met earlier,” Klitschko said at a news conference. “Alexander hasn’t lost a fight and I’m looking forward to meeting him, but in no case will I underestimate him. I’m sure he will do his best to win on the night of Oct. 5.” The WBA heavyweight belt became vacant when Klitschko was elevated to “super champion” status in 2011 after beating David Haye. Povetkin became the mandatory challenger for Klitschko when he beat American Hasim Rahman in September last year. Earlier this year, the 37-year-old Klitschko improved to 60-3 when he beat Francesco Pianeta with his 52nd knockout, while the undefeated Povetkin, 33, has improved to 26-0 with his 18th knockout, stopping Polish challenger Andrzej Wawrzyk for his fourth successful defense of the “regular” title.
SOCCER
Bale to miss Ireland game
Wales midfielder Gareth Bale will not play against the Republic of Ireland in a friendly today because of a foot problem that has troubled him since the middle of last month, assistant manager Kit Symons said. Bale joined up with the squad despite being sidelined since picking up the injury in a pre-season friendly for his club Tottenham Hotspur and had a light training session on Monday. However, Symons told Sky Sports News there was no chance of Bale playing against the Irish at Cardiff City Stadium. “Gareth will do a light session. He’s not done sufficient work yet to feature [in the match], but the great thing is he wanted to be part of the group and we’re pleased to have him on board,” he said of a player being courted by Real Madrid. Real are willing to pay a world record transfer fee of more than £85 million (US$131.58 million) for the 24-year-old, according to media reports, although Spurs have repeatedly said he is not for sale. Midfielder Aaron Ramsey and central defender James Collins will also miss the game having withdrawn from the squad through injury, with Swansea City fullback Jazz Richards and Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Andrew Crofts coming in as replacements.
SOCCER
Chamakh joins Eagles
Morocco striker Marouane Chamakh has ended his Arsenal nightmare by joining Crystal Palace on a one-year deal, the Premier League newcomers said in a statement on Monday. Chamakh arrived at Arsenal on a free transfer from French club Girondins de Bordeaux in 2010, but never established himself at the Emirates Stadium, scoring eight league goals in 40 appearances.
BASKETBALL
Olympiakos fined US$40,000
Greek team Olympiakos Piraeus BC have been fined almost US$40,000, hit with a two-point deduction for the upcoming A1 League season and will play four games under a spectator ban following crowd violence during last season’s playoffs. Giorgos Bartzokas’ team lost out to Panathinaikos in last season’s domestic playoff finals after Game 3 was stopped and later abandoned due to crowd trouble. Up 2-0 in the best-of-five series, Panathinaikos were leading the match with 1 minute, 27 seconds to play when fans invaded the court, showering Panathinaikos players and officials with missiles and flares.
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