BOXING
Inoue, Yaegashi win bouts
Naoya Inoue of Japan scored a sixth-round technical knockout of Adrian Hernandez of Mexico on Sunday to win the WBC light flyweight title. The 20-year-old Inoue landed a series of combinations and the bout was stopped 2 minutes, 54 seconds into the sixth round. Inoue, the first Japanese boxer to claim a world title in just his sixth professional fight, improved to 6-0 with five knockouts. Hernandez dropped to 29-3-1 with 18 KOs. Also on Sunday, WBC flyweight champion Akira Yaegashi successfully defended his title for the third time with a ninth-round knockout of eighth-ranked challenger Odilon Zaleta of Mexico. Yaegashi improved to 20-3 with 10 KOs, while Zaleta dropped to 15-4 with eight KOs.
SOCCER
Monaco win, but trail PSG
A James Rodriguez double helped second-placed AS Monaco cling on to the coattails of leaders Paris Saint-Germain with a 3-1 win over Nantes on Sunday that reduced the deficit at the top of Ligue 1 to 13 points. The Colombia playmaker drilled home left-footed to put the hosts ahead after 18 minutes and then turned provider when his corner was headed in by Andrea Raggi to double the lead with 18 minutes to go. Rodriguez, who joined Monaco from Porto for a transfer fee of 45 million euros (US$61.18 million) in the close season, fired in a penalty after 76 minutes for his ninth of the season, before Nantes grabbed a consolation through Alejandro Bedoya. The win moved Monaco to 66 points, six clear of third-placed LOSC Lille Metropole, but a long way adrift of PSG. In Sunday’s other Ligue action, AS Saint-Etienne’s Max Gradel scored an injury-time penalty to snatch a 1-1 draw with OGC Nice that left them five points adrift of Lille in fourth, while fifth-placed Olympique Lyonnais beat Valenciennes 2-1 in a game that included two red cards and a missed penalty.
SOCCER
‘Die Lowen’ fight relegation
Eintracht Braunschweig grabbed a lifeline in their fight against Bundesliga relegation with a 3-0 win over rivals Hannover 96 in their Lower-Saxony derby on Sunday. “We’ve shown that we want to hang on like limpets [in the Bundesliga],” Braunschweig coach Thorsten Lieberknecht said. Domi Kumbela got the home side off to a good start in the 14th, Havard Nielsen made it 2-0 in the 21st and Hannover’s fate was effectively sealed when Andre Hoffmann was sent off for kicking Mirko Boland in the 62nd. Jan Hochscheidt completed an afternoon to forget for the visiting fans by scoring in the 89th. Die Roten’s supporters responded by calling for the club’s management to step down, after club president Martin Kind described the performance as “unacceptable” at the halftime break. Braunschweig are still bottom, but within touching distance of Nuremberg, Hamburg SV and VfB Stuttgart with five games remaining. Hannover are just two points clear of Stuttgart after four consecutive defeats and the club’s management under pressure following the decision to release Mirko Slomka as coach in December last year. Slomka returns to the Bundesliga with Hamburg next week. Sunday’s late game, a 1-1 draw between mid-table sides Hertha BSC and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, was overshadowed by a serious injury to Hoffenheim goalkeeper Koen Casteels. The Belgium youth team ’keeper was stretchered off in obvious pain midway through the second half after landing badly in a challenge with Adrian Ramos. “It looks like it’s a lower leg fracture,” Hoffenheim coach Markus Gisdol said.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
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
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely