BOXING
Wilder-Fury rematch OK’d
The World Boxing Council on Friday approved a “direct rematch” between heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder of the US and Britain’s Tyson Fury, who fought to a draw in Los Angeles last weekend. “Wilder and Fury gave boxing one of the best fights in the heavyweight division in a long time, which has created tremendous popular demand for the fans to see a rematch,” the council said in a statement. The duo are a credit to boxing, council president Mauricio Sulaiman said. “I wish to once again congratulate Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury for their great battle inside the ring and for the exemplary sportsmanship after the bout,” he said. Both fighters have spoken about their desire for a rematch, with Wilder reiterating the call in a teleconference call on Tuesday. “I’m willing and ready to give Fury the opportunity ASAP,” Wilder said. “I’m ready whenever he’s ready to do it. I’m ready to give the fans what they want to see and end this talk once and for all.”
SOCCER
Italy fights referee violence
The Italian Football Federation on Friday introduced stronger sanctions in a bid to combat violence against referees, including a minimum two-year ban. The announcement came after a spate of incidents occurred in the lower divisions. The minimum ban has been raised to one year for violence without need for medical assistance and a minimum of two years for cases that require medical intervention. “We have kept out promises,” federation president Gabriele Gravina said. “The first step toward the eradication of violence against referees is the raising of the sanctions against those who tarnish themselves with this shameful behavior.”
BASKETBALL
Players shuffled in deal
The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired Australian guard Matthew Dellavedova and forward John Henson, as well as two draft picks from the Milwaukee Bucks, Cavaliers general manager Koby Altman said on Friday. The move is part of a three-team, multiplayer trade that also involves the Washington Wizards. In exchange, Milwaukee gets guard George Hill, forward Jason Smith and a future second-round Wizards’ draft pick. Washington in turn gets forward Sam Dekker and a future second-round draft pick as they send Smith and a second-round pick to Cleveland. “We’re very pleased to bring Delly [Dellavedova] back to Cleveland and want to welcome John Henson as well,” Altman said. “This deal satisfied several important aspects for us in terms of having both long and shorter term benefits and assets involved.” Hill appeared in 37 games for Cleveland after being acquired by the Cavaliers in February. Dekker, who was acquired by Cleveland in August, played in nine games for the Cavs this season, averaging 6.3 points and 3.7 rebounds. Dellavedova played his first three seasons with the Cavaliers from 2013 to 2016 and was a member of Cleveland’s 2016 championship team.
FIGURE SKATING
Cain has frightening fall
US pairs figure skater Ashley Cain on Friday had a scary fall at the Golden Spin of Zagreb in Croatia after her partner, Timothy LeDuc, appeared to lose his grip on her at the end of an overhead lift during their long program. The back of Cain’s head hit the ice before LeDuc fell on top of her. The 23-year-old initially appeared unconscious when LeDuc lifted her head off the ice, but she got up and they completed their program. Cain is this year’s Four Continents silver medalist and last year’s US national bronze medalist.
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