■ HORSE RACING
Jockey fails breath test
Officials at a New Zealand race meeting on Monday breath-tested a jockey they suspected had been drinking and ruled him too drunk to handle a horse. Stewards at the Riverton Racing Club on New Zealand's South Island used a newly awarded power to demand a breath test when they became suspicious of the rider's behavior. The test showed the jockey had been drinking alcohol and he was stood down for the remainder of the meeting. The jockey now faces a disciplinary hearing and could be fined, suspended or disqualified from riding.
■ BOXING
Danny Green quits
WBA light heavyweight world champion Danny Green quit boxing yesterday, saying he wanted to protect his health and spend more time with his family. The 35-year-old Green, (25-3 with 22 knockouts) had been preparing in Sydney for a mandatory defense of his WBA title against Argentina's Hugo Garay on April 27. "I am getting out on my terms, with my dignity and respect intact," Green said. "I have made the decision of an intelligent man -- looking to 25 years in the future." Green turned professional in 2001 after coming to prominence at the Sydney 2000 Olympics and won his first 16 bouts before a fifth-round disqualification against Germany's Markus Beyer in a WBC world title challenge in August 2003. Green won the WBC interim super middleweight belt with a sixth-round stoppage of Canadian Eric Lucas four months later, before a second loss -- this time on points -- to Beyer in March 2005.
■ BOXING
Judah expresses confidence
Zab Judah is so sure he's going to stop Shane Mosley he's willing to put his money on it. Judah offered to bet Mosley US$100,000 that he's going to win their welterweight bout at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on May 31 by knockout. "That's free money," the 30-year-old Judah said on Monday at a news conference to publicize the fight. "If he's so confident and so much in shape, then why didn't he take it? The last time I put a US$100,000 bet on the table was against Corey Spinks. What did I do? I knocked him out." Judah is 36-5 with 25 knockouts. "He's getting knocked out May 31," Judah said. "He's older now and he's not as fast. I've been talking to Winky [Wright] and Vernon [Forrest] and they tell me his punching power is not the same. I'm a 100 percent better fighter." The 36-year-old Mosley held the WBC and WBA light-middleweight championships from September 2003 to March 2004.
■ HORSE RACING
Rags to Riches retired
Belmont Stakes winner Rags to Riches was retired on Monday. Rags to Riches was the first filly in 102 years to win the Belmont, edging Preakness Stakes winner Curlin by a head in a thrilling duel last June at Belmont Park in New York. The champion three-year-old filly will be shipped to Ashford Stud in Versailles, Kentucky. She will be bred to leading sire Giant's Causeway. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Rags to Riches finished her career with five wins in seven starts and earned US$1.3 million. Rags to Riches finished second in her last race, the Gazelle Stakes at Belmont last Sept. 15. The day after, it was discovered she had a hairline fracture of her right front pastern. The filly recently re-injured the pastern -- an area between the ankle and the hoof. "It's a sad day for racing and all of her fans," Pletcher said in a statement.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Roger Federer on Wednesday said that staying involved with tennis in retirement helped him avoid feeling “like an alien” ahead of this week’s Laver Cup in Berlin. Federer, who helped create the tournament, retired at the Laver Cup in London two years ago and has since stayed involved with the competition as an ambassador. “I’m happy I went back right away to some tournaments,” the 43-year-old told reporters. “I feel I ripped the Band-Aid off quite quickly and when I walk around the tennis sites I still feel I belong there,” he said. “I don’t feel like an alien, which is a
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