■BOXING
Diaconu dealt first defeat
Jean Pascal dealt Adrian Diaconu his first defeat on Friday, seizing the World Boxing Council light heavyweight title with a unanimous 12-round decision. Pascal knocked down Diaconu in the fifth round of an action-packed bout as he triumphed in a battle over Romanian-born Diaconu in a battle of Quebec-based fighters in front of 13,659 fans at the Bell Center. Judge Maximo de Luca scored the bout 115-112, John Keane scored it 116-112 and Jack Woodburn saw it 116-111 for Pascal, who improved to 23-1 with 15 knockouts.
■ATHLETICS
Gay to run first 100m
Treble world champion Tyson Gay will run his first 100m this year at the US athletics championships as he prepares for the World Championships in Berlin in August. The US championships, which start next Thursday in Eugene, Oregon, are the selection meeting for the world meet. As defending world champion Gay has a bye from the IAAF in both the 100m and 200m, but plans to race at least a single, high-intensity, first-round heat in Eugene to gauge his 100m fitness, a statement from USA Track and Field said on Friday. According to USATF, Gay hasn’t ruled out the possibility of running all three rounds of the 100m in Eugene. In his only race this year, Gay won the 200m at the Reebok Grand Prix in New York on May 30 in 19.58 seconds, the third-fastest time ever.
■MARTIAL ARTS
Iraqi karate coach killed
The coach of the Iraqi national karate team was killed on Friday by gunmen in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, a police source said. The source said that the gunmen escaped right after they shot Ezzat Abdullah to death when he was near his house in al-Zohour district, eastern Mosul. Mosul and its environs, roughly 400km north of Baghdad, is among the most ethnically and religiously diverse areas of Iraq. Despite successive security pushes that police say have netted hundreds of suspected insurgents, the city and the surrounding countryside continue to see deadly, near-daily attacks against civilians and Iraqi security forces.
■BASEBALL
Glavine plans to ‘hang out’
Star pitcher Tom Glavine plans to “hang out” for the rest of the summer but is not announcing his retirement. The Atlanta Braves released the 43-year-old Glavine on June 3 after he finished rehabilitation from offseason surgery on his left elbow and shoulder. Glavine sent a text message on Friday saying he wouldn’t pitch this year. He said he would “evaluate things at the end of the season.” The two-time pitcher of the year’s career record of 305-203 includes five 20-win seasons.
■ATHLETICS
Trinidad cancels games
Trinidadian authorities canceled next month’s inaugural Caribbean Games, saying there was too great a risk of spreading swine flu by hosting the region’s athletes and supporters. Minister of Health Jerry Narace said on Friday he recommended rescheduling the week-long event until the flu threat subsides, but officials determined it would be too difficult to find another date this year so “postponement will mean cancellation.” At least a dozen participants in a volleyball tournament, including players from the Trinidad and Suriname teams, tested positive for (A)H1N1 influenza after a tournament in Trinidad last week. Narace said the fact that athletes and their delegations had to share rooms was a factor in the spread of the virus.
■GOLF
Ormsby grabs one-shot lead
An eagle on the final hole allowed Australia’s Wade Ormsby to record a round of 65 and seize a one-shot lead at the halfway stage of the Saint Omer Open on Friday. The 29-year-old started the day on one-under, five strokes behind Swedish overnight leader Fredrik Andersson Hed, but he braved windy conditions to storm to the top of the leaderboard. Orsmby’s 65 took him to seven-under, one shot ahead of England’s James Morrison, who produced a 69 to follow his opening round of 67. Christian Nilsson of Sweden sits on five-under after a 69, while his compatriot Andersson Hed will begin day three on four-under after carding a two-over 73.
■SOCCER
Setanta loses EPL matches
The English Premier League said on Friday it had terminated its contract with troubled Irish broadcaster Setanta and would sell off the broadcaster’s 46 live matches for next season. The pay-TV company failed to make a scheduled payment of £30 million (US$49 million) to the Premier League by an evening deadline. Last-ditch efforts by Setanta to put together a rescue package were unsuccessful. The Premier League was now expected to announce early next week who has won the rights to show the matches.
■SOCCER
Egypt players robbed
About US$2,300 was stolen from the hotel rooms of Egypt’s soccer team while they were beating Italy 1-0 at the Confederations Cup, Beeld newspaper reported yesterday. The money was stolen from the rooms of five players during Thursday’s game. Another US$860 was burgled from a room of a representative from sports clothing manufacturer Puma. Egypt representative Inas Mazhar told Beeld the team was celebrating the upset victory when it realized the money was missing. “We are disappointed, but it’s their own fault,” Mazhar was quoted as saying. “There are safes, but they left the money outside. It’s over now. This can happen anywhere. This will not spoil our experience.”
■SOCCER
David Villa not for sale
Spanish Primera Liga side Valencia on Friday insisted that star striker David Villa was “not for sale,” despite earlier reports that he was on the brink of a transfer to Real Madrid. The decision, if confirmed, could force Real to look for other forwards, with Spanish media pinpointing France international Karim Benzema of Lyon or Atletico Madrid’s Uruguayan star Diego Forlan as possible alternatives. Real were hoping to capture Villa for a fee in the region of 40 million euros (US$56 million). Real Madrid president Florentino Perez had said on Thursday that the completion of a deal between the clubs was “a matter of time,” but Valencia’s new president, Manuel Llorente, said on Friday that Villa “is not for sale, he is the best striker in Europe and we want him to continue with us.”
■RUGBY LEAGUE
Drunken coach fines himself
Brad Fittler, a former Australia rugby league Test captain and coach of the Sydney Roosters club, fined himself A$10,000 (US$8,102) yesterday after drunkenly trying to get into a woman’s hotel room. Fittler, who played 14 Tests for Australia from 1991 to 2001, was found wearing only shorts and heavily intoxicated early on Friday by police after the female occupant of the room made a complaint. “I take this opportunity to apologize for my behavior on Thursday night, I brought embarrassment to the club, myself and my family,” Fittler said yesterday.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
The Minnesota Timberwolves, with so many promising performances spoiled by late mistakes fresh in their memory bank, sure timed this strong finish well. Jaden McDaniels scored a career playoff-high 30 points and spearheaded Minnesota’s stifling defense on an ailing Luka Doncic, and the Timberwolves beat the Los Angeles Lakers 116-104 to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday night. “Jaden never looks tired. He looks like he could play 48 minutes,” said teammate Anthony Edwards, who had 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Julius Randle added 22 points for the Wolves, who outscored
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