BOXING
Donaire beats Sidorenko
Filipino bantamweight star Nonito Donaire stopped Ukranian Wladimiro Sidorenko in the fourth round on Saturday to set up a Feb. 19 world title showdown with Mexico’s Fernando Montiel. Sidorenko was knocked to the canvas twice in the first three rounds and took a hard right to the nose in the fourth that prompted him to take a knee on the canvas. Referee Marcos Rosales halted the bout after 1:48 of the fourth round. “I wanted to make a statement in this fight and I did,” Donaire said. Former world flyweight champion Donaire, 28, stretched his win streak to 24 fights over nine-and-a-half years, improving to 25-1 with his 17th early stoppage. “We worked really hard for this fight,” Donaire said. “I was motivated and now the fight with Montiel is set. I knew I was able to dominate anybody if I’m motivated 100 percent.”
BOXING
Soto keeps crown
Humberto Soto outlasted Mexican compatriot Urbano Antillon to win a 12-round unanimous decision on Saturday and keep his World Boxing Council lightweight crown with a 10th victory in a row. Judges awarded Soto the triumph by two scores of 114-113 and a third of 115-112. Soto improved to 54-7 with two drawn and 7-1 in world title bouts while Antillon fell to 28-2 by losing his first world title fight. “It was a great fight. Both of us gave our hearts out,” Soto said. “I knew he was coming at me all night. I knew he was going to take everything I had. That’s why I had to keep working.” Antillon, 28, had a point taken in the fifth round for a low blow or he might have earned a draw.
BOXING
Burns defends WBO title
Scotland’s Ricky Burns defeated Colombian-born Norwegian fighter Andrews Evensen on points to retain his WBO super-featherweight title on Saturday. Burns had won the belt in September by beating Roman Martinez when he recovered from a first round knock down.
RUGBY UNION
Barbarians overcome ‘Boks
Australian wing Drew Mitchell capped an impressive individual autumn with two early tries as a strong Barbarians side beat a much-changed South Africa 26-20 at Twickenham in London on Saturday. The invitational team, who also beat South Africa at Twickenham three years ago, were worthy of their win over a Springboks side that looked a touch weary at the end of a tour that brought wins over Ireland, Wales and England, but a defeat by Scotland.
RUGBY SEVENS
England wins in Dubai
England produced two late tries to trump Samoa 29-21 and win the Dubai sevens on Saturday, the first tournament of the eight-leg IRB Sevens World Series. The English team’s performance in the final mirrored a day of action in which they had twice come up with last-gasp scores to defeat New Zealand and Australia in thrilling style, in the semi and quarter-finals respectively. “It’s been the story of the weekend,” England captain Ben Gollings said of his team’s rearguard action. Samoa had set up the final against England after seeing off Fiji (24-21) in the semi-finals and the US (38-5) in the quarter-finals. In the tournament’s lower-level play-offs, South Africa beat Australia 19-12 in the plate final, Argentina blanked Zimbabwe 21-0 in the bowl, and Kenya also whitewashed France, 26-0, in the shield.
Japan’s Shohei Ohtani is the record-breaking baseball “superhuman” following in the footsteps of the legendary Babe Ruth who has also earned comparisons to US sporting greats Michael Jordan and Tom Brady. Not since Ruth a century ago has there been a baseball player capable of both pitching and hitting at the top level. The 30-year-old’s performances with the Los Angeles Dodgers have consolidated his position as a baseball legend in the making, and a national icon in his native Japan. He continues to find new ways to amaze, this year becoming the first player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases
More than 180 years of horse racing came to an end in Singapore on Saturday, as the Singapore Turf Club hosted its final race day before its track is handed back to the Singaporean government to provide land for new homes. Under an overcast sky, the air-conditioned VIP boxes were full of enthusiasts, socialites and expats, while the grounds and betting halls below hosted mostly older-generation punters. The sun broke through for the last race, the last-ever Grand Singapore Gold Cup. The winner, South African jockey Muzi Yeni, echoed a feeling of loss shared by many on the day. “I’d
PREDICTION: Last week, when Yu’s father made a wrong turn to the former champions’ parking lot, he said that his son could park there after this year With back-to-back birdies on the 18th hole, Kevin Yu fulfilled his driving range-owning dad’s prediction that he would win the Sanderson Farms Championship and become Taiwan’s third golfer to claim a US PGA Tour title. The Taoyuan-born 26-year-old, who represented Taiwan in the Olympic golf at Paris, saw off Californian Beau Hossler in a playoff at the Country Club of Jackson, Mississippi, on Sunday. Having drained a 15-foot putt to claw his way into the playoff, Yu rolled in from five feet on the first extra hole, ensuring he joined Chen Tze-chung (LA Open in 1987) and Pan Cheng-tsung (RBC
LeBron James and eldest son Bronny James claimed a piece of NBA history on Sunday after making their long-awaited first appearance alongside each other for the Los Angeles Lakers. The duo appeared together at the start of the second quarter in the Lakers’ 118-114 preseason defeat to the Phoenix Suns in Palm Desert, east of Los Angeles. While LeBron James impressed with 19 points in just 16 minutes and 20 seconds on court before sitting out the second half, Bronny found the going harder with zero points in just over 13 minutes on court. The younger James attempted just one
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