BOXING
Amir Khan to fight Judah
WBA light-welterweight champion Amir Khan will take on IBF holder Zab Judah in a unification fight in Las Vegas on July 23, the Briton said on his Twitter page. Khan won the WBA title against Andreas Kotelnik two years ago and has made four successful defenses, although his last two have been problematic. He came through a bruising encounter against Argentina’s Marcos Maidana in December and then beat Northern Irishman McCloskey in April after his opponent suffered a bad cut in the sixth round after a clash of heads. US southpaw Judah, 33, reclaimed the vacant IBF title against Kaizer Mabuza in March.
ICE HOCKEY
Injury could trigger shuffle
Injuries could once again force Vancouver Canucks coach Alain Vigneault to reshuffle his lineup ahead of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals against the Boston Bruins today. Dan Hamhuis’s status remained unclear on Thursday after the defenseman limped off the ice early in the second period of the Canucks’ 1-0 win in Game 1 with what appeared to be an ankle or knee injury after hip-checking Bruins’ Milan Lucic along the boards. One of Vancouver’s great strengths this season has been their depth on the blueline where they have employed 14 defensemen. However, Hamhuis’s absence would still be a blow for the Canucks, as he has been one of Vancouver’s top playoff performers.
ICE HOCKEY
Crosby cleared to work out
Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby was cleared by a doctor to resume off-ice workouts, with a return to ice not likely until late next month or early August, the NHL club said on Thursday. Penguins general manager Ray Shero said Michael Collins, a physician at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, would monitor the Canadian star’s progress as he begins work with a personal trainer for the next few weeks. “Everything will be closely managed by Dr Collins in terms of his progression leading up to him getting on the ice later in the summer per his usual routine,” Shero said. Crosby, 23, has not played since Jan. 5 because of a concussion. Crosby led the Penguins with 32 goals despite playing only half of the 82-game season.
ICE HOCKEY
Burrows avoids biting ban
The bite, not the goal, was the main talking point on Thursday following the Vancouver Canucks’s 1-0 win over the Boston Bruins in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals. The Canucks drew first blood in more ways than one according to the Bruins, who accused Vancouver forward Alex Burrows of biting Patrice Bergeron’s finger during a first-period scrum on Wednesday. The NHL reviewed the incident, but issued a statement saying it could not find enough evidence to warrant a suspension. “After reviewing the incident ... I can find no conclusive evidence Alex Burrows intentionally bit the finger of Patrice Bergeron,” NHL senior vice president of hockey operations Mike Murphy said.
FOOTBALL
Contract negotiations finish
National Football League players and club owners concluded three days of mediated contract negotiations on Thursday as yesterday’s appeals court hearing on maintaining the ongoing lockout loomed. A joint statement from the NFL and players confirmed talks had been staged near Chicago with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and players leader DeMaurice Smith, but whether progress was made on a deal was not revealed.
SSC Napoli’s Italian Serie A title hopes suffered a late setback on Sunday when they were held to a 2-2 draw at home against Genoa, setting up a thrilling season finale with closest rivals Inter just one point behind. The hosts remain top with 78 points, holding a slim lead over Inter, who won 2-0 at Torino earlier on Sunday, with two rounds remaining. To make matters worse for Napoli, midfielder Stanislav Lobotka, struggling with an ankle injury, was forced off just minutes after the match began. Scott McTominay delivered a perfect pass into the box where Romelu Lukaku got
Harry Kane opened the scoring ahead of lifting his first career silverware as Bayern Munich beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 2-0, with veteran Thomas Mueller playing his last home game for the club. Bayern officially won the title on May 4 when defending champions Bayer Leverkusen were held to a 2-2 draw at Freiburg, but were presented with the Bundesliga shield in front of their home fans at full-time. Dripping wet after being showered with beer by teammates, Kane said the title win was “an incredible feeling,” and hoped it would be “the first of many.” “It’s been lot of hard work, a lot of
A stunning Lamine Yamal strike on Thursday helped crown Barcelona La Liga champions with a 2-0 win over local rivals RCD Espanyol, with victory ensuring Real Madrid cannot catch them at the top of the table. Yamal’s effort and Fermin Lopez’s goal took Hansi Flick’s side seven points clear of Los Blancos with two matches remaining, to clinch Barcelona’s 28th title and complete a superb domestic treble. Only the UEFA Champions League title escaped an exciting young Barca side this season, as they won the league for the second time in six years, at Espanyol’s ground again just as in 2022-2023. Back then,
Jannik Sinner on Thursday marched into the semi-finals of the Italian Open after destroying Casper Ruud in straight sets 6-0, 6-1, while Coco Gauff won a marathon three-set battle with China’s Zheng Qinwen to advance to the women’s singles final. American Gauff is to face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in today’s title match after pulling through 7-6 (7/3), 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) in a match that lasted over three-and-a-half hours. Ruud was supposed to be Sinner’s toughest test in Rome since he came back from his three-month doping ban, as the Norwegian came into the match in hot form on clay after winning in
RSS