BOXING
Pacquiao promoted by army
The Philippine military promoted boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the army reserves yesterday, but the multimillionaire will likely not see any combat action. Pacquiao, who is also a congressman representing his southern province of Sarangani, donned his formal olive green uniform and insignia for a simple ceremony at the country’s army headquarters in Manila. Army chief Major-General Emmanuel Bautista said he hoped the 32-year-old, who has won world titles in a record eight weight classes, would be able to inspire others to enlist. Pacquiao was enlisted in the reserve forces with a rank of sergeant in 2006 and was promoted to sergeant major three years later as a reward for being the world’s best pound-for-pound boxer, the army said.
Photo: EPA
BOXING
Klitschko still eyes fight
World heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko should be fit to defend his title against France’s Jean-Marc Mormeck after undergoing surgery to have a kidney stone removed this weekend, his manager said on Sunday. The IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight belt holder is scheduled to face Mormeck, 39, in Dusseldorf on Saturday and a decision as to whether the fight can go ahead is expected soon. “The operation went well. If there are no unforeseen complications he’ll fight,” his manager Bernd Bonte said. “It’s a delicate situation, but thankfully most of the training has already been done. We’ll see how he reacts to the surgery. In the end it’s up to Wladimir to decide. The history of boxing is full of last minute cancellations, but I hope that Wladimir will fight.”
BASEBALL
Marlins land Jose Reyes
The Miami Marlins reached an agreement to land prized free agent Jose Reyes on Sunday in a six-year deal reportedly worth US$106 million. According to Major League Baseball’s Web site, the deal for the 28-year-old from Dominican Republic is pending the shortstop passing a physical. A four-time All-Star, Reyes is coming off a career-best season that saw him win the National League batting title with a .337 average. He scored 101 runs and stole 39 bases for the New York Mets to cement his reputation as one of the game’s most exciting players. His arrival will mean that Miami are likely to move their current All-Star shortstop Hanley Ramirez to a new position.
BASEBALL
Ramirez’s suspension cut
Manny Ramirez’s MLB suspension for a second failed drug test was cut on Sunday from 100 games to 50 because he sat out nearly all of last season. Having already served a 50-game ban for violating baseball’s drug agreement in 2009, Ramirez faced a 100-game suspension last year for a second offense. However, rather than serve the penalty, the 12-time All-Star told the commissioner’s office he was quitting. MLB announced his retirement on April 8 and said merely he was notified “of an issue” under the drug program. “As a condition of his reinstatement, Ramirez will be required to resolve his outstanding violation,” the MLB commissioner’s office said in a statement. The suspension would start with the first game he is eligible to play after signing with a club.
MEDVEDEV AWAITS: The world No. 1 Spainiard said that he is ‘finding the right shots’ as he pushed his record so far this year to 16 victories and no losses Carlos Alcaraz on Thursday extended his unbeaten season and got revenge over Cameron Norrie to reach the semi-finals at Indian Wells for a fifth straight year. The world No. 1 from Spain emerged from a see-saw battle with 29th-ranked Norrie with a 6-3, 6-4 victory. In the semis tomorrow, he faces Russian Daniil Medvedev, who pushed his own ATP winning streak to eight matches with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over defending champion Jack Draper. World No. 2 Jannik Sinner powered past Learner Tien 6-1, 6-2 to line up a semi-final with fourth-ranked Alexander Zverev, a 6-2, 6-3 winner over Arthur Fils. Alcaraz, 22, became
West Ham United on Monday advanced to the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 5-3 penalty shoot-out win against Brentford, who paid the price for Dango Ouattara’s spot-kick blunder. Nuno Espirito Santo’s side twice blew the lead as Jarrod Bowen’s double was canceled out by an Igor Thiago brace to force extra-time in the 2-2 draw at the London Stadium, but in the shoot-out, Brentford winger Ouattara attempted a chipped Panenka penalty, but his woeful effort was straight at West Ham goalkeeper Alphonse Areola. It was an awful mistake by the Burkina Faso international and West Ham took full advantage. Bowen, Valentin Castellanos, Callum
Thanks to Italy beating Mexico on Wednesday, the US get another chance in the World Baseball Classic (WBC). What looked like a potentially disastrous early exit for US manager Mark DeRosa and his team turned out to be nothing more than substantial worry and significant embarrassment for about 24 hours. It remains to be seen whether the US really want to win badly enough for the reprieve to matter, as if it is just a switch they can flick, but there is little reason for their fans to be optimistic. The team’s attitude and behavior have been all over the place when
Team Taiwan’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) journey ended last night when South Korea beat Australia 7-2 and won the tiebreaker with Australia and Taiwan to advance to the tournament’s quarter-finals in Miami. South Korea earned its spot by scoring a run in the top of the ninth to do just enough under the tiebreaker rules to advance. The result saw Taiwan, South Korea and Australia tied for second in WBC Pool C behind undefeated Japan with 2-2 records. The tiebreaker was determined by dividing a team’s total runs allowed by the total number of defensive outs in games among the tied teams, and
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