BOXING
Povetkin retains title
Undefeated Alexander Povetkin of Russia retained his WBA heavyweight title with a second-round technical knockout of US challenger Hasim Rahman on Saturday in Hamburg, Germany. After a cagey first round, Povetkin exploded into life in the next, delivering a series of blows to which the 39-year-old former WBC, IBF and IBO champion had no response. Referee Gustavo Padilla of Panama had no option but to call it off 1 minute, 36 seconds into the round with Povetkin able to pick his shots at will.“I prepared myself well. It’s a pity I couldn’t show it for that long,” said the 33-year-old Povetkin, who improved to 25-0 (17 KOs). Rahman dropped to 50-8-2 (41 KOs) after his first bout since June last year. The fight was Povetkin’s third defense of the WBA title he earned by beating Ruslan Chagaev on points in August last year. The belt was vacated by Wladimir Klitschko when the Ukrainian was elevated to “super champion” by the WBA after his win over David Haye. Povetkin becomes the mandatory challenger for Klitschko.
SOCCER
Sno suffers heart attack
NEC Nijmegen midfielder Evander Sno suffered a cardiac arrest during their game at Feyenoord on Saturday, but was able to walk off the pitch after his defibrillator resolved the problem. “Evander [Sno] had a cardiac arrest which was followed by a shock from his internal defibrillator,” Feyenoord doctor Casper van Eijck said. “And the shock is what he felt and that terrified him, which I could see in his eyes on the pitch. He was transported to a hospital because the defibrillator caused arrhythmia [abnormal heart beat] so he has to stay there for the night.” Sno had the defibrillator fitted after suffering a cardiac arrest playing for Ajax Amsterdam’s reserves in September 2010 when he was revived by the use of an external defibrillator.
FOOTBALL
Referees vote on deal
National Football League Referees Association members voted overwhelmingly on Saturday to approve a new eight-year deal with the league to officially end a lockout that began in June. The union’s executive committee struck a deal with the NFL on Wednesday night, about 48 hours after a botched call by replacement referees on the game’s final play denied Green Bay what should have been a victory at Seattle. US President Barack Obama was among those who called for an end to the dispute after that blunder and negotiations sped to a finish in time for regular referees to officiate Baltimore’s home victory over Cleveland on Thursday. Money issues prompted the shutdown and led to the league pulling replacement referees from the high school and college ranks, but the newcomers struggled to cope with the increased speed and physicality of the professional level.
MOTOGP
Pedrosa seals easy win
Honda’s Dani Pedrosa cruised to victory at the Aragon Grand Prix ahead of championship leader Jorge Lorenzo of Yamaha yesterday to trim the gap with his Spanish compatriot to 33 points with four races left. Lorenzo started on pole and led from Pedrosa in the early stages at a sunny Motorland circuit, but was passed by the Honda rider with 17 laps remaining and never looked like regaining the lead. With a comfortable cushion at the top of the standings, he appeared to ease off in order to secure second spot and remains well placed to secure a second MotoGP title following his debut triumph in 2010.
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
INTER AWAIT: Superb saves by PSG ’keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma inspired the victory, as Arsenal were punished for misses, including one by Bukayo Saka Arsenal on Wednesday fell short on the big stage again as their painful UEFA Champions League semi-final exit against Paris Saint-Germain left Mikel Arteta to rue his club’s failure to provide him with enough attacking options. Arteta’s side were unable to reach the Champions League final for the first time in 19 years as PSG clinched a tense 2-1 win at Parc des Princes. Trailing 1-0 from last week’s first leg in London, the Gunners made a blistering start to the second leg, but could not convert their chances as Gianluigi Donnarumma’s superb saves inspired PSG’s 3-1 aggregate victory. Arsenal were punished for
Taiwanese e-sports veteran Lin “ET” Chia-hung yesterday successfully defended his King of Fighters XV title at this year’s Evolution Championship Series: Japan (EVO Japan), securing his second consecutive championship. Lin claimed victory with a 3-1 win over Japanese pro gamer “mok” in the grand final, repeating his earlier 3-1 win against the same opponent in the winners’ final. The 40-year-old earned a ￥1 million (US$6,897) cash prize at the two-day tournament, which drew 294 competitors. Mok, Lin’s toughest rival in the bracket, took home ￥400,000 as runner-up. Lin remains undefeated in match sets against mok in King of Fighters XV, holding a 10-0 record,
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