BOXING
Tommy Morrison dies at 44
Former world heavyweight champion Tommy Morrison, who was widely known for his power-punching style and role in Rocky V, has died at the age of 44. The boxer’s former promoter, Tony Holden, told the Tulsa World that Morrison died on Sunday night in a hospital in Omaha, Nebraska, but no official cause of death was given. Morrison, 48-3-1 with 42 knockouts, reached the pinnacle of his career when he beat George Foreman in 1993 to win the World Boxing Organization title. Renowned for his lethal left hook and movie-star looks, Morrison had other notable wins over Razor Ruddock, Carl “The Truth” Williams and James “Quick” Tillis. Prior to a bout in 1996, Morrison tested positive for HIV and had his boxing license suspended before returning to the ring 11 years later and winning his last two professional bouts.
SOCCER
Man U Herrera bid a hoax
Athletic Bilbao midfielder Ander Herrera’s proposed US$47.5 million move to Manchester United turned out to be a hoax after three men attempting to broker the deal were labeled imposters, British media reported on Monday. “Reports in Spain claim three men dressed in black suits and claiming to be United ‘representatives’ spent an hour at the La Liga offices attempting to negotiate a deal. The move collapsed at the 11th hour,” the BBC reported. The Basque club last week rejected an offer which Spanish media reported at US$40 million for the 24-year-old Herrera, with club president Josu Urrutia adamant that United had to meet a US$47.5 million buyout clause.
SOCCER
Austrian Scharner retires
Former Austria international Paul Scharner announced his retirement on Monday, 10 days after the defender and Hamburg SV decided to part company by mutual consent. Scharner told Austrian broadcaster ORF he wanted “to end my career to show respect to myself and my family... The last couple of months have been pretty turbulent.” Scharner played just four matches for Hamburg after signing a two-year contract last year. He joined Wigan Athletic on loan for the second half of last season and became the first Austrian player to win the FA Cup. The 33-year-old Scharner, who also had stints at Austria Vienna, Salzburg and West Bromwich Albion, played 40 times for Austria.
SOCCER
Ex-Bayern boss Csernai dies
Pal Csernai, who coached Bayern Munich to a couple of Bundesliga titles in the early 1980s, has died. He was 80. Csernai died on Sunday from an undisclosed illness. His death was announced on Monday by Bayern and the Hungarian Football Federation. Csernai was a midfielder and played briefly for Hungary before defecting in 1955. After retiring as a player in 1964, Csernai earned a coaching diploma in Germany and coached there and in Belgium before working with Bayern between 1978 and 1983. While coaching North Korea in 1991, the team earned a politically charged 2-1 victory over the US in a friendly.
ICE HOCKEY
Blackhawks keep Crawford
Goaltender Corey Crawford agreed to terms on a six-year contract extension to stay with Stanley Cup champions the Chicago Blackhawks, the NHL club said on Monday. The deal, reportedly worth US$36 million, will keep the 28-year-old Canadian with the club until the end of the 2019-2020 season. Over 152 career games, the Montreal native is 83-43-19 with eight shutouts, a 2.40 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage.
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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