BOXING
Pacquiao negotiating fight
Philippines boxing icon Manny Pacquiao is negotiating a July 2 fight with unbeaten Australian Jeff Horn, Pacquiao’s camp said yesterday. “We are working out the details for the fight on July 2,” Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz told reporters by text message. Arum had previously been quoted in international media as saying that the 38-year-old Filipino, dubbed “Pac-Man,” would get into the ring with Horn, 29, in April, possibly in Australia. Queensland also offered to host the fight in Brisbane, Australia. Pacquiao and British boxer Amir Khan in February had announced separately that they would fight on April 23, with a source from the Filipino’s camp saying the bout would be in the United Arab Emirates. However, the Pacquiao-Khan fight bizarrely fell through, with Arum describing the reported US$38 million UAE deal to the Los Angeles Times last month as “pie in the sky.” Koncz did not disclose the proposed Pacquiao-Horn prizemoney or the venue, telling reporters that the fighters’ purse was “nobody’s business.” World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Pacquiao is in the twilight of a glittering career that won him unprecedented world titles in eight weight divisions.
OLYMPICS
Devices sought for medals
Organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics have begun collecting discarded electronic devices that will be used in the production of the medals to be awarded to athletes. Japanese Olympic swimmer Takeshi Matsuda and Paralympian Takuro Yamada attended a ceremony in downtown Tokyo yesterday to launch the campaign. “It’s a great project that turns your old unused phones into athletes’ treasured medals,” four-time Olympic swimming medalist Matsuda said. “I’m glad that by participating in this project, anyone can take part in the Games.” The organizing committee aims to collect eight tonnes of raw metal — 40kg of gold, 4,920kg of silver and 2,944kg of bronze — which should yield about two tonnes of pure metal, enough to produce 5,000 medals for the Tokyo Games. People are being asked to donate unwanted and obsolete electronic devices, including smartphones, digital cameras and laptops. Collection boxes have been set up throughout the country. The collection will end in the spring of 2019, or as soon as the eight-tonne target is reached.
BASKETBALL
Long streak broken
A historic 111-game winning streak by the University of Connecticut’s women’s basketball team ended on Friday as the Huskies fell 66-64 in overtime to Mississippi State University in the semi-finals of the National Collegiate Athletic Association tournament. Guard Morgan William hit a jumper at the buzzer in overtime to lift the Bulldogs to the stunning victory in Dallas, Texas. Mississippi State led 64-62 before a flagrant foul call on Bulldogs guard Dominique Dillingham allowed Connecticut’s Katie Lou Samuelson to tie the score from the free-throw line with 26.6 seconds remaining in overtime. However, the Huskies could not score on the ensuing possession as Mississippi State created a turnover to set up William’s decisive shot. Four-time defending champions Connecticut, in their 10th straight women’s final four, had not lost a game since Nov. 17, 2014. Their streak of 111 straight wins eclipsed the previous record of 90 straight set by University of Connecticut teams from 2008 to 2010. Mississippi State are to play for the women’s national championship today against South Carolina, who defeated Stanford 62-53 in the other semi-final.
US national team star Folarin Balogun was among the scorers as AS Monaco on Friday won 3-1 at Paris Saint-Germain, dealing a blow to the side from the French capital before they face Chelsea in a crunch UEFA Champions League round-of-16 tie. Maghnes Akliouche gave Monaco a first-half lead at the Parc des Princes, and Aleksandr Golovin doubled their advantage early in the second half of the French Ligue 1 clash. Bradley Barcola pulled one back for the reigning European champions, but Balogun struck shortly after with a fifth goal in his last five games as Monaco claimed a precious
Teenage star Lamine Yamal’s superbly-taken goal on Saturday earned Barcelona a 1-0 win at Athletic Bilbao in Spanish La Liga. The champions restored their four-point lead over second-placed Real Madrid, who had on Friday temporarily closed the gap by beating Celta Vigo. Atletico Madrid tightened their grip on third with an entertaining 3-2 win over Real Sociedad. Yamal, 18, curled into the top corner after 68 minutes to split the sides at Athletic’s San Mames stadium. “We’re already seeing what Lamine can do — he puts it right in the top corner, and there’s nothing the keeper can do,” Barca
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
CHANCE TO QUALIFY: Both teams now have three points from two games, and Taiwan sit ahead of Vietnam and behind Japan, who last night beat India 11-0 Taiwan yesterday defeated Vietnam 1-0 to move into second place in Group C at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup with one match remaining. Su Yu-hsuan scored the decisive goal in the 26th minute after Taiwan midfielder Saki Matsunaga’s shot hit the crossbar, leaving Su to nod the rebound into an empty net for the team which won the last of their three Asian Cup titles in 1981. It was a deserved victory for Taiwan, 2-0 losers to Japan on Wednesday, who created several chances to extend their lead. Vietnam, the 2022 quarter-finalist, beat India in their opener, but struggled to
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