BOXING
Ferdinand to train to box
Former England and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand is looking to become a professional boxer. The 38-year-old is to be trained by former World Boxing Council super middleweight champion Richie Woodhall, who has worked with Britain’s Olympic team. “I have always had a passion for it and this challenge is the perfect opportunity to show people what’s possible,” Ferdinand said in a statement yesterday. “It’s a challenge I’m not taking lightly — clearly not everyone can become a professional boxer — but with the team of experts ... and the drive I have to succeed, anything is possible.” Ferdinand retired from soccer in 2015 after a season at Queens Park Rangers, who he joined following 12 trophy-filled years at United.
CYCLING
Beaumont sets world record
A British endurance cyclist has smashed the Guinness World Record for the fastest circumnavigation of the planet on a bicycle, riding 29,000km in less than 80 days. Mark Beaumont cycled for 18 hours per day and burned more than 9,000 calories every 24 hours as he crossed Poland, Russia, Mongolia, China, Australia and the US. A crash in Russia on the ninth day, in which he broke a tooth and injured his elbow, nearly ended a ride that he said had taken him to a “mental depth” he had never before experienced. “It’s just the sleep deprivation. It’s after weeks and weeks and weeks, it’s just the long, long hours you spend in your head, you know, really battling,” he said. He completed the ride in 78 days, 14 hours and 40 minutes. The record was previously held by New Zealand’s Andrew Nicholson, who in 2015 managed the feat in 123 days. A Guinness World Record adjudicator handed the cyclist two world record certificates — one for the round-the-world record, the other for the furthest distance cycled in a single month.
MOTORCYCLING
Rossi returns to training
Italian motorcycling ace Valentino Rossi has returned to training just 18 days after suffering a double leg fracture, his Movistar Yamaha team confirmed. Rossi underwent surgery in Ancona, Italy, on Sept. 1, a day after a crash in training, discharging himself from the hospital the following day. The 38-year-old on Monday rode his first couple of laps around the Misano circuit before the session was cut short by rain, his team said. Rossi missed the San Marino Grand Prix, but remains fourth in the standings, 42 points behind world champion Marc Marquez of Spain and Italy’s Andrea Dovizioso, with five rounds to go.
TENNIS
Blake to testify over arrest
Former professional tennis star James Blake’s mistaken arrest in New York City has become the subject of a disciplinary trial for the arresting officer, who is accused of using excessive force. Blake is expected to testify about the 2015 arrest at a proceeding starting yesterday. His arrest stirred controversy after a security video showed the officer slamming him down and handcuffing him outside a Manhattan hotel. Officer James Frascatore this year rejected an offer to resolve police department internal charges forfeiting vacation days. A police administrative judge is to hear the case and recommend a potentially more severe punishment, including dismissal. Frascatore denies any wrongdoing.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
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