BOXING
Fury not true champ: Wilder
Dethroned world heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder said that he still does not see his conqueror, Tyson Fury, as the true titleholder. The American on Wednesday told a Premier Boxing Champions podcast that the real “Bronze Bomber” had not shown up for their last fight, likening his performance on the night to that of a zombie. “It’s not over. In my eyes I don’t see Fury as the champion,” the 34-year-old said, as he enjoyed some downtime in Alabama. “He ain’t the champion yet, we’ve still got one more fight left ... and I’m looking forward to giving the world the best of Deontay Wilder... People that know boxing know that that wasn’t Deontay Wilder that night. I was a zombie that night... I wasn’t myself, I felt like a zombie in there.” Fury overwhelmed Wilder in their Las Vegas rematch in February, seizing the World Boxing Council crown with a seventh-round stoppage. They had previously fought to a draw in December 2018. Wilder claimed afterward that his legs had been weakened by a 20kg costume of full dark armor and helmet that he wore to the ring to honor Black History Month. A third bout between the two heavyweights was scheduled for July, but has been pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a likely date in October.
FOOTBALL
Packers’ Davis dies aged 85
NFL Hall of Famer Willie Davis, the first African-American captain in Green Bay Packers’ history, died on Wednesday aged 85. Davis was a crucial member of the Packers’ winning teams when they were led by legendary head coach Vince Lombardi. Davis died at a Los Angeles hospital, but the Packers did not provide any details, such as cause of death. A defensive end, Davis played for the Packers from 1960 to 1969 and was part of Green Bay’s Super Bowl-winning teams in 1967 and 1968. In a dozen NFL seasons, he never missed a game. Davis was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1981. He holds the Packers’ career record for fumble recoveries with 21. Davis played in 162 career games and was named to the NFL’s 1960s All-Decade Team. His death came on Major League Baseball’s Jackie Robinson Day, an annual event to honor the day Robinson made his professional debut. Robinson had a memorial career and is best known for becoming the first black player in US baseball in 1947.
RUGBY UNION
Argentina to ditch bid: report
Argentina are to abandon plans to bid to host the 2027 Rugby World Cup to give Australia a free run as the southern hemisphere’s candidate, Sydney’s the Daily Telegraph reported yesterday. The Argentine government in 2016 announced that the country would bid to take the tournament to South America for the first time, but the newspaper quoted World Rugby vice chairman Agustin Pichot as saying that was no longer the case. “We discussed it with Australia and we thought it was not good for us to compete against our partner,” Argentine Pichot was quoted as saying. “So we decided to just let Australia run, because they also had a stronger project.” There was no immediate comment from the Argentine Rugby Union. Pichot earlier this week announced his bid to replace Bill Beaumont as chairman of World Rugby. Rugby Australia seconded his nomination.
SEESAW CONTEST: The Pistons remain top of the Eastern Conference after battling to a win over the Hawks in a game that saw the lead change 27 times The Phoenix Suns on Monday shrugged off an injury to Devin Booker to end the Los Angeles Lakers’ seven-game winning streak with an emphatic 125-108 victory on the road. Booker exited in the first quarter, but the loss of the star point guard did little to halt the flow of Phoenix points over the remainder of the game. Dillon Brooks led the Phoenix scoring with 33 points, while Collin Gillespie added 28 — including eight three-pointers — as the Suns romped to victory. The Lakers were left ruing a colossal 22 turnovers — at a cost of 32 Suns points — on a
Kylian Mbappe on Wednesday scored twice and had an assist as Real Madrid beat Athletic Bilbao 3-0 to end a three-match winless streak in La Liga. Eduardo Camavinga also found the net for Madrid as they moved back within one point of Barcelona, who beat Atletico Madrid 3-1 on Tuesday. Both 19th-round matches were moved forward because Real Madrid, Barcelona, Athletic Club and Atletico Madrid are to play in the Supercopa de Espana semi-finals in Saudi Arabia next month. Real Madrid were coming off league draws against Girona, Elche and Rayo Vallecano. It was their second win in their past six matches in
New Zealand yesterday reached 231-9 at stumps on a first day of the first Test against the West Indies shortened by rain after Justin Greaves triggered a middle-order collapse with the wicket of Kane Williamson. New Zealand tumbled from 94-1 to 148-6 on a bowler-friendly wicket after Williamson was dismissed for 52, his 38th Test half-century. Michael Bracewell and Nathan Smith arrested the slide with a 52-run stand for the seventh wicket. Smith eventually fell for 23 and Bracewell for 47. After Matt Henry went for 8, Zak Foulkes and Jacob Duffy were both on 4 when bad light stopped play after 70
IN-HOUSE BUSINESS: LA Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said that the reason for the team’s poor form was not due to Paul, but the player was not a good fit for them Chris Paul’s return stint with the Los Angeles Clippers has come to an abrupt and stunning end, with the franchise parting ways with one of its greatest players in a late-night meeting on Wednesday that adds another layer of drama to the team’s terrible start this season. The news was delivered in a meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, that ended at about 2am, Clippers basketball operations president Lawrence Frank said. Frank said he made the decision to sever ties with Paul on Sunday then told the franchise’s career assist leader that he needed to see him on Tuesday in Atlanta. Frank did not confirm
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