BOXING
Magsayo wins WBC title
Filipino Mark Magsayo on Saturday dethroned WBC featherweight champ Gary Russell with a majority decision to end the longest championship reign in professional boxing. The 26-year-old undefeated Magsayo won on points on two of the three judges’ scorecards as he handed Russell his first defeat since 2015. Two judges had 115-113 for Magsayo while the other scored it even, 114-114. “This is my dream since I was a kid,” Magsayo said. “I am so proud of my country. Thank you for the support from Filipino fans. Now I became a world champion.” Magsayo, who is promoted by fellow Filipino Manny Pacquiao and trained by Freddie Roach, improved to 24-0 with 16 knockouts with his upset win.
BASEBALL
Ex-MLB pitcher sentenced
Former MLB pitcher Sergio Mitre was last week sentenced to 40 to 60 years in prison in Mexico after his conviction for the murder and rape of a 22-month-old girl. The child, who was the daughter of his former girlfriend, died of injuries suffered in the assault in Saltillo, Mexico, in July 2020. Mitre was arrested in Mexico on July 13, 2020, on drug possession charges, and was charged with rape and murder three days later. Mitre, 40, spent parts of eight seasons in the major leagues pitching for the Chicago Cubs (2003-05), Florida Marlins (2006-07), New York Yankees (2009-11) and Milwaukee Brewers (2011). He served a 50-game suspension in 2009 for contravening the league’s drug policy. A Los Angeles native, he played in the Mexican League, but was suspended indefinitely after his arrest.
SOCCER
Australia coach positive
Australia’s buildup to a crunch World Cup qualifier this week yesterday suffered a setback when coach Graham Arnold tested positive for COVID-19 and was forced into isolation. The Socceroos face Vietnam in Melbourne on Thursday with Arnold’s deputy, former Manchester United assistant coach Rene Meulensteen, taking the reins. Football Australia chief executive James Johnson said that no one else in the set-up had failed a test so far. “Graham and the Socceroos staff have sacrificed a lot over the past year to guide the team on a qualification campaign in the middle of a pandemic,” Johnson said, with Australia forced to play all their home games so far overseas. “So it is extremely unfortunate that on the eve of this important home qualifying match Graham has returned his first positive COVID result.”
AUTO RACING
Ogier in Monte Carlo lead
Sebastien Ogier on Saturday avoided any mishaps to overtake and establish a comfortable lead over Sebastien Loeb at the Monte Carlo Rally with black ice making driving conditions hazardous. Fans who braved the freezing weather in the hills behind Monte Carlo to see the new generation hybrid cars also saw Welshman Elfyn Evans fly round a corner wide and then slip backwards down an embankment in his Toyota Yaris in the morning’s most dramatic moment. There was no damage to the car, but he could not get the traction to remount the hill and pulled out, having started the day in third. Veteran nine-time world champion Loeb led by almost 10 seconds overnight on Friday, but finished the day trailing Ogier by a sizeable 21.1 seconds.
Politicians are meant to kiss babies, not crash into children, but on the campaign trail yesterday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison barrelled into a young boy during a friendly kickaround, eliciting a chorus of stunned “ooohs” and “aaaws” from spectators. Morrison was playing five-a-side soccer in northern Tasmania, where he is trawling for votes ahead of Saturday’s election. At first, Morrison — shorn of his jacket, but still sporting a shirt and tie — sauntered around the field somewhat aimlessly, trying to get a toe on the ball here and there as it ping-ponged from boy to boy. However, then the 54-year-old stepped
Being shot in both eyes and completely blinded did not stop Zion Ricks-Gaines from skateboarding. It made him want to do it even more. “I still want to go pro, I still want to accomplish being a professional skateboarder,” the 19-year-old said as he readied a kickflip at a skate park in San Francisco. He wants to share that enthusiasm with everyone he meets. “I want to start more skate after-school programs for students. I feel like I wouldn’t have really looked in that direction if I had my sight,” he said. Ricks-Gaines’ life was derailed outside a bar late last year when a
Taiwan’s Chuang Chih-yuan on Sunday clinched the men’s singles title at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Feeder Westchester tournament in New York state after defeating Benedikt Duda of Germany in the final. Chuang, 41, known as Taiwan’s “godfather of table tennis,” edged out 25-year-old Duda 3-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-6, 12-10, 8-11, 11-7 in 55 minutes, 54 seconds at the Westchester Table Tennis Center. The win was Chuang’s first men’s singles title since he won the International Table Tennis Federation World Tour Hungarian Open in Budapest in 2016. It was his second title in Westchester following a victory in the mixed doubles final with
TATUM STEPS UP: The Boston Celtics forced Game 7 against the Milwaukee Bucks, with Jayson Tatum outdueling Giannis Antetokounmpo with the season on the line The Golden State Warriors on Friday grabbed 70 rebounds on the way to eliminating the Memphis Grizzlies 110-86 to advances to face either the Phoenix Suns or the Dallas Mavericks in a best-of-seven battle for the West. Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are cherishing this playoff run a little more given that they spent the past two years watching the post-season instead of in their familiar position of chasing championships. Now, with those experienced faces and a cast of new stars, the Warriors are headed to another Western Conference Finals and need just four more wins to give themselves a
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