Boxing: Vincent Astrolabio bows to Moloney in WBO title bout

LOS ANGELES -- Australia's Jason Moloney won his first world title on Saturday, taking a majority decision over Vincent Astrolabio of the Philippines for the vacant World Boxing Organization bantamweight crown.

The 32-year-old from Melbourne won on judges' scores of 115-113 and 116-112 with the third judge scoring a 114-114 draw in the showdown at Stockton, California.

Moloney improved to 26-2, suffering his only losses in his two prior world title bouts, falling to Puerto Rico's Emmanuel Rodriguez in 2018 and Japan's Naoya Inoue in 2020.

Astrolabio, 26, fell to 18-4.

Also on the card later is WBO middleweight champion Janibek Alimkhanuly of Kazakhstan defending his crown for the first time against Canada's Steven Butler.

Unbeaten southpaw Alimkhanuly, 13-0 with eight knockouts, turned 30 last month. He was a 2013 world amateur middleweight champion and 2014 Asian Games middleweight champion.

Butler is 32-3 with one drawn and 26 knockouts.

Agence France-Presse

Boxing: Crawford crushes Kavaliauskas in ninth round to retain WBO title

LOS ANGELES -- Terence Crawford survived some early jitters to retain his WBO welterweight title on Saturday with a ninth round knockout of former Olympian Egidijus Kavaliauskas at Madison Square Garden.

Crawford, who improved to 36-0 with 27 knockouts, survived a scare in the third round before finding his rhythm in the fifth, knocking the Lithuanian down once in the seventh, and then twice in the final round.

In a tougher than expected tussle, heavy Crawford finished the heavy underdog challenger off with a right hook to the left ear 44 seconds into the ninth.

"When I let my hands go that's when I started landing more favourable shots," the American said. "After I dropped him with my uppercut I was like, I am going to face his jab, and come out with my right hook."

Kavaliauskas barely survived the end of the eighth round and Crawford wasted no time going to work in the ninth. He landed a barrage of punches to start the round, beginning with a left hook followed by a right that sent Kavaliauskas staggering back towards the ropes.

Crawford then moved in for the finish and connected with a right hook that floored Kavaliauskas (21-1-1, 17 KOs) for the third and final time as the referee stopped the bout.

Kavaliauskas, who competed in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, appeared to score the first knockdown of the fight in the third round. But the ref ruled that Crawford slipped. Regardless Crawford was in a load of trouble after absorbing an overhand right on the chin.

Crawford collected his thoughts and survived the round, but it wasn't until the fifth that he really started to look like his old self.

Crawford's early troubles aside, he did a superb job of figuring out a tough opponent who came into the bout in excellent shape.

"He's a strong fighter, durable," said Crawford who denied he was in trouble in the third. "I wasn't hurt at all. I went straight for him. He caught me with a good punch."

Crawford and his promoters are hoping to eventually land a fight with former two-time welterweight champ Shawn Porter.

Whoever he fights it will surely be a much bigger test, which means Crawford can't afford to fiddle away five rounds before he gets comfortable throwing meaningful combinations.

"The rounds before my coaches were telling me to stop loading up. I was trying to give the crowd a knockout," he said. 

"I am not ducking anybody. Listen man, everybody knows who I want to fight. I don't have to name names. I want all the top guys."

On the undercard, Teofimo Lopez captured his first world title by knocking out Ghana's Richard Commey in the second round to take Commey's IBF lightweight crown in emphatic fashion.

"I'm at a loss for words right now. This is a dream come true," said Lopez, 15-0 with 12 KOs. "(Commey) is a bad man. His shot could've done the same to me if he hit me with that shot."

Veteran Commey (29-3, 26 KOs) suffered just his third career loss but he had never been dominated by an opponent like this before.

Commey was making his second title defence and looked solid in the opening round, but then Lopez destroyed him in the second.

Agence France-Presse

Boxing: Alvarez KOs Kovalev in 11th to win WBO title

LAS VEGAS -- Canelo Alvarez knocked out Sergey Kovalev with a vicious right hand to win the WBO light heavyweight title on Saturday, moving up two weight classes to become a four division champion.

The 29-year-old Mexican superstar caught Russia's Kovalev with a left hook-right hand combination that sent the former champion almost crashing through the ropes near the end of the 11th round at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

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Boxing: Ruiz stuns Joshua to become world heavyweight champion

Andy Ruiz Jr. dethroned British title-holder Anthony Joshua with a stunning seventh-round stoppage at New York's Madison Square Garden on Saturday to become the first Mexican-American world heavyweight champion.

Joshua, previously undefeated and fighting for the first time in the United States, was defending his IBF, WBA and WBO titles but was knocked down four times in the fight before the referee waved off the contest in the seventh.

Ruiz had not been given much chance of beating the champion given he had just five full weeks to prepare after Joshua's scheduled opponent, Jarrell Miller, tested positive performance-enhancing drugs.

Joshua said the defeat was hard to take but that he would be back.

"Boxing is a tough sport. I trained hard, I stayed dedicated. And I just got beat by a good fighter tonight," he said. "It'll be interesting to see how far he goes but good luck to him.

"I gotta bounce back. This is all part of the journey. Fighter by heart, boxer by trade."

Ruiz was dropped to the canvas in the third but the heavy brawler came back to down the Brit in the same round and Joshua was lucky to survive.

Joshua appeared to recover and worked his jab well over the next few rounds but Ruiz landed big body shots in the sixth to put the champion on the back foot.

Joshua went down again in a flurry of Ruiz punches with nearly two minutes left in the seventh and while the British fighter got off his knees just in time to beat the count his legs looked like jelly as he made his way to a neutral corner.

The referee asked him if he was okay to continue before waving his arms to end the fight, prompting wild celebrations in the ring by Ruiz and his trainers. 

(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles, Additional reporting by Nick Mulvenney; Editing by Peter Rutherford)

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Boxing: Crawford stops Khan to retain WBO welterweight title

NEW YORK -- American Terence Crawford retained his WBO welterweight title Saturday, stopping Amir Khan in the sixth round when the Englishman was unable to continue because of an accidental low blow.

Crawford, who was making the second defence of his title, had little trouble controlling the fight and winning by a technical knockout against the overmatched Khan.

Crawford has now won nine of his last 11 fights by stoppage and Saturday's surprise ending happened after he hit Khan with a hard left to the groin 47 seconds into the sixth round at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Khan buckled and was in obvious pain as he went over to his corner. During the injury stoppage, Khan's trainer Virgil Hunter asked his boxer if he wanted to continue and Khan said no. Khan could have taken a five minute break to regain his composure but chose not to.

Three division world champion Crawford improved to 35 wins and no losses.

Crawford, who is considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, sent Khan to the canvas in the first round with an overhand right followed by a left to the temple. He delivered a similar overhand punch in the last 10 seconds of the round which wobbled Khan's legs again.

The next couple of rounds saw the 146-pound Crawford throwing almost all his punches at the head of Khan. By the fourth round Crawford was in complete control and Khan's face was showing the wear of getting hit with clean punches.

Crawford started going to the body in the fourth and in the fifth he got his jab working again, popping Khan's head back with a series of quick shots.

For Khan, the 2004 Olympic silver medallist, it was another disappointing world title fight. He is 2-2 in his last four fights.

Three years ago he was brutally knocked out by Canelo Alvarez in a middleweight title fight. Saturday's fight dropped his record in world title fights to 6-4 overall.

In between the Alvarez fight and Saturday's TKO loss, Khan won two straight bouts against lesser opponents.

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Lomachenko beats Pedraza to unify lightweight belts

NEW YORK -- Vasiliy Lomachenko added the World Boxing Organization lightweight world title to his World Boxing Association belt with a unanimous 12-round decision over Jose Pedraza on Saturday.

Ukraine's Lomachenko, a three-weight world champion who had never before unified two titles in the same class, knocked down Pedraza twice in an explosive 11th round.

Two judges saw it 117-109 for Lomachenko while a third made it 119-107 for the 30-year-old who was fighting for the first time since having shoulder surgery in the wake of his 10th-round technical knockout of Jorge Linares on May 12.

"Everything is good -- I'm healthy 100 percent," Lomachenko declared after wrapping up the victory to improve to 12-1 with nine wins inside the distance.

"I am happy," he said. "I (moved) a little closer to my dream, to my goal."

That's to unify all of the major lightweight belts.

"Two more belts, and maybe we can make in the next year a fight with Mikey Garcia," he said.

Garcia is the unbeaten World Boxing Council 135-pound champion.

Pedraza, making his first defense of the WBO title he won with a unanimous decision over Ray Beltran on August 25, was the first fighter to go the distance against Lomachenko since Suriya Tatakhun in a featherweight world title bout in 2014.

Lomachenko had stopped eight fighters inside the distance since then.

"He did a very good job," Lomachenko said of Pedraza's staying power. "I respect Pedraza, the Pedraza team -- very good job."

On the undercard, Mexico's Emanuel Navarrete battered previously unbeaten Isaac Dogboe to seize Dogboe's World Boxing Organization super bantamweight world title.

Navarrete rocked Dogboe in the 10th round and dominated the rest of the way with two judges awarding him the fight by scores of 116-112 and a third making it 115-113.

Navarrete, an underdog against the London-based Ghanaian champion, made the most of his height and reach advantage.

Dogboe, his face bloodied and swollen, had to dig deep to avoid a knockout over the final two rounds.

"It was a great fight, and Emanuel Navarrete fought like a true Mexican warrior," said Dogboe, who fell to 20-1 with 14 knockouts.

He was making the second defense of the title he won with an 11th-round knockout of Jessie Magdaleno on April 28. On August 25 in Arizona he stopped Japan's Hidenori Otake.

Navarrete, 23, improved to 26-1 with 22 knockouts.

He hasn't lost since dropping a four-round unanimous decision to Daniel Argueta in his fourth pro bout six years ago.

"Hearing those words was the culmination of a dream," Navarrete said of hearing his name announced as world champion. "This world championship represents every day that I was working away from my family. This title represents sacrifice."

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World champion again! Pacquiao staves off Father Time, downs Matthysse

Manny Pacquiao has demonstrated he can do a lot of things and take on different kinds of roles.

But at the end of the day, he is only one thing to millions of Filipinos — boxing's GOAT.

And Pacquiao made his countrymen believe in that again when he defeated Lucas Matthysse via seventh-round knockout at Axiata Arena in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday to capture the World Boxing Association welterweight world title.

The exact time of stoppage was at the 2:43 mark.

"From the first round, I had in my mind I can control the fight. But our strategy is be patient, don't rush, don't be careless. Just focus, on our hard punches, power punches. That was our strategy resulting to a knockout," Pacquiao said.

"Like I said I'm not done, I'm still here. It's just a matter of time you got to rest then get it back. I owe it to my country."

It was Pacquiao's 60th career win, with the prizefighting senator accomplishing it in front President Rodrigo Duterte, who was seated at a lofty area in the stadium where he was joined by Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

Until his demolition of the Argentinean fighter, capped by a vicious left uppercut to Matthysse's face, Pacquiao hadn't won via stoppage since he eviscerated Miguel Cotto in 2009.

Many had wondered whether that version of Pacquiao would ever come back, especially this time he was without Freddie Roach.

Roach and Pacquiao decided to part ways this year, ending a partnership that began in 2001.

It was clear Pacquiao didn't need the hall-of-fame coach, at least not this time, to return to his bruising way of finishing his opponents off.

And on Sunday, the 8-division world champion revived that long-held reputation and subsequently restored hope that there's still more fights — and a big payday, perhaps? — ahead of him.

"I feel so blessed especially Buboy's strategy is very effective," Pacquiao said referring to his new chief trainer, childhood buddy Restituto Fernandez. 

"And then also we did a good job in this training camp and we're blessed with this convincing knockout victory."

Right from the opening bell, this had the makings of a lopsided fight.

Pacquiao floored Matthysse thrice — the first caused by an uppercut in the third round.

The next was in the fifth when Pacquiao let loose a pair of right hands to the chest that got Matthysse falling down on one knee.

When he fell a third time in the seventh, referee Kenny Bayless waved the fight off sending the predominantly Filipino crowd into a frenzy.

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Donaire lauds Frampton, plans to move down in weight

MANILA – Former world champion Nonito "The Filipino Flash" Donaire was the picture of class following his unanimous decision loss to Carl Frampton in their featherweight showdown in Belfast on Saturday (early Sunday in Manila).

Frampton put on a show in his hometown, and won with scores of 117-111 across the board. In the process, he earned the interim WBO featherweight championship.


Donaire had no complaints about the scores and immediately hugged Frampton when the decision was announced. Backstage, he was again shown congratulating the younger fighter and saying "I'm cheering for you."

Frampton earned a shot at the WBO's regular belt, as well as the IBO featherweight belt, with his triumph.

"First of all, always want to thank God for keeping me safe in that ring. Not taking anything away from Frampton. He is an amazing fighter, smart and a tough mf," Donaire said on social media after his bout.

"Congratulations… may you continue to be on top," he added.

Donaire, who sustained his fifth career loss, also said that he intends to move back down in weight after a difficult campaign as a featherweight.

"My team, family, and Ringstar will have a meeting but I think it has already been predecided that although I have done my best to gain weight and keep my weight on and strong, it's best I move back down in weight," he said.

Donaire's biggest success came when he was a super bantamweight. As a featherweight, he has compiled a 2-2 win-loss record; one of those defeats was a stunning knockout at the hands of Nicholas Walters.

Still, Frampton was wary of Donaire's power and commended the Filipino star for his effort following their bout.

"Nonito Donaire was dangerous from start to finish. I stuck to the game plan and at times my boxing was beautiful," said Frampton, who was rocked by Donaire during the 11th round of the bout but stayed strong.

Donaire's record dropped to 38-5 with the result.

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Those belts are mine, Parker tells Joshua as big fight looms

LONDON - Joseph Parker went face to face with Anthony Joshua on Tuesday and said he had yet to decide how he was going to win the unification battle of the undefeated world heavyweight champions.

New Zealander Parker (24-0) had no doubt he would do so, however, in front of 80,000 people at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on Saturday.

"I feel it's my time," the bespectacled WBO champion, looking sharp in three-piece suit and tie, told a crowded news conference at Sky television's London headquarters.

"I'm here to take those belts back. I'm here to be part of history.

"I haven't decided how I want to beat him yet. I don't know if it's a knockout or points or a decision. I'll see how I feel on fight night. Those belts are mine."

The taller Joshua, the WBA, IBF and IBO world heavyweight champion, boasts a 20-0 record and is the overwhelming favourite.

The 2012 Olympic champion was equally certain he would emerge triumphant, portraying Parker as another step in his own life journey and not even the toughest opponent.

That was Ukrainian Wladimir Klitschko, whom he beat at Wembley in April last year.

"I'm definitely preparing for a 12-round fight, 110 percent," said the chiselled Briton.

"But let's say I've got 20 quid (pounds) in my pocket and I'm looking at Joseph Parker and Anthony Joshua. I believe Anthony Joshua will knock Joseph Parker out for sure."

Joshua, who had said on Monday he expected Parker to be overwhelmed, has won all his previous fights by knockout and has boasted that no human can stop him.

Parker, who said he would be surprised if Joshua could catch him, detected a whiff of arrogance and said he was no stepping stone for someone else.

"Of course he can be beaten," the New Zealander said. "He's not a god. He's a human being.

"I know if I catch him clean, he's out. He looks angry, he looks nervous. I'm not nervous. I'm ready for this, I'm confident."

Despite his status as the poster boy of a division whose other big name is American Deontay Wilder, the undefeated WBC champion, Joshua spoke also of the fear of losing.

"It keeps me motivated," he said. "One minute you're the man, and the next you're not."

With the two contenders remaining polite and respectful several seats apart, it was left to U.S. big fight announcer Michael Buffer to crank up the hype.

"This Saturday we will take one more step closer to the goal of a fighter being called the undisputed heavyweight world champion," he said.

"Champion versus champion, undefeated fighter versus undefeated fighter. Somebody's O has got to go."

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ed Osmond)

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Crawford crushes Molina, calls out Pacquiao

OMAHA -- Champion Terence Crawford easily defended his WBO and WBC belts by stopping brawler John Molina in the eighth round of their junior welterweight title fight on Saturday.

Crawford dominated the fight from the opening bell landing precision head shots and bruising body blows through the first seven rounds then taking out the challenger with a series of rights late in the eighth round.

"I showed everything in this fight," said Crawford, who improved to 30-0. "Give credit to John Molina because he came to fight."

The 29-year-old Crawford was rarely tested in his third fight of 2016 in front of his hometown fans as he landed 109 punches through eight rounds compared to just 22 for Molina.

The 2014 fighter of the year said he wants his next fight to be against Filipino champion Manny Pacquiao.

"I would love to fight Pacquiao, but it is a business. Right now I want to fight anyone with a title. I want them belts.

"If I can't get Pacquiao, I want the belts."

Molina showed determination and big heart but he was no match for the quick hands and smooth footwork of Crawford who was the heavy favourite coming into the fight at CenturyLink Center arena.

Crawford pinned a defenceless Molina in the corner, then landed three straight right hands before the referee stepped in and stopped the slaughter as the challenger slumped to the canvas.

Crawford started 2016 with an impressive fifth-round knockout of Henry Lundy in February and followed it up five months later with two knockdowns while cruising to a one-sided decision over Viktor Postol to unify the titles in Las Vegas.

The 33-year-old Molina dropped to 29-7. He earned a shot at the titles by upsetting former champion Ruslan Provodnikov in June.

But Molina did not come close to making the 140-pound weight for his title shot so he would have been denied the belts if he had done the impossible and won.

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Pacquiao skips press con to get '16 stitches'

Manny Pacquiao wasn't able to attend the post-fight press conference on Saturday (Sunday, Manila time) to get a cut fixed, promoter Bob Arum said.

Arum, the Top Rank chief executive, said Pacquiao needed "16 stitches" but didn't elaborate on the nature of the injury.

Pacquiao defeated Jessie Vargas to win the WBO welterweight championship.

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Pacquiao is new welterweight champ

Filipino boxing icon Manny Pacquiao made history anew as he became the first active senator to win a world boxing championship.

Pacquiao overpowered the younger Jessie Vargas to win via unanimous decision and claim the WBO welterweight championship on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

The "Pacman" was looking to end a knockout drought that dated all the way back to 2009, but had to settle for flooring Vargas once en route to a unanimous decision.

Judges scored the bout 114-113, 118-109, 118-109, all for the "Pacman."

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Pacquiao beats Bradley in final fight

Pacquiao knocks down Bradley twice, wins via UD

 In what may be the last fight of his storied boxing career, Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao put on an entertaining show, as he knocked down Timothy Bradley JR. twice en route to a unanimous decision victory at the MGM Grand Garden Arena Saturday in Las Vegas (Sunday in Manila).

The three judges scored the bout 116-110 across the board for Pacquiao, who overcame a slow start and clinched victory with knockdowns in the seventh and ninth rounds.

The win gave the "Pacman" the WBO international welterweight championship.

The Filipino icon grew stronger as the fight went on, taking over in the second half of the match en route to the 58th – and last – victory of his legendary career.

"Physically, if you ask me, I'm still okay, I can still fight," Pacquiao said afterward. "But I made my decision to go back to the Philippines and help the people, and spend time with my family."

It was a close fight in the first six rounds, with Bradley fighting in a disciplined style and keeping Pacquiao off with his jab while repeatedly looking for an opening to land a huge right hand.

However, Pacquiao repeatedly evaded Bradley's wild swings, and in the seventh round, he landed the first definitive punch of the fight with a short right hand that forced the American boxer to touch both gloves to the mat.

Bradley survived the count, and Pacquiao tried to go for the win. The American boxer survived the round, however, and came back with an impressive effort in the eighth round. Bradley arguably won the ninth round, scoring with a huge flurry that pushed the "Pacman" into the ropes and had him side-stepping to avoid Bradley's punches.

Looking to build on his huge eighth round, Bradley came out aggressive in the ninth, but unfortunately for the American, it only worked to his disadvantage. With Bradley looking to come in with a right hand, Pacquiao landed a counter-left hand straight to the American's face, sending him tumbling down on the canvas.

"This was different from the last two fights, because I'm looking for a knockout in every round," Pacquiao said after the fight.

A desperate Bradley became even more aggressive in the final three rounds, but his swings mostly hit air or were blocked by Pacquiao. In the 12th, with the victory at hand, Pacquiao stood toe-to-toe with his foe and exchanged punches – and again, he got the better of Bradley who got tangled on the ropes seconds before the final bell rang.

"He's a tough opponent," Pacquiao said of Bradley. "He survived the 12 rounds. But I'm not careless. I'm not doing careless (things) in the ring. (I used) the counter punch, the uppercut and the straight, and that was my plan even in training."

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Deadly shooting at boxing weigh-in kills man: report

A man was killed while two others were injured when armed men dressed as police officers opened fire during a boxing weigh-in in Dublin, Ireland.

According to BBC.com, the shooting took place at Dublin's Regency Hotel where a weigh-in for a WBO title fight was taking place.

The attackers were reportedly carrying AK-47 assault rifles.

The video showed that people started scampering to safety after shots were fired.

Police suspect that the shooting may have something to do with local gangs.

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WORLD SPORTS: Packers' Rodgers well after knee surgery: reports

Packers' Rodgers well after knee surgery - reports

Agence France-Presse

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers underwent left knee surgery after the team's NFL playoff run, according to reports Saturday that said he is recovering well and probable for off-season workouts.

The NFL's website and ESPN reported unnamed sources as saying Rodgers underwent a minor operation on the knee, the same one he underwent reconstructive surgery on in 2004 for a torn ligament.

Rodgers, an 11-year NFL veteran, played all but 10 snaps for the Packers this season. He struggled late in the campaign and had career lows of 238.8 passing yards a game and a 60.7 completion percentage. His eight intercepted passes were his most since 2012.

Rodgers, 32, told ESPN he was "doing well" and "recovering on schedule" but he pulled out of Sunday's NFL Pro Bowl all-star game in Hawaii as a result of the surgery.

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Giants defender Bromley accused of rape attempt - reports

Agence France-Presse

Police are reportedly investigating an attempted rape accusation against New York Giants defensive tackle Jay Bromley stemming from an incident early Saturday morning.

The New York Daily News and New York Post said Bromley, a 23-year-old defensive tackle who made 36 tackles in 16 games for the Giants this past season, is accused of trying to rape a 26-year-old woman and hitting her with his car while fleeing a hotel room.

Reports said the two met online and Bromley picked up the woman at her home and took her to a Manhattan hotel, where Bromley is accused of trying to rape her when she did not want to have sex.

The Giants said they were monitoring the case and had reported it to NFL officials.

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NFL: Concussions remain common even as awareness improves

Andrew Both, Reuters

Two decades after the NFL brushed off concussion concerns as being of interest only to journalists, the issue is at the forefront of any discussion about player safety and unlikely to go away anytime soon.

From the 2015 film "Concussion" about a doctor who fought the NFL's campaign to conceal his research on the brain damage suffered by players, to a lawsuit over brain injuries that could cost America's most popular sports league $1 billion, it is an issue that has the league playing defense.

And while some experts say there has been a sea change in the league's attitude over the past few years, concussions still occur with alarming regularity.

There were 182 concussions reported in the 2015 regular season, up sharply from 115 in 2014, according to figures released by the league, and reversing a downward trend from the previous three years.

Dr. Thom Mayer, the medical director of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA), warned not to jump to conclusions about the 2015 number, saying it did not necessarily mean there were more concussions but rather could reflect better expertise at diagnosing the condition.

Under the NFL's concussion protocol started in 2013, each team is assigned an independent neurotrauma specialist who is not on the team's payroll. There is also a "spotter" who can stop a game if they see a player showing concussion-like symptoms.

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Zou Shiming recaptures WBO International Flyweight Championship

Agence France-Presse

Former WBO International Flyweight Champion Zou Shiming recaptured the title by defeating Brazilian Natan Santana Coutinho by TKO in the eighth round in front of a raucous Shanghai Oriental Sports Center crowd.

A three-time Olympic medallist who won China’s first ever boxing gold medal in 2008, Zou was fighting his first professional match in Mainland China after his seven previous matches were held in Macau.

“The homecoming was great,” he said. “I really fed off the energy of the crowd.”

The fight marked Zou’s return to the ring since losing an IBF Flyweight title match to Thailand's Amnat Ruenroeng last March.

“I’ve taken ten months off to rest, spend time with my family and even found a little reality TV fame, but my heart never left the ring,” Zou said after the fight.

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South Korea's Choi clings to share of PGA lead

Agence France-Presse

KJ Choi, chasing his first US PGA victory in nearly five years, closed with a birdie to share the lead after Saturday's third round of the $6.5 million Farmers Insurance Open.

The 45-year-old South Korean shot an even par 72 to match American Scott Brown on nine-under 207 after 54 holes at Torrey Pines near San Diego.

Choi, the most successful Asian male golfer in PGA history, has won eight titles on the US tour, the most recent of them at the 2011 Players Championship when he won a playoff over David Toms.

Jimmy Walker fired a 68 to share third with fellow American Gary Woodland on 208 to pace 21 rivals with four strokes of the co-leaders entering the final round, when wet and windy conditions are predicted.

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Spluttering Spieth three off the pace in Singapore

Patrick Johnston, Reuters

World number one Jordan Spieth struggled again with his putting as he ended a long 28-hole Saturday three shots off the pace at the Singapore Open.

The American was on the course at 07:30 (2330 GMT) to finish 12 holes of his weather-delayed second round, signing for a one-under-par 71 before returning in the afternoon to shoot one-under for 16 holes of his third round before dusk fell.

The six-under-total left him tied fifth, three shots behind overnight leader Song Young-han of South Korea who was level through 13 holes of his third round before play was called off.

Spieth, the headline act of the Asian and Japan Golf Tour's season opening event, had begun Saturday five adrift of Song but felt the gap should have been closed further.

"I made all my putts inside six feet yesterday but missed five or six today. I've just got to get comfortable on the shorter length putts," the American said after his second round.

FINA 'temporarily suspends' Mexico federation

Agence France-Presse

Swimming's world governing body FINA announced on Saturday at its bureau meeting in Budapest that it had temporarily suspended the Mexican federation over Guadalajara's withdrawal as host of the 2017 World Championships.

It was not immediately clear how FINA's action would affect Mexican swimmers' hopes of competing in the Rio Olympics this year.

"In accordance with FINA Rule C 12.1.1, FINA temporarily suspended the Mexican Swimming Federation for not fulfilling contractual obligations concerning the cancellation of the 2017 FINA World Championships in Guadalajara," the governing body said in a statement.

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Los Angeles named site for 2017 All-Star Game

Agence France-Presse

Los Angeles was named Saturday as the host city for the 2017 National Hockey League All-Star Game, with two days of events set to be staged at the Staples Center next January.

The home arena of the Los Angeles Kings, winners of the Stanley Cup twice in the past four years, will host a skills contest on January 28 on the eve of the NHL's 62nd mid-season showcase of elite talent.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Mayweather plans to relinquish all title belts

Floyd Mayweather Jr. will relinquish all of the championships that he currently holds sometime soon, and his last fight – scheduled for September – may end up being a non-title fight.

Mayweather made the announcement in the post-fight press conference following his unanimous decision victory over Filipino legend Manny Pacquiao that solidified his status as the best boxer of his era.

"I'm gonna relinquish all my belts," Mayweather said. "I made a decision at the back that my last fight may not be a championship fight. I'm gonna give up all the belts."

"It's still gonna be a 12-round fight, but I'm gonna relinquish all the belts," he added.

Mayweather may give up his titles as early as Monday although it may also take a couple of weeks, the fighter said.

The victory over Pacquiao allowed Mayweather to annex the WBO welterweight belt, adding it to the WBA (Super), WBC and The RING welterweight titles that he retained. Mayweather also owns the WBC and WBA light middleweight championships.

Asked why he plans to relinquish all of his titles, Mayweather said: "Other fighters need a chance… I'm not greedy."

"I'm world champion at two different weight classes right now. I'm undisputed welterweight champion, I got the WBC and the WBA at super welterweight… it's time for other fighters to fight for the belt," he explained.

In his 19-year career, Mayweather has won 11 world titles in five different weight divisions.

He will fight his last fight in September to fulfill a six-match deal with Showtime and CBS, but Mayweather admits that his passion for boxing has waned over the years.

"I don't really think I'm gonna miss this sport," he said. "I don't really watch boxing."

"At one particular time, I loved the sport of boxing. I wanted to go to every fight, I wanted to be at every boxing event," he added. "But throughout the years, I just lost the love for the sport."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Cotto reveals Pacquiao's secret weapon

MANILA, Philippines -- After hiring Freddie Roach as his trainer, Puerto Rican bruiser Miguel Cotto realized why Manny Pacquiao has been successful in boxing.

Cotto said the 7-time Boxing Coach of the Year is Pacquiao's secret weapon as far as boxing science is concerned.

He said Roach will be a big factor in the fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr., who doesn't enjoy the same thing under his coach Floyd Sr.

“After working with Freddie I think Freddie is going to be huge in the fight,” Cotto said in a New York Post report.

The Puerto Rican knows what he's talking about because he fought Pacquiao in 2009.

Cotto faced Pacquiao for the WBO welterweight title, but got knocked down twice before being halted in the 12th round.

Years later, Cotto fought Mayweather and ended up losing via unanimous decision.

The Puerto Rican, however, thinks Pacquiao is a tougher match.

“I’m going for Manny,” he said.

Cotto hooked up with Roach after losing to Austin Trout in 2012.

The partnership worked wonders for Cotto's career. Since training with Roach, the Puerto Rican strung a pair of stoppage, including a dominant victory against Sergio Martinez.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pacquiao landed 121 more punches than Algieri

Not only did Manny Pacquiao topple Chris Algieri six times, he also outworked Long Island’s favorite son by more than 120 punches.

Compubox stats showed that Pacquiao was the busier fighter during his WBO welterweight title defense against Algieri in Macau.

Pacquiao threw a total of 669 punches, of which 229 landed. Algieri, for his part, only landed 108 of his 469 punches. This means, the Filipino connected 121 more punches than his American counterpart.

Algieri is known as a volume puncher due to his boxing-counterpunching style. He averaged 87.9 punches per round in his last four bouts prior the Pacquiao fight.

During his junior welterweight clash against Ruslan Provodnikov last June, he connected 288 out of 993 punches. Nearly half of those were jabs that he used to maintain his distance against the Russian brawler.

In comparison, Provodnikov threw 776 punches and connected only 205, most of which were power punches.

But Algieri’s output noticeably went down when he went on full defensive mode against Pacquiao.

Pacquiao chased him all throughout the fight and knocked him down six times.

"I was disappointed by Algieri. All he did was run,” Pacquiao’s coach Freddie Roach said in Yahoo! Sports. “He didn't show the heart or the [expletive] he did versus Ruslan Provodnikov."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Roach blasts Algieri for running

Freddie Roach was displeased that they saw a different Chris Algieri on Sunday.

The coach knew Algieri will try to hit and run against Manny Pacquiao just like he did against Ruslan Provodnikov, but wasn't expecting the American to run all throughout the fight.

"I was disappointed by Algieri. All he did was run. He didn't show the heart or the [expletive] he did versus Ruslan Provodnikov," Roach told Yahoo! Sports.

Nevertheless, Roach said they proved a point against the New York-based boxer, who was branded as a “master boxer” by his camp.

"The master boxer was given a master class by Professor Pacquiao," Roach said.

Pacquiao did chase Algieri, which resulted in six terrific knockdowns -- more than what Floyd Mayweather Jr. had in the past 10 years.

The eight-division boxing champion first knocked down Algieri via a three-punch combo in the second round, which was followed by two more in the sixth round. Pacquiao struck again with two knockdowns in the ninth and again in the 10th.

"Manny is the best in the world at fighting like Manny Pacquiao. That's really what it is. His style, he has so much experience. He's perfected fighting like Manny Pacquiao,” said Algieri, who suffered his first career defeat in 21 fights.

Prior the bout, Roach joked that he told his pupil not to hurt Algieri too much as it might scare away Mayweather.

“He’s scared of us now, and he’s going to be more scared of us after we destroy this guy. Mayweather, you know, show some balls and step up to the plate,” he said in ESPN.com.

He said Pacquiao wanted the Mayweather fight "so badly" he’s talking about it all the time.

“After seeing Floyd’s last couple fights, he wants him even more. He just wants to prove he’s the best fighter in the world, and he’ll take that zero and give [Floyd] his first one,” said Roach.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Pacquiao relaxed as Algieri has weighty problem

MACAU - Manny Pacquiao weighed in at 143.8lb Saturday for his welterweight world title defence, but his opponent Chris Algieri had trouble on the scales ahead of Sunday's fight.

Undefeated American Algieri could not make the catchweight limit of 144lb and was still 0.20lb over after a second attempt despite stripping down to his bare essentials at the Saturday morning weigh-in (Friday night in the US) at the Venetian Macau's Cotai Arena.

Algieri (20-0, 8 KOs) was given two hours to sweat off the remaining weight and came back for a third attempt which saw him finally go under at 143.6lb.

Despite the hiccup, which would have thrown Algieri's final preparations for Sunday's fight slightly behind schedule, the former kickboxer from Long Island predicted he would win.

"I did all the hard work I needed to do," said Algieri. "I know I can count on my skills to do it. This is dream come true and I'm ready to rock."

Pacquiao (56-5-2, 38 KOs) has been relaxed and confident all week in Macau. The Filipino eight-weight world champion has been impressing all who have watched him train with the intensity and power he has shown in his workouts.

"I've been preparing like the early days in my career," said Pacquiao at the weigh-in. "I want to get back the hungriness and the aggressiveness that I had when I was young."

Earlier this week Pacquiao had said he enjoyed fighting unbeaten boxers, such as Algieri, because he liked to teach them what it is like to lose. But on Saturday the Sarangani province congressman was more diplomatic.

"I like to fight undefeated fighters like Algieri because it's an honour to be in a fight like that," Pacquiao said.

Before Pacquiao and Algieri square off for the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title at around noon local time (0400GMT) Chinese double Olympic gold medallist flyweight Zou Shiming (5-0, 1 KO) will take on Thailand's Kwanpichit Onesongchaigym (27-0, 12 KOs) in a 12-round final eliminator for a world title shot.

Kwanpichit, an uncanny Pacquiao look-alike dubbed 'mini-Manny' by the media, and Zou both weighed in right on the 112lb flyweight limit.

There are two other world title contests on the undercard.

WBO featherweight champion and double Olympic gold medallist Vasyl Lomachenko (2-1, 1 KO) defends his title against Thailand's Chonlatarn Piriyapinyo (52-1, 33 KOs) with both exactly on the 126lb limit.

World Boxing Association super lightweight champion Jessie Vargas from Las Vegas (25-0, 9 KOs) weighed in on the 140lb limit for his defence against Mexico's Antonio DeMarco (31-3-1, 23 KOs) who was a little lighter at 139.3lb.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com