■ Boxing
Ex-champ jailed over fight
Former WBC light heavyweight champion Graciano Rocchigiani will serve five months in jail for hitting a taxi driver. The 42-year-old German, already on probation, was sentenced on Friday by a Berlin court for the incident two years ago in which he hit the taxi driver, then damaged his car. Rocchigiani has a long history of run-ins with the law, including a conviction for assaulting a police officer. He won a US$31 million judgment against the WBC in 1998 over the loss of his light heavyweight title, but settled for less when the WBC planned to dissolve itself under bankruptcy laws. The WBC declared its light heavyweight title vacant when champion Roy Jones Jr said he was moving up to the heavyweight division and Rocchigiani won the vacant title against Michael Nunn. When Jones Jr returned, he was restored as light heavyweight champion. The WBC wrote to the German saying the official rankings that had him as champ were a "typographical error."
■ Rugby Union
Wellington fixed on circuit
The Wellington rugby sevens tournament will be a fixed part of the International Rugby Board's world circuit for the next five years, the New Zealand Rugby Union said yesterday. The tournament is one of seven confirmed on the 2006-2007 circuit which starts in Dubai. Other tournaments will be played at George in South Africa, San Diego, Hong Kong, Adelaide in Australia and London. The venue for the eighth tournament has yet to be confirmed. "The New Zealand International Sevens tournament has been a commercial success as well as a sporting and social event triumph and the IRB has recognized that," New Zealand union deputy chief executive Steve Tew said.
■ Basketball
All-Stars beat Yulong
World champion Serbia and Montenegro easily defeated Argentina 83-64 on the first day of the Singapore Cup on Friday. Serbia and Montenegro took an early lead over Argentina, who were led by San Antonio Spurs player Manu Ginobili. Fifth-ranked Spain beat Slovenia 96-85. The four countries are using this tournament as a warmup for the world championship starting next week in Japan. The competition also includes regional club teams. The Singapore All-Stars beat Taiwan's Yulong Club 80-74. The competition continued yesterday, when Argentina took on Slovenia, and Spain met Serbia and Montenegro.
■ Basketball
Lithuania edge South Korea
Forward Linus Kleiza of the Denver Nuggets scored 12 points yesterday as Lithuania edged South Korea 83-81 at the World Basketball Challenge. Kleiza scored six points in the fourth quarter when the Lithuanians outscored their opponents 25-22 en route to their first win of the tournament. South Korea dropped to 0-2. In yesterday's final game, Turkey defeated Italy 72-61 to improve to 1-1. Italy is 0-1.
■ Soccer
Brawling coaches banned
Two coaches have been fined and banned in Colombia after exchanging insults and punches on the touchline and being sent off in a game last Sunday. Jorge Luis Pinto of Cucuta was suspended for six games and fined the equivalent of US$466 while Julio Comesana of Real Cartagena was banned for eight games and fined US$1,700. The Colombian league said former Costa Rica coach Pinto was guilty of "slandering the referee and provoking his opposite number" by saying that Comesana had bribed the official. Comesana, a Uruguayan, was sanctioned for violent conduct after he aimed a punch at Pinto in the 80th minute incident during the 1-1 draw.
■ Soccer
Kahn reaches milestone
Bayern Munich goalkeeper Oliver Kahn made his 500th Bundesliga appearance in Friday's season opener against Borussia Dortmund. Kahn, 37, played his first Bundesliga game in 1987 for Karlsruhe and it was an unpromising start, as his side lost 4-0 to Cologne. He joined Bayern in 1994 and has since won the Champions League and seven league titles, as well as two German Player of the Year awards.
■ Soccer
Mourinho weighs up options
Jose Mourinho said on Friday he is considering "other options" in defense after being unable to prise Ashley Cole from Arsenal for what he considers a fair fee. Mourinho is reported to have offered ?16 million (US$30 million) for the 25-year-old England left back, but Arsenal want nearer to ?25 million. Cole was conspicuous by his absence from the Arsenal team photocall on Thursday at the club's new Emirates Stadium. But Mourinho insists the Premiership champions will not dip further into billionaire owner Roman Abramovich's pockets. "Nothing has changed," Mourinho said on Friday at a press conference ahead of the Community Shield against Liverpool. "He [Cole] is for sure an Arsenal player, and he is probably training with them. I cannot say more than that." The situation was not desperate, Mourinho insisted. "I am looking first of all to what I have," he said. "I have [Wayne] Bridge, Paulo Ferreira, I have [Lassana] Diarra, if I need, [Michael] Essien if I need," he said.
■ Rugby Union
Carter tries hand at soccer
All Blacks golden boy Daniel Carter has found a way around his tightly controlled rugby playing regime -- he's turned out for a social soccer match in a move that has surprised his rugby bosses. They are offering little comment on Carter's switch from the oval ball to the round ball and are unsure whether he had broken any conditions of his contract. During the All Blacks current three-week break in the Tri-Nations series, head coach Graham Henry has dictated which players he wanted to have a run out in the provincial competition and who he wanted to have a complete rest. Carter, arguably the most skillful rugby player in the world, was among those ordered to have a complete rest, but he was sighted having a run with a soccer team in his hometown of Christchurch, the Press newspaper reported yesterday. One player on the team said Carter had plenty of natural ability and came along to make up the numbers. In a recent appearance, he put in a cross that resulted in a goal, but the teammate said Carter "shouldn't change his day job" just yet.
Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei and partner Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia yesterday advanced to the women’s doubles final at the Australian Open after defeating New Zealand’s Erin Routliffe and Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada 7-6 (7/3), 3-6, 6-3 in their semi-final. Hsieh has won nine Grand Slam doubles titles and has a shot at a 10th tomorrow, when the Latvian-Taiwanese duo are to play Taylor Townsend of the US and Katerina Siniakova of the Czech Republic in the championship match at the A$96.5 million (US$61 million) outdoor hard court tournament at Melbourne Park. Townsend and Siniakova eliminated Russian pair Diana Shnaider and Mirra Andreeva 6-7
Manchester City have reached do-or-die territory in the UEFA Champions League earlier than expected ahead of what Pep Guardiola has described as a “final” against Club Brugge today. City have disproved the suggestion a new format to Europe’s top club competition would remove any jeopardy for the top clubs as Guardiola stares down the barrel of failing to make the Champions League knockout stages for the first time in his career. The English champions have endured a torrid season both in their English Premier League title defense and on the continent. A run of one win in 13 games, which included Champions League
Things are somewhat out of control at the Australian Open this year, and that has only a little to do with the results on the courts. Yes, there were some upsets, including Madison Keys eliminating No. 2 Iga Swiatek in the women’s singles semi-finals on Thursday. It also was the first time since 1990 that three teenagers beat top-10 men’s seeds at a Grand Slam tennis tournament. The loser of one of those matches, Daniil Medvedev, got fined US$76,000 for behaving badly. Last year’s women’s singles runner-up exited in the first round. However, the real fuss is happening elsewhere. The rowdy fans, for one
The CTBC Brothers from Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) on Friday announced they reached an agreement with the team’s shortstop Chiang Kun-yu (江坤宇) to extend his contract by 10 years in a deal that could worth up to NT $147.88 million (US$4.5 million). Including a NT$10 million incentive bonus, the 24-year- old’s new contract stipulates that his monthly salary will be NT$660,000 starting this year, increasing to NT$1.2 million from the fifth year of the deal. Chiang’s new agreement also comes with a caveat in the form of a “player option” where he would have the choice to become a free
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