■SOCCER
Kaka father denies Real deal
The father of Brazilian star Kaka on Saturday refuted claims from Real Madrid that they have signed an agreement with his son. Spanish newspaper Marca claimed earlier that Real presidential candidate Florentino Perez had reached an agreement with the former world player of the year to bring him to the Bernabeu, should he be re-elected. Marca claimed a deal had been reached for a 63 million euro (US$85 million) transfer with Kaka picking up 8 million euros a season net. But in a statement published on Milan’s Web site, Bosco Leite, who also acts as his son’s agent, rubbished the newspaper’s claims. “There is no agreement with Real Madrid and it’s not true to say that the player has already signed a deal with the Spanish club,” he said. “All information regarding the player is only credible and official if it comes from his legal representatives or from Milan. Any other information is baseless.”
■FIELD HOCKEY
South Korea win Asia Cup
Asian Games title holder South Korea defeated Pakistan 1-0 with a penalty corner by Kim Byung-hoon to win the 8th Asia Cup and claim an automatic World Cup berth. Kim scored when he sent a powerful drive into the net in the 66th minute. South Korea did not appear to be in the game and failed to create any opportunities in the first half. However, it was a different story in the second half. Meanwhile, China defeated Malaysia 7-6 on penalties in a game that ended 3-3 after extra time to claim the bronze medal.
■BOXING
Fragomeni retains title
Giacobbe Fragomeni retained his WBC cruiserweight title by earning a draw with Krzysztof Wlodarczyk in his first defense on Saturday. Judge Richard James Davies scored the bout 116-112 for Fragomeni, Robin Dolpierre had it 114-113 for Wlodarczyk, and Esa Lehtosaari scored it 114-114. The 39-year-old Fragomeni was able to avoid the Polish challenger’s long reach to get in close and throw combinations, before his foot speed took him away from danger. The Italian champion — who beat Rudolf Kraj to win the vacant title last October — finally began to land some powerful shots as he relaxed into his style, but it never appeared that Wlodarczyk would be stopped. The 2.06m Wlodarczyk, enjoying a 30cm in height advantage, hung around until Fragomeni began to tire in the later rounds. He put Fragomeni to the canvas in the 11th and thought he’d done it again, but referee Ian John-Lewis ruled the second time that Wlodarczyk had hit the champ while he was still down. Fragomeni (26-1-1) hasn’t lost in six fights since being stopped by former unified champion David Haye, who has since moved up to heavyweight. Wlodarczyk (41-2-1) hasn’t lost since dropping a majority decision in an IBF title fight to Steve Cunningham in May 2007.
■BOXING
Ward boosts title chances
Andre Ward remained unbeaten and stayed on course for a 168-pound (76kg) title shot this year with the biggest victory of his pro career, a unanimous decision over Colombia’s Edison Miranda on Saturday. Ward (19-0, 12 KOs), the 2004 US Olympic gold medalist, showed resilience in fighting 11 and a half rounds with a cut over his left eye caused by a butt from Miranda (32-4). Although Ward couldn’t land a knockout, he clearly demonstrated better skill and discipline while thriving in the late rounds. Fighting at Oracle Arena in his hometown of Oakland for the first time as a pro, Ward received a standing ovation afterward.
‘REMARKABLE’: Gaelic football is a traditional Irish sport that blends the skills of soccer and rugby, and hurling is an ancient sport played with a wooden stick and ‘sliotar’ The Taiwan Celts Gaelic Football Club marked a milestone achievement at the Asian Gaelic Games in Bangkok on Nov. 23 and 24, with two sides advancing to the knockout stages and competing at hurling for the first time. The event brought together 68 teams from 16 clubs across Asia, with more than 800 players in men’s and women’s tournaments. Gaelic football is a traditional Irish team sport that blends the skills of soccer, rugby union and basketball. Hurling is an ancient Irish sport played with a wooden stick, called a hurley, and a small ball, or sliotar. The Taiwan Celts’ women’s team reached
LIVERPOOL WIN: The 50th Champions League goal by Mohamed Salah helped the leaders of the Premier League to keep their perfect record intact Real Madrid’s big stars on Tuesday turned on the style to revive the Spanish giant’s faltering UEFA Champions League title defense. Galacticos Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham all scored in a thrilling 3-2 win against Serie A leaders Atalanta BC. However, Madrid still had to ride their luck as Mateo Retegui fired over from in front of goal in stoppage-time when handed a golden chance to level the game. It was only Madrid’s third win in the competition’s revamped league phase and leaves the 15-time champions in the unseeded playoff positions in 18th place. “It’s a very important win. Not everyone wins
TO NO AVAIL: The Denver Nuggets’ Serbian center Nikola Jokic surpassed his 53-point performance in the 2023 Western Conference semi-finals against Phoenix The Washington Wizards withstood a 56-point explosion from Denver star Nikola Jokic to beat the Nuggets 122-113 on Saturday and snap their 16-game NBA losing streak. Jokic, who won his third NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) award last season, posted a career scoring high — surpassing a 53-point performance in game four of the 2023 Western Conference semi-finals against Phoenix and a 50-point regular-season best against Sacramento in 2021. The Serbian big man added 16 rebounds and eight assists, but it was all to no avail as Washington, buoyed by 39 points from Jordan Poole, won for the first time
Taiwan’s Lin Cheng-jing won a bronze medal in the clean and jerk in the women’s under-49 kg division at the 2024 IWF World Weightlifting Championships in Bahrain on Saturday. Lin won her first medal at a World Weightlifting Championships for lifting 107kg in the clean and jerk in her weight class, 2kg more than Rosegie Ramos of the Philippines. However, Ramos won bronze for the combined lift after topping Lin by 5kg in the snatch. Ri Song-gum of North Korea won gold in the division’s combined lift with a total of 213kg, while Xiang Linxiang of China took silver with
RSS