■BOXING
Gatti widow gets C$100,000
The widow of Arturo Gatti has been awarded C$100,000 (US$99,000) from his estate by a Quebec Superior Court judge, nine months after his death. Amanda Rodrigues received the money as financial compensation for the legal fees she was forced to pay following the former champion’s death. In the court judgment on Thursday, she also received C$2,000 a month for the couple’s 18-month-old son. In November, a Quebec judge awarded Rodrigues C$40,000 to cover legal fees and child care costs. Rodrigues’ claim to her husband’s estate was being contested by the former fighter’s mother and brother. Gatti was found dead under mysterious circumstances at a Brazilian seaside resort in July.
■BOXING
Hearns holds auction
Thomas “Hitman” Hearns says an auction to help him pay off a US$448,000 tax debt went well. The 51-year-old Hearns said he didn’t yet know how much Saturday’s auction raised. He said it “went well” and people were “very kind” to come out for the event billed as the “Battle of His Life.” The event at the Auction Block featured a 1957 Chevy, three boats, a three-wheeled motorcycle and boxing memorabilia. Obie Moore, owner of the Auction Block, said the IRS was on hand and will get the money. Hearns held WBA, WBC, WBU and IBO titles ranging between 1980 and 1999. His three-round loss to Marvin Hagler for the middleweight title in 1985 is generally considered one of the best bouts in boxing history.
■BOXING
Ikeke retains title
Nigeria’s Kingsley Ikeke successfully defended his North American Boxing Association super middleweight title in Tacoma, Washington, on Saturday, overcoming a sluggish start to outpoint Zane Marks in a split decision. Two judges scored the fight 97-93 for Ikeke, while the other had it a 95-95 draw. Ikeke, who lives in Los Angeles, won his fourth straight fight to improve to 27-3-0. Marks (17-5) came out the aggressor, immediately getting Ikeke onto the ropes and commanding the first round. Marks maintained his edge in the second before Ikeke seemed to find a groove and take the lead in attacking through the fourth, fifth and sixth. Ikeke regained the edge in the final two rounds.
■POWERBOAT RACING
Racers die at Aussie event
US racer David Bryant has been identified by Australian police as one of two competitors killed at a weekend event on the Manning River in northern New South Wales state. Bryant, 44, is listed in his biography as having competed in powerboat racing for 15 years. He won the US Super Stock Racing Association Series championship in 2002, 2006 and 2007 and won titles in various flatbottom championships. He was the 2007 American Boat Racing Association unlimited hydroplane rookie of the year. A statement from New South Wales police yesterday said the American was ejected from his craft as it traveled at a speed of about 220kph. Police said emergency services attended to Bryant at the scene and he was taken to a hospital, where he died. On Saturday, a 61-year-old Australian was racing around a circuit on the same river when his boat flipped. Police identified him as Brian McCosker. A number of divers on the course went to McCosker’s aid but he was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital. Glenn Banks, president of the Australian Power Boat Association, told the Seven television network that he had never heard of a double tragedy in the 60-year history of the event.
Two people died on Thursday after fans and police clashed outside the Estadio Monumental in Santiago ahead of a game in South America’s Copa Libertadores, Chilean authorities said. The fatalities happened shortly before the match between Chile’s Colo-Colo and Brazilian club Fortaleza, when police blocked about 100 fans when they attempted to enter the stadium. There were conflicting accounts of how the fatalities occurred, with local media reporting that one of the dead was a 13-year-old boy. The other victim was an 18-year-old woman, according to a relative at the hospital where she was treated. The fans died after being caught underneath a
A potential European league could be a gold mine for the NBA as the top-flight North American league looks to muscle its way into a deep pool of talent across the Atlantic Ocean. The NBA is exploring the launch of a European league with world basketball governing body FIBA as a partner, NBA commissioner Adam Silver said last week, with an eye toward a 16-team format made up of 12 permanent clubs and four qualifiers. The continent’s longstanding Euroleague quickly signaled its readiness to enter into talks with the NBA, even as it has balked at the idea of another league in
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen has become the first female player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after the Golden State Valkyries selected her in the third and final round of the league’s draft on Monday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship earlier this month. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament’s most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen (陳凱玲) has become the first player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after being selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the third and final round of the league's draft yesterday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship on April 6. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament's most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as a