BOXING
Inoue to defend titles
Undisputed super-bantamweight world champion Naoya Inoue of Japan is to defend his titles against Australia’s Sam Goodman at Ariake Arena in Tokyo on Christmas Eve, it was announced yesterday. The 31-year-old Inoue, who has a 28-0 record with 25 wins by knockout, beat Ireland’s T.J. Doheny in his most recent defense in Tokyo last month. The 26-year-old Goodman, who has a 19-0 record with eight KOs, has never held a world title in any division. “He has an unbeaten record so he must have something about him,” Inoue, known as “Monster,” told reporters in Tokyo. “I will need to be careful and bear that in mind for this fight.”
Photo: AFP
GOLF
Japanese rookie leads
Japanese rookie Mao Saigo yesterday carded a nine-under-par 63 to take a one-shot lead after the first round of the LPGA Maybank Championship in Kuala Lumpur, while Taiwan’s Hsu Wei-ling was in a tie for third after a 65. Saigo had 10 birdies against a lone bogey under clear skies at the Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club. Taiwan’s Chien Pei-yun was in a share of 42nd after a first-round 70, while compatriot Cheng Ssu-chia shot a 72 for a share of 55th.
Photo: AFP
CRICKET
South Africa win first Test
South Africa yesterday cruised to a seven-wicket win over Bangladesh in the first Test, with fast bowler Kagiso Rabada the star of the show in Mirpur. Rabada took 6-46 as Bangladesh went from 283-7 overnight to 307 all out, leaving the visitors a victory target of 106. Rabada finished with 9-72 in the match, having become the fastest bowler to reach 300 Test wickets during the first innings. “It’s special,” stand-in captain Aiden Markram said of a victory that was sealed before lunch on day 4 and gave South Africa a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
Photo: AFP
CRICKET
Zimbabwe crush Gambia
Zimbabwe on Wednesday hit 344-4 in a T20 World Cup qualifier, setting what the International Cricket Council (ICC) said was a world-record international score in the format. Zimbabwe were playing the Gambia in an African sub-regional qualifier at the Ruaraka Sports Club Ground in Nairobi. The ICC said the total was a world record for a T20 international, eclipsing the previous high score of 314-3 set by Nepal against Mongolia last year. Sikandar Raza smashed 133 not out off 43 deliveries in a knock that included 15 sixes. Wicketkeeper Tadiwanashe Marumani struck 62 from just 19 balls and Clive Madande clobbered 53 not out from 17. Musa Jobarteh’s four overs went for 93 runs. In the reply, No. 10 Andre Jarju was the only batsman to get into double figures with 12 not out as the Gambia were bowled out for 54 to record a loss by 290 runs.
Although Shohei Ohtani’s first trip to the Major League Baseball (MLB) World Series is a global sports event, it is particularly big in Japan. Fans from Ohtani’s home nation bought more World Series tickets for the first two games than from anywhere outside North America, ticket broker StubHub said. Dodger Stadium was packed to the rafters on Friday night for the start of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ showdown with the New York Yankees. “Ohtani’s first season with the Dodgers drew big international appeal, especially from his home country of Japan,” StubHub spokesperson Adam Budelli said. “At the beginning of the season, buyers from
LISBON UPSET: Feyenoord’s coach said that his players might not have realized what they had achieved in winning away against Portuguese giants SL Benfica MANCHESTER, England, and LISBON Erling Haaland on Wednesday scored an outrageous backheel volley in the UEFA Champions League to issue a timely reminder of his own credentials as a potential Ballon d’Or winner. A day after Vinicius Junior hit a hat-trick for Real Madrid, Haaland scored an early contender for goal of the season with his acrobatic effort in Manchester City’s 5-0 win against Sparta Prague. Vinicius Junior is the favorite to win soccer’s most prestigious individual prize, which is to be presented at a gala ceremony in Paris on Monday, but Haaland, who was runner-up to Lionel Messi for last year’s award,
STAR IN DOUBT: After partially dislocating his shoulder in a feetfirst slide into second base, the status of Japanese slugger Ohtani is uncertain for Game 3 as he undergoes tests Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Saturday walked back to his dugout and made the slightest tip of his cap to cheering fans. He left Japan for moments like this, an opportunity to put the Los Angeles Dodgers in control of the World Series. Yamamoto allowed one hit over 6-1/3 innings and Freddie Freeman homered for the second straight night as Los Angeles beat the New York Yankees 4-2 for a 2-0 Series lead. However, the Dodgers head to New York uncertain whether Shohei Ohtani can play after their biggest star partially dislocated his left shoulder on a slide at second base. “We’re going to get
Three-time reigning world champion Kaori Sakamoto on Saturday led a Japanese podium sweep at Skate Canada, locking up a second straight Canadian women’s title despite two falls in her free skate. Sakamoto, who led 19-year-old American Alysa Liu after the short program, looked a little tight during her jazzy free skate, falling on a Salchow jump and again on a triple flip while fighting to hang on to a few other moves. Her second-best free skate score of 126.24 was enough for gold in the second Grand Prix event of the season in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She finished with 201.21 points, well ahead
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