Before the money-spinning boxing duel between American Floyd Mayweather and Irishman Conor McGregor, fans are gearing up in Las Vegas, waiting to see what organizers are calling the fight of the year. (video courtesy AFPTV)
Sports
Boxing: McGregor heavier for Mayweather showdown
LAS VEGAS, United States (AFP) — Mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor will carry a sizeable weight advantage into his superfight with Floyd Mayweather after tipping the scales nearly four pounds heavier than the boxing legend here Friday. Irish star McGregor — who had been accused by Mayweather of struggling to make the 154-pound limit — weighed in comfortably at 153 pounds in a raucuous face off at the T-Mobile Arena. Former welterweight king […]
SEA Games: Home-grown sports here to stay, say Games chiefs
by Talek Harris Agence France Presse Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (AFP) — Southeast Asian Games organizers have given their strong backing to keeping home-grown sports like sepak takraw — as well as the policy of tailoring the program to suit the host country. The biennial Games, whose 29th edition is underway in Malaysia, are known for their distinctive regional sports and home-nation bias. The hosts have topped the medals table at six of the last […]
SEA Games: Gold in 21 seconds for Filipino-Brit boxer
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AFP) — Filipino-British boxer John Marvin took just 21 seconds to clinch the Southeast Asian Games light heavyweight title on Thursday, and then said he wanted a quick win as he didn’t trust the judges. The 24-year-old, a lance corporal in the British Army, unleashed a barrage of punches from the bell to stop Malaysia’s Adli Hafidz Mohamad Pauzi — who later claimed he wasn’t ready. Marvin said he didn’t want […]
Baseball: Ryu shines as Dodgers notch 90th win
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — South Korean pitcher Ryu Hyun-Jin surrendered just one run in six innings in another sparkling performance Thursday that lifted the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 5-2 win over the Pirates in Pittsburgh. Yasmani Grandal hit one of three Dodgers home runs as Los Angeles notched their 90th win of the season. But Grandal was full of praise for Ryu, who gained his third straight victory. “He attacked the zone, started pitching in the […]
Qatar unveils scale model of World Cup stadium
DOHA, Qatar (Reuters) — Qatar unveiled on Thursday (August 24) a scale model of a stadium shaped like an Arabian skull cap for the 2022 World Cup, as the Gulf state moves ahead with preparations for the tournament despite a diplomatic rift with its neighbors. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates imposed sanctions on fellow United States ally Qatar in June and cut all transport links with the country, accusing it of […]
Golf: Alex sets early pace at LPGA Canadian Pacific Open
MONTREAL, Canada (AFP) — Marina Alex set the early pace, and her five-under par 66 was good for a one-shot lead Thursday after the first round of the LPGA’s Canadian Pacific Women’s Open in Ottawa. Alex, who just missed out on a berth in last week’s Solheim Cup, at least had the luxury of being well rested as she tackled the Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club course. And her early tee time meant she enjoyed great scoring conditions […]
RugbyU: Hunter wary of Kiwi threat to England dreams
BELFAST, United Kingdom (AFP) — England captain Sarah Hunter has warned her team that New Zealand are capable of shattering the holders’ dreams in the women’s Rugby World Cup final on Saturday. The title match at Belfast’s Kingspan Stadium will see the competition’s two best sides go head-to-head, with England looking to repeat their 2014 triumph. But Hunter, who is preparing for her third consecutive World […]
SEA Games men’s basketball: Gilas routs Malaysia to sweep Group A
(Eagle News) — The Gilas cadets routed Southeast Asian Games host Malaysia in an intense game that saw players ejected on Thursday night. The Philippine team pulled away after a slow start amid tensions that boiled over in the middle of the third quarter, when players from both sides pushed and shoved each other after a play that saw Baser Amer wrapping his arms around Kuek Tian Yuan in a bid to free an entangled […]
PHL now with 10 golds; remains in 6th place in SEA games
(Eagle News) – The Philippines now has 10 gold medals, 15 silver medals and 20 bronze medals as of Wednesday night, August 23, in the ongoing Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, but remains in the sixth place in the over-all medal tally. Philippine runner Trentren Anthony Beram won the country’s 10th gold in the Men’s 200-meter run, while another runner Aries Toledo won the 9th gold in the men’s decathlon event on […]
Formula One: Hamilton eyes Schumacher record in 200th race
SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium (AFP) — Three-time world champion Lewis Hamilton will start his 200th Grand Prix in Belgium this weekend, seeking to match German legend Michael Schumacher’s record of 68 pole positions. With the summer break out of the way, the British driver will be chasing his fifth win of the season as he bids to claw back points on title-race leader, four-time champion Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari. Back in Europe after spending F1’s now-traditional European summer break in […]
Motorcycling: Marquez hungry for Silverstone revenge
SILVERSTONE, United Kingdom (AFP) — World championship leader Marc Marquez is out for revenge at the British motorcycling Grand Prix on Sunday after losing out on the last bend to Andrea Dovizioso two weeks ago in Austria. Marquez came second to Ducati’s Dovizioso at the Spielberg track with his Honda team-mate and fellow Spaniard Dani Pedrosa third. But the three-time world champion is not expecting things to go all his own way at Silverstone. He admits he faces […]
