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(Agence France Presse) — Philippine boxing hero Manny Pacquiao said on Friday he has opened talks to fight mixed martial arts star Conor McGregor in April when he takes a break from his legislative duties. “If we can negotiate it, I have no problem. It is OK with both of us,” Pacquiao said when asked about reports he was seeking a match with McGregor who lost a megabucks boxing match in August against the unbeaten […]
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — The Houston Rockets, fueled by 29 points from James Harden, posted their eighth straight NBA victory on Thursday, 112-101 over the Utah Jazz. Ryan Anderson scored 23 points and Chris Paul added 18 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds for Houston, the Western Conference leaders who have now won 14 of their last 15 games. The Jazz coughed up eight turnovers in the first half, leading to 13 points […]
PARIS, France (AFP) — Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo won a record-equaling fifth Ballon d’Or award for the year’s best player on Thursday. The Real Madrid forward’s second successive win drew him level alongside Barcelona rival Lionel Messi on five Ballons d’Or, after the Argentinian took second in the vote, with Brazilian Neymar third. The 32-year-old was the top-scorer in last season’s Champions League as Real successfully defended the trophy with victory over Juventus in June, […]
SEOUL, South Korea (AFP) — Olympics chief Thomas Bach is hoping to visit North Korea as early as this month to discuss Pyongyang’s participation in the 2018 Winter Games, a report said Friday. South Korean organizers of the Pyeongchang Olympics are pushing for the North to compete as they hope to portray the event as a symbol of peace on the flashpoint peninsula. The North missed the October 30 deadline to confirm its participation, although […]
by Thibault Marchandet and Marina Lapenkova Agence France Presse MOSCOW, Russia (AFP) — The International Olympic Committee’s decision to ban Russia from the 2018 Winter Games over state-orchestrated doping has created an unprecedented split between the country’s athletes and politicians. On Wednesday, President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia would not boycott next year’s Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, nor would it prevent athletes from taking part. It was a decision welcomed by IOC chief Thomas […]
NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — Jahlil Okafor, restless without a real role for the Philadelphia 76ers, was traded to the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday in exchange for forward Trevor Booker, the Sixers said. Philadelphia also sent guard Nik Stauskas to Brooklyn along with 2019 second-round draft selection that originally belonged to the New York Knicks. Okafor, 21, was drafted third overall by Philadelphia in 2015. But he had fallen out of favor in a […]
BEIJING, China (AFP) — Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao hopes to unearth the next Chinese world champion and help grow the sport with an academy in the largely untapped country. The 38-year-old, who controversially lost his World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight title to Australian Jeff Horn in July, was in Beijing this week. He and Chinese sports-development firm Dancing Sports held a signing ceremony that included plans to build a Manny Pacquiao International Boxing Academy in […]
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Kevin Durant finished with 35 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his ninth career triple double on Wednesday as the under-manned Golden State Warriors defeated the Charlotte Hornets 101-87. The Warriors won their fifth straight and the seventh in their last eight games despite playing without superstar Stephen Curry and forward Draymond Green. Durant had 16 points in the first quarter, quickly setting the tone for the game […]
by Alastair Himmer Agence France Presse TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Tokyo Olympic organizers unveiled a shortlist of three official 2020 Games mascots Thursday — from bug-eyed cartoon heroes to cuddly raccoons. The Olympic and Paralympic designs, which celebrate the themes of harmony, diversity and resilience, were unveiled by pupils at a Tokyo elementary school. After a bungled rollout of the official Olympic logo that led to it being scrapped following accusations of plagiarism, local organisers […]
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford is stepping away from the team to address his health and will miss an undetermined amount of time, the NBA club said Wednesday. The Hornets said in a press release there is no timetable for Clifford’s return. The team did not provide any additional details on the situation “out of respect for Clifford’s privacy.” The 56-year-old Clifford missed Monday’s victory against the Orlando […]
LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Washington guard Bradley Beal, struggling to find his role in the absence of Wizards star John Wall, finally saw his way clear in a 51-point outburst against the Trail Blazers in Portland on Tuesday night. “I was more locked in, more focused,” Beal said. “In the previous games, I was thinking way too much out there instead of playing my game. “(On Tuesday) I was just playing and having […]
MELBOURNE, Australia (AFP) — Serena Williams will be ready to make her tennis comeback at the Australian Open with her return to Melbourne for the season’s opening Grand Slam “very likely,” organizers said Wednesday. Williams, 36, won this year’s Australian Open while pregnant and gave birth to a baby girl in September. She has not played a competition since, raising questions over whether the 23-time Grand Slam winner would attempt to defend her title next […]
