MOSCOW: Ukraine’s Vitali Klitschko successfully defended his WBC heavyweight title here Saturday after the referee stopped his bout with Germany’s Manuel Charr in the fourth round due to a cut over the challenger’s right eye.
The fight was stopped with 56sec remaining in the round.
Klitschko improved his record to 45-2, while Charr, who was unbeaten before his meeting with Ukraine’s 41-year-old veteran, fell to 21-1.
“I was a bit disappointed as I wanted to win today by a real knockout, not a technical one,” said Klitschko.
“I was ready to contine the bout and Charr was also ready for further boxing but it was the decision of the doctor and the referee, who are responsible for it and we could do nothing about it.
Fighting in the 30,000-seater Olimpiyski indoor sports arena, the hugely-experienced Klitschko started the bout as a hot favorite in what was his 17th world heavyweight championship fight.
Charr, a 27-year-old Beirut-born former kickboxer, brought with him an unblemished record in 21 fights and a seventh ranking by the WBC, but none of his opponents had been of the highest calibre.
The much smaller Charr was immediately on the defensive as the towering Klitschko stalked him behind his powerful jab and it was only in the closing seconds that the German attempted a couple of tentative punches.
Klitschko stayed well on top in the second round and he sent Charr crashing to the floor seconds before the bell for a standing eight count with a right hook to the side of the head.
The German challenger recovered well though and caught Klitschko with a brief flurry of punches in the third, but it was the Ukrainian who again won the round.
The fight then came to an aprupt end in the fourth when a Klitschko left hook brought a gush of blood from above Charr’s right eye and the referee was quick to step in and end the contest.
The German was furious with the decision, kicking the ropes in his anger, but it was clear from the amount of blood that there was no way he could continue.
“In the first two rounds Charr was concentrated on defense only and it was slightly difficult for me as I like it better when my opponents are fighting back,” Klitschko said.
“In the third and fourth he started to come out of his shell more and I had more chances to attack.
“But Charr is a true fighter. He was ready to fight to the end. I think this defeat will not stop him and I believe he has chances for a promising career in boxing.”
Ward stops Dawson
in 10th to retain titles
In Oakland, California, Andre Ward stopped Chad Dawson in the 10th round on Saturday to remain unbeaten and retain his World Boxing Association and World Boxing Council super middleweight world titles.
Ward pummelled Dawson — the reigning WBC light heavyweight champion who came down in weight to take the fight — sending him to the canvas in the third and fourth rounds before his final barrage ended it at 2:45 of the 10th.
Dawson rose from the canvas but looked dazed before referee Steve Smoger called a halt.
“These kinds of fights, you’ve got to take risks... you can mess around and lose your title to a fighter of that caliber,” said Ward, who improved to 26-0 with 14 knockouts.
Dawson fell to 31-2 with 17 wins inside the distance.
Ward’s speed and punishing left hand neutralized Dawson’s height and reach advantage. It was a left to the chin that sent Dawson down for the first time late in the third round.
Early in the fourth Dawson was down again as Ward landed another solid left and Ward was on top throughout the round with blows to Dawson’s body and head.
It was an impressive performance from the super middleweight champion who is respected for his skills but had not posted a win inside the distance since 2009.
“I love to win,” said Ward, who won Olympic gold for the United States at Athens in 2004 and emerged last year on top of the Super Six tournament to unify the super middleweight titles. “Finishing guys is the last piece of the puzzle.”
Dawson not only came down in weight, he agreed to fight in Ward’s hometown of Oakland. He praised Ward, but hinted that dropping the weight may have been more draining than he realized.
On the undercard, WBC lightweight champion Antonio DeMarco of Mexico stopped John Molina Jr. 44 seconds into the first round.
DeMarco improved to 28-2-1 with 21 knockouts while Molina fell to 24-2.
Klitschko stops Charr in 4th, keeps title
Klitschko stops Charr in 4th, keeps title
Portugal beat Spain on penalties to win Nations League
- Portugal became the first two-time winner of the Nations League, launched in 2018. It was Portugal’s third major title, along with Euro 2016
MUNICH, Germany: Ruben Neves scored the decisive spot kick after Alvaro Morata missed as Portugal beat Spain 5-3 on penalties following a 2-2 draw in Munich on Sunday to claim their second Nations League title.
Portugal twice went behind in regulation time but twice fought back to level the scores.
Martin Zubimendi took advantage of some sleepy Portugal defense to put Spain in front after 21 minutes.
The brilliant Nuno Mendes levelled things up five minutes later.
Mikel Oyarzabal, Spain’s goalscorer in the Euro 2024 final and the 2023 Nations League final, put La Roja back in front just before the break.
Cristiano Ronaldo, quiet as he had been before scoring the winner against Germany in the semis, equalized with 61 minutes gone, adjusting quickly after a Mendes cross was deflected into the air, muscling past Marc Cucurella and volleying the dropping ball home.
Ronaldo was subbed off before full-time with cramp. Even though Portugal had the better of extra time, the match went to penalties.
Both sides converted their first three spot kicks. Mendes buried Portugal’s fourth, before Morata stepped up and shot straight at Diogo Costa.
Neves nervelessly converted in front of the red and green of the Portugal fans. The victory was just Portugal’s second competitive win over Iberian rival Spain in their long history.
Portugal’s only other win over Spain in a competitive fixture was a 1-0 victory which booted the Spaniards out of Euro 2004, with a 19-year-old Ronaldo on the left wing.
Portugal became the first two-time winner of the Nations League, launched in 2018. It was Portugal’s third major title, along with Euro 2016.
While Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal’s fluid movement troubled the Portugese defense early in the match, La Roja’s opener was scrappy.
Yamal chipped from outside the box and the Portugal defense froze, botching a clearance which fell to Zubimendi, who leathered the ball into the net.
The goal was just rewards for Spain’s early dominance, but Portugal hit back almost immediately.
Mendes, put through by Pedro Neto, drilled a low shot across the goal and in.
Just before halftime, Spain picked Portugal’s pocket in their own half before advancing. Pedri linked with Oyarzabal, who threaded the ball past Diogo Costa.
Oyarzabal’s goal meant he has scored in three international finals — against England at Euro 2024, which Spain won, and the 2023 and 2025 Nations Leagues, which Spain lost.
Ronaldo had done little other than encourage the heavily Portuguese crowd until that point but would pick his moment to strike.
With 61 minutes gone, Mendes shed a defender and whipped in a cross. The ball took a deflection and Ronaldo outmuscled Cucurella before lashing a volley home.
The goal was Ronaldo’s fourth in 10 matches against Spain. The previous three all coming in a wild 3-3 draw at the 2018 World Cup.
Limping in the dying stages of regulation time, Ronaldo fell to the turf with three minutes left and signalled to the bench that his night was over.
Spain may have been confident when the match went to extra time, having won on penalties in 2023, but Portugal were faultless, Neves stepping up and converting to send his teammates, including a hobbled Ronaldo, streaming onto the pitch.
Alcaraz saves three match points to beat Sinner to French Open title in final for the ages
- Alcaraz pulled off his first ever comeback from two sets down to stun Sinner in the longest Roland Garros final in history
PARIS: Carlos Alcaraz saved three championship points as he produced an astonishing fightback from two sets down to beat Jannik Sinner in a French Open final for the ages on Sunday.
Reigning champion Alcaraz rallied from the brink of defeat to overcome world number one Sinner 4-6, 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (10/2) to clinch his fifth Grand Slam title after five hours and 29 minutes.
The 22-year-old Spaniard is now unbeaten in five Grand Slam finals after snapping Sinner’s 20-match winning run at the majors.
Alcaraz pulled off his first ever comeback from two sets down to stun Sinner in the longest Roland Garros final in history. It easily eclipsed the 1982 final in Paris when Mats Wilander triumphed in four sets over Guillermo Vilas in 4hr 42min.
Alcaraz becomes the third youngest man to win five Grand Slams — after Bjorn Borg and compatriot Rafael Nadal — following an incredible duel between the two stars of a new generation.
Sinner fell agonizingly short of a third successive Grand Slam crown after last year’s US Open title and back-to-back Australian Open triumphs.
He suffered his fifth straight loss to Alcaraz in what was their first meeting in a Grand Slam final — and the first championship match at a major between two men born in the 2000s.
Alcaraz leads 8-5 overall having also beaten Sinner to win in Rome, where the Italian returned to competition in May after a three-month doping ban.
Alcaraz put the pressure on Sinner by carving out three break points to start Saturday’s final, but the Italian resisted and soon had a chance of his own.
He couldn’t take advantage and found himself having to fend off two more break points at 1-1, producing clutch serves to grind out another tough hold.
Alcaraz’s persistence paid off in the fifth game when he broke to nudge 3-2 ahead, only for the Spaniard to immediately hand the lead back.
The unshakeable Sinner threatened to break again at 4-3, with a brief lapse from Alcaraz eventually enabling Sinner to snatch the first set.
Sinner hit the accelerator to start the second set, surging 3-0 in front. After facing seven break points in the opener, he tightened up considerably on serve.
But Alcaraz brought up his first break point of the second set with Sinner serving for a two-set lead, duly pouncing on the opportunity to check his rival’s momentum.
With the swagger back in his step at a crucial juncture, Alcaraz sought to bring the crowd into the contest but Sinner remained unflustered in the tie-break.
The first five points went with serve before Sinner whipped a forehand down the line and Alcaraz then steered an attempted drop-shot wide.
A tame return into the net presented Sinner with four set points. Alcaraz saved two before Sinner unleashed a blistering cross-court forehand to move to within a set of the trophy.
It all looked to be going his way when he broke Alcaraz to begin the third set, but the Spaniard refused to surrender his title quietly and rattled off four games on the bounce to lead 4-1.
Alcaraz lost serve at 5-3 but promptly broke to love to force a fourth set, lapping up the roars of the Court Philippe Chatrier crowd.
That ended Sinner’s run of 31 consecutive sets won at Grand Slams.
Alcaraz saved a break point in the third game amid a series of holds as Sinner doubled down. The Italian appeared to be closing in on victory when he broke at 3-3 as the finish line neared.
But Alcaraz had other ideas as he staved off three championship points at 3-5 and then broke Sinner when he tried to seal the title on his serve.
Successive aces spurred a reinvigorated Alcaraz on in the tie-break and into a decisive fifth set.
A despairing Sinner lost his serve right away and his gloom deepened as Alcaraz saved two break points to pull 3-1 ahead, but incredibly there was another twist.
Alcaraz this time faltered with the title within his grasp as Sinner broke at 3-5 to spark a three-game burst that left the Spaniard needing to hold serve to prolong the final.
He kept his nerve to set up a 10-point tie-break, which Alcaraz ran away with as the outrageous shotmaking continued until the very end when he took his first championship point with a sizzling forehand down the line.
England complete series win over West Indies with a game to spare after chasing down a target of 197
England complete series win over West Indies with a game to spare after chasing down a target of 197
- Former captain Jos Buttler led the way with 47 and current skipper Harry Brook made 34
BRISTOL: England completed a series win over the West Indies with a game to spare after chasing down a target of 197 in the second T20 international in Bristol on Sunday.
Former captain Jos Buttler led the way with 47 and current skipper Harry Brook made 34 as the hosts reached 112-2 inside 13 overs.
But the duo were dismissed in consecutive overs, with England still needing 85 more runs to win. But that was the cue for two of the newer team members to lay down a marker.
Jacob Bethell’s rapid 26 off 10 balls, including three sixes, and Tom Banton’s 30 not out helped complete a four-wicket win with nine balls remaining as England went 2-0 up ahead of Tuesday’s series finale in Southampton.
West Indies were struggling at 121-4 off 16 overs before adding 75 runs in the final four overs of their innings.
Luke Wood gave England the ideal start when his swinging yorker had Evin Lewis lbw with the first ball of the match, but West Indies captain Shai Hope (49) and Johnson Charles (47) repaired some of the early damage in a stand of 90.
Rovman Powell added late impetus with 34 off 15 balls and former captain Jason Holder struck 29 off nine.
Adil Rashid bowled the penultimate over as England again only selected two seamers, but the veteran leg-spinner conceded 31 runs and finished with figures of 1-59 — his most-expensive T20 return.
Separately, Beau Webster is hoping to make an already memorable 2025 extra special by featuring for Australia in the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s.
Webster only won the first of his three Test caps in January and was in the side when Australia played their most recent red-ball international, against Sri Lanka in February.
The 31-year-old all-rounder would relish the opportunity to play for the World Test champions on the hallowed turf at Lord’s.
“It’s pretty special. I’ve been here a couple of times to watch a few games throughout the years, but to be out in the middle, yeah, extra special,” he told reporters at Lord’s on Sunday.
“If I get the nod, I’m looking forward to Wednesday.”
Free entry for fans as Saudi Arabia face crucial World Cup qualifier against Australia
- The final match of the third round of Asia’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers will be staged in Jeddah, with more than 60,000 supporters expected at the stadium
RIYADH: Fans will be granted free entry to Al-Inma Stadium on Tuesday as Saudi Arabia take on Australia in a must-win World Cup qualifier, the Saudi Football Federation announced on Sunday.
The final match of the third round of Asia’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers will be staged in Jeddah, with more than 60,000 supporters expected at the stadium.
The federation’s decision to open the gates free of charge was confirmed via the national team’s fan council on social media platform X, citing “appreciation of the support from the nation’s fans.”
The Green Falcons face a daunting task, as only a win by five goals or more will secure direct qualification to the 2026 tournament.
Failure to meet that target will see Saudi Arabia move into the fourth qualifying round.
That stage features six teams split into two groups, with each group winner earning a direct World Cup berth.
The runners-up will meet in a two-legged playoff to determine Asia’s representative in the intercontinental playoff.
Pakistan to face off Myanmar in AFC Asian Cup qualifier on Tuesday
- The Pakistan team arrived in Yangon via private airline flight on Sunday
- Pakistan are placed in Group E alongside Myanmar, Afghanistan, and Syria
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will face off Myanmar on Tuesday to qualify for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup tournament, the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) said on Sunday.
The Pakistan team arrived in Yangon via private airline flight on Sunday, according to the PFF. They will train in Yangon on Monday.
“The match between Pakistan and Myanmar will be held at Thuwana Stadium,” it said. “It will start at 3:30 PM according to Pakistani time.”
Pakistan have been training under the supervision of head coach Stephen Constantine in hopes of bouncing back from a 2-0 defeat to Syria in the campaign opener back in March.
Pakistan are placed in Group E alongside Myanmar, Afghanistan, and Syria.
