Sport
International
Monday, August 2, 2010
15
Marquez decisions Diaz to keep crown, wants Pacquiao Agence France Presse
LAS VEGAS - Mexico’s Juan Manuel Marquez kept his World Boxing Association lightweight throne on Saturday with a unanimous 12round decision over Juan Diaz, then called out Filipino star Manny Pacquaio. Marquez took a rematch of a slugfest from last year by judges’ scores of 118-110, 117-111 and 116-112, improving the 36-year-old fighter’s record to 51-5 with one drawn. Diaz fell to 35-4. Marquez twice lost to Pacquiao and while the Asian superstar has been unable to land a blockbuster fight with unbeaten US veteran Floyd Mayweather, Marquez is hoping he might have a chance at a third swing in the ring with “Pac-Man”. “The trilogy is what I want. It’s what the people want,” Marquez said. “I will be ready for another fight in December, hopefully Pacquiao.” While Pacquiao looks to fight Mexican Antonio Margarito in November, Marquez said his hunger to face the Filipino legend is greater than his desire to rule as World Boxing Association and World Boxing Organization lightweight king. “That’s true. That fight is more important for me,” Marquez said. Marquez dispatched Diaz in the ninth round in February of last year and this time was faced with a more tactical boxer-styled foe. The result, however, was the same. “That first fight was a war. This was a bit more tactical,” Marquez said. “He wanted to box a bit more but we came out ahead. He’s a great fighter. He knows some tech-
nique. But tonight technique was in our favor.” Marquez staggered Diaz with a left uppercut in the fourth round, cut the challenger’s lower lip in the ninth and owned the fight almost from start to finish. “I fulfilled the game plan, used my jab, but Juan Manuel Marquez is a great fighter,” Diaz said. “He was the better man.” Having lost four of his past six fights and with plans to start law school in October, Diaz might be looking at the end of his ring career at age 26. “I have to reconsider all the facts,” he said. “We will have to see. I have put up a hell of a fight for 10 years.” Since losing to Marquez in his hometown of Houston, Diaz split two fights against countryman Paul Malignaggi, winning a unanimous decision last August but losing by unanimous decision four months later. The only fight for Marquez since beating Diaz some 17 months ago came last September when he stepped up to welterweight and lost to undefeated US star Floyd Mayweather by unanimous decision.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images/AFP
WBA/WBO lightweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez (L) hits Juan Diaz in the fourth round of their bout at the Mandalay Bay Events Center July 31, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Marqez retained his WBA and WBO lightweight championship belts with a unanimous-decision victory over Diaz.
Sharapova rallis to reach WTA Lemaitre completes European sprint double final against Azarenka Agence France Presse
STANFORD - Russian star Maria Sharapova is poised to capture her third title of the year and a rankings milestone after beating Agnieszka Radwanska on Saturday in a WTA Bank of the West semi-final. Fifth seed Sharapova rallied for a 1-6, 6-2, 6-2 triumph over the Polish third seed, advancing to Sunday’s championship match of the 700,000-dollar hardcourt event against eighth seed Victoria Azarenka. If Russian beauty Sharapova defeats the Belarus star who turned 21 on Saturday, she will rise from 15th in the world and achieve her best ranking since returning from a shoulder injury in May of last year. Azarenka ousted Australian top seed Samantha Stosur 6-2, 6-3, to qualify for her third final of the season. Azarenka has yet to win a title in 2010 and is 1-2 lifetime against Sharapova. “I will have to be prepared,” said Azarenka, who has won 10 of her past 12 matches. Sharapova has won 17 of her past 20 matches and overcame a sluggish start with a sizzling finish, firing four aces and making all eight of her unforced errors on double faults but none of them coming in the third set. Azarenka, who ousted 2009 Stanford winner Marion Bartoli of France in the quarter-finals, improved to 18-5 this season on hardcourts, the surface where she has won her three career WTA titles. Azarenka, ranked 18th, has stressed her return skills and pounced upon French Open runner-up Stosur’s second serves to take command. “I’m pretty good on the return,” she said. “That’s the big key. I have been practicing reaction on the return. If you react well you can return well.” Stosur, in her sixth 2010 semi-final, leads the WTA with 37 match triumphs this year but could not claim the crown in her first event since cracking the rankings top five, losing to Azarenka for the fourth time in
Agence FRance Presse
ed Jacobsohn/Getty Images/AFP
Maria Sharapova of Russia reacts after missing a shot against Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland during the semifinals of the Bank of the West Classic at Stanford University on July 31, 2010 in Stanford, California. J as many meetings. “She has had such good results. I’m so happy at how I played against her,” Azarenka said. “I started to move a litle better as the match went on and I improved my defensive game and that helped my offensive game move forward.” Azarenka broke Stosur three times in the first set for a 5-2 edge and held at love to claim the set, then kept the Aussie at bay in the second as well. “She played well and it wasn’t my best day,” Stosur said. “She punished me when I was being too conservative.”
BARCELONA Frenchman Christophe Lemaitre completed the sprint double at the European Championships here on Friday by following up his 100m triumph with victory in the 200m. Britain’s Christian Malcolm took second place in a tight finish, with Lemaitre’s compatriot Martial Mbandjock claiming the bronze. “I really had to dig deep to win,” said Lemaitre. “Even when I crossed the line, I didn’t think I’d won. Christian Malcolm was really very, very strong. He ran a great bend. I had to wait for the result on the electronic board to see that I’d won.” A characteristically stunning late burst down the straight saw Lemaitre cross the line in a time of 20.37sec, with Welshman Malcolm just 0.01sec behind in 20.38. “He has lots of talent, it’s great for Europe to have athletes capable of competing with the United States and the Caribbean,” said Malcolm. On Wednesday, 20-year-old Lemaitre tasted victory in the 100m ahead of Britain’s Mark Lewis-Francis and Mbandjock. Lemaitre succeeds Portugal’s Francis Obikwelu, who also achieved the 100m-200m double in 2006, and the young Frenchman will now target a third gold medal in the 4x100m relay. Lemaitre’s exploits also prompted a congratulatory message from French president Nicolas Sarkozy. “The head of state conveys to him (Lemaitre) his pride at these exceptional and extraordinary
AFP PHOTO / MIGUEL RIOPA
France’s Christophe Lemaitre (4th from top) wins the men’s 200m final at the 2010 European Athletics Championships at the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona on July 30, 2010. performances,” read a statement from the Elysee Palace. The breakthrough that Lemaitre has made in Barcelona has raised hopes that he will go on to challenge the giants of the sport in the near future, but he insisted he has plenty of work to do. “I’m still young. I still have time to progress,” he said. “I’ll keep training and gaining experience at the big championships and meetings. I don’t know if I can reach the same level as (Usain) Bolt or (Tyson) Gay but I’ll give everything that I have.”