Boxing: All Blacks star and part-time boxer Sonny Bill Williams won the vacant New Zealand heavyweight title yesterday. The 26-year-old never looked under pressure as he rocked Clarence Tillman with a thundering left hook midway through the first round, following up with a flurry of blows before the referee ended the bout just before the bell. The win takes Williams’s professional record to five wins, three by knockout, against no losses.
Cycling: French police yesterday said they had detained Patrice Ciprelli, the husband of champion cyclist Jeannie Longo, and a friend for dealing in banned substances which posed a danger to health. Police were also searching the couple’s residence yesterday. Ciprelli’s lawyer Bruno Ravaz told AFP he was “99 per cent sure” that the police operation was linked to the case of Joe Papp, an American, who was banned for doping himself.
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Rugby Union: Wales second row Bradley Davies (picture) was hit with a seven-week ban yesterday following his citing for a “tip tackle” in the Six Nations victory over Ireland last weekend. Davies was sin-binned for the incident in the second half but was widely considered to have been lucky to escape red after upending Ireland forward Donnacha Ryan. Davies’s punishment was decided at a disciplinary hearing in London.
Golf: Manny Pacquiao swapped his boxing gloves for golf clubs yesterday in a charity event that raised funds for storm victims in the country’s south. The 33-year-old, rated the world’s top pound-for-pound boxer, played alongside Filipino golfing ace Frankie Minoza in the ICTSI Philippine Open pro-am, a prelude to the Asian Tour’s $300,000 tournament. Pacquiao signed boxing gloves which were then sold to fans, raising about €2,464.
Basketball, NBA: Kobe Bryant will not face criminal charges over a confrontation in August in which he was accused of snatching a phone from someone at a San Diego church. Authorities said that extensive investigation produced insufficient proof that unlawful conduct had occurred. “As prosecutors we cannot ethically file a criminal case when we lack sufficient evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt,” said the San Diego City Attorney Office.