BOXING: Frank Maloney, mentor of former world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis, has retired after spending more than 30 years in boxing as a manager and promoter. “For the last year I have gradually fallen out of love with boxing and my passion has been missing,” the 60-year-old Maloney said. “I did much soul searching over the summer and my heart is no longer in the sport that I loved so much. The sport has changed so much over the last few years.” Briton Lewis was world champion when he retired from the ring in 2004, having won 41 of his 44 fights.
AUTO RACING: Dario Franchitti was released from a Houston hospital yesterday, four days after suffering a fractured spine, broken ankle and concussion in a crash at the Houston Grand Prix. The three-time Indianapolis 500 champion will travel to Indianapolis, where his Target Chip Ganassi Racing team is based, for a second surgery on his right ankle, IndyCar said on its website. Franchitti’s car went airborne and destroyed a portion of the catch fence before spinning several times while debris injured several spectators after he made contact with Japanese driver Takuma Sato on the final lap. The 40-year-old Briton will be re-placed by Alex Tagliani in IndyCar’s October 19 season finale in Fontana, California.
GOLF: The 2013-14 PGA Tour season began in cool, calm conditions at CordeValle Golf Club in San Martin, California with Thursday’s opening round of the Frys.com Open, launching a campaign that will span 12 months. For the first time in almost a century, the US circuit gets underway with a ‘wraparound’ season starting in October, rather than its traditional opening in January. The 2013-14 PGA Tour will include events in Malaysia, China, Mexico, Puerto Rico, England and Canada before winding up in Atlanta with the elite season-ending Tour Championship to be played from Sept. 11-14.
RUGBY UNION: Australia will be without Scott Fardy for the third Bledisloe Cup test against New Zealand next week because of an eye injury but the abrasive forward will be available for the five-match tour of Europe. Fardy has played on the blindside flank in all six tests since Ewen McKenzie took over as coach but sustained the injury in last weekend’s 54-17 Rugby Championship victory over Ar-gentina in Rosario.
FORMULA ONE: Williams were fined €60,000 yesterday after a wheel came off Pastor Maldonado’s car during Japanese Grand Prix practice. Formula One stewards said in a statement that the incident, in which the rear left wheel bounced across the track, was regarded as a serious safety issue. Formula One introduced a secondary retainer mechanism after a television cameraman was hit by a wheel that came off Australian Mark Webber’s Red Bull during a German Grand Prix pitstop in July and bounced down the pit lane.