Powerhouse Cuba has pulled out of the amateur World Boxing Championship in Chicago in October to avoid new defections by its boxers, the Cuban Boxing Federation said yesterday.

Two of its top boxers, two-time Olympic champion Guillermo Rigondeaux and reigning amateur welterweight world champion Erislandy Lara, deserted during the Pan-American Games in Brazil last month.

Their attempted defection to Germany ended in arrest and repatriation.

Cuban leader Fidel Castro said they would not box again for Cuba and accused the United States of stealing Cuba's top athletes.

The AIBA World Boxing Championship, from Oct. 17 to Nov. 1 in Chicago, is one of three qualifiers for the 2008 Olympics.

Rowing - Russians thrown out of Worlds

Russian rowers Vladimir Varfolomeev, Denis Moiseev and Svetlana Fedorova have been disqualified from the World Championships in Munich after breaking doping regulations.

The unspecified violations mean the Russian Lightweight men's Double Sculls and the Russian women's Eight can take no further part in the World Championships, while the three rowers will be banned for two years.

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