BOXING: Wayne McCullough believes WBO featherweight champion Scott Harrison is third rate in comparison to many fighters he has faced.
Las Vegas-based McCullough arrived in Belfast yesterday to continue his preparation for the March 22nd clash with Harrison, who will have home advantage at Glasgow's Braehead Arena.
McCullough has boxed some of the best from bantamweight through to featherweight, including Erik Morales, Naseem Hamed and Yasuei Yakushiji, from whom he took the WBC bantamweight title in Japan eight years ago.
"As far as comparing Harrison to other world champions I have fought, Harrison is a C fighter," said McCullough. "Being an elite fighter, like myself, makes you an A fighter. I would rate Yakushiji, Hamed, Morales and (Daniel) Zaragoza as A fighters."
McCullough is stepping up to featherweight championship class for the first time since losing on points to former WBO champion Hamed in 1998, but disputes any suggestion by the Harrison camp that he cannot compete with the natural strength of the Scot.
"Scott is continually saying that I am a bantamweight," he added. "The press continue to say that I am a super bantamweight but look at my record and you will see that I have fought more times around the featherweight limit than any other weight.
"In 29 fights, I have fought 11 times at featherweight, eight times at super-bantamweight and 10 times at bantamweight."
McCullough can expect a hot reception in Glasgow but insists he is unconcerned about the passionate support for Harrison.
"There will be plenty of Irish fans travelling over for the fight and they will make it feel as if I'm boxing at home."
Doping: Any government which refuses to back a new Anti-Doping Code this week can forget about hosting a future Olympic Games, Olympic chief Jacques Rogge warned in Copenhagen yesterday.
Adopting a tough stance at the World Anti-Doping Agency conference, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) president also told sports federations that if they refuse to sign the new WADA Anti-Doping Code they can no longer expect a place in the Games for their sports.
"Let us not underestimate the gravity of the task in hand," the Belgian said at an anti-drugs summit in the Danish capital. "For those sports organisations which do not accept the code, there should be no place in the Olympic Games.
"Likewise, any country whose government does not accept the code cannot expect to become a host country for future Olympic Games.
"We have a tremendous responsibility towards the youth of each country and of the world. Doping is not only an issue for elite sports, it attacks also the recreational sports and it attacks the youth."
Unifying guidelines to combat drug cheats are being presented to sports chiefs and governments over the next three days. They include one all-encompassing list of prohibited substances instead of the two currently used and a mandatory two-year ban for athletes guilty of serious doping offences.
Sports federations are being asked to sign the code while governments are being asked to sign a declaration of support for it, vowing support for WADA and a number of promises to stamp out doping in sport.
Tennis: Japan's Ai Sugiyama leaped seven spots to 18th in the WTA rankings released in Miami, Florida, yesterday following her marathon march to a title on Sunday in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Sugiyama saved three match points to outlast American Alexandra Stevenson in a rain-postponed semi-final, beat third-ranked Kim Clijsters of Belgium in the singles final, then joined Clijsters to take a doubles title. When the endurance test was done, Sugiyama had spent more than six hours on the court on Sunday.
WTA rankings: 1. S Williams (US) 6939 points 2. V Williams (US) 4994 3. K Clijsters (Bel) 4080 4. J Henin (Bel) 3605 5. D Hantuchova (Svk) 2897 6. J Capriati (US) 2718 7. L Davenport (USA) 2535 8. A Mauresmo (Fra) 2509 9. J Dokic (Yug) 2353 10. M Seles (US) 2281. 18. A Sugiyama (Jpn) 1489.
