Today's other stories in brief
Margarito makes claim for taking on De La Hoya
BOXING:Mexico's Antonio Margarito has earned the reputation of being the most avoided man of the welterweight division, and he showed why in a classic fight in Las Vegas as he produced a magnificent 11th-round stoppage victory at the MGM Grand to win the World Boxing Association title and inflict a first professional defeat on the Puerto Rican favourite, Miguel Cotto, reports John Rawling.
Cotto was floored twice in the 11th round, prompting his cornermen to throw in the towel and leave Margarito (30), dreaming of a multi-million-dollar fight against Oscar De La Hoya, the six-weight world champion who has said he will have one more contest before retiring at the end of the year.
Margarito's win puts him alongside the likes of lightweight champion Manny Pacquiao as a potential opponent for De La Hoya. The question now must be whether the "Golden Boy" still wants to share a ring with a man who has so dramatically humbled Cotto.
Another step for Nadal
TENNIS: Rafael Nadal continued his surge towards the world number one spot with a straight-sets victory over Nicolas Kiefer in the final of the Rogers Cup in Toronto, Canada, yesterday.
The 22-year-old Spaniard wasted little time as he stormed to a 6-3 6-2 triumph over his bewildered German opponent.
Nadal, second seed in Toronto and world number two behind Roger Federer, has now won 29 consecutive matches.
Double clear wins for Kuerten
EQUESTRIAN: Jessica Kuerten and Lady Georgina Forbes's mare Castle Forbes Libertina recorded the only double clear to clinch the Grand Prix at Gijon on Friday night, reports Margie McLoone.
Just two of the 40 combinations who started in the 1.55m class made it through to the jump-off round, with Kuerten landing the €22,500 first prize when the Penelope Leprovost-ridden Jubilee d'Ouilly, representing France, lowered one pole.
Yesterday, 15-year-old Shane Connell from Longford finished equal sixth in the European individual pony championships in Switzerland on Murphy's Flight. The competition was won by Britain's George Whitaker and The Colour Of Money.
Conor Swail has missed much of the season through injury but confirmed his wellbeing when taking the €20,000 Ward Union Hunt Grand Prix at the two-star show in Tattersalls yesterday on Glen Leddy's nine-year-old Calvados gelding Gold Digger.
In eventing, north Co Dublin rider Ciarán Glynn came second in the two-star class at Knaptoft on the home-bred Killossery Kruisita, while Sarah Ennis won the one-star event on Miriam Cunning's Sugar Brown Babe.
Green Dragon reach home port
SAILING:A flotilla of small craft provided an escort for the Green Dragon Team that sailed into their home-port of Galway for the first time yesterday. The 70-foot yacht is in Ireland preparing for the Volvo Ocean Race (VOR) that starts from Alicante in October, reports David Branigan.
The yacht is based in Galway until Thursday when it will return to its training base at Irish Naval Base in Cork Harbour to set off on a 2,000-mile passage required under the rules of the event.
The Green Dragon will return to Galway next May as part of the VOR fleet at the conclusion of the stage from Boston. Activities will include in-port and pro-am races as well as public events before the race restarts on the eighth leg of the race to Sweden.
Skipper Ian Walker and his team were joined yesterday by adventurer and sailor Chuan Guo, the first prospective Chinese crew-member under the terms of the title-sponsorship backing received from a China-based syndicate.
Lavery takes prize in Belgium
CYCLING: Riding with the Tempo BMV racing team, Philip Lavery won the prize for the best climber in the junior Het Volk in Belgium on Saturday, reports Shane Stokes.
The young Irish rider was clear for much of the race in a breakaway, coping well despite the heat, and picked up points in the primes during the event.
The race was ultimately won by Wouter Haan, the WV Groningen rider finishing ahead of Michael Vingerling (AVIA Cycling) and Michael Savo (VC Haut Pays).
Lavery was 26th. His strong performance is reflected in the fact that, of 200-odd starters, only 60 finished the race.
