SPORTS DIGEST: BOXING British heavyweight Danny Williams has threatened to pull out of Saturday's WBC title fight with champion Vitali Klitschko if he is forced to shave his beard, British media reported.
Williams, a devout Muslim, will have his beard inspected by the Nevada State Athletic Commission to see if he would gain any advantage during the Las Vegas bout.
"If they ask me to shave or even trim it there won't be a fight," Williams said.
Marc Ratner, head of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, said: "If the beard is considered abrasive then the fighter will be asked to cut it back."
However, Klitschko's camp are not taking the threat to the million dollar event seriously.
"As long as there's not a horseshoe hidden up there we don't mind," a spokesman for the Ukrainian said.
GAELIC FOOTBALL: DIT made hard work of booking their place in the first-round proper of the O'Byrne Cup yesterday at Grangegorman, before eventually overcoming Trinity College Dublin, 2-8 to 1-7.
BASKETBALL: Five members of the Indiana Pacers and five Detroit Pistons fans are expected to be charged for the November 19th brawl that took place at The Palace of Auburn Hills.
According to The Detroit News, players Jermaine O'Neal, Ron Artest, David Harrison, Anthony Johnson and Stephen Jackson are expected to face charges.
O'Neal is likely to be charged with two counts of misdemeanour assault and battery, while the other four players are expected to face one count of assault and battery. The offence carries a maximum penalty of 93 days in jail and a fine of up to $500.
The fight involving spectators and players broke out near the end of the game after an on-court dispute over a foul.
John Green, the season ticket holder accused of throwing a cup at Artest that sparked the melee, is likely to be charged with two counts of misdemeanour assault and battery.
Bryant Jackson, the fan accused of throwing a chair into the crowd, is expected to be charged with one count of misdemeanour assault and battery and one count of felony assault.
David Wallace, the brother of the Pistons' Ben Wallace, is expected to be charged with one count of misdemeanour assault and battery, as are two other fans, who have not yet been publicly identified.
RUGBY: Tana Umaga has received the International Fair Play Award for his actions during a Test match between New Zealand and Wales in 2003.
The All Blacks captain was nominated by the International Committee of Fair Play for going to the aid of Welsh skipper Colin Charvis after he had been tackled by All Blacks team-mate Jerry Collins in Hamilton.
Charvis was left injured and while play continued Umaga went to help him.
FORMULA ONE: David Coulthard moved a step closer to staying in Formula One when he started a three-day test with the Red Bull Racing team in southern Spain on yesterday.
The 33-year-old Briton, who left McLaren at the end of last season, completed 62 laps of the Jerez track in this year's Jaguar R5 car with a best time of one minute 18.079 seconds.
Coulthard was quicker than Austrian Christian Klien's 1:18.631 in an R5C development car and Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi's best of 1:19.419.
CRICKET: The first Test between India and Bangladesh has been postponed until tomorrow after the Indian team's arrival was delayed because of a threat by an Islamic militant group. The Bangladesh Cricket Board said it had not decided if the rest of the itinerary would be amended.
Australia withstood a late flurry of exciting strokeplay from pace bowler Kyle Mills to beat New Zealand by 17 runs in yesterday's second limited-overs international to square their best-of-three series at 1-1.
