Mosley- Mora; Results Creates more Questions.

LOS ANGELES (AP) —Sugar Shane Mosley wanted a triumph that would earn him another big-money fight. Sergio Mora wanted to reinstate himself as an influential boxer.

Neither left Staples Center satisfied after their 12-round draw Saturday night.

The junior middleweight bout was an anticlimactic ending to a solid card that featured spectacular knockout wins by Victor Ortiz, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Daniel Ponce De Leon.

In a sometimes dull fight, the 39-year-old Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs) didn’t get redemption for his one-sided loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in May, and Mora (22-1-2, 6 KOs) fell short of his biggest victory.

Both fighters were booed by the crowd, which chanted “Canelo! Canelo!” - the nickname of the rising 20-year-old Mexican star - during the main event.

“We both fought hard,” Mosley believed. “It was good fight, a good decision.”

The fight was very difficult to score, with judge Kermit Bayless calling it 115-113 for Mora, David Denkin giving Mosley a 116-112 edge, and Lou Moret ruling it even at 114-114. The scores at press row were equally divided, from a six-point victory for Mosley to a four-point win for Mora.
Mosley had an edge in the CompuBox punchstats, landing 161 of 522 punches to 93 of 508 for Mora.

Mora, who held the 154-pound title in 2008, said he actually let up because he thought he was winning the fight down the stretch.

“I should’ve listened to my corner,” he said. “They were telling me that it was a close fight. I thought I was winning, so I didn’t fight as hard because I have respect for Shane. I didn’t want to hurt him.”

Mosley was the assailant from the beginning, but had a difficult time landing clean punches because Mora is a stick out defensive fighter. The former 154-pound titleholder constantly danced out of harm’s way or tied up Mosley when he got inside.

Mora throws many fewer punches than Mosley but landed more clean shots, giving him several rounds. Neither fighter hurt the other or even had a particularly big round, making it even more difficult to take apart them.

Before the main event, junior welterweight contender Ortiz (28-2-1, 22 KOs) took a round to feel out Vivian Harris (29-5-1, 19 KOs) before unloading, stopping Harris early in the third round after knocking him down three times in the second.

Ortiz was too quick and sharp for his aging opponent. He landed a right hook and then a quick right uppercut to knock down Harris 45 seconds into the third round, with referee Raul Caiz waving off the fight right when Harris hit the canvas.

Ortiz’s handlers have been talking to WBO titleholder Timothy Bradley, and Ortiz likes the idea of facing the winner of the Dec. 11 fight between WBA champion Amir Khan and Marcos Maidana, who knocked out Ortiz in the sixth round last year at Staples Center.

Harris, a former titleholder from New York, is 1-3 with one no-contest in his last five fights.
Earlier, Alvarez had a spectacular third-round knockout of veteran Carlos Baldomir.

Alvarez (34-0-1, 26 KOs) hurt Baldomir (45-13-6, 14 KOs) with a number of punches toward the end of the final round before a straight left put the Argentine on his face. Baldomir, who had failed to go the distance only once before, was able to get to his feet, but was too wobbly to continue.

Baldomir was a good test for the 20-year-old star from Guadalajara because of his experience and awkward style, but Alvarez was much quicker than Baldomir, and he patiently outboxed his 39-year-old foe. Baldomir, who has one of the best chins in boxing, took most of the big shots, but was slowly worn down.

Ponce de Leon (40-2, 33 KOs) also stopped Antonio Escalante (23-3, 15 KOs) with a single right hook at 2:40 of the third round in a 12-round featherweight bout.

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The Team Up of the Sons

It's almost certainly not a good sign for the future of Michigan basketball that there may be more star power in the stands at Crisler Arena next season than on the court.

Jordan Dumars, son of ex-Pistons star Joe Dumars, will be a sophomore at Michigan this season. Jon Horford and Tim Hardaway Jr. are part of this season's incoming freshman class. And then on Tuesday, class of 2012 wing Glenn Robinson III, son of former Purdue star Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson, announced that he has committed to the Wolverines.

"I just talked to my mom and dad and coaches and everybody in my family," the younger Robinson tell UMHoops.com. "Yesterday I just started to like it more and more and I figured there was no point in waiting. Michigan is where I want to go. They have a great academic program and basketball program. I just like everything about Michigan and that's where I want to be. I think I'll fit perfectly."

Big Ten fans might be curious why Robinson wouldn't attend Purdue like his father, but the answer is because the Boilermakers haven't shown much interest so far. In fact, Michigan was the only Big Ten scholarship offer Robinson had along with the likes of Colorado, Valparaiso, Missouri State and others.

If recruiting the sons of NBA players is going to be coach John Beilein's strange niche, then maybe the greatest irony is the lone legacy he tried to bring to Michigan but failed to land. That would be Glen Rice Jr., the son of the former Michigan star who now starts at guard for Georgia Tech.

Even without the Rices, a father-son exhibition game at Michigan would draw a lot of fans the next few years. Maybe the kids will improve with time, but right now the smart money would be on the elders.

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Tiger Woods Historic Clubs Sold

When is a club more than a club? When it's part of history, and part of a set that goes for a cool $57,242.20. Such is the case with 11 Titleist irons and wedges, which just so happened to be used in a rather famous run of golf, and now have just changed hands for a large sum of money, according to Golf Week.

Steve Mata, a longtime golf industry fixture, has sold the clubs, which were used in Tiger Woods' famous "Tiger Slam" of 2000-01. (You can see one of them in action there at right.) Over that stretch, from the 2000 U.S. Open to the 2001 Masters, Woods captured all four majors, holding all the titles at the same time if not all in the same calendar year.

The clubs came under scrutiny earlier this year when Mata listed them on eBay. Woods denied the clubs were his the Tiger Slam models, saying he had used two sets of irons, and that both were in his possession.

But both Mata and tour pro Greg Kraft stated unequivocally that Woods gave the clubs to Mata when Mata, who formerly worked for Titleist, delivered a new set of clubs to Woods. It would be the last set of Titleist clubs Woods used, as he switched to Nike in 2002.

The item description in the eBay listing indicated that the clubs are a "Titleist special Grind 681 stamped 'T' forged iron set." The club grips are also the same style Woods used. That was good enough for one buyer to shell out nearly 60 large, regardless of what Woods had to say.

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I am not Spain’s Greatest Athlete – Nadal

MADRID – U.S. Open champion Rafael Nadal returned home on Wednesday, insisting his latest tennis triumph did not qualify him as Spain's greatest-ever athlete.

Nadal, who became the seventh player to complete a career grand slam with Monday's victory at Flushing Meadows, said any comparisons to the greats was "madness."

"As a tennis player I took an important step forward with this and these have been six unforgettable months," Nadal said shortly after touching down from New York at Madrid's Barajas airport. "I can't say that I'm the best Spanish sports person of all time because I have no idea. But it's an honor to be considered."

Nadal's 2010 triumphs, including French Open and Wimbledon titles, have brought his total of major championships to nine at age 24.
His successful season has been a big part of a tremendous year of international sporting success for Spain, which won soccer's World Cup for the fist time and saw Alberto Contador win his third Tour de France.

"I don't know where (my successes) fit into this year. They are all important," the top-ranked Nadal said. "Luckily, we're living during an era of Spanish sport that will be difficult to repeat. Of course we could repeat it, but we should enjoy it (now)."
Among Spain's greatest athletes are the likes of five-time Tour champion Miguel Indurain and two-time Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso.

While Nadal has replaced four-time major champion Manolo Santana as the country's greatest tennis player, the Mallorca native still feels he has room for improvement.

"I'm not a complete player — there are always things I can improve," Nadal said. "(But) I'm so happy with everything that happened and can't ask for anything more"

Nadal said winning three majors in 2010 wasn't necessarily better than 2008, when he won his first Wimbledon crown and Olympic gold, something he considered more difficult than a Grand Slam title given the four-year gap between Olympic games. He also preferred to wait and see how he fares in November's World Tours Final in London.

Nadal, whose improved serve helped him drop only one set at the US Open en route to beating Novak Djokovic in the final, said his main rival Roger Federer was still the benchmark of the sport and should not be written off yet.

The second-ranked Swiss player, who has won a record 16 major singles titles, wasted two match points in his semifinal defeat to Djokovic.

"I would love to have the success of Federer," Nadal said. "In nine years he's achieved things that are practically impossible to repeat. It's difficult to be 100 percent each year, but he's managed to do it and it's normal to have a little drop."

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Michael Phelps is no Longer Best in the World – Says Coach

The man who helped turn Michael Phelps into the greatest swimmer in Olympic history no longer thinks the 16-time gold medalist is even the top swimmer on the U.S. swim team.
Bob Bowman, Phelps' coach for the past 15 years, recently said that Phelps' American teammate Ryan Lochte is the world's best swimmer thanks, in part, to a stellar performance at this summer's Pan Pacific Championships in which Lochte beat Phelps in two head-to-head races and won six gold medals to Phelps' five.

"Obviously, Ryan Lochte is the best swimmer in the world this year. No question," Bowman said. "That will be a huge challenge for Michael going forward, hopefully a motivator."
Bowman almost certainly believes that Lochte is the best swimmer in the world right now, emphasis on right now. Ever since the 2009 world championships, Phelps has swum poorly and with little inspiration while Lochte has dominated fields with ease. This was a predictable slip for Phelps; after climbing the Olympic equivalent of Mt. Everest, how could one expect him to get up for the Pan Pacific Championships?

But though Lochte has been better for the past year, Bowman almost also certainly believes that Phelps won't stay No. 2 for long. The coach's comments were based in truth but were rooted in a desire to motivate his swimmer for the rapidly-approaching 2012 Olympics in London. Phelps relaxed both physically and mentally after his conquest of Beijing, knowing that London was a long way away. Now that we're less than 23 months out from the Opening Ceremony, it's time for Phelps to get serious about training. He didn't need to be great in July 2010 in order to be the best in July 2012. But he will need to start being great soon if he wants to cement his legacy as the greatest Olympian of all time.

As of now, there's no real concern from the Phelps' team. It's better to have a relaxed, motivated Michael Phelps training for London rather than a burnt out, overconfident one. Having a great swimmer like Lochte trying to usurp Phelps' throne is the best possible scenario for Bowman. There's a new carrot to dangle. For an athlete who has already reached the highest peak of his sport, that's never a bad thing.

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USA Cruise Past Turkey to End 16-Year Wait for World Championship Trophy

ISTANBUL (2010 FIBA World Championship) – The United States of America beat Turkey 81-64 to win the 2010 FIBA World Championship.

The result ended a 16-year wait for the USA, who had not won this tournament since 1994.

In the first official game ever between the two teams, Mike Kryzewski’s team gradually pulled away as Turkey looked to be suffering the after effects of their hard-fought win over Lithuania in Saturday’s semi-final.

Down 17-14, the Americans reeled off 11 unanswered points in a stretch spanning the late part of the first quarter and early second for a 25-17 advantage and they stayed in front the rest of the way.

Kevin Durant (who visited with FIBATV.com after the victory) gave his team their first double-digit lead, 31-21, midway through the second period. The Turks fought bravely but never got close enough to prove a real threat.

The teams went back and forth and Durant knocked down his second three-pointer of the night to put the USA up 12-7.

Hedo Turkoglu answered by hitting consecutive long bombs that edged Turkey in front 15-14 with 4:07 left in the first quarter.

However, he then picked up a knock and had to leave the game, going to the locker room before returning minutes later with a thick sleeve on the knee.

Omer Asik’s lay-up stretched the Turks’ lead to 17-14 with 3:28 remaining in the period, but the Americans then accounted for the last eight points of the period to lead 22-17.

Durant tied it at 17 all with a deep three-pointer, Stephen Curry, fresh off the bench, also connected from downtown and Russell Westbrook made a pair of free-throws in the dying seconds.

Turkey’s offense stalled and they were forced into two shot clock violations by their opponents’stifling defense.

Westbrook converted a three-point play early in the second quarter to cap the 11-0 spurt.

Ersan Ilyasova and Rudy Gay traded baskets before the USA yet again used some tough defense to force Turkey into another shot clock violation.

Turkoglu re-entered the game with 7:46 left in the half and Kerem Tunceri made a pair of free-throws that cut the deficit to 27-21.

Durant then hit his sixth and seventh three-pointers – the latter one tying Puerto Rico’s Larry Ayuso for most in a game at the FIBA World Championship – consecutively for a 48-32 advantage just two minutes into the third quarter to account for more than half of his team’s points (26 of 48).

Semih Erden scored inside on two occasions, only for Durant and Billups to cancel those points out for 38-28.

Oğuz Savaş made three of four free-throws before Gay scored with a minute remaining before the break.

Ilyasova split a pair from the charity stripe and Westbrook made good on both his tries in the dying seconds for a 42-32 halftime lead.

Turkey had their fourth shot clock violation right after the break.

Durant then hit his sixth and seventh three-pointers consecutively for a 48-32 advantage just two minutes into the third quarter to account for more than half of his team’s points (26 of 48).

Turkoglu could only watch from the bench as his knee injury forced him back on the sidelines.

Ender Arslan drained a three-pointer for Turkey’s first points of the period with 6:36 to go.

Andre Iguodala then skied high for an offensive rebound and fed Odom for an easy two.

Omer Onan hit three of four throws and Arslan knocked another long bomb for six straight points that got the home side within 52-41.

Gay’s jumper ended the run, Westbrook then buried a rare three-pointer, Durant knocked a turnaround jumper and Lamar Odom got an easy dunk as the American pushed the advantage to 61-48 heading into the final frame.

Derrick Rose showed off his speed to score four quick points in the open court at the start of the fourth and Odom later scored inside for the USA’s first 20-point lead, 70-50.

He later had a tip-in off as Rose missed a free-throw for a three-point play.

Tunceri knocked down a three-pointer and fed Gonlum underneath for an easy two that got Turkey within 74-57 but at the other end he failed to close in on Odom who made him pay with a jumper for his eighth and ninth points of the period.

Westbrook and Turkoglu traded three-pointers for 79-62 and the former then threw an alley-oop to Iguodala to add some stylish finishing touches.

Durant finished with a game-high 28 points.

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World Cup Winners Spain Be Given Heroes Welcome Home

Spain's triumphant World Cup squad go backed to a heroes' welcome in Madrid with hundreds of thousands of fans applauding and cheering the team as they paraded through the capital's streets on an open top bus.

The crowd chanted "Campeones! Campeones! Campeones!" and waved red and gold Spanish flags at the players as the black bus crawled along a roughly eight-kilometer (five-mile) route through the city's main thoroughfares Monday amid blazing temperatures.

Real Madrid goal keeper Iker Casillas gestured a Spanish flag with a black bull on it as the bus passed the central Cibeles fountain, while Barcelona midfielder Xavi simulated throwing the trophy at the triumphant crowd.

Air force fighter jets fly overhead leaving the Spanish colors streaked in the sky.
The parade ended at the esplanade near the riverside Puente del Rey, where the festivities continued officially until midnight.

Couple of years ago Spain won 2008 European Championships but had never even reached a World Cup final before. Until this year the best Spain had managed were the quarter-finals.
Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta, who scored the winning goal against the Netherlands just four minutes before the final whistle, presented the prime minister with a red team jersey signed by all the players.

Just before 2:00 pm (1200GMT) the Spanish squad arrived at Madrid’s Barajas airport on an Iberia plane that features Spanish flags flying from the cockpit windows.

An enormous cheer erupted from a crowd gathered at the airport when keeper Iker Casillas emerged from the plane with coach Vicente del Bosque and held aloft the golden trophy.

Sports daily AS stated on its front page that Iniesta "scored the most important goal in our history" while sports daily Marca said his goal "lifted Spanish football to the highest possible level.

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