Fury hungry to repeat Wilder win in potential rematch
London: Tyson Fury says he will never tire of beating Deontay Wilder in anticipation of his third fight against the American heavyweight, even though his potential all-British showdown with Anthony Joshua is on hold for now. Following a controversial draw in December 2018, Fury overpowered Wilder in Las Vegas in February, beating him in seven rounds. Wilder has activated the rematch clause in his contract, delaying the possibility of a hugely anticipated unification bout between WBC champion Fury and Anthony Joshua, who holds the WBA, IBF and WBO titles. It is now hoped Fury and Wilder will meet for a third bout later this year after the original date of July 18 was scrapped because of the coronavirus pandemic. “I’ll be obliged to give him a bit more,” Fury told the Good Morning Britain television programme on Tuesday. (AFP)
USA Rugby filing for bankruptcy
New York: USA Rugby has decided to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy because its financial woes have been exacerbated by the coronavirus shutdown. In financial strife since 2018, USA Rugby’s recent attempt to restructure was set back this month when it had to suspend all activities indefinitely in the face of the pandemic. The loss of spring and summer membership dues, and sponsorship pullback, has “resulted in significant loss of revenue,” and the sport’s national board and congress agreed on Sunday that filing for Chapter 11 combined with more approved loans from World Rugby were “the best platform to swiftly and efficiently address challenges and deliver a foundation for future stability.” “The current suspension of sanctioned rugby activities caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the existing financial challenges facing the union, and a reorganization process will now be progressed with input from World Rugby,” USA Rugby said in a statement on Monday. (AP)
Spurs cut non-playing staff wages
London:Tottenham have reduced the wages of non-playing staff by 20 percent for the next two months, with chairman Daniel Levy hoping players will follow suit due to the financial crisis caused by coronavirus.Players at Barcelona, Juventus and Bayern Munich are among those to have taken either a significant wage cut or deferred payments during the crisis. Football in England is suspended until at least April 30 and a meeting of Premier League clubs on Friday is expected to push that date further back. “Having already taken steps to reduce costs, we ourselves made the difficult decision, in order to protect jobs, to reduce the remuneration of all 550 non-playing directors and employees for April and May by 20 percent,” Levy said in a statement on the Spurs website. “We hope the current discussions between the Premier League, PFA (Professional Footballers’ Association) and LMA (League Managers Association) will result in players and coaches doing their bit for the football eco system. (AFP)
Mediterranean Games postponed
Algiers: Algeria on Tuesday announced the postponement of the 19th Mediterranean Games scheduled for June 2021 in the western province of Oran over concerns of the spread of COVID-19.The 19th Mediterranean Games was delayed to 2022 “after consultation with the Algerian Olympic Committee over the current international situation amid the COVID-19 pandemic,” said a statement posted on the official Facebook page of Algerian Sports Ministry, reports Xinhua news agency.A total of 554 coronavirus cases have so far been reported in Algeria, with 35 deaths, since the first infection case was detected on Feb 19.Earlier in the day, the International University Sports Federation (FISU) voiced its support for the revised dates for Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, while conforming that the Chengdu 2021 World University Games will be held in August, 2021 as planned with only a two-day modification.A statement released via the FISU website said the dates of Chengdu 2021. (IANS)