Hamed to face `defining point' against Barrera

Boxing: Unbeaten Prince Naseem Hamed calls his April showdown with Mexico's Marco Antonio Barrera a defining moment that will bring respect and end all doubts about his worthiness as a champion.

"This is the biggest fight for me. The defining point in my career," Hamed said yesterday.

"Prince Naseem is the best featherweight alive. That's what I want to hear after this fight. I want recognition after this, plenty. I want to be remembered as a guy who transcended boxing."

Three-time world champion Hamed is 35-0 with 31 knockouts. Barrera, a two-time world champion, is 52-3 with 38 knockouts.

Hamed realises his place in history will only be assessed if he beat the mightiest rivals, such as 27-year-old Barrera. The fight, billed as "Playing with Fire", is set for April 7th in Las Vegas.

Hamed relinquished the World Boxing Organisation crown last October after refusing to face mandatory challenger Istvan Kovacs of Hungary.

Motor Sport: Toyota will use the Paul Ricard circuit in the south of France as their "home" track in preparing for a Formula One debut in 2002.

Toyota said in a statement yesterday they would unveil their first Formula One car at the track, also known as Le Castellet, near Marseille on March 23rd.

The Germany-based team said they would also test at most grand prix circuits in 2001 with Mika Salo of Finland and Briton Allan McNish.

Rugby: Australian Rugby Union (ARU) managing director John O'Neill denied yesterday he had called for an expanded Tri-Nations series, saying the International Rugby Board (IRB) had made "outrageous allegations".

O'Neill had been quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper on February 2nd as saying: "The possibility always exists for the Tri-Nations to turn it into a Five Nations tournament. France and England would obviously be the two major contenders."

IRB Chairman Vernon Pugh said on Tuesday the idea, which he said had been put forward by O'Neill, was "unnecessarily disruptive".

O'Neill said he was puzzled by Pugh's comments. "They're outrageous allegations - a deliberate attempt to undermine the integrity and stability of the Six Nations' - nothing could be further from our mind," O'Neill said yesterday.