Sports digest

Today's other sports stories in brief

Mayweather wants rematch

BOXING:FLOYD MAYWEATHER Jr wants to come out of retirement for a possible rematch with Ricky Hatton next year.

Hatton's lawyer Gareth Williams said Mayweather Jr, who retired after he dismantled Hatton inside 10 rounds last year, has approached the Briton's camp.

However, Hatton wants to negotiate a lucrative bout with Filipino Manny Pacquiao in the summer.

"The fight we want to make, our preference, is Manny Pacquiao because that is a great fight," Williams said.

"Ricky has made no secret of the fact he wants to take on the best and Pacquiao is regarded as the best. We're more than happy to make that fight but it has got to be on acceptable terms."

Pacquiao inherited Mayweather's status as the world's leading fighter following his impressive eight-round victory over Oscar de la Hoya.

Investigation into snooker betting

SNOOKER:World Snooker have confirmed they will conduct a formal investigation into the betting controversy surrounding Jamie Burnett's defeat to Stephen Maguire at the Maplin UK Championship in Telford earlier this week.

Bookmakers suspended activity on the first-round match after a flurry of wagers were placed on a 9-3 scoreline in Maguire's favour - the margin by which the Scot did eventually win. Burnett missed a black in the 12th frame that would have made it 8-4.

Burnett has since denied any wrongdoing. "If it is determined that there is a case to answer, the WPBSA will pursue it vigorously," the WPBSA said last night.

Bolt gets the L'Equipe vote

ATHLETICS: Three-times Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt has won French sports daily LEquipe's Sportsman of the Year award. The Jamaican, who won the 100, 200 and 4x100 metres relay in world record times in Beijing, beat American swimmer Michael Phelps, winner of eight Olympic titles, with French Open, Wimbledon and Olympic champion Rafael Nadal of Spain third.

Dempsey banned for five games over betting offence

SOCCER: Gary Dempsey of St Patrick's Athletic has received a five-match ban following his admission of placing a €20 bet on Galway United to beat his side, doubled with another English club bet.

The decision was handed down yesterday by the Disciplinary Committee of the FAI.

The sanction was imposed under Rule 100 of the FAI Rules which prohibits any player from betting on any match or competition in which he/she participates.

In making its decision, the committee noted the mitigating circumstances, which included: the player freely admitting placing the bet; the fact he had already been financially sanctioned by his club; the bet was a relatively minor one and the player did not play in the game.

2009 Vuelta route 'inspires' Contador

CYCLING: Spain's Alberto Contador said he felt inspired by the 2009 Tour of Spain route unveiled yesterday.

"The 2009 route is an exceptionally good one for me. Seeing it on the map makes me feel really keen to ride it again," said the 2007 Tour de France winner and Vuelta champion.

"It's a lot more mountainous than in 2008 and the time trials are shorter than this year's Tour of Spain. That suits me down to the ground," he told Spanish television.

But Contador, who also won the 2008 Tour of Italy, will not make a final decision on his participation in his home race until after next year's main target, the Tour de France.

The next edition of the Tour of Spain starts abroad, with a 4.5km prologue on the motorbike circuit in Assen, Netherlands on August 29th. After three more stages in the Low Countries and a transfer back to Spain, the race heads south through the Valencia and Andalusia sierras.