Sports Digest

A round-up of other sports news in brief

Collins to present belt to winner

BOXING: Former world champion Steve Collins will present the vacant Irish middleweight belt to either Cork’s Gary O’Sullivan or Belfast’s Ciaran Healy at the Neptune Stadium in Cork tonight. Both men go head-to-head for the belt — which was once held by Collins — which has been vacated by European champ Matthew Macklin on Leeside.

O’Sullivan, nicknamed Spike, will go into the clash unbeaten in nine and is firm favourite to add to his growing reputation on Leeside.

The Corkman, who is trained by Collins’s brother Pascal, met Frank Warren last month and is due to meet the top British promoter again in the new year. However, that meeting could be contingent on tonight’s result, and Healy, who has lost to Andy Lee, Olympic champion James DeGale and Euro champion Jamie Moore in the past, reckons that experience will be the key.

Top amateurs Kian O’Brien, Jeff Dolan, David Roche and Denis Murray are also on the bill.

World rugby league team named 

RUGBY LEAGUE: Three England internationals are included in the 2009 World XIII, announced yesterday by Rugby League World magazine.

St Helen’s prop James Graham, who was the only Englishman in the 2008 team, retains his place and is joined by backrow duo Gareth Ellis and Sam Burgess. Ellis, formerly with Wakefield and Leeds, was Wests Tigers’ player of the year in 2009 while Bradford forward Burgess will also ply his trade in Australia’s NRL in 2010 after agreeing a four-year deal with South Sydney.

TEAM(Australian unless stated): Billy Slater; Brett Morris, Greg Inglis, Michael Jennings, Taniela Tuiaki (NZ); Darren Lockyer, Johnathan Thurston; Fuifui Moimoi (NZ), Cameron Smith, James Graham (Eng), Gareth Ellis (Eng), Anthony Watmough, Sam Burgess (Eng).

Sehwag puts India in command

CRICKET: India’s Virender Sehwag said he knew a big score was within his grasp in the series after thumping an unbeaten 284 in the final Test against Sri Lanka in Mumbai yesterday.

The opener hit the second fastest double Test century to put India in command and is just 16 runs away from becoming the first batsman to score three Test triple centuries.

Sehwag shared in double century stands with Murali Vijay (87) and Rahul Dravid (62 not out) to guide India to 443 for one in reply to Sri Lanka’s first-innings 393 at stumps on day two.

“In the last two Tests I gave a couple of chances. This time I didn’t want to give that chance,” he said of his spectacular 239-ball knock studded with 40 fours and seven sixes.

Sauber granted place on the F1 grid  

MOTOR SPORT: Sauber have been granted a place on the Formula One grid for the 2010 season.

The decision by motor sport’s world governing body, the FIA, comes after Peter Sauber agreed a deal with BMW last week to take over the team.

After the German manufacturing giant announced their withdrawal from F1 in the summer, they initially signed a contract with Qadbak Investments Ltd.

However, that was shelved in favour of the team returning to the hands of 66-year-old Swiss Sauber, who ran his own marque for 13 years prior to selling 80 per cent of his company to BMW in 2005.

With the team now in safe hands, although Sauber has now started the process of trimming the workforce down to 250 employees from 388 as per the takeover agreement, the FIA have moved swiftly to grant them their entry for next season.

Lopez to face Luevano for title

BOXING: WBO super bantamweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez is to move up to challenge WBO featherweight title holder Steve Luevano at Madison Square Garden next month. Lopez against Luevano will be part of a world featherweight championship double-header at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden on January 23rd, along with Yuriorkis Gamboa’s WBA title defence against Rogers Mtagwa.

Ferrer preferred to Verdasco for singles

TENNIS: David Ferrer has been preferred to Fernando Verdasco for the second singles spot in Spain’s Davis Cup final team. The defending champions, who are led by Rafael Nadal, take on the Czech Republic in Barcelona in the three-day clash, which begins today in Barcelona.

Verdasco is ranked higher than Ferrer, who has not played for a month because of a hamstring injury, but captain Albert Costa has kept faith with the 27-year-old.

Ferrer won both his singles clashes in Spain’s first-round win over Serbia and their semi-final triumph against Israel without dropping a set.

Nadal will open proceedings against Tomas Berdych, with Ferrer facing Radek Stepanek in today’s second match.

Verdasco will team up with Feliciano Lopez for the doubles tomorrow, where they are scheduled to play Lukas Dlouhy and Jan Hajek.