Sports FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2013 Britain’s Bellew vows to manhandle Adonis

QUEBEC CITY: Britain’s land- 36-year-old Stevenson, who defends for The Merseysider said he has been matchup next year with , ed plenty of verbal jabs Wednesday as he the second time the title he took from US knocked down but added, “I’ve gotten the 48-year-old American who owns the vowed to take the southpaw Chad Dawson in June. up. Nobody is keeping me on the floor. International Boxing Federation light- light crown from Canadian “You’ve never fought anyone like me,” This little man (Stevenson) is not keeping heavyweight crown and is the oldest southpaw when they Stevenson told Bellew, adding, “I am me on the floor. I don’t care what it major title holder in the sport’s history. meet tomorrow. “Adonis Stevenson is going to knock you out.” Haitian-born takes.” Bellew, 20-1 with 12 , But also in the mix is unbeaten Russian getting beat up and man handled. It’s as Canadian Stevenson, 22-1 with 19 knock- suffered his only loss in his only prior , who is 22-0 with one simple as that. I don’t care what he outs, has stopped all nine foes he has world title fight, falling by majority deci- draw and 20 knockouts. Kovalev defends brings,” Bellew said. faced since suffering his lone loss in 2010, sion to Welshman two his World Boxing Organization light- “All I want to do is nail him with every a second-round loss to American Darnell years ago. He has four wins and a draw heavyweight crown against Ukraine rival single thing I’ve got. “I’m talking about Boone, whose 19-21-3 record gave since, avenging a March draw with a tri- Ismayl Sillakh, 21-1 with 17 knockouts, on whatever it takes and whatever I have got ’s Bellew another taunt for the umph last May over Malawi’s Isaac the undercard. It’s the first title defense to do. I’m going to do it and Saturday champion. “He has been knocked out by Chilemba in his most recent bout. for Kovalev, who stopped Cleverly in the night I’m going to be world champion.” a guy who has lost 20 fights,” Bellew said. Stevenson is coming off a September sev- fourth round three months ago in The Englishman, who turns 31 the day of “You’ve been knocked out by a journey- enth-round stoppage of American Tavoris to deliver the Welshman’s first career the fight, has a height and reach edge on man. I haven’t.” Cloud. Awaiting the winner is a potential loss.— AFP Brawn stands down as Mercedes F1 principal

India’s Mahindra Racing joins Formula E

LONDON: Ross Brawn and Mercedes announced a Briton. “In its different guises over the past six seasons, parting of the ways yesterday with the Briton leaving this team has delivered some of the most memorable the Formula One team at the end of the year after moments of my career. Our second place in this sea- handing over as principal to Toto Wolff and Paddy son’s constructors’ championship is an important mile- Lowe. The announcement, in a Mercedes statement, stone on the road to championship success,” Brawn had been predicted and ended one of the longest-run- added. “I am confident that the future will hold just as ning sagas of the season while shedding no light on much success for the team and will take real pride in what the 59-year-old had planned for the future. having played my own part in those achievements.” Mercedes hailed Brawn as the architect of their suc- Non-executive chairman Niki Lauda thanked Brawn, cess and said his duties would be split between Wolff, who has been linked over the past few months to in charge of business, and Lowe on the technical side. future roles with rival teams as well as the governing SOCHI: Tyvan men perform in front of a torchbearer in Aldyn-Bulak ethnic “The most important consideration in my decision to FIA run by former Ferrari boss Jean Todt, for his contri- cultural centre of Tyvans in ’s Tyva Republic about 3,444 km east of step down from the role as team principal was to bution and said Wolff and Lowe were the right men to Moscow. Russian torchbearers started in October the history’s longest ensure that the timing was right for the team in order take the team forward. “When you consider the step Olympic torch relay ahead of Winter Games in Sochi. — AFP to ensure its future success,” Brawn said in the state- that has been made from finishing fifth in 2012 to the ment. “The succession planning process that we have second place that we have secured this season, he has implemented during this year means we are now ready been the architect of this success,” the Austrian triple Inconsistency on the green to conduct the transition from my current responsibili- champion said. ties to a new leadership team composed of Toto and “He put the plans in place to recruit key people since leaves McIlroy feeling blue Paddy.” The departure of the unflappable Brawn means early 2011, and the performance this season shows that the team is on the right track. “We have had long dis- SYDNEY: Rory McIlroy is driving as INCREDIBLE YEAR change for drivers Lewis Hamilton, Britain’s 2008 world cussions with Ross about how he could continue with well as ever but his putting let him “I got the most out of it, especially champion, and ’s Nico Rosberg although nei- the team but it is a basic fact that you cannot hold down yesterday when he ended the after bogeys on 10 and 11, so to get ther will have been surprised by the news. Both hailed somebody back when they have chosen to move on. first round of the Australian Open in the 60s was decent,” he added. “It the “great leader” on their Twitter feeds. “Ross has built Ross has decided that this is the right time to hand over seven shots behind leader Adam was nice to finish with a birdie at the the foundations for us to succeed in 2014,” said the reins to Toto and Paddy and we respect his deci- Scott after shooting a three-under- last, makes up a little bit for not mak- Hamilton, who joined from McLaren at the end of last sion.” par 69. The world number six’s prob- ing birdie at 16.” McIlroy felt condi- year with Brawn’s presence at the team being one of lems since changing his equipment tions may have been a little trickier the clinching factors. ’S MAHINDRA this year have been well documented for the late starters after US Masters “Toto and Paddy are fantastic guys and strong lead- In another development, Mahindra Racing will join and he arrived at the Royal Sydney champion Scott had posted his ers for the team. I’ve started my training already and the new Formula E electric racing series starting next Golf Club this week still searching for record-breaking 10-under-par 62 in can’t wait for 2014.” Lowe arrived in June from year as the eighth, and only Indian, team, the Mumbai- his first title of 2013. After Scott’s bril- the morning. “The wind might have McLaren, where he had worked with Hamilton, while based Mahindra Group said yesterday. The $16.2-billion liant round, McIlroy’s chances of suc- got up for us a little bit this afternoon Austrian Wolff moved from Williams in January to multinational group said it had signed an agreement cess in Australia already appear but still 62 on that course is great become head of Mercedes motorsport. Brawn is one of with Formula E Holdings to join the series starting in remote and the Northern Irishman going,” McIlroy added. “When I was the most successful and respected figures in the sport China in September, with races in 10 leading cities was left ruing four missed short putts sitting over breakfast, I saw he’d after winning championships with Benetton, Ferrari including Berlin. “We strongly believe that Formula E that could have made a huge differ- birdied the first six holes and and his own Brawn GP outfit. can provide an excellent global showcase for our elec- ence to his score. thought, ‘oh nice’.” The bespectacled Englishman, a keen tric vehicle technology,” group chairman and manag- “Missed three or four short ones Scott has had an incredible year, United football fan, was the tactical brains behind sev- ing director Anand Mahindra said in a statement. out there,” he told reporters after following up his Augusta triumph en-times world champion Michael Schumacher’s suc- The group, which manufactures Mahindra Reva signing for his card. “Wasteful, yeah. I with a win at the Barclays and claim- cess at Benetton and Ferrari. After leaving the Italian electric vehicles, said joining Formula E was a “natural felt it could have been a lot lower. Off ing the Australian PGA and Masters team at the end of 2006 to take a sabbatical, and spend step”. “With advanced operations and expertise in elec- the tee, I’m driving the ball the best I title before helping Jason Day win some time fishing, he joined the Honda team at the tronics, IT, automotive technologies and manufactur- ever have, it’s just a matter of being the World Cup of Golf for his country end of 2007 and led them until the Japanese manufac- ing, we are already seeing the fusion of this technology more efficient and scoring better. last weekend. For McIlroy, it was a turer withdrew from the sport a year later. With Brawn, into our electric vehicle operations,” Anand said. “That’s really it. I only played the par- reminder of his 2012 season when he the team that emerged from the remains of Honda, he “Racing will further accelerate that trend while Formula fives at one-under and the way I’m became world number one and won won both world championships in 2009 before selling E is set to raise awareness globally about the benefits of driving it, I should be playing those at the US PGA and a string of other to Mercedes. electric vehicles.” Mahindra Racing is no stranger in four-under.” A missed birdie putt at tournaments. “He’s doing what I did motorsports, having joined MotoGP in 2011. “We are the seventh and three-putt from the last year and (world number three NEW ERA very proud to have a major global company like edge of the green at the 16th were Henrik) Stenson’s doing the same Brawn said that, with a new V6 turbo engine being Mahindra join the FIA Formula E Championship,” the most obvious wasted opportuni- thing,” the 24-year-old said. “I’ve introduced in 2014 and significant changes to the regu- Formula E Holdings chief executive Alejandro Agag was ties, while a pair of bogeys shortly been in that position before, I know lations, now was the right time to go “to begin a new quoted as saying in the statement. “Adding a manufac- after the turn halted his momentum what it’s like. That’s what I’m trying era of team management”. “The team is uniquely posi- turer from India to what is already a real global mix of after a solid front nine. to get back to.” — Reuters tioned to succeed in 2014 and I am proud to have helped lay the foundations for that success,” added the teams is fantastic news for the series. —Agencies