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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2015 SPORTS Hundreds attend Bob Foster dead Abraham retains title, ALBUQUERQUE: Bob Foster, the former light heavyweight champion pays tribute to Murray memorial for Lomu who fought Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali and went on to become a sheriff’s deputy, died Saturday. He was 76. New Mexico state Rep. HANOVER: Germany’s Arthur Abraham defended his WBO super-mid- AUCKLAND: Several hundred people have attended the first public memori- Antonio Maestas said in a statement that Foster died at Presbyterian dleweight title with a split decision, then paid tribute to Martin Murray as al service for former New Zealand winger Jonah Lomu at the south-Auckland hospital in Albuquerque with wife Rose and his family at his side. “His the British fighter failed for the fourth time to win a world crown. Abraham, church his family often attended when he was wife Rose Foster, his children, and Family thank you for your prayers and 35, took the victory 115-112, 112-115, 116-111, to register his sixth success- a child. Mourners on Sunday at the support in this time of healing,” the statement said. In Las Vegas before ful defence of his title in Hanover on Saturday in Hanover. With a tight Lotofale’ia Tongan Methodist Church in the Miguel Cotto-Canelo Alvarez fight, a 10-count was tolled on the bell defence and accurate flurries, home favourite Abraham had too the suburb of Mangere, where Lomu was at Mandalay Bay in honor of Foster. Standing 6-foot-3, the big-punching much class for the St Helens fighter. Murray, 33, wasn’t helped by raised, included his wife Nadene, their Foster was 56-8-1 with 46 knockouts. He won the light heavyweight title having a point deducted late in the fight for holding although sons Brayley, 6, and Dhyreille, 5, and in 1968 when he stopped Dick Tiger in the fourth round of their fight at the penalty had little impact in the final analysis. “I trained hard, Madison Square Garden. It was the only time Tiger was knocked out in Lomu’s mother Hepi. Many of the congre- have shed blood and sweat. I was technically and tac- his career. Two years later, Foster moved up to heavyweight to chal- tially the better boxer,” said Abraham. “But I didn’t gation wore Ta’ovala, a traditional Tongan lenge Frazier for the title. The fight was a mismatch, with Frazier stop- woven skirt worn to show respect, espe- box against a punchbag. He is a world-class fight- ping Foster at 49 seconds of the second round. Foster regained his 175- er, who put in a good fight and you have to icially in times of mourning. Lomu died pound title in his next fight, but in 1972 fought again as a heavyweight, acknowledge that.”It was the Berlin-based on Wednesday aged 40 of cardiac meeting Ali at a Lake Tahoe casino. Again, Foster was overmatched, with Abraham’s 44th victory in 48 professional arrest after a 20-year battle with kid- Ali knocking him down seven times before the fight was finally stopped fights, while this was the third defeat of ney illness. Details of his funeral serv- in the eighth round. Foster, who was named the third-greatest light Murray’s career after a draw with Germany’s ice and other memorial events have heavyweight ever by Ring Magazine in 1994, made 14 successful title Felix Sturm in 2011 and a unanimous loss to yet to be finalized. — AP defenses before retiring as champion in 1974. —AP Argentina’s Sergio Martinez in 2013. —AFP Fadi Boustani - scorer of highest points (Inset) Winner Ahmed Daham - 2015. Daham claims ‘King of Drift’ title at Red Bull Car Park Drift Final Heartbreak for disqualified Boustani DUBAI: Representing the UAE, Ahmad Daham produced year’s final. “To be crowned King of Drift is incredible, a master class performance to claim the coveted “King of and to do it on such an extremely hard technical track is Final Ranking: Drift” title for the second consecutive year, in front of an unbelievable,” commented Ahmad Daham after the adrenaline-fuelled 4,000 strong crowd at the Red Bull event. “The other guys pushed me all the way to the fin- Car Park Drift Final 2015, held under the umbrella of the ish and I really had to be on top of my game. I couldn’t Dubai Motor Festival at the Meydan car park. relax for even a second.” Points Country Driver Position Daham secured the first place with a score of 358 points in his tuned Nissan Sylvia. He finished ahead of Tough competitors Oman’s Ali Al Balushi yet again, having beaten him by The final brought together fifteen drifters hailing 358 UAE Ahmad DahamFirst one point last year. Al Balushi ended the season with 335 from Tunisia, Kuwait, Mauritius, Lebanon, Jordan, Oman, 335 Oman Ali Al Balushi Second points from the final. Jordan’s Rafat Haroon took the Egypt, Qatar, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. third spot on the podium with 306 points. The tough job of separating the competitors went to 306 Jordan Rafat Haroon Third Lebanese drifter Fadi El Boustani’s night ended in judges Issa Ben Dalmouk, Robbie Nishida, Nikita Shikov Retired Lebanon Fadi El Boustani Fourth heartbreak when his car stalled at the start line on his and Dai Yoshihara, who watched closely for the 7 key last run and in the final four. El Boustani had five minutes judging criteria. A maximum of 80 points was allocated to address the mechanical problem, but luck was not on to drifting skills during the first and second sections, sure the drifters need to do a ‘donut’ in - each con- his side and he was disqualified. Having entered the while the car’s looks and design accounted for up to 60 tributed 40 points to the total score. Final as a dark horse, the Lebanese drifter certainly won points, with another 60 points allocated to the driver’s The Red Bull Car Park Drift Final was held in partner- the crowd’s hearts, with a blistering run that earned him proximity to the pendulum ‘clipping point’. Tire smoke, ship with Ford Middle East, Aramex Shop and Ship, 370 points - the highest score for a single run in this car sound and performance in the ‘Box’ - a tight enclo- Pirelli, MBC Action, Al Arabiya 99 and Meydan. Winners - RBCPD 2015 Unbeaten Vargas stops Alvarez beats Cotto to win WBC middleweight title Miura to take title LAS VEGAS: Mexico’s Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez beat Miguel Cotto on a unanimous points decision to win the WBC LAS VEGAS: Mexico’s undefeated Francisco Vargas rose world middleweight title in Las Vegas on Saturday. from his first career knockdown to capture the World Alvarez, the pre-fight favourite, lived up to his billing Boxing Council super featherweight title Saturday by with a powerful display at the Mandalay Bay Events dethroning Japanese champion Takashi Miura with a ninth- Center as the 25-year-old improved his career record to round stoppage. 46-1-1 (32 KOs). His only loss was to Floyd Mayweather in 2013. All three judges agreed Alvarez had won the In his first world title bout, the 30-year-old endured a contest comfortably, awarding him between nine and fourth-round knockdown and a right eye nearly swollen 11 of the 12 rounds. “We knew going into this fight that shut to seize the crown when referee Tony Weeks halted the it would be a difficult journey, but I feel that I was the bout after 1:31 of the ninth round. faster and stronger fighter tonight,” Alvarez said. Vargas improved to 23-0 with one draw with his 20th vic- “I wasn’t hurt by his punches. I was fully prepared for tory in a row and 17th triumph inside the distance. Miura what Cotto was going to do in the ring, whether that fell to 29-3 with two drawn, a nine-fight win streak snapped was take a defence stance or be the aggressor.” by his first defeat since 2011. The 31-year-old Japanese No sooner was the fight over than talk turned to a southpaw was making his fifth defence of the crown he possible clash with Kazak world champion Gennady took from Gamaliel Diaz in 2013. Golovkin, the unbeaten WBA, IBF and interim WBC When the bout was halted, Miura was ahead on the champion, nicknamed GGG. scorecards of two of the judges and the third had scored “I have respect for him, but if we do fight it’s going to the fight evenly to that point. Vargas pounded Miura in the be at my weight class,” Alvarez said. “I’m the champion, I opening round, the Asian fighter taking hard overhand don’t have to do what he wants.” rights to the head but still attacking. After a relatively even contest early, Alvarez estab- Miura battled back in the second and third rounds and lished his dominance over Cotto with a devastating smashed Vargas with a powerful left to the face in the series of blows in the eighth round. Cotto, who lost for just the fifth time in 45 career fights, was stripped of the fourth round, sending the Mexican to the canvas for the WBC world title earlier in the week after refusing to pay first time in his career and opening a deep cut under Vargas’ the reported $300,000 sanctioning fee the organisation right eye. demanded. Both fighters traded punishing body shots over the next Had the Puerto Rican won on Saturday, the title few rounds, testing the limits of each other’s endurance.