14 Wednesday 11th November, 2009 Ponting Haye keeps feet on ground over hails ‘very satisfying’ Wembley showdown against Klitchkos series win by Gareth A Davies respresentative in America, hours after Haye had exposed then Valuev, in advance of real- Boxing Correspondent Richard Schaefer, the chief exec- Valuev as a limited boxer, with ising his heavyweight title aspi- Australia captain Ricky Ponting is Adam Booth, train- utive of Golden Boy Promotions, offers to fight there. rations. “I’m still taking it all proud of the way his depleted side has Given David Haye’s populari- also disclosed that Home Box Haye may yet fly out to the in,” he said. responded to injury setbacks on their er and adviser to ty – it has taken eight years as a Office, the American cable Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto “Two things,” Haye said. “I tour of India following their convinc- professional fighter for him to giants, sent him superfight in Las Vegas this feel a bit uncomfortable being ing six-wicket victory over the hosts new World Boxing become an overnight sensation – an email weekend, where he will be compared to Ali. Ali is the great- in Guwahati, on Sunday, the gate receipts alone from a only paraded as the new saviour of est and I’ve had one heavyweight cricket365.com reported on its website. Association sell-out 100,000 Wembley crowd, the division. title win. So I’ve got a long, long Fast bowler Doug Bollinger claimed combined with his percentage of But Haye is playing down way to go to get anywhere near a five-wicket haul and Mitchell heavyweight the pay-per-view television sub- the hyperbole that he resem- what he achieved. Johnson claimed three wickets as the champion David scriptions, would earn the bles boxing’s greatest “But as long as I am talked visitors bowled India out for a paltry Londoner in the region of £20 heavyweight champion, about in the same breath in 50 170 in the sixth match of the series. Haye has revealed million. Muhammad Ali. Schaefer years maybe as a great heavy- Shane Watson then struck a run-a- Haye will have earned an esti- insisted on Monday that weight, then I will have done my ball 49 as the visitors wrapped up vic- that talks with mated £5 million from his 30 per Haye is the most charis- job. “Secondly, I’m in this for the tory with just over eight overs to spare cent share of pay-per-view rev- matic heavyweight since glory, not the money,” Haye said. to take an unassailable 4-2 lead ahead Wembley Stadium enue on Sky Box Office for his Ali, a claim which seems “For me, it is about being unified of the final match in Mumbai. are already under night’s work exposing the 7ft wide of the mark. heavyweight champion of the Ponting believes the performance Russian Nikolai Valuev with a Haye, though, has world.” of his players augurs well for the way for a cunning plan in his feet on the ground. Before Haye, 29, has any World Cup in 2011. Nuremberg on Shocked by the atten- thoughts of fighting Wladimir “It’s probably one of the best one- potential Saturday night. tion, he has retired Klitschko, 33, who holds the day series I have ever been involved in “Wembley from the braggart’s International Boxing Federation what with all the injuries and set- showdown have already stance he held and World Boxing Organisation backs at the start of this tour,” with the been on to me,” while chipping versions of the heavyweight Ponting said. explained Booth. away at the two championship, or Vitali, 38, the “For the boys to stick together as a Klitschko “Haye against a Klitschko broth- World Boxing Council champion group and play as team of 11 players Klitschko, ers, – widely regarded as the world’s for the last few games has been very broth- Wladimir or Vitali, toughest heavyweight - he must satisfying. would be one of the first defend the WBA title “India is a hard place to come and ers. biggest fights in heavy- against mandatory challenger win and this victory means a lot, espe- weight history.” John Ruiz, by May 2010, with the cially when you haven’t got all your Haye’s O2 Arena the likely venue. players to pick from. Otherwise he would be stripped “It makes it even harder when play- of the title. ers are getting off planes and turning “Ruiz is a good fighter, very up and playing. underrated,” Haye said. “Once “No-one’s shirking and no-one’s I’ve beaten him, the Klitschkos whining, we have just got on with it will be in my sights. I am not and tried to do the best that we could. fussed which one it is. This time “With each game that we have they will have to be more played, we have just gotten better and respectful as I am bringing a belt better so its really good signs for the to the table. Then we can have a team. huge unification fight.” “Some of the younger guys have come into the team and have got a few (C) The Telegraph Group, games under their belt. David Haye London, 2009 “They have been building experi- ence towards the World Cup in 2011 and I think they will have learnt a lot from this tour.” The victory in Guwahati was Safin extends career by Australia’s third in a row and came on Kiwis win series the heels of close-contests in Mohali and Hyderabad. winning at Paris Masters ABU DHABI (UAE): New first wicket. However, Ajmal and Aamer at third man. Ajmal Ponting admitted that the differ- Zealand beat Pakistan by seven the other spinners gradually ensured that Martin Guptill did ence in the sides was the fielding. PARIS (AP) - Marat Safin semifinals at St. Petersburg 10 runs to win the third and final applied the brakes. not stay long with a brilliant div- “The bowlers obviously led the way, extended his career by at least days ago. one-day international on McCullum reached 76 before ing catch from captain Younus Johnson and Bollinger were outstand- one more round, saving three “The way I’m moving right Monday, taking the three-match being caught and bowled by Khan as the ball dipped on him ing upfront,” he said. match points Monday to beat now is not really the best in my series 2-1. Shoaib Malik. His departure and flew wide of mid-off. “Once we got those four or five French qualifier Thierry Ascione career,” Safin said. “It’s tough to A last-wicket partnership of with the score on 138 for three McCullum and Ross Taylor wickets we were always in control of 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (3) at the Paris pick up the bags, to go to the air- 103 runs between Saeed Ajmal triggered his team’s slide and an then went about again consoli- the game. Masters. port, to stay in the traffic, flight, and Aamer almost took the game end to the innings in the 47th dating the innings and put on 50 “But our fielding has been great. We talk about it a lot around our team The 29-year-old Russian, a passport control, wait for the away from New Zealand, which over. runs for the third wicket. seemed to be cruising to a big It was a sharp contrast from McCullum closed the face of his and pride ourselves on the way we three-time winner in Paris, is bags again. It’s very heavy. So field. planning to retire after this tour- I’m happy this is over.” win with Pakistan at 101 for New Zealand’s bright start, with bat early and only managed to nine. McCullum bringing up his half- spoon a catch back to the bowler. “Quite often in close games it’s the nament. He will face U.S. Open Tomas Berdych, the 2005 Earlier, a haul of four wickets century in quick time after 47 Salman Butt, who continued fielding which is the difference champion Juan Martin Del Potro champ, beat French qualifier by off-spinner Saeed Ajmal balls, aided by six boundaries with a recent string of poor between the teams. of Argentina in the second round. Vincent Millot 6-3, 7-6 (4) after helped Pakistan restrict New and three sixes. efforts in the field, made amends “We’ve had a four-run win “The way he is playing right serving 10 aces and breaking Zealand to 211. Mohammad Aamer and Umar as he got Scott Styris run out at (Vadodara) and a three-run win now, I don’t think I have a three times. With the series level at 1-1, Gul failed to trouble the opening the non-striker’s end with a (Hyderabad) in this series and some of chance,” Safin said. “I’m going to The 247th-ranked Millot wast- New Zealand had the advantage pair and McCullum was particu- direct hit. (AP) the great fielding that we have had in fight 100 percent. But to win it? ed a 5-2 lead in the second set when it won the toss on a pitch larly severe on Aamer, pulling this series has gone a long way in helping us win.” I’m not sure.” and his Czech opponent finished full of runs, with opening pair him for two sixes over the Brief Scores: Brendon McCullum and Aaron square leg boundary. Gul provid- New Zealand 211 (McCullum India captain Mahendra Singh Safin saved the match points the match with an ace on his Dhoni admitted the loss of early wick- by serving three aces when trail- first match point. Berdych, Redmond making a promising ed the first breakthrough when 76, Ajmal 4-33) start as they put on 72 for the Redmond’s top edge went to Pakistan 204 (Aamer 73*) ets had ruined his team’s chances. ing 5-4 in the third set. He closed ranked 20th, will next face 14th- “At the toss, I believed the first half the match with a forehand volley seeded Tommy Robredo of hour would be crucial, but as it turned on his first match point in the Spain. out 15 minutes was all that was need- tiebreaker to improve to 24-4 at Viktor Troicki of Serbia bene- ed,” he said. the Paris Masters, where he won fited from Paul-Henri Mathieu’s “We were never in the game after in 2000, ‘02 and ‘04. calf injury to advance and will we lost those wickets in the morning “It’s probably the best way to face 13th-seeded Radek and we were fortunate to reach 170. save the match points,” said Stepanek. Mathieu, who reached “I think they bowled really well and although we could have batted second Safin, who had 24 aces. “It’s not the Hamburg final this year, we would have been facing their spin- as painful, and I don’t have to failed to convert a set point and ners on a wearing pitch. run around on the court and just retired when trailing 7-6 (4), 3-0. “Australia have taken the game hope for the guy to miss.” “It’s a shame because it was away from us in close matches in He broke in the fifth game very close and I had some good Vadodara, Mohali and Hyderabad. when Ascione double-faulted and opportunities to break him,” “We made a few mistakes and took the first set with a back- Mathieu said. “But I suddenly felt ended up losing matches which we hand drop volley. After trading a pain in my calf after a run and should have won. breaks in the second set, Safin it was difficult for me to keep “In a series like this, it’s hard to saved three break points in the going.” make a comeback once that happens.” sixth game before hitting a fore- Andreas Seppi of Italy beat hand long to ultimately force a Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany decider. 6-3, 6-3, and Ivo Karlovic of Safin, a former No. 1, cap- Croatia served 21 aces in a 7-6 tured the 2000 U.S. Open and (3), 6-4 victory over Pablo Cuevas 2005 Australian Open among 15 of Uruguay. singles titles. John Isner of the United In his best States saved three match points result this before beating Colombian qualifi- year, he er Alejandro Falla to 4-6, 7-6 reached (10), 7-5. New Zealand’s captain Daniel Vettori holds the Cool & Cool Cup as the team pose for a photo call after the Former winner Sebastien they defeated Pakistan in the third and deciding one-day international cricket match in Abu Dhabi, Grosjean of France, ranked United Arab Emirates, Monday, Nov. 9, 2009. (AP) 705th after undergoing shoulder surgery last year, lost 7-6 (2), 6-4 to Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia. Ronaldo wins libel damages Cristiano Ronaldo has won the Portuguese international on drunk four glasses of red wine substantial libel damages and the crutches in Los Angeles, where he earlier in the evening over a meal. majority of his legal costs from had travelled to attend a sports The report said that later on in Daily Mirror publishers MGN award ceremony. the nightclub he drank a number Limited after it admitted in the The article claimed that, of vodka and sodas before switch- High Court in London publishing despite being in recovery from an ing to bottles of champagne. untrue allegations about the Real ankle operation as a result of It described how one clubber Madrid and former Manchester which he was on crutches, he had claimed to have seen him throw United winger. “gone on a bender” at a his crutches down on the floor Marat Safin, of Russia, returns the ball to Thierry Ascione, of The case arose from a Mirror Hollywood nightclub, where he and try to dance on his uninjured France, during the BNP Masters indoor tennis tournament in article on July 18 last year enti- had splashed out £10,000 on cham- foot. tled “Ron The Lash” which pagne and vodka for friends and © The Telegraph Group, Paris, Monday, Nov. 9, 2009. (AP) appeared alongside a picture of models, having himself already London, 2009 Ricky Ponting