ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, AUGUST 12, 2021 SPORTS 15 WBA welterweight champion Ugás will step in to face Pac Man Spence drops out of Pacquiao fi ght with eye injury LOS ANGELES, Aug. 11, (AP): Er- rol Spence Jr. has dropped out of his pay-per-view fi ght with Manny Pac- quiao on Aug. 21 because of a retinal tear in his left eye. WBA welterweight champion Yor- denis Ugás will step in to face Pac- Cooper’s late 3 lifts Hawks over quiao at T-Mobile Arena in Las Ve- gas on the same date, the promoters announced Tuesday. Spence (27-0, 21 KOs) holds the WBC and IBF welterweight titles, but he has fought just once since Septem- ber 2019 due to a car crash and the Pacers in NBA Summer League coronavirus pandemic. According to his promoters, Spence didn’t learn he had a torn retina until a prefi ght medi- cal examination by the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Monday. Spence will have surgery at home in Texas on Wednesday to repair the tear, but he will miss out on his high- profi le showdown with the 42-year- old Pacquiao (62- 7-2, 39 KOs), the former eight-divi- Ugás sion champion re- turning to boxing after a two-year absence. “I was excited about the fi ght and the event,” Spence said. “There was no way I could fi ght with my eye in that condition. I’d like to apolo- gize to everyone. You know I’ll be back soon. We’ve come back from worse.’’ Ugás (26-4, 12 KOs) was sched- uled to make his fi rst career defense of his WBA title on the undercard of Pacquiao’s meeting with Spence. Pacquiao beat Keith Thurman to win the same WBA title belt in his most recent bout in 2019. BOXING The 35-year-old Ugás was elevated to welterweight super champion in the WBA’s byzantine championship sys- tem last January after Pacquiao was abruptly stripped of the belt for inactiv- ity. The Filipino congressman quickly agreed to shift his focus to Ugás after Spence’s injury was discovered, per- haps partly because of the way he lost his WBA championship. “The proper way and the only way to win a world title is inside the ring,” Pacquiao said. Ugás was scheduled to fi ght Fabian Maidana on the undercard of Pacqui- ao-Spence, but the Cuban Olympic bronze medal winner instead will get the biggest showcase of his up- San Antonio Spurs’ Nate Renfro, above, blocks the layup of Chicago Bulls’ Simi Shittu during the fi rst half of an NBA summer league basketball game, on Aug. 10, in Las Vegas. (AP) and-down professional career. Ugás has won three straight fi ghts, and he claimed the fi rst version of his WBA a statement. “Everyone knows my Williams, Simonovic help Bulls earn a comeback win over Spurs title with a split-decision victory over story about how I came to America Abel Ramos in his most recent bout to follow my dreams of becoming a world champion, and now it’s time LAS VEGAS, Aug 11, bench, was the eighth lead change in points and nine rebounds. He is trying Spurs. last September. the fourth quarter. to make the most of his opportunity in San Antonio outscored Chicago 26- “I have a tremendous amount of to stamp my legacy with a victory as (AP): Sharife Cooper made Celtics 107, Nuggets 82 Las Vegas after playing sparingly in 14 in the fi rst quarter and led by 15 respect for Pacquiao, but I am com- one of the best Cuban fi ghters to ever a go-ahead, 3-pointer just his fi rst two NBA seasons. points at halftime. The Bulls went on ing to win this fi ght,” Ugás said in put on a pair of gloves.” before the buzzer that lift- Aaron Nesmith scored 33 points and Denver’s Nah’Shon “Bones” Hy- a run early in the fourth quarter to take made 7-of-9 3-pointers while Payton land, drafted No. 26 overall, scored the lead and held on for the victory. ed the Atlanta Hawks to an Pritchard had 21 points, 12 assists and 16 points and Davon Reed added 10 Second-year pro Tre Jones had 84-83 win over the Indiana eight rebounds to help the Boston Celt- points in his hopes of making it back 23 points and rookie Joe Wieskamp Pacers in the NBA Summer ics rout the Denver Nuggets. to the league. Reed was not in the NBA scored 11 points for the Spurs. Jaylen Nesmith, drafted No. 14 overall last the previous two seasons after appear- Morris scored 20 and Malik Newman League. year, had 11 points in the fi rst quarter ing in 31 games over two seasons with had 19 points for the Spurs, who are Cooper scored 21 points - mak- as the Celtics jumped out to a 31-25 Phoenix and Indiana. giving both players another chance to ing 5-of-8 3-pointers - and had lead. Pritchard, who is also in his sec- play in the NBA. ond year, and third-year pro Carsen Bulls 92, Spurs 89 nine assists. Atlanta drafted the Rockets 111, Pistons 91 6-foot-1, 180-pound guard with Edwards were in double fi gures in the Patrick Williams, drafted fourth the No. 48 overall pick after he en- fi rst half to help Boston lead by 20 overall last year, scored 30 and second- In a featured showdown between points at halftime after shooting 62%. round pick Marko Simonovic had 13 the No. 1 and No. 2 picks, it was Jalen tered the draft following his fresh- Bol Bol, son of former NBA player points to help the Chicago Bulls earn Green who received more offensive man season at Auburn. Manute Bol, led the Nuggets with 26 a comeback win over the San Antonio help from his teammates in Houston’s Jalen Johnson, drafted No. 20 over- win over Detroit. all from Duke, had 18 points and 10 Green, the second overall pick who rebounds for the Hawks. Atlanta’s bypassed college basketball to play in Skylar Mays, a second-round pick last the G League, scored 25 points in 30 year, scored 16 points. minutes - going 6 of 11 from the fi eld Chris Duarte, selected No. 13 out of and 10 of 11 on free throws. His third Oregon, led Indiana with 21 points and and fi nal 3-pointer gave the Rockets an seven rebounds. Second-year pro Cas- sius Stanley scored 14 points, third- 18-point lead with two minutes left. year pro Oshae Brissett had 13 points Josh Christopher, the No. 24 selec- tion out of Arizona State, helped Green Manny Pacquiao (left), and Errol Spence Jr., pose for a photo at a news and Isaiah Jackson, taken with the No. 22 pick, added 13 points. run the Houston offense with 15 points conference at the Fox Studios lot in Los Angeles ahead of their upcoming and seven assists. Turkey’s Alperen boxing match, taking place in Las Vegas on Aug 21, in Los Angeles, on Cooper’s game-winning shot from the corner, in front of the Pacers’ Sengun, the No. 16 pick, controlled the July 11. (AP) paint for Houston with 21 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Cade Cun- Ducks re-sign Comtois, Mahura and Jones BASKETBALL Blackhawks HoF goaltender Esposito dies ningham, the No. 1 pick after spend- CHICAGO, Aug 11, (AP): Tony Es- the NHL’s lowest-scoring team last sea- Kings chose the defenseman with the ing one season at Oklahoma State, was posito, a Hall of Fame goaltender who son, posting a team-best 16 goals and 33 eighth overall pick last month. 8 of 18 from the fi eld for 20 points to played almost his entire 16-year career points in 55 games for the Ducks. The The 18-year-old Clarke is expected lead Detroit. Luka Garza, Iowa’s high- with the Chicago Blackhawks, has died 22-year-old forward was the second- to play most of next season in the On- scoring big man, added 15 points. following a brief battle with pancreatic youngest player ever to lead Anaheim tario Hockey League, where he racked Kings 89, Wizards 75 cancer, the team announced. He was in scoring, behind only 20-year-old Paul up 38 points in 57 games as a rookie Louis King led six Sacramento play- 78. Kariya in the 1994-95 season. with Barrie in the 2019-20 season. ers in double fi gures with 16 points and Esposito debuted with Montreal dur- Comtois also scored six points for He led all OHL rookie defensemen in Houston Rockets’ Jalen Green (0) drives to the basket under pressure from four 3-pointers. ing the 1968-69 season and appeared Canada’s title-winning team during the points and assists (32), and he fi nished Detroit Pistons’ Cade Cunningham (2) during the second half of an NBA Davion Mitchell, the No. 9 pick who in 13 games. He was then taken by the IIHF World Championship in June. second with six goals. summer league basketball game, on Aug. 10, in Las Vegas. (AP) was pivotal during Baylor’s champion- Blackhawks in an intraleague draft, Jones scored 11 points in 46 games ❑ ❑ ❑ ship run, was 5 of 8 from the fi eld to quickly emerging as one of the league’s for the Ducks add 12 points for the Kings. best goalies.