Boxing
1976 Olympic champion boxer Davis Jr. dies
MIAMI – Olympic champion boxer Howard Davis Jr. has died in Florida. He was 59.
His wife says his diagnosis of stage 4 lung cancer in February, just before his birthday, came as a shock, because Davis had never smoked.
In the 1976 Olympics, Davis was voted the outstanding boxer, out-polling such champions as Sugar Ray Leonard. His mother died three days before the Montreal Games began, and he considered withdrawing from competition. Instead he stayed, and he dedicated his gold medal to his mother’s memory.
College Football
New Year’s Eve not good for the playoff ratings
DALLAS – Television ratings for the College Football Playoff semifinals dropped approximately 36 percent from last season when they were played on New Year’s Day instead of New Year’s Eve.
ESPN announced the overnight ratings Friday.
The Orange Bowl between Clemson and Oklahoma, which kicked off about 2:10 p.m. on ESPN, drew a 9.7 rating. The first semifinal last season, the Rose Bowl with Oregon and Florida State on New Year’s Day, earned a 15.5.
The Michigan State-Alabama Cotton Bowl drew a 9.9 rating for ESPN compared to 15.3 for Ohio State-Alabama in the Sugar Bowl last Jan. 1.
Fantasy Sports
New York sues top sites requesting return of money
NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is turning up the heat on a pair of daily fantasy sports websites.
Officials confirm Schneiderman filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking that FanDuel and DraftKings give back all the money the sites made in New York state.
The attorney general is asking that the money be returned to the users who lost it and that the sites pay a fine of up to $5,000 per case.
The sites took in about $200 million in fees last year from 600,000 New Yorkers.
The lawsuit is the latest salvo between Schneiderman and the increasingly popular sites.
He has attempted to stop them from operating in New York, saying they are an illegal gambling operation.
NHL
Canadiens top Bruins at home of the Patriots
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – Boston native Mike Condon stopped 27 shots to lead the Montreal Canadiens to a 5-1 victory over the Boston Bruins on Friday in the Winter Classic at the home of the New England Patriots.
Paul Byron scored twice, and Brendan Gallagher returned from two broken fingers and had a goal and an assist for Montreal. David Desharnais and Max Pacioretty also scored for the Canadiens.
Tuukka Rask stopped 25 shots for the Bruins, and Matt Beleskey scored in the third period to avert the first shutout in Winter Classic history. The four-goal win was the largest for the event since it began in 2008.
Both goalies paid tribute to the Patriots and quarterback Tom Brady on their masks, and coach Claude Julien worked the Bruins bench in a hoodie straight from the wardrobe of his NFL counterpart, Bill Belichick.
Skiing
Prevc wins 2nd stage of Four Hills Tour
GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany – Peter Prevc of Slovenia soared 136 meters in the second heat to win the second leg of the ski jumping Four Hills Tour on Friday.
The victory puts Prevc in the lead as the competition heads for the final two events in Austria.
Prevc led Severin Freund of Germany after the first heat with an effort of 133.5 meters and then produced the longest jump of the day.
Associated Press
