Boxing
NEW YORK – Two heavyweight boxers – one American, the other Russian – are squaring off outside the ring in a legal battle accusing the Russian of doping.
World Boxing Council champion Deontay Wilder and his one-time challenger Alexander Povetkin were both in federal court in Manhattan on Tuesday to hear opening statements at a civil trial stemming from a lawsuit filed by Wilder. He’s seeking $5 million for breach of contract after Povetkin failed a drug test, forcing the cancellation of a 2016 bout.
Before Wilder can be awarded any damages, a jury must decide whether a test result showing Povetkin had taken meldonium was valid.
MLB
CLEVELAND – The Cleveland Indians have signed lefty reliever Boone Logan to a one-year contract.
Logan’s deal includes a club option for the 2018 season. The 32-year-old Logan appeared in 126 games over the past two seasons for the Colorado Rockies.
He has a career 28-23 with three saves and a 4.45 ERA in 581 major league relief appearances. Logan, who debuted with the Chicago White Sox in 2006, led the American League with 80 appearances with the New York Yankees in 2012.
CHICAGO – Children at a suburban Chicago school are wearing Cubbie blue in support of a classmate who was severely beaten and Cubs star Anthony Rizzo is inviting the boy to Wrigley Field when he gets better.
Rizzo tweeted his invitation to 12-year-old Henry Sembdner to watch batting practice and a game, saying he’d heard the 7th-grader was a Cubs fan.
NFL
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – The Atlanta Falcons hired Steve Sarkisian as their new offensive coordinator.
The move was announced Tuesday, less than 24 hours after Kyle Shanahan left to become head coach of the San Francisco 49ers.
Sarkisian took over as Alabama’s offensive coordinator in the national championship game, but his tenure with the Crimson Tide stunningly lasted only one contest. He is a former head coach at Washington and Southern Cal.
NHL
BOSTON – The Boston Bruins fired Stanley Cup-winning coach Claude Julien on Tuesday as the team was in danger of missing the playoffs for a third consecutive season. He was the longest-tenured coach in the NHL.
General manager Don Sweeney announced the change on Tuesday, naming assistant Bruce Cassidy the interim coach. Julien was 419-246-94 in 10 seasons that included two trips to the NHL finals and a Stanley Cup title in 2011. The Bruins lost in the finals two years later, and the year after that earned 117 points and the Presidents’ Trophy before losing in the conference semifinals to archrival Montreal.
Skiing
ST. MORITZ, Switzerland – Switzerland looked right at home at the ski world championships on Tuesday when Beat Feuz was fastest in a men’s downhill practice.
Feuz, who won the World Cup downhill and super-G races in St. Moritz last March, was 0.21 seconds faster than Brice Roger of France as most rivals took a cautious first look at the course in perfect conditions.
Associated Press
