Sport

Today's sports news: What you need to know

07:54 am on 26 April 2022

Dillian Whyte believes WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury got away with an illegal push during their title fight on Saturday and has demanded a rematch after suffering a sixth-round technical knockout at Wembley Stadium.

Whyte wants another shot at Fury Photo: Photosport

Fury appeared to push fellow Briton Whyte after landing a devastating uppercut with one second to go in the round, eventually forcing referee Mark Lyson to stop the fight.

"I was buzzed but obviously I was trying to regather my senses and he proper pushed me and I fell over and hit my head on the canvas which is illegal," Whyte told Sky Sports on Monday.

"This isn't wrestling, this is boxing. I should have been allowed extra time to recover and then carried on fighting. I got caught, no doubt about it ... (but) terrible job from the referee there."

The undefeated Fury (32-0-1) said after the fight that he was likely to retire, keeping a promise he made to his wife Paris, but Whyte said he was eager for a rematch.

"He (Fury) said he would retire. I hope he doesn't retire, because I want another go," added the 34-year-old.

"He said you're a good fighter, a true warrior, you're going to be a world champion. I'm not a sore loser. You win some, you lose some, this is life."

Reuters

Alker's hot form continues on the Champions Tour

New Zealand Golfer Steve Alker has continued his rise on the Champions Tour, losing in a playoff in the latest event in Texas.

Steve Alker Photo: Photosport

Alker finished 11 under for the event, before bogeying the first playoff hole to lose to Scott Parel.

The 50 year old now has 13 top ten finishes from 16 starts on the senior circuit, including two victories.

The payoff has been large for Alker, who has now earned close to $2 million USD for his efforts, already doubling what he made in 86 career PGA tour starts.

Alker moves to second on the season long points race with the result.

Asian Games likely to go ahead, official says

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has requested an update from Beijing on the COVID-19 situation in China but remains confident the Asian Games will go ahead in Hangzhou in September.

The 19th edition of the multi-sports Games, second in size only to the Summer Olympics, is scheduled to take place from Sept. 10-25 in the capital of Zhejiang province, some 175 kilometres southwest of Shanghai.

A media report last week quoted the OCA's director-general as saying that there was a possibility the Games would have to be postponed because of the month-long COVID-19 lockdown in China's financial capital.

A senior official, speaking under condition of anonymity, said on Monday that the OCA had been in contact with Chinese officials but there was "as of now" no concern about cancellation or postponement.

"The OCA has written to Beijing to get more clarity on the situation and we are waiting for a report," he said.

"The matter will be taken up for discussion at the OCA executive board meeting in Tashkent on May 6."

Most international sporting events in China have been postponed or cancelled since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the notable exception of the Winter Olympics, which went ahead in Beijing under strict health controls in February.

The OCA official said the body drew confidence from the fact that the Winter Games had been successfully completed and expected similar biosecurity controls to be in place for the Asian Games.

Reuters

Russia and Belraus banned from hosting international figure skating events

The International Skating Union (ISU) said on Monday that Russia and Belarus would not be allowed to host international skating events and stripped Russia of figure skating's Rostelecom Cup.

The ISU had earlier banned skaters from Russia and Belarus from international competition over Russia's military campaign in Ukraine.

Belarus is a key staging area for the invasion, which Russia calls a "special military operation".

The ISU said in a statement that it was looking for a replacement host for the Rostelecom Cup, which is scheduled to take place in late November.

"Until further notice no international competitions shall be held in Russia and Belarus. Consequently, the Rostelecom Cup 2022 in figure skating will not be included in the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series of the season 2022/23," the ISU said.

The ISU also banned members from Russia and Belarus from attending the 2022 ISU Congress and said candidates from the two countries would not be allowed to stand for election to any position.

Reuters