Tottenham boss Tim Sherwood puts £100m price tag on Hugo Lloris

Tim Sherwood has insisted that Tottenham Hotspur will not be tempted to sell goalkeeper Hugo Lloris this summer.

Spurs look set to miss out on UEFA Champions League qualification and speculation has suggested that Lloris could be a target for a host of clubs at the end of the season.

Sherwood admits it is no surprise to hear that Lloris is attracting interest, but has made it clear that it would take a bid of around £100million for chairman Daniel Levy to consider a sale.

Lloris has an opportunity to shine on the world stage with France this summer but Sherwood does not believe his performances at international level will make a difference and maintains, with two years remaining on his contract, that the former Lyon man will not be going anywhere.

"He is one of the best keepers around," said Sherwood. "Of course, people are going to want him. But I'm also sure the club won't be tempted to get rid of him.

"He is one of the top goalies and unless someone is going to spend £100million on him - and keepers do not get bought for that money - I don't think he will leave.

"It was only that kind of figure that tempted the club to sell Gareth Bale - and he desperately wanted to leave and progress his career at Real Madrid. He hasn't got to play a blinder for France at the World Cup because people already know what he can do. They know he is a fantastic goalie.

"Even if he was terrible for France, I don't think it would make a difference as to how people view him. Everyone can recognise it.

"He has never said to me or anyone else at the club that he wants to leave. And he does not perform like he wants to leave. He gives everything all the time and that is why he is a favourite of the players and fans."
Sherwood is also confident that Emmanuel Adebayor will stay at White Hart Lane in the next transfer window, having helped to revive the striker's career since taking charge.

"Adebayor is a pleasure to work with and is a good role model for younger players. He trains excellently, conducts himself well and I've never had a problem with him," said Sherwood.

"He has married his talent with a top attitude and has been reaping the rewards since I got here.
"I'm sure he wants to be part of the future here. I don't think he wants to keep moving clubs.
"His family is settled in London and he just wants to help us win as many games as possible."

Outcome of 2012 Timothy Bradley-Manny Pacquiao fight remains sore subject

 

For several months after what was supposed to be the landmark victory of his career, Timothy Bradley was miserable.

He was attacked by the media, scorned and vilified by the public. He was, for a long time, miserable and didn't want to see or talk to anyone after he defeated Manny Pacquiao on June 9, 2012.

The vast majority of media felt Pacquiao deserved the victory. Promoter Bob Arum decried the outcome and called for the Nevada attorney general to investigate. The WBO, which sanctioned the fight, appointed a panel to re-judge the bout, which concluded Pacquiao had won..

[Also: There may be a legitimate reason why Manny Pacquiao hasn't flashed his KO skill ]

All of that had an impact upon Bradley, but it was nothing like the invective heaped upon him by outraged Pacquiao fans. They bombarded him with vile, malicious comments and turned his life into a nightmare.

Bradley will put the WBO welterweight title he lifted from Pacquiao that night on the line Saturday when he rematches Pacquiao in an HBO Pay-Per-View bout at the MGM Grand Garden.

He is, however, a much different man, though it took a lot of time for the wounds to heal from the torrent of abuse he'd received.

"It was horrible man, I can't lie," Bradley told Yahoo Sports on Tuesday. "People said some pretty unbelievable things to me. It was hard, real hard. I'm like, 'What did I do?' I just went out and fought, did my job. And what I was going through, wow, that was terrible. I was in a pretty dark place. I wouldn't wish that on anyone." The outcome of that fight changed many lives, not just Bradley's. Bradley opted to switch managers, and hired his wife Monica to replace Cameron Dunkin.

Judge C.J. Ross, who was one of two that night who scored it for Bradley, would lose her job not long after when her score in the Floyd Mayweather-Canelo Alvarez fight was also roundly ridiculed.

She took a leave of absence after that bout, given the outrage over what were perceived to be two horribly incorrect scores.

Pacquiao, feeling the need to be more aggressive after feeling he'd missed opportunities in the Bradley fight, went after Juan Manuel Marquez in his next start and got knocked out courtesy of one of the best counter punches in boxing history.

Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach, whose fighters seemingly could not lose before that bout, saw his fortunes reversed and a number of his key fighters were beaten in the immediate aftermath.
Arum was accused by scores of boxing fans of fixing the fight and became the target of nearly as much abuse as Bradley.
Arum has had a lengthy promotional relationship with Pacquiao, but he is also Bradley's promoter, as well. And Bradley was astounded at the time by hearing Arum rant about the outcome.
It clearly impacted their relationship and the Bradleys now primarily deal with Top Rank president Todd duBoef rather than Arum.

Arum, though, never has been afraid to speak his mind no matter the price he may pay, and doesn't regret calling for an investigation. The attorney general's office did an inquiry and found no evidence of wrongdoing. "It was the right thing to do," Arum said of calling for an investigation. "In a lot of ways the scoring was so bizarre that it required an inquiry. I didn't think for a minute they'd find any malfeasance, but it was important that the attorney general at least try to determine if there was anything improper there."
Bradley remains adamant he won, and Pacquiao is just as convinced he won.
When Pacquiao was pressed about the scoring of the first fight, he laughed.
"I have been around boxing for 20 years and I know who is winning and who is losing," Pacquiao said.
Such talk would have riled Bradley at one point, but he insists he's moved beyond it.
On Saturday, he'll have a chance to look some of his old tormentors in the eye, as many of those same fans who attacked him so viciously after the 2012 fight will be in attendance for the rematch at the MGM Grand Garden.
At one point, he may have wanted to confront some of those people. But he said if he sees any of them now, he'll smile.

"I forgive everyone who said and wrote all those nasty things about me," Bradley said. "I've moved on and I've forgiven everyone. I learned a lot from that first fight and what I learned is that your family is the most important thing. They're the ones who are with you in the good times and the bad. As long as my family is happy and healthy, that's what matters to me.

"I'm a different person now. All I went through made me stronger, man. I personally want to thank the media and the whole world for making me who I am, a stronger fighter, a stronger man and a guy with a total belief in himself. My life completely changed because of that and all of it, believe it or not, has been for the good."

Michael Koncz, Pacquiao's manager, said everything is good on his end, as well. Nothing really changed for Koncz, though he was excoriated by many Pacquiao fans after Pacquiao was knocked out by Marquez.

But Koncz said that only seconds after the fight ended, he knew it didn't make much sense to rant and rave. He decided to act like the loss never happened.

"I don't regard it as a loss and I don't think Manny does, because let's be honest: Who does think we lost that fight?" Koncz said. "I treat it as a win, which is what it was. Someone made a mistake that night, but it wasn't Manny Pacquiao and it wasn't me. But that doesn't matter now.

"We're past that, each guy has fought in the interim and here we are back again. You might say so much has changed, but we're back to where we were in 2012 and I think Manny is going to win the fight. Again."

Article Source : Yahoo Sports

R.I.P. Ultimate Warrior

James Hellwig, aka The Ultimate Warrior, has died at age 54 after reportedly collapsing in Arizona. We don’t usually eulogize wrestlers, but this one makes me feel bad. I watched The Ultimate Warrior rise through what was then known as the WWF in the late 1980s and ’90s. This was before Vince McMahon was forced to clean up the “sport” a bit, and back when it was a dirty little secret that you pretty much had to be taking steroids if you wanted the fans to love you. This was because it was nearly impossible to keep that size when you were barnstorming across the country and getting in the ring with injuries several times per week, with scant time to get in the gym. From that standpoint, The Ultimate Warrior was scarily massive and ripped, the most muscular guy in the sport. That didn’t look so much like prime conditioning when he got in the ring, shook the ropes violently, and then he would get bright red and seem winded before the match began. He would fling his opponent around the ring a bit, pick them up and drop them and it would be over. I found myself worrying for his health even back then. The WWE just named him to its Hall of Fame on Monday night, and he leaves behind a wife and two daughters. Some wrestling stars who became hulking stars during his era died earlier than Hellwig did. This was one tough business and you hope that like in sports like baseball and football (except for the difficult-to-detect human growth hormone), these sports realize how steroids can shorten the lives of their athletes who put it all out there to make a living, and worry about the consequences down the line. Here’s The Ultimate Warrior in all his glory:

Article Source : Deadline.com

Chelsea, Real Madrid reach Champions League semis

LONDON: A boyhood fan of Paris Saint-Germain, Demba Ba showed any lingering affection he has for the club is in the past.

With Chelsea facing Champions League elimination, Ba scored just his sixth goal of the season in the 87th minute Tuesday night, evening the total-goals series at 3-3. The Blues' 2-0 win enabled them to advance to the semifinals on away goals following a 3-1 loss in the French capital last week.

''It happened so quickly,'' Ba said. ''I was on the floor, just looked at the goal, and I saw the ball was in the net. It was a big joy for everyone. I just do what I have to do when I get chances. I haven't had many this season.''

Both goals at Stamford Bridge came from substitutes.

Andre Schuerrle began the comeback from close range in the 32nd after David Luiz flicked on Branislav Ivanovic's throw-in.

Schurrle and Oscar both hit the crossbar within a two-minute span early in the second half.

Ba entered in the 66th for Frank Lampard and scored after an initial shot by Samuel Eto'o ricocheted to Cesar Azipilicueta. His attempt got through the defense, perhaps deflecting off Alex, and Ba beat Maxwell to the ball and swept it past goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu with his left foot from the top of the 6-yard box.

''I think everyone probably doubted that we would do it,'' Chelsea captain John Terry said. ''But I think we showed great character, great desire and will to fight no matter what.''

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, who had criticized his team's forwards last week, improved to 8-0 in Champions League quarterfinals. After Ba's goal, Mourinho sprinted down the sideline to join his celebrating players at the corner flag. It came a decade after Mourinho's memorable dash at Old Trafford following Costinha's 90th-minute goal that eliminated Manchester United during Porto's run to the 2004 Champions League title.

Chelsea, the 2012 champion, reached the semifinals for the seventh time in 11 years.

''It's a good victory, but so many semifinals for me, so many semifinals for Chelsea,'' Mourinho said. ''Nothing extraordinary.''

PSG was eliminated in the quarterfinals on away goals for the second straight year following a defeat to Barcelona. The visitors were missing forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who scored 10 of his team's 25 goals in the competition this season.

''In the second half, Chelsea was a lot better and we lacked a bit of fluidity,'' PSG manager Laurent Blanc said. ''But Chelsea believed until the end, and they were rewarded.''

In the night's other match, Real Madrid reached the semifinals for the fourth consecutive season with a 3-2 aggregate win following a 2-0 defeat at Borussia Dortmund.

With Real star Cristiano Ronaldo sidelined by a left-knee injury, Real's Angel Di Maria's 17th-minute penalty kick was saved by Roman Weidenfeller after a hand ball by Lukasz Piszczek.

Dortmund closed on goals by Marco Reus in the 24th and 37th, and Dortmund wasted several excellent opportunities in the second half, including Robert Lewandowski's shot against a post.

''We are pleased to have reached the semis, that was our goal, but we are not pleased with the way we did it,'' Real coach Carlo Ancelotti said.

Seeking a record 10th title, Real Madrid has lost in the semifinals three straight times.

In Wednesday's games, Atletico Madrid hosts Barcelona and defending champion Bayern Munich is home against Manchester United. Both first legs were 1-1.

Article Source : Thenews.com.pk

Rashid Latif refuses to work as PCB's chief selector

KARACHI: Former test cricketer Rashid Latif has refused to work as Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) Chief Selector.

Rashid Latif was nominated on February 26 for the post replacing Azhar Khan, however, the former test cricketer dismissed the offer.

Latif is of the view that he does not want to indulge himself in any controversy which is why he returned the contract to the board without signing it.




 

Article Source : TheNews.Com.Pk