Frankie Gavin insists.....

Birmingham welterweight Frankie Gavin has said there is no question he will beat Curtis Woodhouse in their forthcoming bout.

Undefeated Gavin, 25, defends his WBO Intercontinental title against ex-footballer Woodhouse over 12 rounds at Liverpool's Echo Arena.

"I am going to beat him. There's no question," Gavin told BBC WM.

"He doesn't hit hard enough. He doesn't throw enough punches and his feet are a joke. Come fight night, he'll see."

Woodhouse, 31, turned to boxing in 2006 after a football career that included spells with Sheffield United and Birmingham City - the club Gavin supports.

The two were scheduled to meet last September but Woodhouse pulled out of the fight due to a hand injury.

With 15 wins from his 17 fights, Woodhouse knows he is facing the toughest test of his career to date.

"So far I'd say, yeah, fighting for the WBO Intercontinental title against undefeated former amateur world champion Frankie Gavin, it doesn't get much tougher than that," Woodhouse added.

"I'm not going to out-slick him. He's got the skills, no doubt about that, but I'm going to come forward and, if I land clean on him, I'll take him out."

Wimbledon 2011

Britain's Andy Murray says Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic's form over the past 12 months makes him believe he can one day win a Grand Slam title.

Djokovic, the new world number one, beat Rafa Nadal on Sunday to lift his second major of the year.

Murray says he is "going to have to find that extra few per cent" if he is going to beat the top players.

The Scot added: "I know it's possible, just look at Novak Djokovic."

Murray's own Wimbledon challenge ended on Friday.

But Murray believes he can echo Djokovic's rise to glory.

Djokovic now has three Grand Slam titles to his name, after winning the Australian Open in both 2008 and 2011.

I need to sit down with my team and get the priorities sorted in terms of my game and my training

Andy Murray.

The 24-year-old from Serbia also helped his country win the Davis Cup for the first time last year and has lost only once in 2011, beaten in the semi-finals of the French Open by Roger Federer.

Liverpool complete deal

Liverpool have completed the signing of midfielder Charlie Adam from Blackpool.

The Scot, 25, signed a contract on Thursday after successfully completing a medical, the
club's official website said. The length of the contract or the fee have not yet been disclosed.

"I am absolutely delighted to be here," Adam told Liverpoolfc.tv.

"It has been a long process but now I can't wait to get started and hopefully this will be a successful period in my career and in the club's history."

He added: "Liverpool is a massive club with terrific players and a terrific manager.

"I see this as the perfect development for me to come here, play with such wonderful players and hopefully help the team to win trophies, because that's the most important thing.

"I'm delighted to be able to walk out on the same pitch as some of the players here.

"There are good players at the club, top, top players who I want to learn from. I want to become a better player and hopefully bring something to the team.

"Hopefully we can have a successful period because it's been missing now for a couple of years.

"At the end of the day you get judged on trophies and as a footballer you want to win as many as you can

Trescothick out for tour game

Captain Marcus Trescothick will be rested for Somerset's three-day tour game against India, which starts on Friday at Taunton.

Director of cricket Brian Rose told the club website: "It is a long and taxing season for Marcus and the fixture list offers few chances to take a break.

"We want him to be fit physically and mentally for some big games ahead."
Somerset, who have qualified for the quarter-finals of the FL t20, currently sit fourth in the County Championship Division One table and are top of the CB40 standings.

Trescothick has been in impressive form this season, hitting six centuries across all competitions with a first class average of 74.93

Liverpool agree With Aston Villa

Liverpool have agreed a fee with Aston Villa for the transfer of England winger Stewart Downing.

Downing, 26, will now discuss personal terms and undergo a medical

"We will now try to agree personal terms with him, but it will all depend on the medical. It is a work in progress and we will see what happens and keep you informed."

Announcing that the bid had been accepted last night, Villa chief Paul Faulkner said: "We've reached an agreement with Liverpool following an improved offer received on Wednesday and the submission of a transfer request by Downing.

"We believe there are replacements available in the market who can strengthen our squad."

Dalglish plans to cut short his Asian trip to meet Downing on Friday, a tour sponsor said.

Last week, Villa turned down the Reds' opening £15m bid and it was understood that they were refusing to even consider a price for the player.

Andy Murray Secures Davis Cup Victory

Andy Murray beat Gilles Muller to seal victory for Great Britain in their Davis Cup tie against Luxembourg in Glasgow before breaking down in tears.

The world number four was never tested and cruised to a 6-4 6-3 6-1 win in the Europe/Africa Group II match.

Moments after giving GB an unassailable 3-1 lead, Murray could not hide his emotion as he was interviewed on court after the match.

GB will now face Hungary in a promotion decider on 16-18 September.

But Murray, who was again watched by a large contingent of family and friends from his home town of Dunblane, was overcome with emotion as he thanked the supporters.

"It's been so much fun this week. The support has been great. It's been packed every day," said Murray.
When asked how much it meant to win in front of a Scottish crowd, Murray said: "I don't get the chance to come back here very often, so..."

The 24-year-old could not finish his sentence and wiped away tears before describing the crowd as "amazing".

"Davis Cup is just different to all the other tournaments and that showed today," Murray added.

"(The Scottish crowd) makes a difference, It was the first time in a long time that I got the chance to play in Scotland.

"The last tie I was really ill right before the tie against Serbia, I was sick just before the doubles game.

"I thought I was jinxed because when we played against Ukraine I got really ill when I came back from Dubai. I lost loads of weight and couldn't play. I'm glad I was okay this time."

British number two James Ward completed GB's 4-1 victory over Luxembourg with a 6-1 6-3 victory over Mike Vermeer in the final rubber.

David Beckham And Christiano Ronaldo Ready For LA match

David Beckham is relishing taking on Real Madrid and fellow Manchester United old boy Cristiano Ronaldo  on Saturday as the ex-England captain's Los Angeles Galaxy side play host to his former club in the World Football Challenge.

It will be the first time Beckham has come up against Real Madrid since making the move from Spain to the United States in 2007.

Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho also congratulates the former Manchester United star on the recent birth of his daughter, Harper Seven.

Doctor Guilty Over Drugs Scandle

Canadian Anthony Galea has been charged with smuggling drugs including human growth hormone (HGH) into the country.

The Toronto-based physician, not licensed to work in the US, was said to have treated 20 professional athletes from October 2007 to September 2009.

His plea means a trial, revealing his clients, will not be held.

The indictment did not identify any clients, but prosecutors in the US city of Buffalo said they included
golfers, professional baseball and American football players.

Golfer Tiger Woods said recently that he had been treated by Galea, but categorically denied using performance-enhancing drugs.

Galea, 51, is due to be sentenced on 19 October. He could face up to two years in prison.

Among the charges, Galea was accused of unlawful HGH distribution, lying to US officials, conspiracy to defraud, smuggling and interstate commerce with the unapproved drug actovegin.

Actovegin, a drug extracted from calf's blood, is illegal in the US and not approved for use in Canada.

Galea became the focus of Canadian and US authorities' attention in September 2009, when his assistant,
Mary Anne Catalano, was stopped at the border in Buffalo with a small quantity of human growth hormone, Actovegin and vials of foreign homeopathic drugs.

She is due to be sentenced later this month and has pleaded guilty already to one count of lying to border agents.

England on success

Captain Alastair Cook said England must build on their success after securing a 3-2 one-day series win over Sri Lanka.

Despite clinching victory at Old Trafford in dramatic fashion on Saturday, he believes England are a long way from achieving their targets.

"We are a long way off the level we want to be at," said new skipper Cook.

"The things we talked about as a team at the beginning of the series are going to take time to work out but this is a step in the right direction."

The series was Cook's first on home soil after his appointment as captain of the one-day side, and the 26-year-old praised his team's character after they stood firm to hold off Sri Lanka's fightback in the final match.

"That's the first time I've had a really tight scenario in my eight games as one-day captain, and I thought we handled it well," added Cook, who also led the side in Bangladesh in 2010.

"I think the most pleasing aspect is the way we fought back from 2-1 down in the series.

"Everyone was writing us off, and we've played well in these past two games in all conditions on spinning wickets and flat wickets."

Cook's place in the side had been questioned before the series but he responded with 298 runs at an average of 74.50 and a strike rate of 96.75 in the five matches.

The Essex player's form ensured he was named player of the series but he denied he had been motivated by those who questioned whether he was worth his place.

"I have improved a little bit," said Cook. "It is always nice to score runs but you don't do it to prove critics wrong, you do it to help England win.



NBA women's game

The meeting between the Atlanta Dream of the Women's NBA, and the Great Britain national team in Manchester this weekend will serve as more than just a warm-up for GB's European Championship campaign.

It will mark the first time a WNBA team has played in Europe and forms a new front in the NBA's assault on the UK basketball market.

Since 2007, the NBA's has staged annual pre-season games in London in the hope of getting more people watching and playing the sport in the UK and hence increasing their awareness of the NBA.

On Sunday, Manchester's MEN Arena will host experienced WNBA side Atlanta Dream against the British women's team.

"The UK is a priority market for the NBA and we've been very encouraged by the progress the NBA has made," NBA Europe senior vice-president Sophie Goldschmidt told BBC Sport.

"Football is hugely popular but basketball is the second most popular sport in the world. And we've see positive trends in the UK," she added.

Although the NBA continues to struggle with sustained impact in the UK, one-off games tend to be successful.

Andrew Strauss Set for Warm Up

Captain Andrew Strauss insists England must hit peak form in the upcoming Test series against India ahead of his guest appearance for Somerset against the tourists this weekend.

The unusual opportunity for Strauss only came about because his own county Middlesex were without a fixture.

India's only warm-up game which starts on Friday, gives him the chance to rediscover his form with the bat.

Team-mate Jonathan Trott has backed Strauss to have a strong series.

He has looked uncomfortable against left-arm seamers of late, and will face one of the best in the world in India's Zaheer Khan.

But Trott points to how fellow batsman Alastair Cook has revived his fortunes in spectacular fashion during the past 12 months as an example of how quickly a player can regain his form.

"I thought people would have learnt from the end of last summer with what everyone was saying about Alastair Cook - and then look at the winter he had," he said.

"As a team, we respect Andrew so much and what he has done for the team and with the bat. The bloke knows his job as captain and opening bat is to score heaps of runs like everyone else selected in the position he bats. Andrew has been really working really hard with [England batting coach] Graham Gooch.

"He's been coming to nets during the one-dayers.

"If Andrew goes on and scores hundreds this series, everyone will be really happy, and he is capable of that."

England go into the contest in an optimistic frame of mind after a 1-0 Test series win over Sri Lanka and a 3-2 victory in the one-day international series.

But India are the top-ranked side in Test cricket - and Strauss admits that they are likely to pose a tougher challenge.



Mo Farah's New Route To Gold

It was Brendan who, in 1974, threw in a 60.4 second eighth lap to crack the opposition in the 5000m at the European Championships. We want to spot any such developments as soon as possible.

In Birmingham, Farah and Rupp gave them a taste of their own medicine. On the last lap, Imane Merga and Yenew Alamirew pulled well clear of everyone else in the race but were themselves left trailing by the Briton and American.

Yes, Olympic and world champion and world record-holder Kenenisa Bekele was not there, nor were any Kenyans who are preparing for their championships this weekend. But Merga was the world number one over 5000m last year and is the reigning world cross-country champion. Farah has defeated him twice this year.

Looking at my timing chart of the closing stages, I could not help noticing parallels between the Mo's victory and that of Bekele in the last Olympic Games and World Championships.

It does seem that Alberto Salazar - the coach of Farah and Rupp - has equipped his athletes with similar weaponry to that which was deployed in those races: not a mid-race break or a furious sprint during the last lap, but a sustained finishing surge involving a final mile of around four minutes, with progressively faster laps.

We cannot yet say that Mo is in the same class as Bekele, but when the Ethiopian legend returns to racing he may find that there are more men ready to take him on at his own game.

76ers Being Sold

Pending approval from the NBA, the Philadelpha 76ers have changed ownership for the fifth in franchise history, with Comcast Spectacor on Wednesday announcing an agreement to sell the team to an investment group led by billionaire Joshua Harris.

Harris is a managing partner at Apollo Global Management, LLC.

The terms of the deal were not disclosed but it is believed to be worth $280 million, CSNPhilly.com reported, falling well short of last year's record $450 million sale of the Golden State Warriors.

"We are honored to have the opportunity to be affiliated with this storied franchise," Harris said in a statement.

"As a basketball fan who attended college in Philadelphia, and with family roots here, I have always felt a strong connection to this City and the 76ers.

"We look forward to helping the 76ers organization build on this past season's accomplishments in the years ahead. The ownership group also looks forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship with Comcast-Spectacor."

The deal does not include the Wells Fargo Center, home to both the Sixers and Philadelphia Flyers, in whom Comcast-Spectacor still has a controlling interest.

Comcast-Spectacor president Peter Luukko confirmed earlier this month the company was in discussions to sell the Sixers. Sports impresario Ed Snider has served as the leader of the venture that oversaw the Sixers' and Flyers' operations since 1996.

It also was reported earlier this month that Comcast's regional sports network in Philadelphia would continue to own the Sixers' media rights.



Mix-up has ASU fans....

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Slow Stedium Deal

Los Angeles officials have put the brakes on a plan to build an NFL stadium in the city amid concerns over taxpayer dollars, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.



Anschutz Entertainment Group is proposing to build a $1 billion stadium for a potential NFL team in downtown Los Angeles in a deal that would ask the city to issue nearly $300 million in bonds.

The chairwoman of the city council's stadium committee had hoped the council would agree on the general principles of the deal and a rough financial contract by late July after her group met twice more privately.

Last week, however, another member of the five-person stadium committee instead called for an open and televised meeting with AEG at the end of the month for the entire city council. On Tuesday, the council's president agreed to schedule that discussion for July 29 and promised that members would not be asked to vote that day.

Stadium committee member Bill Rosendahl, who has been skeptical of the proposal's economic benefit, argued for the open-door discussion after reading aloud portions of a Tuesday Wall Street Journal article that described a stadium deal for the Cincinnati Bengals as "soaking up unprecedented tax dollars and county resources while returning little economic benefit."

"I don't want the taxpayers to find themselves snookered, and five or 10 years later pick up The Wall Street Journal and see it about us," Rosendahl said

US Women Team To The World Cup Final

The U.S. kept its fans breathless again. And just like last time, Abby Wambach - who else - came up big.

Wambach broke a tense tie with a thunderous header in the 79th minute, and the U.S. earned its first trip to the World Cup final since winning it in 1999 with a 3-1 victory over France on Wednesday.''We've achieved part of our goal. We're in the final,'' Wambach said. ''We want to complete it. We want to be world champs.''

Lauren Cheney and Alex Morgan also scored for the Americans, who will play Japan - 3-1 winners over Sweden - on Sunday in Frankfurt. If the U.S. wins, it would be the first team to claim three World Cup titles.

When the final whistle sounded, the Americans rushed onto the field. Wambach found U.S. coach Pia Sundhage and gave her a bearhug as the pro-American crowd of 25,676 serenaded the team with chants of ''U-S-A! U-S-A!'' and the party quickly spread across the Atlantic. A thrilling win over Brazil in the quarterfinals captivated fans back home, and a little thing called the workday wasn't enough to deter them.

Dozens of fans crowded around TVs in the Phoenix airport to watch the game, and less than an hour after it ended, ''World Cup Finals'' was trending on Twitter. ''My heroes. Wambach. Boxx. Rapinoe. Solo. That TEAM! Our team!'' actor Tom Hanks tweeted. Super Bowl MVP Aaron Rodgers said, ''Awesome job US Women, finish it off Sunday now.''

The U.S. was staked to an early lead by Cheney's goal in the ninth minute. But with the silky smooth Louisa Necib calling the shots, France dominated for most of the game, finishing with a whopping 25-11 advantage in shots. The French missed two great chances in the first half, with goalkeeper Hope Solo having to tip a Gaetane Thiney shot away in the 30th and Sonia Bompastor rattling the crossbar two minutes later.

Finally, in the 55th, France got its equalizer. Bompastor floated in a cross from about 30 yards and, with the dangerous Gaetane Thiney right in front of her, Solo had little opportunity to move. The ball flew right past her.

But just as they did Sunday against Brazil, the Americans got stronger and stronger as the game went on before Wambach - who scored a critical goal in the waning moments against the Brazilians - came through.

''In the end, we're in the finals,'' Wambach said, ''and that's all that matters.''

Harrison speaks to mgazine

New York(AP)
Heavily fined Pittsburgh Steeler linebacker James Harrison calls Nfl Commissioner Roger Goodell a ''crook'' and a ''devil,'' among other insults, in a magazine article.

The 2008 AP Defensive Player of the Year hasn't been shy about ripping the league after he was docked $100,000 for illegal hits last season. In the August issue of Men's Journal, his rants against Goodell reach another level of wrath.

''If that man was on fire and I had to piss to put him out, I wouldn't do it,'' Harrison told the magazine. ''I hate him and will never respect him.''

His other descriptions of the commissioner include an anti-gay slur, ''stupid,'' ''puppet'' and ''dictator.''

Harrison suggests the real way to prevent head injuries is to shorten the season to 14 games, start offseason workouts later and trim the length of training camp so ''we're not bangin' heads so much in August; that's where the brain trauma comes from.''