BOXING
Lomachenko wins 2nd title
Vasiliy Lomachenko picked up his second lightweight title late Saturday night in New York, wearing down Jose Pedraza and winning a unanimous decision. Lomachenko (12-1) knocked down Pedraza twice in the 11th round and though he couldn’t finish him, won easily to add the WBO title to the WBA belt he picked up in May during his first fight at 135 pounds. The three-division champion unified titles within a division for the first time, after moving up to lightweight in May when he knocked out Jorge Linares in the 10th round. Lomachenko won one card by a 119-107 rout, while two judges scored it 117-109, as did The Associated Press. It ended his streak of eight consecutive victories by stoppage but he came close in the 11th, when Pedraza went to a knee to stop an onslaught of punches with about a half-minute left in the round and then went down again after Lomachenko caught him with a body shot.
GOLF
Kizzire, Harman win
Patton Kizzire and Brian Harman won the QBE Shootout on Sunday, eagling the par-5 17th and closing with a par for a one-stroke victory over Graeme McDowell and Emiliano Grillo. Kizzire and Harman shot an 11-under 61 in the better-ball final round to finish at 30 under at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Fla. They opened with a 59 in the first-round scramble and had a 66 on Saturday in modified alternate shot. McDowell and Grillo shot 62, making seven consecutive birdies on Nos. 11-17. The teams of Gary Woodland-Charley Hoffman, Kevin Na-Bryson DeChambeau and Luke List-Charles Howell III tied for third at 28 under. Woodland and Hoffman shot 63, Na and DeChambeau 62, and List and Howell had two back-nine eagles in a 61. Kizzire and Harman each earned $422,500. LPGA Tour player Lexi Thompson and Tony Finau had a 65 to finish seventh at 23 under.
Oosthuizen by 6
Louis Oosthuizen won his first title at the South African Open on Sunday, running away from his challengers with a final-round 67 for a six-shot victory. Oosthuizen led from the front on the final day at Randpark Golf Course in Johannesburg and although his three-shot overnight lead was cut to one after three holes, he surged back for a ninth European Tour victory and his first in nearly three years. The South African finished at 18-under 266. Romain Langasque was alone in second at 12 under with his closing 66. Charl Schwartzel (72), who led after two rounds in Johannesburg, finished in a tie for third with Bryce Easton, Thomas Aiken and Oliver Wilson, eight behind Oosthuizen.
BASEBALL
ESPN Sunday games earlier
Baseball players may get a little more sleep when traveling after Sunday night games next year. ESPN plans to announce it will move up the starting time of the nationally televised game by one hour, with the first pitch planned for shortly after 6 p.m. Central. The network intends to make the announcement today at the winter meetings, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Sunday because the announcement had not yet been made. Philadelphia hosts Atlanta in the first Sunday night game next season on March 31, the second game of a television doubleheader that begins with Texas playing the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. ESPN started the Sunday Night Baseball telecast in 1990, and it developed in a showcase time slot. It nearly always is the only game scheduled for that time.
Davis new Mets coach
Chili Davis has been hired as hitting coach of the New York Mets after spending last season in the role with the Chicago Cubs. Davis was hitting coach for Oakland manager Bob Melvin (2012-14) and Boston manager John Farrell (2015-2017) before moving to the Cubs under Manager Joe Maddon. Davis was fired in October. The Cubs were was 22nd among the 30 teams with 167 home runs and 13th with a .410 slugging percentage despite a .258 batting average that was third behind Boston and Cleveland. A three-time All-Star during a 19-year career that ended in 1999, Davis replaces Pat Roessler, who was fired after Mickey Callaway’s first season as Mets manager. New York also said Sunday it had hired Chuck Hernandez as bullpen coach and Luis Rojas for the new job of quality control coach.
HORSE RACING
Baffert wins two
Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert swept the CashCall Futurity and Starlet for 2-year-olds, winning the Grade 1 races for the second consecutive year at Los Alamitos, Calif. Improbable won the $300,345 Futurity by five lengths as the 1-5 favorite and 3-2 favorite Chasing Yesterday won the $300,345 Starlet by a head on Saturday. Drayden Van Dyke became the second jockey to win both races in the same year. Baffert earned his fifth consecutive victory in the Futurity and his 11th overall, having won it six times at old Hollywood Park. Improbable ran 11/16 miles in 1:41.18 and paid $2.40 to win. The colt’s ownership includes most of the group that owned Triple Crown winner Justify.
FOOTBALL
Harbaugh: ‘I’m not going anywhere’
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Jim Harbaugh insists he is staying at Michigan.
Responding to speculation he’s returning to the NFL, the former San Francisco 49ers coach told ESPN on Sunday he is not going anywhere.
“This is a choreographed message that comes up at this time every year before signing day,” Harbaugh told ESPN. “It’s people spreading messages to further their own personal agenda. But I’m on record right here, right now: I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying at Michigan. We have big plans here, and there’s a lot we want to accomplish.”
Former Ohio State star receiver and Fox Sports analyst Cris Carter has said Harbaugh is a potential candidate to lead the Green Bay Packers and Cleveland Browns.
After Harbaugh and the No. 7 Wolverines were celebrated Sunday at a banquet, he didn’t want to discuss the topic much at a previously scheduled news conference to promote the team’s appearance in the Peach Bowl.
Why did he address it with ESPN?
“To make a statement of it, to go on record and not be asked anymore after that by people who like to yap and ask questions,” Harbaugh told reporters.
Michigan won 10 games this season for the third time under Harbaugh but dropped to 0-4 against the rival Buckeyes and fell out of the Big Ten and national championship races. The Wolverines face No. 10 Florida on Dec. 29 in the Peach Bowl.
Harbaugh, who is 38-13 at Michigan, is in the fourth year of a seven-year contract with a compensation package that gives him more than $7 million per year. He returned nearly four years ago to the school where he was a star quarterback after going 44-19-1 with the 49ers, winning the 2012 NFC championship.
“I’m so happy that he’s our coach,” Michigan Athletic Director Warde Manuel said. “And I look forward to him coaching, as I said before, until he retires from Michigan and ends his career here.”