Stars und Sternchen! » e got to give respect to. Hes a cha

BROOMFIELD, Colo. -- Ruslan Provodnikov bruised Mike Alvarado all night with blow after powerful blow. Then, he broke Alvarados spirit. The Russian brawler nicknamed the "Siberian Rocky" captured the junior welterweight title on Saturday when Alvarado couldnt answer the bell for the 11th round. Provodnikov (23-2) knocked down Alvarado (34-2) twice in the eighth round with a series of punches near the ropes and finished him off late in the 10th. The fight was halted by referee Tony Weeks, who asked Alvarado a few times if he wanted to continue and Alvarado responded that he didnt. To Provodnikov, he couldnt have envisioned a better ending, comparing Alvarado throwing in the towel to Roberto Duran famously saying "No mas," in a fight against Sugar Ray Leonard in 1980. "I made him not want to fight me anymore," Provodnikov said through a translator. "This is the best way I could become the champion." Promoter Bob Arum, who represents Alvarado, said his boxer might have suffered a concussion. Provodnikov didnt have trainer Freddie Roach in his corner. Roach remained in the Philippines to work out with Manny Pacquiao, who fights Brandon Rios next month in Macau. It hardly mattered as Marvin Somodio filled in and kept Provodnikov on course. "My team told me, Youre ready -- come out and become a champion," Provodnikov said. "I was doing my job." Not even chants from the home crowd could lift Alvarado, who grew up in Denver and was wearing blue-and-orange trunks in honour of the Denver Broncos. Alvarado got lured into Provodnikovs kind of fight -- more brawling than boxing -- and never recovered. This was quite a contrast to Alvarados win over Rios seven months ago, when he had a near flawless fight. Alvarados eye puffed up midway through the fight, the result of a barrage of punches throughout the fight. "It just wasnt Mikes night. He was too defensive," said Shann Vilhauer, the trainer for Alvarado. "I think he just started reading all these clips after the (Brandon) Rios fight, that he was a great boxer and he got away from what hes best at. This guy (Provodnikov) was tailor made for him. He didnt take advantage." After the fight, Alvarado said that Provodnikov threw the hardest punches he has ever encountered. He also said manager Henry Delgado stopped the fight and that he agreed with the decision. "It was not worth taking more punishment because the damage could be permanent," Alvarado said. "It just wasnt my night. I have a lot of heart. Im not a quitter." This was the biggest bout in the area since former World Boxing Council lightweight champion Stevie Johnston fell to Jose Luis Castillo in 2000. It also was the first time HBO has televised a live fight from Colorado. Provodnikov didnt pay any attention to the pre-fight "boos," or the crowd constantly chanting, "3-0-3," the citys area code. "If you want to be a world champion, you have to risk it -- go and fight the best, go to his hometown," Provodnikov said. With the win, Provodnikov could likely be in line for the winner of Pacquiao and Rios. The other likely candidate is Timothy Bradley Jr., a fighter Provodnikov lost to in a memorable bout last March. A rematch with Alvarado isnt out of the question, either. "Unbelievable," said Arthur Pelullo, the president of Banner Promotions, which represents Provodnikov. "He had a great game plan. Even though Freddie wasnt here, he stuck to the game plan. Alvarado is a tough son of a gun. He was the kind of kid youve got to give respect to. Hes a champion." On the undercard, Juan Diaz (38-4) landed jab after jab on Juan Santiago (14-11-1), but couldnt put him away in a lightweight fight. Diazs dominating performance led to a unanimous decision as he remained unblemished in his third fight back after a two-year layoff. Diaz, a former titleholder nicknamed "Baby Bull," got burned out on boxing and took some time off, even opening a trucking company in Houston. "I got some much-needed rounds," said Diaz, whos hoping for another title shot down the road. "I think I broke him down very well throughout the fight. ... He gave me a good fight." Cheap Panthers Jerseys China . Indeed, must be among the greatest challenges in all of sports. The pressure he applies, from set to set, game to game, point to point, shot to shot. Cheap Panthers Jerseys Authentic .Y. - Major League Soccers independent review panel has taken back the fine and one-game suspension it placed on Toronto FC forward Luke Moore earlier this week. http://www.cheapfloridapanthersjerseys.com/ . MacLean clocked 8:24.91 seconds, eclipsing the previous mark of 8:27.59 set by Brittany Reimer of Victoria at the 2005 FINA World Championships in Montreal. MacLean and Tabitha Baumann of Ottawa -- second in 8:32.37 -- both went under the qualifying standard to be nominated to the Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacific teams. Cheap Adidas Panthers Jerseys .J. -- The New York Jets have promoted Tony Sparano Jr. Wholesale Panthers Jerseys . -- During a players meeting following the All-Star break, Jermaine ONeal promised his teammates to play the rest of the regular season like he would never play again -- because he very well might not.MALMO, Sweden - Ending a four-year run without a gold medal wont be easy for Canada at the world junior hockey championship. The quest begins with what is supposed to be an easy one, although Germany has traditionally been a stubborn opponent to Canadian teams at international tournaments. "Youve got to expect theyll be structured and hard working," coach Brent Sutter said Wednesday after a one-hour skate at the cosy Isstadion, where they face the Germans on Thursday. "Theyll be ready to play. "That game is the biggest game to date we have. It doesnt matter our opponent, its how we have to play. Lets make sure were responsible." You can watch all the action live on TSN beginning at 7am et/4am pt. Pre-tournament exhibition games against Finland, Sweden and Switzerland showed that while the Canadian squad — led by Halifax Mooseheads star Jonathan Drouin — will be among the better teams in the 10-team event, it doesnt have the speed and offensive flash of some of the 15 Canadian teams that won gold in the past. The host team Sweden, with at least 10 players returning from a squad that won silver last year in Ufa, Russia, looks like the team to beat, especially after the 3-0 beating they put on Canada in an exhibition game last week. The Swedes are in the opposite first-round group and will play at the newer, much larger Malmo Arena. Canada has only three players back from the 2013 tournament. They include Drouin, Jake Paterson (who didnt dress for any games in Ufa as the third goalie), and defenceman Griffin Reinhart, who is suspended for the first three games this year from a slashing incident in last years semifinals. The loss in Ufa ended Canadas 14-year run of top-three finishes at the tournament officially called the IIHF world under-20 championship. This years squad is younger than most, and should be a showcase for three players not even eligible to be drafted by the NHL yet. First among them is Connor McDavid, the dazzling 16-year-old playmaker and scoring star of the Erie Otters who will not be eligible for the draft until 2015. There is also forward Sam Reinhart of the Kootenay Ice, the younger brother of Griffin Reinhart, along with big defenceman Aaron Ekblad of the Barrie Colts. They may go one-two in the 2014 draft. Sutter has McDavid and Reinhart on the wings with centre Bo Horvat, an imposing Vancouver Canucks prospect from the London Knights. They were the only line to stay together through the teams three pre-tournament games. Reinhart turned 18 in November and is not a true "underage" junior, and Sutter uses him as he would a seasoned veteran. In exhibition play, he played the power play and on the penalty kill. In one instance when Canada was short-handed two men, he was the lone forward on the ice. "Hes an all-purpose player," said Sutter. "He just knows how to play the game. "Hes an intelligent player and his paying attention to details in all sorts of situations is very high. As a coach, youre very comfortable playing him in whatever situation that occurs." Reinhart is used to the ice time with Kootenay and was a captain on Canadian under-18 teams, so he likes the responsibility Sutter has given him. "It gives you confidence for opening night," he said. "We took some games to find ouur mentality and what well bring to the first one.dddddddddddd "We feel confident in our game right now. The focus has turned onto the first game against Germany and were looking forward to it." The exhibition games were a test for Drouin, the third overall pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning last June. Sutter blasted him for a weak showing against Sweden, even though it was Drouins first game since suffering a concussion in a league game with Halifax on Dec. 8. He was moved from left wing to centre for the final exhibition against the Swiss and played better. "Brent said some stuff," said Drouin, who will likely centre big winger Anthony Mantha and the defensively solid Taylor Leier of the Portland Winterhawks. "I know I played bad and didnt help the team. "I had to step up my game against the Swiss and I think I did. I feel better. The first game was a little rough. Its been three weeks (since he played) and its different from major junior. Its way more fast, but I think the second game was better." Another question to be settled was in goal, and Sutter believes hes found his man in Paterson of the Saginaw Spirit, who will start against Germany. The Mooseheads Zach Fucale will start the tournament as the backup, but Sutter expects both will see action in the tournament. Other lines are likely to have Nic Petan of Portland between Curtis Lazar of the Edmonton Oil Kings and Kerby Rychel of the Gueph Storm; and captain Scott Laughton of the Oshawa Generals with Frederik Gauthier of the Rimouski Oceanic and Josh Anderson of the Knights. Charles Hudon of the Chicoutimi Sagueneens may slot in the Drouin line. The defence will likely be rearranged when Griffin Reinhart returns Dec. 31 against the Americans. Sutter has been trying various combinations for a group that includes Ekblad, Matt Dumba of the Minnesota Wild, Chris Bigras of the Owen Sound Attack, McDavids Erie teammate Adam Pelech, Josh Morrissey of the Prince Albert Raiders and Derrick Pouliot of Portland. Without a high-powered attack, there has been much talk of playing "Boston Bruins hockey," which despite popular perception does not mean hammering everyone who moves, but rather working the puck up the ice in tight, five-man units and playing a controlled two-way game. "It is the makeup of our team," said Sutter, who won gold with a similar group in 2006. "We have to support each other. "We cant be a spread-out team thats playing one zone and two zones ahead. We have to be coming out of zones together and using each other. When one guy has the puck, the other four have to be options and be available for plays. And we have to be smart when were hitting the red line. We cant have turnovers." The game against Germany is a chance to see flashy forward Leon Draisaitl, who is Morrisseys teammate in Prince Albert. Draisaitl is a projected top-10 pick in 2014. They played against one another at the under-18 championship, and Morrissey said they have