LONDON — Former super-middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe retired from boxing Thursday with a 46-0 record.
“I’ve got no other goals to go for,” he said. “That’s why I am calling it a day.”
The Welshman outpointed Roy Jones Jr. in November in his last fight of a 16-year pro career.
“I had a long think with my family,” Calzaghe said. “My children wanted me to give up, plus my mum.”
Calzaghe, 36, said he was tempted to fight three more times to match Rocky Marciano‘s 49-0 record, but said he lacked the hunger. And there will be no comeback, he pledged.
Injury sidelines Brand for season
PHILADELPHIA — Elton Brand‘s comeback from a separated right shoulder is over as the Philadelphia 76ers power forward will have season-ending surgery Monday.
All the 76ers got in the first year of a five-year, $80 million contract was 13.8 points and 8.8 rebounds in only 29 games.
“It’s the most disappointed I’ve ever been in my career,” Brand said. “This was supposed to be winning, supposed to be fun. Management believed in me. I’m still not going to let them down.”
• Forward Chris Bosh will travel with the Toronto Raptors to New Orleans but is listed as doubtful for tonight’s game against the Hornets because of a sprained right knee.
• The Orlando Magic traded shooting guard Keith Bogans and cash to the Milwaukee Bucks for point guard Tyronn Lue.
Volunteers’ Kiffin reprimanded
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee football coach Lane Kiffin issued an apology after he was reprimanded by the Southeastern Conference for falsely accusing Florida coach Urban Meyer of a recruiting violation.
Kiffin claimed Meyer violated rules by phoning Nu’Keese Richardson while the receiver prospect was on an official visit at Tennessee.
“I love the fact that Urban had to cheat and still didn’t get him,” Kiffin said.
According to the NCAA, it is not against recruiting rules to contact a recruit while they are on an official visit to another school.
Footnotes.
Lindsey Vonn led downhill training at the world championships in Val d’Isère, France, despite standing up out of her tuck for the final 200 meters.
Christoph Gruber of Austria was fastest among the men, while Bode Miller was 13th.
• Payton Jordan, coach of the record-setting 1968 U.S. Olympic track and field team, died of cancer at 91. Jordan led the U.S. track team to a record 24 medals, 12 of them gold, at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. He served as Stanford’s track and field coach from 1957-79.
• Belgian cyclist Frederiek Nolf was found dead in his Doha, Qatar, hotel room hours before the start of the fifth stage of the Tour of Qatar. The cause of death wasn’t immediately known. The tour’s final stage will take place today as planned.
• Washington Capitals goalie Brent Johnson will have hip surgery next week and is expected to miss up to two months.
• The San Diego Padres signed Cliff Floyd to a one-year deal and designated Matt Bush, the No. 1 pick in the 2004 amateur draft, for assignment. The Associated Press
