sport world

LAS VEGAS — Top Rank Inc. has long been one of the top promotional companies in boxing, but Floyd Mayweather Jr. wanted to march to the beat of his own drummer, so he left the industry giant in 2006. He has since become a master at self-marketing. At the end of 2016, Forbes listed his net worth at $...

LAS VEGAS >> It was 108 degrees outside the Mayweather Boxing Club at 1:30 p.m. Thursday. A handful of fans stood outside, hopeful of getting a look at Floyd Mayweather Jr., even though he wasn’t scheduled to arrive until 3 p.m. Reporters and photographers stood in line, waiting to get in as t...

ANAHEIM >> Add Martin Maldonado to the list of Angels who are moving, as Mike Scioscia frequently says, “into uncharted waters.” The Angels catcher was in the lineup Tuesday to play his 79th game of the season behind the plate, the most in the major leagues. Before this season, Maldonado had n...

INGLEWOOD — Except for doing something no one else has — knock out Beard Hopkins — Joe Smith Jr. hasn’t done a da thing. Perhaps that’s why he wasn’t all smiles and blowing kisses to the world Thursday at the Forum in Inglewood. Smith was among those hosting a news conference promoting Saturday’...

TAMPA, Fla. >> Jordan Morris’ second goal of the game broke a tie in the 76th minute, and the United States edged tiny Martinique 3-2 Wednesday night in the CONCACAF Gold Cup after wasting a two-goal lead at Raymond James Stadium. Failing to break through in the first half, the U.S. built a 2-...

SPARTA, Ky. >> Martin Truex Jr. was dominant throughout and had enough left on a final restart to win the NASCAR Cup race Saturday night at Kentucky Speedway. Second in points entering the 400-mile event, Truex started second beside Kyle Busch and won the first two stages. Truex led the final ...

DETROIT >> Eric Young Jr. is taking advantage of the opportunity to play in place of Mike Trout. Young had three hits and scored three runs, helping the Angels rout the Detroit Tigers, 11-4, Thursday. The 32-year-old outfielder is hitting .333 since getting called up from Triple-A Salt Lake on...

Martin Truex Jr. took the lead with 28 laps to go and held off Kevin Harvick on the final restart to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Southe 500 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday night. Truex started the summer season by leading an astounding 588 of 600 miles to win at Charlotte on Memorial Day weekend. He closed the season by outracing Harvick on Labor Day weekend for his second crown jewel win of the season. Harvick had the dominant car. He led 214 of 367 laps but this run was cut short by slow pit stops. At one point, Harvick fell 11 spots from first to 12th after a super slow 16.6-second stop. He battled back toward the top, but could not chase down Truex. Last week’s wier at Michigan, Kyle Lars...

RIO DE JANEIRO >> There was a moment during a U.S. Olympic track and field team meeting Thursday where it hit Boris Berian just how far he had traveled from working at a Colorado Springs McDonald’s less than two years ago, to being rescued by a couple he didn’t know, to prevailing in a legal battle with the largest shoe company on the planet, to arriving this week at the Olympic Games. “It brought a bit of the story back,” Berian said. “It was like ‘Wow, I’m here in Rio with the Olympic team.’ So it was pretty cool.” Berian extended his unlikely jouey at least one more day, advancing to the Olympic 800-meter semifinal Saturday after finishing third in his first round heat Friday moing...

SEATTLE >> It is fitting for Mike Trout to be at Safeco Field this weekend. As Trout is celebrating his 25th birthday — a natural moment to take stock of his accomplishments, to mark where he stands in history — he has a front-row seat to a weekend of events dedicated to Ken Griffey Jr. The freshly inducted Hall of Famer is being honored all weekend by the Seattle Mariners, including an hour-long ceremony to have his number retired on Saturday. “It’s pretty cool,” Trout said. “I watched him growing up. Being a part of it is pretty cool.” Millions of kids grew up wanting to play like Griffey. Trout, by just about any evaluation, is the only one who really has. Ask Mark Langston, a team...

SEATTLE >> It is fitting for Mike Trout to be at Safeco Field this weekend. As Trout is celebrating his 25th birthday — a natural moment to take stock of his accomplishments, to mark where he stands in history — he has a front-row seat to a weekend of events dedicated to Ken Griffey Jr. The freshly inducted Hall of Famer is being honored all weekend by the Seattle Mariners, including an hour-long ceremony to have his number retired on Saturday. “It’s pretty cool,” Trout said. “I watched him growing up. Being a part of it is pretty cool.” Millions of kids grew up wanting to play like Griffey. Trout, by just about any evaluation, is the only one who really has. Ask Mark Langston, a team...

Dale Eahardt Jr. will miss at least two more races while he recovers from a concussion. Eahardt, who skipped the last three races, will sit out at Watkins Glen Inteational on Sunday and at Bristol Motor Speedway on Aug. 20. Four-time series champion Jeff Gordon will replace Eahardt behind the wheel in the No. 88 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. The team made the aouncement Monday, saying Eahardt hasn’t been cleared to race. Eahardt underwent further evaluation Monday at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Sports Medicine Concussion Program. The driver said on his weekly podcast that he continues to experience issues with balance and gaze stabilization. Gordon subbed for Eahardt a...

SOUTH EL MONTE — Joseph Diaz Jr. recently moved out of his parents’ home in South El Monte into an apartment in Glendora. “Oh, it was very tough, man, because I had my mom and my dad cooking meals for me and my mom babying me, washing my clothes when I was done working out,” said Diaz, a world-class prize-fighter who Saturday will take on Victor Proa (28-1-2, 21 KOs) of Mexico in the featherweight co-main event at Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio (on HBO Latino). “So all I had to do was just go to my room and get some rest. But I feel like it’s a new jouey for me and just another leaing experience. It’s time for me to be a grown adult and to be a man and start being more responsible with ever...

SOUTH EL MONTE — Joseph Diaz Jr. recently moved out of his parents’ home in South El Monte into an apartment in Glendora. “Oh, it was very tough, man, because I had my mom and my dad cooking meals for me and my mom babying me, washing my clothes when I was done working out,” said Diaz, a world-class prize-fighter who Saturday will take on Victor Proa (28-1-2, 21 KOs) of Mexico in the featherweight co-main event at Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio (on HBO Latino). “So all I had to do was just go to my room and get some rest. But I feel like it’s a new jouey for me and just another leaing experience. It’s time for me to be a grown adult and to be a man and start being more responsible with ever...

TORONTO — The Toronto Blue Jays have acquired outfielder Melvin Upton Jr. from the San Diego Padres. The Blue Jays also received cash from San Diego. In retu, the Padres get minor league right-hander Hansel Rodriguez. Upton is batting .256 with 16 home runs, 45 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. The 12-year veteran has also played for Tampa Bay and Atlanta. Upton is in the fourth year of a five-year, $75.25 million contract he signed with the Braves before the 2013 season. He’s owed $16.45 million next season. The 19-year-old Rodriguez is in his third season with Bluefield in the Rookie level Appalachian League. He’s 2-1 with a 3.06 ERA in six starts. Upton sat out San Diego’s past two games, includ...

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. >> Two players who began their careers at opposite ends of the spectrum nearly three decades ago ended up in the same place on Sunday — with their names etched on plaques at the Baseball Hall of Fame. For Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza, the culmination of their long joueys was tinged with tears all around. “I stand up here humbled and overwhelmed,” Griffey said, staring out at his family and tens of thousands of fans. “I can’t describe how it feels.” The two became a piece of history on their special day. Griffey, the first pick of the 1987 amateur draft, became the highest pick ever inducted. Piazza, a 62nd-round pick the next year — No. 1,390 — is the lowest pick t...

INDIANAPOLIS >> Dale Eahardt Jr. will not race again this month because of concussion-like symptoms and the No. 88 car will be tued over to trusted former teammate Jeff Gordon for the next two weeks. Hendrick Motorsports aounced Wednesday that Eahardt has not yet been cleared to drive by doctors and will miss Sunday’s Brickyard 400 as well as next weekend’s race at Pocono. NASCAR’s most popular driver has been battling balance issues and nausea since a July 2 crash at Daytona. Eahardt pulled himself out of the car last weekend in New Hampshire and was replaced by Alex Bowman. After another medical evaluation Tuesday in Pittsburgh, doctors told Eahardt to take more time off. “Our focus...

INDIANAPOLIS — Dale Eahardt Jr. will not race again this month because of concussion-like symptoms and the No. 88 car will be tued over to trusted former teammate Jeff Gordon for the next two weeks. Hendrick Motorsports aounced Wednesday that Eahardt has not yet been cleared to drive by doctors and will miss Sunday’s Brickyard 400 as well as next weekend’s race at Pocono. NASCAR’s most popular driver has been battling balance issues and nausea since a July 2 crash at Daytona. Eahardt pulled himself out of the car last weekend in New Hampshire and was replaced by Alex Bowman. After another medical evaluation Tuesday in Pittsburgh, doctors told Eahardt to take more time off. “Our focus is giv...

LOUDON, N.H. — Four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon could come out of retirement next weekend and drive the No. 88 Chevrolet if Dale Eahardt Jr. is not cleared to race. Eahardt will sit out this weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway because he shows symptoms of a concussion. Alex Bowman will drive in his place. Hendrick Motorsports general manager Doug Duchardt said Friday that Gordon has agreed to retu and drive next week if he is needed at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Gordon won the last of his record five Brickyard 400 victories in 2014. Gordon has not raced since last season’s finale at Homestead, wrapping up a career that included 93 career Cup victories and series championships in ...

LAS VEGAS — The experience seemed similar to the adrenaline rush tourists feel when they first arrive here. Instead of enjoying pleasant days at the pool and rich eaings at the casino, the Lakers became excited with both the wins and their promising young core. Then everything became as dreadful as when tourists leave Sin City. Instead of feeling broke and hung over, the Lakers nearly capped the end of their Summer League experience both with an unexpected loss and an unexpected injury. The Lakers lost, 88-80, to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday at Thomas & Mack Center, denying them both a chance for further postseason advancement. Instead, the Lakers (3-1) will play the Utah Jazz in ...