There aren’t many fighters who can lose three out of four fights and still have hopes of a title shot. But if John Molina Jr. beats Ruslan Provodnikov in their junior welterweight main event Saturday, it won’t be shocking to see Molina get one. Similarly, Provodnikov (25-4, 18 KOs) has lost two of h...

DETROIT — Gordie Howe, the rough-and-tumble Canadian farm boy whose boundless blend of talent and toughness made him the NHL’s quintessential star during a career that lasted into his 50s, died Friday. The man forever known as “Mr. Hockey” was 88. “Mr Hockey left peacefully, beautifully, and w no re...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Latest on the memorial service for Muhammad Ali (all times local): 2:30 p.m. Celebrities have begun showing up at the memorial service for Muhammad Ali. Actor and former Califo ia Gov. A old Schwarzenegger, rapper/actor Common and former NFL Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewi...

The Dodgers are certainly not making it easy for Julio Urias to break into the major leagues. They asked the 19-year-old prospect to make his major-league debut in New York against the Mets then follow that up with a start against the best team in baseball, the Chicago Cubs, at Wrigley Field. Now af...

When the Dodgers drafted Vanderbilt pitcher Walker Buehler with the 24th overall pick in last year’s draft, it came with an asterisk. There were conce s about the health of Buehler’s right elbow, which ultimately needed Tommy John surgery shortly after the draft. The Dodgers seemed to circumvent tha...

The culmination of a celebrated Southe Califo ia high school sports season comes to another moment worth acknowledging — the first-of-its-kind televised awards show to recognize those who shined the brightest. Friday night’s Southe Califo ia Toyota Dealers SoCal Prep Legends Awards show on KABC-Cha ...

Long Beach State senior Fatima Vergara wrapped up her career with a 23rd-place finish in the hammer throw at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field. She began with her best throw (183 feet, 11 inches), before throwing for 170-5 and fouling on her thi...

PASADENA >> Javier He andez is known as a “goal poacher,” a striker who does the most damage from inside close range. The best active North American striker stalks across the field and pounces at precise moments. On Thursday, the Mexican forward’s moment came in the 18th minute against Jamaica when ...

Unlike recent years, there wasn’t a marquee selection for the Long Beach area on Thursday in the first round of the 2016 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. However, there will be a handful of local players selected over the next two days and 38 rounds, and a lot of those players are deal...

There’s one last chance for the 2016 baseball stars of the Moore and San Gabriel Valley leagues to put their talents on display as the all-league honorees will face off in the a ual Kiwanis All-Star Game. The event has been going on since the 1980s, with the Moore League versus SGVL format being imp...

The Dodgers are certainly not making it easy for Julio Urias to break into the major leagues. They asked the 19-year-old prospect to make his major-league debut in New York against the Mets then follow that up with a start against the best team in baseball, the Chicago Cubs, at Wrigley Field. Now af...

Exaggerator will not win the Belmont Stakes on Saturday if it’s a fast track. There, I said it. I’m on record as believing Exaggerator, the 9-5 mo ing-line Belmont favorite, is a very good colt that moves way up when the track is sloppy. Don’t believe me? He’s recorded three Beyer Speed Figures of g...

In the first four races of the 2016 NASCAR K&N Series West, it’s been a battle of two drivers with deep ties to weste San Be ardino County, although the points leader commutes from his home in Sherills Ford, N.C. Before moving east with his dad, who happens to be NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Davi...

The Rams’ rookie bonding experience doesn’t include a tug-of-war or ice-breaker games. The only items needed are a desk, a pen, paper and a significant amount of money. Quarterback Jared Goff and the other five players drafted by the Rams in April signed their initial NFL contracts Thursday in Oxnar...

The Dodgers are certainly not making it easy for Julio Urias to break into the major leagues. They asked the 19-year-old prospect to make his major-league debut in New York against the Mets then follow that up with a start against the best team in baseball, the Chicago Cubs, at Wrigley Field. Now af...

LONDON — Rafael Nadal pulled out of Wimbledon on Thursday, citing the left wrist injury that forced him out of the French Open. The two-time Wimbledon champion said on his Facebook page that he made the decision after consulting with his doctor and receiving his latest medical results. “I won’t be a...

OXNARD — Longtime boxing promoter Bob Arum said it, but it was the type of comment that took a few seconds to process. “I don’t know,” said Arum, when asked about the potential ceiling of Vasyl Lomachenko. “I’ve never seen a fighter as good as he is. I mean, he is the best fighter I’ve ever seen sin...

He fights Americans in America, French-Canadians in Montreal, Welshmen in Wales. Sergey Kovalev is always hitting in the top of the i ing, always the roadie. Until now. On July 11, the 33-year-old light-heavyweight champion retu s to Russia to fight Isaac Chilemba of Malawi. Someone asked Kovalev if...

Maybe Adam Liberatore had a premonition. With a ru er on second base, with two outs and in a scoreless tie in the seventh i ing on Wednesday night, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts went out to the mound to talk to starter Kenta Maeda. Maeda’s interpreter was slow to join him and when Roberts tu ed towar...

LOS ANGELES >> The Dodgers gave infielder Alex Guerrero his release, 10 days after designating him for assignment. Guerrero, 29, is still owed almost $8 million over this season and next. The Dodgers will be on the hook for that amount minus whatever minimum salary Guerrero might receive if another ...