Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/712794
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 17 JULY 2016 47 Sport TENNIS BOXING Berdych to miss Rio over Zika Nadal gets green light to play at Rio Olympics TOMAS Berdych will not com- pete at the Rio Olympics due to concerns over the Zika virus. The world number eight made the announcement on Saturday, less than 24 hours after fellow top- 10 stars Milos Raonic and Simona Halep made similar decisions. In a statement, the Czech said: "It was a hard decision for me to take after a long and painstaking discussion with my dearest. It's purely my personal decision but I still feel a need to give at least one of the serious reasons leading to this step to my supporters and fans. "It is because of the zika vi- rus spread in the country of the Olympics. As I have founded a family recently, to limit health risks towards my nearest is the ut- most priority." The tennis event in Rio takes place from August 6-14. As things stand, the men's top four of Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Stan Wawrinka and Ra- fael Nadal are all due to play, as are the women's top four of Serena Williams, Angelique Kerber, Gar- bine Muguruza and Agnieszka Radwanska. Tomas Berdych: Won't play in Rio Murray open to Eubank Jr clash MARTIN Murray is looking to face Chris Eubank Jr after the Brit- ish middleweight champion failed to finalise a deal with Gennady Golovkin. St Helens' Murray (33-4-1, 16KOs) was most recently in ac- tion on June 25 when he was out- pointed by fellow former world title challenger George Groves at super-middleweight. Although both men billed that clash as a last-chance saloon in terms of world title ambitions, Murray's desire still seems to be burning brightly enough. Certain- ly more brightly, he claims, than Eubank Jr's desire to face Golovkin ever did. He told Sky Sports: "Everyone keeps telling me they'd like to see me in with Eubank Jr and it's a great fight I'd like to be involved in. I'm putting it out there that I'm ready and available if he wants to fight. "I said it all along that he wouldn't fight Golovkin. I said it was a pub- licity stunt and it turned out that way. It's quite clever how they've done it because they were never going to fight him but they've talked the fight up and if and when he does fight him, it's even bigger now. "He won't fight me either, even though it's a fight everyone wants to see. He won't fight me, because if he does then he'll lose and he'll never get that Golovkin fight then. "Barring Golovkin, I've said for years that I don't think there's anybody out there at middleweight who'd beat me. I think Eubank Jr is a good fight for me but I think it's one I'd win very comfortably, if I'm honest. "I rate Eubank Jr. He's a very good fighter and he's improving all the time but someone like my- self - an experienced, strong mid- dleweight, he's not ready for in my opinion. He likes standing toe to toe and he likes having a go and I like having a fight so it'd be a great one to watch. "I can mix it with the super-mid- dleweights but I feel like I've got more advantage at middleweight. I moved up because I found it hard to make but also, I didn't know where I was going to go. Now there are big fights out there." Murray remains the man to have taken WBA Super, WBC and IBF champion Golovkin (35-0, 32KOs) the furthest, lasting until the 11th round in Monaco in February 2015. Martin Murray is hungry for more big fights Three in line to face Pacquiao BOB Arum has drawn up a short- list of three opponents to face Man- ny Pacquiao in a comeback fight in the autumn. The boxer-turned-politician has asked promoter Arum to find an opponent and venue for a comeback fight in Las Vegas on either October 29 or November 5. "I hope to get things done in a week or so," Top Rank boss Arum told the Manila Bulletin. Arum, who has guided Pacquiao's career since 2005, has whittled the list of possible foes down to three names: Danny Garcia, Jessie Vargas and the winner of the unification fight between Terence Crawford and Viktor Postol. Garcia holds the WBC welter- weight crown and is undefeated in 32 contests, while Vargas holds the WBO strap and has lost just once in 29 fights. WBO super lightweight champi- on Crawford faces WBC champion Postol in Las Vegas on July 23 in a fight which will see both boxers put their unblemished 28-0 records on the line. "I've said the three guys that are now being considered would be the two welterweight champions Dan- ny Garcia and Jessie Vargas," Arum said on boxingscene.com. "Freddie thinks that Manny wants to go down to 140, which is his nat- ural weight, and fight at that level, so the winner of Crawford-Postol, if the winner emerges like we think he will with all of the credentials - then the winner of that fight could be in the number one position." Pacquiao, a winner of world or Ring magazine titles in a record eight weight divisions, has said any return must not interfere with his senate duties As a result, Pacquiao will train with Freddie Roach in the Phillip- pines before heading to Los Angles and Arum will ditch the traditional pre-fight tour of multiple cities to promote the fight. Pacquiao, admitted his love of boxing has not faded since hanging up his gloves after defeating Timo- thy Bradley in his last fight in April. "When you put your passion and your dedication in one sport, you cannot say you're leaving that sport if your passion is there," he said in an interview in his hometown of General Santos. "Boxing is always my passion and I grew up (as a boxer). The Lord helped me make a name in boxing history. I am still strong. I am still young." Long-term coach Roach believes Pacquiao, 37, still has plenty left in the tank for a comeback despite be- ing a veteran of 66 fights. "I have no doubt he will fight again," Roach told USA Today. "He told me in the locker room after the fight (against Timothy Bradley in April) that he misses it already. R AFAEL Nadal has been given the green light by the Interna- tional Tennis Federation (ITF) to compete at next month's Rio Olympics despite not fulfilling the qualification criteria. The 2008 Beijing gold medal- list's participation had been in doubt as injury had prevented him from appearing in the mini- mum number of Davis Cup ties required in a four-year Olympic cycle to qualif y for the Games. The Spaniard, who has been out of action since pulling out of the French Open following his second round match with a wrist injury, won his appeal to compete in the Aug. 5-21 Games and was named in the final list of participants issued by the ITF on Friday. The 30-year-old, who missed the 2012 Games through injury, has been named as his country's f lag bearer in the opening cer- emony and will be one of four Spaniards competing for the men's singles gold medal. He will also compete in the men's doubles with Marc Lopez. Nadal has not travelled with the Spain team to Romania for the Davis Cup Euro/Africa zone playoff as he continues his recov- ery from the wrist injury. Rafael Nadal