Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/833901
22 maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 7 JUNE 2017 Sport MOTOGP FOOTBALL BOXING Márquez: Honda must be more consistent Pioli named new coach at Fiorentina MARC Márquez says Honda needs to show better consist- ency at upcoming events, af- ter a mixed start to the season which has left the works riders 37 points off the title lead. Honda endured a particularly tough weekend at Mugello, amid tyre struggles, limiting Márquez to sixth, as Dani Pe- drosa and satellite rider Cal Crutchlow collided on the final lap. Márquez's only victory from the first six rounds came in Austin, the Spaniard winning all five editions of the US event so far, with Honda's results fluc- tuating at different tracks. Ahead of this weekend's Cata- lan Grand Prix, Márquez said: "I'm happy to get back in action soon and to do it at Catalunya, as racing at home in front of all your fans always gives you an extra boost. "In Italy we managed the situ- ation as well as possible, but we must do better. "We have to be able to remain more consistently at a good level. "The test we did at Catalu- nya some days ago went well enough. We did a lot of laps, improving the bike's set-up over the day, so we'll try and build on that beginning on Friday." Pedrosa echoed his team- mate's feelings on Honda's situ- ation. "I'm looking forward to going to Montmelò as I like the track a lot and of course the atmos- phere with my fan club and all the fans is always amazing," said Pedrosa, who won at Jerez. "We will work hard to get back to the level we were at before Mugello and try and make good use of the information we gath- ered during the test we had in May, which was quite positive. "We are are ready to give our 100 per cent to get a good re- sult!" While the Honda riders have been in and out of contention, Yamaha's Maverick Viñales has won three races, and taken an- other podium finish, to com- fortably top the standings. As it stands, Viñales sits 26 points clear of Italian Grand Prix winner Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati), with team-mate Val- entino Rossi four points further back, followed by the Honda riders. STEFANO Pioli, fired by Inter Milan just under one month ago, was named as the new coach of Fiorentina on Tues- day, returning to the club where he spent six years of his playing career. The 51-year-old replaced Portuguese Paulo Sousa, whose contract was not re- newed after an exasperating- ly inconsistent season which saw the Violets finish eighth in Serie A. Pioli has done the rounds in Italian football and Fioren- tina will be the 12th profes- sional team he has coached. A central defender in his playing days, Pioli's first job as head coach was with Serie B side Salternitana in 2003. He moved to Modena, an- other second tier side, in 2004 and got his first chance in the top f light with Parma in 2006. He was sacked after six months with the team one place off the bottom, and went back to Serie B where he coached Grosseto, Piacenza and Sassuolo. Chievo brought him back to Serie A in 2010 and he moved to Palermo the following year but lasted just 90 days at the notoriously volatile club. Next stop was Bologna where Pioli managed to keep them in Serie A during two difficult seasons, finally mov- ing to Lazio in 2014 where he lasted just under two years. He was given his first chance at one of Italy's big clubs in November last year when In- ter Milan hired him but, after a promising start, was dis- missed last month following a seven-match winless run. He made 156 appearances for Fiorentina as a player be- tween 1989 and 1995. Stefano Pioli Olympic medallist Joshua Buatsi joins Eddie Hearn OLYMPIC bronze medallist Joshua Buatsi has left the Great Britain programme to turn professional with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing. The 24-year-old was one of the stand-out performers at Rio 2016 with a string of impressive performances in the light-heavyweight category. Buatsi, who earned particular praise for his knockout win over highly-rated Uzbek Elshod Rasulov, is set to make his professional debut in London on July 1. GB Boxing performance director Rob McCracken said: "Joshua has been fantastic for GB Boxing. His performances at Rio 2016 were outstanding and he was an inspiration to the rest of the team with the way he boxed and the belief he showed. "Joshua has been a pleasure to work with and everyone at GB Boxing wishes him all the best for his future career. He will remain part of the GB Boxing family and will always receive a warm welcome whenever he visits our gym in Shef- field." Buatsi joined the GB squad in 2014 and went on to win a bronze medal at the 2015 European Championship in Bul- garia. Joshua Buatsi