Greer knocked down twice in loss to Plania
Underdog Mike Plania (24-1-0, 12 knockouts) stunned Chicago native Joshua Greer Jr. (22-2-1, 12 knockouts) with a majoritydecision victory in their 10-round bantamweight fight Tuesday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The scores were 94-94, 96-92 and 97-91.
Plania dropped Greer with knockdowns in the first and sixth rounds, with the Filipino’s dangerous left hooks catching Greer — the World Boxing Organization’s No. 1-ranked bantamweight entering the night — by surprise.
Greer came on aggressively in the final rounds, but Plania was able to tie him up frequently to let time run off the clock. Plania, who was unranked in the super bantamweight division but came down in weight class to fight Greer, landed 99 power punches to Greer’s mere 77, according to ESPN.
The loss is Greer’s first in his last 20 fights and deals a large blow to his world title pursuit, which was thought to be within reach if he won Tuesday.
NWSL Red Stars to open Cup against Pride
The Red Stars will kick off the NWSL Challenge Cup against the Orlando Pride at 9 p.m. on June 27th at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Utah.
The Red Stars then will face the Utah Royals at 9 p.m. on July 4. Their matches against the Houston Dash on July 9 and Sky Blue FC on July 13 will kick off at 11:30 a.m. All matches in the preliminary round will be available to stream on CBS All Access.
NBA League gives players June 24 deadline
The NBA reportedly said in a memo that players have until June 24 to notify their teams whether they plan to participate in the league’s return-to-play plan in Orlando, Florida. Any player who chooses not to play will have their compensation reduced by 1.1 percent for each game missed, up to a cap of 14 games.
♦ Nuggets coach Michael Malone says he had the coronavirus in March but didn’t know until after an antibody test in May.
FOOTBALL New Vegas stadium to host ’21 Pro Bowl
The Pro Bowl will be played at the new Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday, Jan. 31, 2021 — one week before the Super
Bowl in Tampa, Florida.
♦ Giants kicker Aldrick Rosas was arrested Tuesday morning following a hitand-run crash in Northern California. Alcohol is believed to be a factor in the crash.
♦ Virginia is changing the logos it uses for its athletic teams just two months after they were unveiled after criticism that a design element referred to the school’s history with slavery.
♦ Georgia cornerback Champ Bailey, Syracuse defensive end Dwight Freeney and Kansas State running back Darren Sproles will appear on the College Football Hall of Fame ballot for the first time.
MISCELLANEOUS Cuomo gives go-ahead for U.S. Open
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says the U.S. Open tennis tournament can be held in New York without fans from Aug. 31 to Sept. 13. ♦ The Sabres fired general manager Jason Botterill in a dramatic change-ofcourse three weeks after co-owner Kim Pegula said his job was secure.
♦ Dale Earnhardt Jr. will join his late father in NASCAR’s Hall of Fame next year, the feature attraction in the class of 2021.