CONTROVERSIAL DECISION PROMPTS LAS VEGAS REFUNDS
Large bets for as much as $500,000 showed up on Gennady Golovkin at Las Vegas sportsbooks in the final hours before Saturday’s title fight against Canelo Alvarez. They would all have to be refunded after a controversial decision left both bettors and bookmakers disappointed and confused.
Heading into the decision, oddsmakers believed Golovkin had won the fight. International sportsbooks had Golovkin as high as a minus-500 favorite when live betting on the bout closed.
But when the decision was announced, judge Adalaide Byrd had seen things differently. She had Alvarez an easy 118-110 winner, a stunning difference from the cards from judges Dave Moretti (115-113 Golovkin) and Don Trella (114-114). The fight was ruled a split draw.
Shortly after the decision was given, lines formed at sportsbooks, with bettors looking for refunds. Straight bets on the winner of the fight were refunded in Las Vegas. Wagers on the method-of-victory props, which included an option to bet draw, were not refunded.
“There were some long lines, with some of the customers happy to get their money back and others disappointed,” Frank Kunovic, director of specialty games at Caesars Palace, told ESPN. “They weren’t yelling at us, but I think they were frustrated like we were about the decision.”
Caesars reported taking a six-figure loss on the draw.
Rousey’s comeback rated as 50-50.
Ronda Rousey’s longtime trainer Edmond Tarverdyan believes there is a “50-50” chance the UFC star ever fights again.
Rousey (12-2) has declined to address her fighting future since a onesided knockout loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 in December. UFC president Dana White has stated he believes it’s unlikely she’ll fight again.
Speaking to The MMA Hour, Tarverdyan admitted Rousey, 30, struggled with injuries in the later part of her career, but he did not rule out a comeback.
Morris brothers go to trial.
PHOENIX» NBA players Marcus and Markieff Morris went on trial on felony assault charges stemming from a 2015 beating that prosecutors labeled as an “orchestrated attack” and defense lawyers dismissed as a ploy to get money out of the athletes.
Opening statements began with prosecutors saying the two NBA stars and three other men each had a role in a beating that left a former acquaintance with a broken nose and other injuries.
Adidas now the No. 2 sneaker.
Adidas passed the Jordan brand as the second-most popular sneaker in the United States, market tracking company NPD Group announced.
“I’ve never seen a brand in the sneaker industry grow this fast,” NPD sports industry analyst Matt Powell said.
From January through August of this year, Adidas had 11.3 percent of the U.S. market share by dollars. That was up from the 6.6 percent the brand had over the same period last year.
Meanwhile, the Jordan brand essentially stayed steady, growing only from 9.4 percent to 9.5 percent yearto-date.
The leader in the marketplace, Jordan brand owner Nike, dropped from 39 percent of the market share for the first eight months of last year to 37 percent for the first eight months of 2017.
Kerber gets revenge on Osaka.
Seventh-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany beat local favorite Naomi Osaka 6-3, 6-4 to advance to the second round of the Pan-Pacific Open.
The victory was additionally sweet for Kerber, who was looking for revenge after the Japanese teenager knocked her out of the U.S. Open in straight sets.