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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Fast Break

Boxing

Valuev narrowly beats Holyfield

Nikolai Valuev likely ended Evander Holyfield’s last chance at winning a fifth heavyweight title, narrowly defending his WBA title by majority decision on Saturday night in Zurich, Switzerland.

The 46-year-old American, attempting to become the oldest heavyweight to win a major belt, started the fight by moving around the ring to neutralize Valuev’s long reach advantage.

The 7-foot Russian, the tallest and heaviest champion, struggled to close down Holyfield early but began asserting his jab as Holyfield tired.

One judged scored the bout a draw, while the others had Valuev winning 116-112 and 115-114.

“Of course, I am disappointed,” Holyfield said. “I thought I had done enough to get the win. Now I have to go home and think about my future.”

Holyfield (42-10-2) had not fought since losing a one-sided decision to then-WBO champion Sultan Ibragimov more than a year ago, and was much criticized for this latest comeback attempt. Some critics suggested he was putting his health at risk by fighting at such an advanced age.

Still, the “Real Deal” appeared in great shape and was never seriously hurt by Valuev (51-1), who has avoided the top heavyweights and did little to improve his standing in the division.“He made me work very hard for the win,” said Valuev, the overwhelming favorite and underwhelming winner. “Holyfield was unbelievable with his speed. The fight was fought at a great tempo for the whole 12 rounds.”

Volleyball

Penn State sweeps Stanford

Megan Hodge had 16 kills and Penn State ended its perfect season with a second straight NCAA championship, sweeping Stanford 25-20, 26-24, 25-23 at Omaha, Neb.

Penn State (38-0) won its NCAA-record 64th straight match since a September 2007 loss to Stanford.

Stanford (31-4), playing in the championship match for a record 14th time, became the first team to lose in the final three years in a row.

Penn State spotted Stanford leads of 5-1, 13-8 and 16-12 before scoring 13 of the final 17 points of the first set.

The Nittany Lions never trailed in the second and third.

College football

Whitworth RB All-American

Whitworth University junior running back Adam Anderson was chosen to the D3football.com All-America second team.

Anderson, a Riverside HS product from Elk, Wash., was the Northwest Conference co-offensive player of the year. He led the NCAA Division III in all-purpose yards with an average of 243.8 per game and was second in the nation in scoring average at 16.89 points per game. He led the NWC in rushing yards (139.9 per game), touchdowns (25) and total points (152).

Associated Press Associated Press