In Brief

BOXING

Sturm nets split-decision win
to retain middleweight title

Felix Sturm retained his WBA middleweight title with a contentious split-decision win over Irish challenger Matthew Macklin on Saturday in Cologne, Germany.

Two judges awarded it 116-112 in favor of the defending champion, fighting in his hometown, while the other scored it 115-113 to Macklin after a thrilling fight.

Sturm (36-2-1) successfully defended his title for the 10th time since losing it to and winning it back from Javier Castillejo in 2006-07.

Macklin (28-2), a former Irish, British and European middleweight champion, had the better of the early rounds, but Sturm used his experience and greater accuracy to fight his way back and convince the judges.

Also: Las Vegas' Andrew Tabiti and Marina Ramirez fell short in their quests for a gold medal at the USA Boxing National Championships in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Tabiti lost 14-8 in the men's 201-pound final to Jordan Shimmell of Hudsonville, Mich. Shimmell, the 2009 national champ, led 11-5 after two rounds, and Tabiti couldn't come back in the third and final round.

Ramirez, fighting in the women's 106-pound final, lost a 21-14 decision to Amy Sowers of Bozeman, Mont.

Devon Alexander gained a split-decision victory against Lucas Matthysse in a 10-round junior welterweight fight in St. Charles, Mo.

Two judges scored the fight 96-93, one for Alexander and the other for Matthysse (28-2), and the third judge had it 95-94 for Alexander (22-1), giving him the victory in front of his hometown crowd.

TRACK AND FIELD

Felix wins U.S. women's 400;
Wariner stunned in men's 400

Allyson Felix powered down the home stretch to capture the 400 meters at the U.S. Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore., setting up the possibility she might compete in two events at worlds this summer.

Felix already has a spot in the 200 as the defending world champion. She has yet to decide whether she will attempt the difficult 200-400 double at worlds in Daegu, South Korea, in late August.

Going double the distance she normally runs, Felix only got stronger as the race went along and held off Francena McCorory at the finish, winning in 50.40 seconds. Debbie Dunn was third.

Up-and-comer Tony McQuay of the University of Florida won the men's 400 by blowing past former Olympic and world champion Jeremy Wariner in the final 100 meters. Wariner faded but held off Greg Nixon for second.

Former UNLV track standout Christine Spence finished sixth in the 400 hurdles. Current Rebels Chelsea Cassulo and Amanda Bingson took ninth and 14th in the hammer throw.

UNLV assistant track coach Khadevis Robinson will run in the 800-meter final today.

MISCELLANEOUS

Wolverines basketball prospect
critical following plane crash

A standout Indiana high school basketball player set to play at the University of Michigan is fighting for his life after surviving the second plane crash of his young life.

Austin Hatch, 16, of Fort Wayne, Ind., was in critical condition in a northern Michigan hospital after the Friday evening crash that killed his father, Dr. Stephen Hatch, and his stepmother, Kim. Austin and his pilot father had survived a 2003 crash that killed Austin's mother and two siblings.

"He never talked about (the previous crash) one time," said Dan Kline, the basketball coach at Canterbury School in Fort Wayne, Ind. "I'm sure he carried it inside."

Kline told The Associated Press that the next 24 to 48 hours are going to be critical, and described Austin as an "A" student who is physically and mentally strong -- someone "who can handle things."

Austin, a junior at Canterbury, committed this month to play basketball at Michigan, where his father and mother went to school.

Also: Suzuki rider Ryan Dungey of Belle Plaine, Minn., raced to his first AMA Pro Motocross Championship victory of the year, finishing second in the first 450 Class moto and rallying to win the second in the Thunder Valley National at Lakewood, Colo.

Ryan Villopoto of Poulsbo, Wash., won the first moto and was second in the second. Australia's Chad Reed, third in both motos, has an eight-point lead over Villopoto in the season standings. Dungey is third, 21 points behind Reed.

Emmanuel Estes shot 1-under-par 70 to take the lead after the first round of the Clark County Amateur at Boulder Creek Golf Club. Gregory Horodesky was second at 71 entering today's final round.

In the Net Division, Thomas Wieme led with a 66, one shot ahead of Randy Sears and Russell Gard.