Klitschko stops Byrd in 7th round for IBF heavyweight championship

Wladimir Klitschko refused to let the rematch with Chris Byrd go the distance.

The Ukrainian stopped Chris Byrd in the seventh round of a one-sided fight Saturday to gain the IBF heavyweight title in Berlin.

Klitschko’s right hook finished off the American 41 seconds into the round, the second time Byrd was floored in the fight.

The rematch was similar to their first encounter in October 2001. Byrd also lost that bout, although he survived two knockdowns on his way to losing a decision.

This time around, Klitschko – executing trainer Emanuel Steward’s strategy flawlessly – finished off Byrd early. It began in the third round when Byrd, dropping his hands for a second, took a pair of hard left-right combinations that shook him up.

“It was like a musician playing notes,” Klitschko said. “Everything we trained worked.”

The 35-year Byrd had made four successful defenses of the belt he won from Evander Holyfield in 2002. He was the longest reigning of the four heavyweight champions.

College Sports

Duke alumni grapple with scandal

Several Duke University alumni questioned the school’s president about suspending two lacrosse players charged with raping a stripper at a team party, with one saying Duke is guilty of “a tremendous rush to judgment.”

“It was convenient to throw the lacrosse team overboard along with their coach,” said Joe Baden, a 1970 Duke graduate from Raleigh, N.C.

Baden was among about a half dozen alumni to question President Richard Brodhead during a forum held as part of a weekend of class reunions. During a talk about the school’s strategic plan, Brodhead stopped the program for a half hour to specifically take questions from the crowd of nearly 100 about the allegations.

•Georgia freshman Courtney Kupets was as poised as a veteran as she won co-titles on the uneven bars and balance beam at the NCAA women’s gymnastics championships in Corvallis, Ore. Kupets also was awarded the event’s all-around title.

•Quarterback Jimmy Clausen of Westlake Village (Calif.) Oaks Christian, one of the top high school football players in the nation heading into his senior season, announced he will play for Notre Dame in 2007.

Tennis

U.S. leads in Fed Cup quarters

Jamea Jackson won in her Fed Cup debut and Jill Craybas saved a match point before winning to give the United States a 2-0 lead over Germany in the quarterfinals in Ettenheim, Germany. Jackson beat German No. 1 Anna-Lena Groenefeld 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 and Craybas beat Julia Schruff 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 to put the Americans one win away from a place in the semifinals.

•No. 1 Roger Federer and second-ranked Rafael Nadal will meet in today’s final at the Monte Carlo (Monaco) Masters. Federer beat Fernando Gonzalez 6-2, 6-4, in the semifinals, and Nadal downed Gaston Gaudio 5-7, 6-1, 6-1.

Horse racing

Showing Up wins Lexington

Showing Up won the Lexington (Ky.) Stakes at Keeneland and likely earned a trip to the Kentucky Derby. The 1 1/4-length victory gives owners Gretchen and Roy Jackson a second unbeaten 3-year-old for the May 6 race.