Timothy Bradley signs with Top Rank; will be on Nov. 12 Pacquiao card

Unbeaten Coachella Valley boxer Timothy Bradley signed a new promotional contract Thursday and was assigned a prominent semi-main event fight, most likely against former champion Joel Casamayor, on the Nov. 12 Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez card at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Bradley (27-0, 11 knockouts) hasn't fought since January following a split with former promoters Gary Shaw and Ken Thompson, who've sued the fighter claiming he owes them one more fight after walking away from an estimated $1.25-million pay day in July against junior-welterweight world champion Amir Khan of England.

Bradley hasn't settled with Shaw and Thompson, the boxer's manager Cameron Dunkin said, but he's been legally advised he can sign with veteran fight promoter Bob Arum's Top Rank company.

Arum confirmed the signing Thursday night.

"He hasn't been promoted correctly," Arum said. "We'll figure out a way, and showing him to the audience we're most dependent upon -- the pay-per-view fans -- is a great way to get this moving along."

Should Pacquiao and Bradley win Nov. 12 and promoters remain unable to stage the Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather Jr. super-fight, Bradley is strongly positioned to have a shot at the Filipino superstar.

Arum said he hasn't promised a bout against Pacquiao to Bradley.

Dunkin agreed, adding, "But fights like that can happen for him now. It opens the door for him to great shows, big exposure. He's ecstatic."

--Lance Pugmire

Photo: Timothy Bradley during a training session at the Indio Boys and Girls Club earlier this year. Credit: Christina House / For The Times

Kings, Drew Doughty agree on new contract [Updated]

The Kings and defenseman Drew Doughty verbally agreed on a new contract Thursday night, meaning the restricted free agent could join the team in time for its upcoming trip to Germany and Sweden for its final exhibition game and first two regular-season games.

Financial terms were not immediately available. However, after weeks of frustration and stalled negotiations, General Manager Dean Lombardi planned to sweeten the average annual value of the club's offer to exceed $6.8 million, the current team-leading average annual value of Anze Kopitar's contract.

[Updated, 8:30 p.m.: The deal Doughty agreed to is worth $56 million over eight years.]

Although Lombardi had said several times that he would not go above $6.8 million per year for Doughty, the stalemate and Doughty's apparent willingness to accept a long-term deal led Lombardi to bend.

It's not clear how long the deal will be for, but the Kings' last offers to Doughty gave him choices between a seven-year term and an eight-year term.

Doughty, 21, was a finalist for the Norris trophy as the NHL's top defenseman in his second season, 2009-10, but he struggled at times last season after suffering a concussion.

More coverage soon at latimes.com/sports

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-- Helene Elliott

Photo: Kings defenseman Drew Doughty. Credit: Kirby Lee / U.S. Presswire

Rugby World Cup 2011: Predictions – Too little too late for Scotland, Samoa and Italy in battle of bonus points

Take your pick of headlines for this weekend’s rugby… Sweet and sour success for Scotland; Big hits but little luck for Samoa; Pasta and basta for Italy.

All three are tantalisingly close to the play-offs, but for different reasons they’ll all fall short of a quarter-final place.

Welcome to the start of the real world cup, a newspaper headline in Auckland read today, and they’re right. Come Sunday night and there will be elation and depression in almost equal measure. It’s the weekend of the bonus points.

Amazingly at this late stage in the pool games, only New Zealand are absolutely guaranteed a quarter-final berth irrespective of what happens in Pool A. Canada could still pip France to the runners-up place, but only a double-deluded dunce would see them beat the All Blacks with a bonus point in the process and France lose heavily to Tonga. So that’s settled.

Then it becomes interesting. Pools B and D will require bonus points to upset the current standings. Argentina will no doubt smash Georgia, so Scotland need not only beat old foe England at Eden Park on Saturday, but do so with four tries and deny England a losing bonus point.

A haggis or two too far? Absolutely – as Scottish fans here in Auckland readily admit. And yet, will this required hell-for-leather approach liberate the Scots for once and see them throw all caution to the wind?

I’ll predict Scotland to actually score a try or two – despite their lame duck performances at RWC 2011 so far – but to fall short in the end (and possibly even get beaten by England at the death as the clock ticks down and the dream dies fast). Scotland 21 England 19.

Likewise in Pool D, where the current table topper could still depart home on Monday. On most days I’d say smash-and-run Samoa have four tries in them, but they’ve looked hesitant at RWC2011 while South Africa are showing sharp and ruthless signs. Wales will do the business comfortably against Fiji on Sunday, so it’s goodbye Samoa at North Harbour on Friday. South Africa 37 Samoa 22.

The biggest and most intriguing battle looms in Pool C, where unbeaten Ireland could still exit early. And Italy don’t even need to score four tries to make that happen – though they’ll have to deny Declan Kidney’s team a losing bonus point.

But that’s poppycock. Italy's forwards are mostly awesome, but their backs often make a plate of spaghetti look orderly and organised. So Ireland 28 Italy 13.

Fair calls or ramblings of a madman as we start this weekend of shock and awe? Your calls please…

This blog is supported by Maximuscle, suppliers of Creatine to Courtney Lawes, Joe Simpson and the Welsh Rugby Team.

UFC: Dana White on Dominick Cruz versus Demetrius Johnson

Telegraph Sport asks UFC President Dana White if Demetrius Johnson deserves the UFC bantamweight title shot against champion Dominick Cruz this weekend in Washington DC ? Did Johnson rightfully get the decision over Miguel Torres in his last fight ?

Here's what Dana White had to say…

UCLA basketball: Freshman Norman Powell suffers concussion

UCLA freshman guard Norman Powell sustained a concussion Tuesday when he was struck by a teammate's stray elbow during basketball workouts. Three staples were needed to close a small cut on his forehead. Powell is being monitored daily and is listed as day to day.

The 6-foot-5 sharpshooter is a candidate to back up starting point guard Lazeric Jones in the Bruins' season opener against Loyola Marymount on Nov. 11 with regular backup Jerime Anderson suspended after he was accused of stealing a laptop computer in July. He pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge this month.

Concussions can be tricky things to put a timetable on. Matt Carlino suffered a concussion last November and was held out of three consecutive games before he was cleared to return. He then sat out the next two games because of limited practice time and eventually transferred to Brigham Young. 

-- Ben Bolch

Chargers safety Bob Sanders will miss another season

 

Chargers safety Bob Sanders was placed on the season-ending injured reserve list Thursday after sustaining a knee injury during the second game of the season against the New England Patriots on Sept. 18.

Sanders, who began his NFL career in 2004, had missed the equivalent of four seasons because of injuries before signing with the Chargers this off-season.

When healthy, he's an impact player. He was the 2007 NFL Defensive Player of the Year with Indianapolis and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2005 and 2007.

“From the standpoint of where his knee is, it was a decision that was the right one,” Coach Norv Turner told reporters. “When you make a decision like this, it's based on medical facts first and included our feelings and his.

"I know that it was going to be difficult for him to continue. I've had a number of conversations with Bob over the last few days. This is difficult for him. I'm very respectful of what he tried to do for us and I wish his impact would've lasted longer. It's not something anyone could've anticipated. It's something that just happens.”

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 -- Melissa Rohlin

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

 Photo: Bob Sanders. Credit: Donald Miralle / Getty Images.

UFC: Dominick Cruz sets No 1 pound for pound target, Rampage looks to boxing switch

Dominick Cruz told Telegraph Sport this week that he will not rest easy until he is regarded as "the No 1 pound for pound fighter in the world". Cruz is currently ranked in the top 10, 9 by Sherdog, 7 by Telegraph Sport, but he insisted in an exclusive interview with your correspondent that he "wants to go on a run of victories" which will put him at the head of the list.

"I'd like to be up there with GSP, Anderson Silva and those guys, thought of as the dominant guy in the division, but also as one of the most valuable pound for pound fighters in the world. But that means defending the belt several times, and wiping out my rivals," said Cruz.

Cruz faces Demetrius Johnson in a second defence of the UFC bantamweight title (having defended the title twice in the WEC before it merged with the UFC) in Washington DC this weekend. The 135lb fighter with dancing feet and an elusive, off-balance style believes Johnson may struggle given the reach advantage the champion enjoys. But Cruz is taking nothing for granted.

"I've analysed him. He has a very good striking base, and is is very well-rounded. He moves well, and is light on his feet<" Cruz told Telegraph Sport. "He has a very good defence, and he's hard to get hold of, hard to hit. But he's also 5ft 2ins tall, which is favourable to me. He has a 6inch reach advantage to deal with. I know how to wrestle well."

"He's won a lot of his fights by being a better athlete than a lot of his opponents. He won't have that advantage with me. I'm going to fight a smart fight. I'll use my skill set to give him a hard time. Everyone has holes in their game. The key is to make your opponent fight your fight, and I'm good at doing that."

Paul Sass, the only British fighter on the card and a submission expert, meets American Michael Johnson in a lightweight bout. Sass, unbeaten in 11 MMA fights, has not fought in the UFC since the last event held in London, 11 months ago.

Anthony Johnson, who many believe could be a contender for the welterweight belt seemingly etched with the name GSP on it, faces Charlie Brenemman in an intriguing 170lb contest.

There are interviews with Cruz and Rampage Jackson in this week's ESPN UFC Podcast.

Listen here to this week's ESPN UFC Podcast

RAMPAGE TELLS TELEGRAPH BOXING SWITCH IS POSSIBLE, BUT BOXING COACH SAYS STICK TO MMA

"I hate fighting people who are scared," Rampage Jackson told me less than an hour after losing to Jon Jones for the UFC light-heavyweight title in Denver last weekend. "When you fight somebody who is scared you never know what they're going to do. They turn and run.

"That's why I'm gonna go to boxing. I'm gonna try boxing because they've got to stand with you. If I get knocked out I don't care because at least it's a fight.

"I've tried a lot of boxing, I'm falling in love with boxing and I know I can put butts on seats over there." However, Mark Kinney, Jackson's boxing coach, told Telegraph Sport that the UFC light-heavyweight should finish his career in mixed martial arts before making the switch.

Jackson is likely to fight on the UFC event in Japan in February next year.