A roundup of the past weeks notable boxing results from around the world:Saturday at Las VegasAndre Ward W12 Sergey Kovalev --?Fight recap Wins unified light heavyweight title Scores: 114-113 (three times) Records: Ward (31-0, 15 KOs); Kovalev (30-1-1, 26 KOs)Rafaels remarks: In the most significant match of the year -- an HBO PPV showdown between undefeated top-5 pound-for-pound fighters -- fans got the exciting fight they deserved but the decision was controversial as former unified super middleweight world champion Ward, 32, of Oakland, eked out a questionable nod to take three world title belts off Kovalev, 33, the heavy-handed Russian who was making his ninth defense. Although Kovalev hurt Ward with a jab in the first round, dropped him with a right hand to the forehead in the second round and was in total control through the first half of the fight, Ward did make a nice comeback by finding the right range and making adjustments. But he got every possible benefit of the doubt from the three judges, two of whom gave him rounds 7-12 and one who gave him five of the last six rounds.Ward was the favorite of the crowd of 13,310 at T-Mobile Arena, so they were generally happy with the decision, but the vast majority of media had Kovalev winning. Kovalev has a rematch clause and his team said it will exercise it immediately, so expect to see to see this fight again next year.Darleys Perez D10 Maurice Hooker --?Full undercard recap Junior welterweight scores: 97-93 Perez, 97-93 Hooker, 95-95 Records: Perez (33-2-2, 21 KOs); Maurice Hooker (21-0-3, 16 KOs)Rafaels remarks: Perez, 33, of Colombia, a former lightweight world titleholder moving up in weight, deserved the clear and wide decision. It was a bad and boring fight but that was mainly because Hooker, 27, of Dallas, did basically nothing but back up and miss tons of wide punches. He certainly did not come close to living up to his pre-fight boasts of a knockout. Now its one thing not get a knockout if you predict one. Fine. Happens all the time. But to talk the smack Hooker talked and then not even attempt to press the action is bad form. While Hooker ran, Perez went after him throughout the fight and the judges took a win from him. According to CompuBox statistics, Perez landed 146 of 413 punches (35 percent) while Hooker connected on 104 of 485 shots (21 percent). Perez also outjabbed the taller Hooker (69-42).Oleksandr Gvozdyk TKO8 Isaac Chilemba -- Full undercard recap Light heavyweight Scores: 96-93 (twice), 95-94 Records: Gvozdyk (12-0, 10 KOs); Chilemba (24-5-2, 10 KOs)Rafaels remarks: The 29-year-old Gvozdyk is not your average prospect. He was a 2012 Olympic bronze medalist from Ukraine who had around 250 amateur fights, so he was already pretty advanced. But he was nonetheless taking a major step up in competition against Chilemba, 29, the Malawi native living in South Africa. Some thought Gvozdyk was biting off more than he could chew but he was not. He looked sharp, especially with his jab, in a dominant win, the best of his career.Although Chilemba, who was being trained by the great Roy Jones Jr. for the first time, ultimately retired on his stool following the eighth round because of a right elbow injury he said he suffered in the third round, he was well on his way to defeat as all three judges had Gvozdyk, by far the heavier hitter, ahead 79-73 at the time of the stoppage. Gvozdyks dominance was illustrated by the CompuBox punch statistics. He landed 140 of 533 punches (26 percent) while Chilemba connected with 80 of 354 blows (23 percent). Usually, when a fighter throws more, lands more and lands at a higher rate than his opponent he wins the fight.Curtis Stevens W10 James De La Rosa -- Full undercard recap Middleweight Scores: 98-90, 96-92 (twice) Records: Stevens (29-5, 21 KOs); De La Rosa (23-5, 13 KOs)Rafaels remarks: For three rounds this was a fun fight. The rest of it was dreadful but Stevens, 31, of Brooklyn, New York, had matters well in hand against De La Rosa, 29, of Harlingen, Texas, who lost his third fight in a row. Stevens, a good puncher, started very fast and looked like he might end it quickly when he scored a solid knockdown with a left hand with 20 seconds left in the first round. Stevens kept up the pressure, cutting De La Rosa over the left eye in the second round and engaging him in a wild and extended exchange in the third round that gave you the feeling this was going to be a tremendous brawl. But then all the air went out of the fight. Both guys were perhaps a bit tired or maybe wary of the other mans power. Whatever it was, it turned into a dreadful fight but one that Stevens, a knockout victim to Gennady Golovkin in a 2013 world title bout, won with ease.Claressa Shields W4 Franchon Crews -- Full recap Super middleweight Scores: 40-36 (three times) Records: Shields (1-0, 0 KOs); Crews (0-1)Rafaels remarks: The only bright spot of the entire horrific Sergey Kovalev-Andre Ward undercard was this exciting slugfest between Shields and Crews, who gave fans a tremendous show despite Shields legitimately winning every round. It was an absolute travesty that it was not part of the pay-per-view and that is not just because it was an exciting slugfest. It was because Shields, 21, of Flint, Michigan, deserved the exposure for her pro debut following winning her second consecutive Olympic gold medal in Rio de Janeiro in August as she culminated her incredible 77-1 amateur career as the best female boxer in the world. Crews, 29, of Baltimore, was no pushover either. She was a decorated amateur as well with numerous accolades, despite losses to Shields in the unpaid ranks. They came out swinging like Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns in the opening round and rarely let up. Shields, however, was quicker, stronger and her punches were straighter. If there is going to be someone to bring more interest to womens boxing in the United States, Shields is the one.Saturday at Hanover, GermanyMarco Huck W12 Dmytro Kucher Cruiserweight Scores: 119-109, 117-111 (twice) Records: Huck (40-3-1, 27 KOs); Kucher (24-2-1, 18 KOs)Rafaels remarks: Huck, 32, of Germany, was the dominant cruiserweight in the world from 2009 to 2015, making a division-record tying 13 defenses before getting knocked out in the 11th round of a big upset by Polands Krzysztof Glowacki in August 2015. Huck, typically in exciting fights, has won two fights in a row since, including this lopsided but entertaining affair against European champion Kucher, 32, of Ukraine. There were several close rounds in the fight but Huck did what he always does, which is to grind out a tough, physical fight. Kucher fought well but Huck landed the cleaner, harder punches throughout the fight. In the eighth round, an accidental head butt left Huck with a cut over his left eye. Later in the round, Huck rocked him with a right hand and then tossed him to the mat. Kucher was in trouble but got through it and went the distance but it was a clear loss.Friday at LondonGeorge Groves W12 Eduard Gutknecht Super middleweight Scores: 119-110, 119-109 (twice) Records: Groves (25-3, 18 KOs); Gutknecht (30-5-1, 13 KOs)Rafaels remarks: Groves, 28, of England, is a three-time world title challenger, having lost twice to Carl Froch by knockout and by split decision to Badou Jack. Groves won his fourth fight in a row since the defeat to Jack in September 2015, but it had an unfortunate ending. Groves pounded out a one-sided decision against two-time world title challenger Gutknecht, a 34-year-old Kazakhstan native living in Germany, who took a lot of punishment and suffered a cut left eye in the ninth round. After the fight, Gutknecht collapsed in his dressing room and rushed to the hospital, where he underwent brain surgery. He is reportedly in stable condition. As unfortunate as Gutknechts situation is, the victory probably will propel Groves into another world title opportunity in 2017.Friday at Indio, Calif.Pablo Cesar Cano W10 Mauricio Herrera Welterweight Scores: 97-91 (twice) Cano, 95-93 Herrera Records: Cano (30-5-1, 21 KOs); Herrera (22-7, 7 KOs)Rafaels remarks: In Golden Boys Estrella TV main event, Cano, 26, of Mexico, shook off a split decision loss to Alan Sanchez in May with this good victory in an entertaining scrap against fellow former interim junior welterweight titlist Herrera, 36, of Riverside, California, who lost his second bout in a row. Before the fight Herrera, who many thought outpointed then-junior welterweight world champion Danny Garcia in a controversial loss, said his career might be on the line with another defeat and now he will have some soul searching to do as he looked old. The more aggressive Cano was quicker, stronger and beat him to the punch throughout the fight. Cano, aided by the right hand he landed all night, won rather handily but the scores wound up a bit closer because referee Ray Corona docked points from Cano in the fourth and eighth rounds for repeated low blows.Friday at Kissimmee, Fla.Christopher Diaz W8 Fernando Vargas Featherweight Scores: 79-83, 78-74, 77-75 Records: Diaz (19-0, 11 KOs); Vargas (30-11-3, 20 KOs)Rafaels remarks: Diaz, a 22-year-old prospect from Puerto Rico, got in some good work in a decision win against Mexican veteran Vargas, 28, in the main event of Top Ranks Solo Boxeo series on UniMas. Diaz used his quicker hands and solid combinations to work Vargas over en route to the decision. It was the fifth win of the year for Diaz, who is moving along nicely and positioned for a possible breakout year in 2017.Also on the card, Julian Rodriguez (15-0, 10 KOs), 22, of Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, rolled to a decision win against steppingstone opponent Jerry Belmontes (21-10, 6 KOs), 27, of Corpus Christi, Texas. Rodriguez, known as Hammer Hands, knocked Belmontes down twice (in the first and second rounds) on his way to shutout scores of 80-70 on two scorecards and 78-72 on the third.In another bout on the show, former middleweight world title challenger Matt Korobov (27-1, 14 KOs), 33, a 2008 Russian Olympian fighting out of Saint Petersburg, Florida, scored an eight-round shutout of journeyman Scott Sigmon (27-10-1, 15 KOs), 29, of Lynchburg, Virginia. Korobov won 80-72 on all three scorecards in his third victory in a row since he got knocked out in the sixth round of a fight he was winning easily by Andy Lee for a vacant middleweight world title in December 2014. Custom Bears Jersey Cheap .C. -- Glenn Howard needed an extra end to move into the Masters Grand Slam of Curling final. Cheap Bears Jerseys China . Jordan Lynch, the all-purpose Heisman Trophy finalist from Northern Illinois, failed to make it into that exclusive club. http://www.chicagobearsshoponline.com/khalil-mack-bears-jersey.html . - Derek Wolfe says hes finally healthy after suffering a seizure in November that doctors now believe was related to the spinal cord injury he suffered in the preseason. Mike Ditka Bears Jersey . -- Al Jefferson found a groove just in time for the Charlotte Bobcats. Khalil Mack Bears Jersey Sales . But the quarterback hopes to stay involved in football after officially calling it quits Tuesday. "Id love to look at those opportunities as they arise," Pierce said in an interview from his Winnipeg eatery. The appeal is one of crickets most familiar and time-honoured rituals. It can be a solo or chorus; captains encourage the latter in the hope of tipping the balance of an umpires judgement. Although in theory an umpire must always make the final decision on every dismissal, and can only do so after an appeal, in practice the great majority of appeals are restricted to certain modes of dismissal.This article is a short study of the statistics of appeals. This is not an area that has been studied in the past, but it is easier now with detailed ball-by-ball records available, such as texts in ESPNcricinfos archive. The study is limited to Test matches this century.The method used involved searching all Test-match texts for mention of appeals, and filtering them into a separate file. The search went beyond the word appeal, including terms like shout and any mentions of umpires decisions. All lbw, caught-behind and caught-at-short-leg decisions were included, as were stumpings and run-outs, and appeals for other types of dismissals where they could be found. More than 25,000 appeals were catalogued from almost 700 Tests.On average, about 44 appeals were found per Test. About 13 of these were successful. This works out to about 2.3* unsuccessful appeals for every successful appeal, or a success rate close to 30%.About 77% of all appeals were for lbw, and 13% for caught behind. The rest were a mix of other dismissal types and catches taken elsewhere. It was a little surprising to find that only 3% of appeals were for catches at short leg, as these can be some of the most contentious. There were some appeals for multiple modes of dismissal, and occasionally one encountered an appeal that baffled the commentators. There were a couple of appeals for obstructing the field, unsuccessful of course, since no one has been dismissed in this fashion since 1951. The bowlers were Ricky Ponting and Virat Kohli, oddly enough.Success rates for appeals varied according to the mode of dismissal. Only 19% of lbw appeals got the nod, but 61% of caught-behind appeals were successful, with many of the unsuccessful appeals for caught behind described as half-hearted. About 60% of stumping appeals were given out. The low success of lbw appeals can be put down to optimistic bowlers and the complexity of the law: even when bowling teams are confident enough to review under the DRS system, only 20% of not out lbws were overturned.I should mention one puzzle in the data: the number of appeals logged has dropped 10 to 20% since the start of 2010. It seems unlikely that the searches are missing mentions of appeals in recent years, since the detail in the texts is greater than ever. There has also been no decline in the proportion of wickets falling to spinners versus pace. Perhaps DRS has curtailed appealing to a certain extent; however, India, without the DRS, has seen a similar decline in the number of appeals.It may be that the DRS has made players more aware of what constitutes a likely dismissal, but I can only speculate.If you have the impression that spin bowlers are more prone to making appeals than pace bowlers, then this is supported by the data. The following table lists the breakdown according to bowling type. Spin bowlers get the umpires nod from only 17% of lbw appeals, whereas medium and pace bowlers get 21%. The success of lbw appeals is much the same for left-hand and right-hand batsmen (18.8% and 19.4 % respectively). There is similarly little difference for left- and right-arm bowlers (19.6% and 18.6% respectively).The success rate of teams ranges from 24% (Bangladesh) to 35% (Australia). The important factors here tend to be the number of matches a team wins and the mix of spin- and pace-bowling wickets. Indiia has an emphasis on spin, and as a result has a rather low return on appeals.dddddddddddd When it comes to individual bowlers, the most appealing are almost always spinners. The bowlers with the most appeals are listed in the table below. Note that for some bowlers, the assessment period does not cover the complete careers, since matches before 2000 are not included. Also worth noting: bowlers do not always take part in appeals, although they usually do. Minimum 100 appeals since 2000. Appeals/wkt takes into account all wickets taken, including those not requiring appeals. The most unsuccessful appeals by one bowler in a match: 29 by Murali against Pakistan in the final of the Asian Test Championship in Lahore in 2002. Murali took eight wickets in the match. He also made 29 failed appeals in Christchurch in 2006, where he took seven wickets. In fact, out of the six cases of more than 25 appeals in a match, five are by Murali. Undoubtedly his high strike rate is a factor; it could be argued that Murali made more appeals than other spinners because he had reason to.I found it interesting that Shane Warne had a higher success rate than many other spinners. I always thought Warne was a very canny appealer. He had the ability to sense which decisions might be difficult for an umpire, or where an umpire might be prone to errors, and he saved his most intense appeals for these occasions. His appeals when the outcome was obvious, or his frivolous appeals, were rather less vocal.At the higher end of success rates, we see only pace bowlers. It is striking that the bowlers with the highest success rates - also among the most selective appealers on the list - are two of the greatest: Glenn McGrath and Dale Steyn, with 46%. The spin bowlers with the highest success rates are Pragyan Ojha on 35%, and R Ashwin on 34%. At the low end of the scale of successful appealers, spinners dominate. All of the bowlers in the table above are spinners, and those with lower strike rates tend to have lower success with appeals. That is, they appeal just as often but dont get the wickets. Those who have watched Giles and Panesar in action wont be too surprised to see them on top of this table. Saqlain Mushtaq (third on the list) was an inveterate appealer, and the leading appealer in the match with most appeals, New Zealand v Pakistan in Auckland in 2001 (108 appeals). The pace bowlers with the lowest success rates are Mohammad Sami and Ryan Sidebottom, on 22%, with Zaheer Khan on 25%. The other participants in appeals are, of course, the umpires. For more recent Tests, it is possible to calculate the likelihood of decisions for all long-serving umpires, as shown in the following table. Percentages of appeals given out since June 2011. Minimum 200 appealsThese figures could be affected by overturn decisions in the DRS system, which have not been included in calculations at this stage. However, overturns cut both ways, so the figures may not be affected substantially. Most appeals, of course, do not lead to challenges and reviews; but in those that are reviewed - the more contentious ones - about 28% of the decisions are overturned in Tests. The umpire with the lowest proportion of overturns is Bruce Oxenford, with 18%.There is more that could be said about the DRS, but perhaps that is a subject for another time.02:55:12 GMT, December 14, 2016: The values in the third column in the table Bowlers with the lowest rates of success in appeals were wrong and have been corrected*This figure was corrected from 2.9 in the original** A previous version of this article referenced a different Illingworth ' ' '