Kelly Pavlik defeats Miguel Espino to retain his middleweight titles

Kelly Pavlik stopped Miguel Espino in the fifth round Saturday night at Youngstown, Ohio, to successfully defend his middleweight titles, ending a difficult year on a high note.

After a 10-month layoff because of a staph infection in his left hand, the WBC and WBO champion dropped Espino to a knee in the fourth round with staggering rights. Pavlik knocked Espino down again in the fifth, and referee Steve Smoger stepped in at 1:44 into the round.

It was the third successful title defense for Pavlik, who was back in his hometown on the campus of Youngstown State University. Pavlik (36-1, 32 KOs) hadn’t fought since beating Marco Antonio Rubio on Feb. 21 across town at the Chevrolet Centre.

Espino (20-3-1) was rated the No. 3 contender by the WBC, though few gave the fighter from North Hollywood much of a chance. He was deducted a point for punching after the bell ending the first round, then was warned in the second and third for repeated low blows.

SWIMMING

Phelps, U.S. rout European team

Michael Phelps helped his American team trounce a group of European all-stars in the Duel in the Pool at Manchester, England, anchoring a relay to one of the eight world records the U.S. set over the two-day meet that ended Saturday.

The U.S. team won, 185-78, in the last major meet before the Jan. 1 ban on high-tech polyurethane suits.

Phelps, who already has reverted to wearing an old-style textile suit, anchored the U.S. victory in the 400-meter freestyle relay in a world-record time of 3 minutes 3.3 seconds but didn’t fare well in the individual races.

In the 200 butterfly, the 14-time Olympic champion lost by a body length to Michael Rock of Britain, who was wearing a high-tech suit. And in the 200 freestyle, Phelps slumped to third. His only individual victory was Friday in the 100 butterfly.

WINTER SPORTS

Osborne-Paradis wins downhill in Italy

Manuel Osborne-Paradis of Canada won a World Cup downhill on the Saslong course at Val Gardena, Italy, and Bode Miller battled a sore ankle and head winds to finish ninth.

Osborne-Paradis covered the 2.14-mile run in 2 minutes 1.27 seconds, giving Canada’s injury-hit squad a morale boost with his second victory of the season.

Mario Scheiber of Austria was second, 0.13 of a second behind, and Swiss racer Ambrosi Hoffmann and Johan Clarey of France tied for third, 0.25 of a second behind the Canadian.

Lindsey Vonn’s quest for a third consecutive downhill victory was put on hold after bad weather forced organizers to cancel Saturday’s World Cup race at Val d’Isere, France.

ETC.

Penn State wins third volleyball title in row

Penn State became the first team to win three straight NCAA volleyball titles, overcoming a two-set deficit to beat Texas in five and extend its record winning streak to 102 matches.

Megan Hodge led the Nittany Lions (38-0) with 21 kills, including the final one that touched off a wild celebration at midcourt.

Penn State’s 22-25, 20-25, 25-23, 25-21, 15-13 win helped it stake a claim as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, volleyball team in NCAA history.

The winning streak is second in Division I team sports behind the Miami men’s tennis program’s 137 straight victories from 1957 to 1964.

Chris Henry’s funeral will be held Tuesday in the New Orleans area, where the Cincinnati Bengals receiver grew up.

The Bengals announced that the afternoon funeral will be at the Alario Center in Westwego, La. The 26-year-old Henry was from nearby Belle Chasse.

Scott Rolen agreed to a two-year contract extension with the Cincinnati Reds through the 2012 season, an indication of how much they value the 34-year-old third baseman as a clubhouse leader.

Rolen had one season left on an eight-year, $90-million deal that he signed with St. Louis. He will get $11 million next year, one of four Reds players scheduled to make that much.