-Andrew Ward light heavyweight title fight on the Las Vega

The Essendon supplements saga that has blighted the AFL landscape for so long has drawn closer to a conclusion, with a dignified yet defiant Jobe Watson announcing he has decided to hand back his Brownlow Medal.With an AFL Commission meeting looming, Watson announced on Friday he would return his 2012 medal.He was one of 34 past and present Bombers players suspended for the 2016 season for anti-doping code violations arising from the clubs ill-fated supplements program.The commission, while relieved of the onerous task of stripping Watson of the award, must decide on Tuesday if 2012 joint runners-up, Richmonds Trent Cotchin and Sam Mitchell - then with Hawthorn - will be awarded medals retrospectively.Watson, who only announced in September he would return to the club, said he made the decision to hand back the award with mixed emotions.The basis of my decision links back to values, Watson said in a statement.Football has always been a part of my life, from being a young boy watching my dad play, to my own ambitions of pursuing a dream to play at an elite level.I have benefited from being brought up in a community where people strive to be the best they can be and bring out the best in others. It has been incredibly distressing for me to have people question my integrity and infer an intention to act against the spirit of the game - a spirit that is intrinsically a part of who I am.The basic principle behind this prestigious award is to honour the fairest and best. If there is a question in peoples minds as to whether the 2012 award is tainted, the fairest and best thing to do is to give it back and honour the history that has gone before me.The AFL praised Watsons move and said his statement would be considered when the commission met to decide the future of the 2012 medal.The AFL acknowledges that this was an extremely difficult decision to make, AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan said.In Jobes own words, he is honouring the history of the medal and putting the interests of the game first, and this is an honourable position for him to have taken.The 34 players involved in the clubs 2012 supplements program have steadfastly maintained their innocence and Watson has been at pains to make it clear his decision had not been an admission of guilt.Those players were sensationally suspended when the Court of Arbitration for Sport in January upheld a World Anti-Doping Agency appeal.Lawyers representing the players appealed the ruling at the Swiss Federal Tribunal, but that bid was dismissed in October - an action Watson said brought an end to the matter from a legal standpoint.Essendon issued a statement shortly after Watsons announcement, apologising for putting him in an untenable position.Jobe has remained unassailably dignified under the most-extraordinary pressure over the past four years, Essendon chairman Lindsay Tanner said.The club takes responsibility for placing Jobe in this position and unreservedly apologises to him and his family.Jobe is a person of the highest integrity and character and has the total support and admiration of our membership, staff, executive and board.The Essendon family has been, and will continue to be, incredibly proud of Jobe Watson.Watson had previously declined an invitation to put his case to keep the medal to the AFL Commission.But he expressed his desire to share his frustration over the whole investigative process with the commission in a forum and at a time that was right for him.Discount Nike Shoes China . The Celtics closed out their first preseason under Stevens on Wednesday night with a 101-97 victory over the Brooklyn Nets, who rested a lot of their lineup including former Celtics Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. Wholesale Nike Shoes Authentic . Robredo, ranked No. 16, bounced back from an upset loss to Leonardo Mayer in the second round of the Royal Guard Open in Chile last week to down Carreno Busta in 1 hour, 25 minutes. On a day filled mostly with qualifying matches, fifth-seeded Marcel Granollers of Spain also entered the second with a 7-5, 3-6, 6-2 win over Aljaz Bedene of Slovenia, while Guido Pella of Argentina defeated Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance. http://www.cheapshoesnikechina.com/ . Uniteds eighth defeat of a wretched campaign means Liverpool, which currently occupies the fourth and final Champions League place, could go nine points clear of its fierce rival by beating West Bromwich Albion on Sunday. Charlie Adam scored both of Stokes goals at Britannia Stadium either side of Robin van Persies equalizer, with a miserable day for seventh-place United capped by first-half injuries to centre halves Jonny Evans and Phil Jones that forced them off. Clearance Nike Shoes . Both players have lower body injuries that will keep them out of the lineup until at least January 31, which is the first game they can be activated from IR. Cheap Air Max From China . It was just business as usual for the Thunder at home. Durant scored 32 points and the Thunder beat the Bulls 107-95 on Thursday night for their eighth straight win.LAS VEGAS -- Claressa Shields didnt feel at her best, but her pro debut was a winning one anyway.The two-time Olympic gold medalist won a decision Saturday over Franchon Crews in a four-round super middleweight fight, making the transition to the pros after the most successful amateur career for an American woman.Shields came back from a slow first round to land the bigger punches in an entertaining fight on the undercard of the Sergey Kovalev-Andrew Ward light heavyweight title fight on the Las Vegas Strip.Its not what I wanted but to be called on, last minute, for a fight of this magnitude, Shields said. I am proud of myself. We will fight again in the future.Both women were fighting without headgear for the first time but it didnt seem to be a factor as they traded punches freely before a sparse but appreciative crowd. Shields won all four rounds on the scorecards of the three ringside judges.Shields, who became the first American woman to win a gold medal in the 2012 Olympics and added another in Rio in August, had vowed to be impressive in her first pro fight. And she wasnt shyy about trading punches with Franchon, a Baltimore fighter who lost to her during the Olympic trials in 2012.ddddddddddddShields was pushed to the canvas twice by Crews, who started strong but seemed to tire quickly.It feels so good to have just made my pro debut, she said. This is what Ive been training for. Im faster and I hit harder.Shields, from Flint, Michigan, weighed 167 pounds to 168 for Crews.The 21-year-old Shields said she plans to fight up to 10 times in her first year as a pro. Her goal is to one day headline a pay-per-view card of her own.I believe 150 percent in my boxing ability, she said before the fight. I know Im a great fighter. I fight better than 90 percent of the men who box now. I just know that, and Im not at my best yet.Womens boxing has largely been a fringe sport in recent years, and women have rarely appeared on televised cards. While the fight was on the undercard of Kovalev-Ward, it wasnt a part of the pay-per-view telecast. ' ' '