(Reuters) – ON THIS DAY — MAY 23
May 23, 1997
BOXING – Mike Tyson takes questions during a press conference at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas ahead of his WBA heavyweight title rematch against Evander Holyfield.
Tyson lost to Holyfield in 1996 when the referee stopped the fight in the 11th round to give the latter his third heavyweight championship and the rematch was scheduled for June 28.
In the second fight Tyson bit Holyfield’s ear twice, tearing off a piece of cartilage and spitting it out, to earn a disqualification while he also had his boxing license revoked.
May 23, 1998
MOTOR RACING – Germany’s Michael Schumacher poses next to his Ferrari during qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo.
Schumacher qualified fourth but multiple collisions during the race dropped him down to 10th, while McLaren-Mercedes’ Mika Hakkinen took the victory.
Schumacher won six races that season but finished second in the drivers’ championship, 14 points behind Hakkinen who took home his maiden title.
May 23, 1999
CRICKET – Pakistan captain Wasim Akram celebrates after his side beat Australia in the group stage of the World Cup to put one foot in the Super Six stage.
Akram picked up four wickets to ensure Pakistan won the match by 10 runs and they eventually topped the group to qualify along with Australia and New Zealand.
Pakistan would reach the final that year to face the same opposition but were beaten by Australia, who won the match by eight wickets to lift the first of their three consecutive World Cup titles.
May 23, 2001
SOCCER – Bayern Munich goalkeeper Oliver Kahn celebrates winning the Champions League after a penalty shootout against Valencia at the San Siro stadium, Milan.
Valencia midfielder Gaizka Mendieta opened the scoring before Stefan Effenburg levelled proceedings. The two sides could not be separated after extra time, sending the game into a shootout.
Kahn made the winning save in sudden death, denying Mauricio Pellegrino, to give Bayern their fourth Champions League title.
May 23, 2009
SOCCER – Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola is tossed by players during celebrations of the Spanish La Liga title triumph at Camp Nou stadium.
Barcelona were gifted their 19th league title without kicking a ball on May 16 when second-placed Real Madrid were beaten 3-2 at Villarreal. Earlier in the month, Barcelona won the Copa del Rey for their first trophy under Guardiola, defeating Athletic Bilbao by 4-1.
Barca went on to become the first Spanish side in history to clinch the treble after defeating Manchester United 2-0 in the Champions League final.
May 23, 2010
BULLFIGHTING – Two bulls fight in the Granice village near Busovaca, about 80km from the capital Sarajevo as thousands of Bosnians gather to watch in a tradition that dates back over 200 years.
Bullfighting in Bosnia differs from Spain’s bloody corrida de toros as it does not directly involve humans and the bulls are not killed at the end.
In improvised rings or open fields, the bulls, which are often named after celebrities such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and even Vladimir Putin, lock horns, push and joust until one turns and leaves.
May 23, 2013
SOCCER – Wolfsburg’s Zsanett Jakabfi (2nd L) reacts in the wall during their women’s UEFA Champions League final against Olympique Lyon in London.
Martina Muller’s second-half penalty proved the difference as Wolfsburg beat two-time winners Lyon 1-0 to lift the trophy for the first time.
Victory at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge stadium meant Wolfsburg completed a historic treble after claiming the domestic league and cup titles earlier in the month.
May 23, 2015
SOCCER – Barcelona’s Xavi Hernandez applauds the Camp Nou crowd after a 2-2 draw against Deportivo La Coruna in his final home game.
The former Spain international won 25 trophies in 17 seasons with Barca, making a record 767 appearances.
He left his boyhood club to join Al Sadd in 2015 and remained with the Qatari team for four years before being appointed their manager in 2019.
May 23, 2015
ATHLETICS – A participant runs through coloured powdered in the five-kilometer ‘Get Rainbowed’ race in Prague, Czech Republic.
‘Get Rainbowed’ is a family run that promotes the idea of a healthy lifestyle. The course has five colour zones and is lined with sprayers who cover runners with brightly coloured powder.
May 23, 2019
BASEBALL – Colorado Rockies second baseman Brendan Rodgers reaches for a ball hit for a single by Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Josh Bell during their Major League Baseball game at PNC Park, Pennsylvania.
The Pirates had scored just three runs in two previous games against the Rockies but broke out of their funk to slug four homers and seal a comprehensive 14-6 victory.
Rodgers, who was selected with the third overall pick of the 2015 draft by the Rockies, had made his major league debut less than a week earlier against the Philadelphia Phillies.
(Compiled by Arvind Sriram, Rohith Nair, Manasi Pathak and Hardik Vyas in Bengaluru)
