They will be joined by the winner of the qualification match between Timor-Leste and Brunei.

In Group A, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos will battle it out in what will be the 12^th staging of the AFF Suzuki Cup.

The AFF Suzuki Cup kicks off this year with the first Group stage matches to be played on November 8 while the final will be held on December 15.

Cambodia will play Malaysia and Laos will play Vietnam in the opening games on November 8.

An exciting new format is being used for the first time this year that will see each team play two games at home and two games away in the Group stages.

The aim of this is to provide more exposure for players in their home country and provide fans with more opportunities to back their national team on home soil.

The top-two teams progress from each Group into the semi-finals played over two legs home and away. The final is also a two-legged affair.

A progressive new look for the tournament was also unveiled at the draw with a new logo and colours to be used moving forward that reflect the event’s core values and attributes of loyalty, pride and passion.

All eyes were on who would play Thailand – who have claimed the trophy a record five times in 1996, 2000, 2002, 2014 and 2016.

In a rematch of the final two years ago Thailand will host Indonesia on November 17. The Thais triumphed 3-2 on aggregate having lost the opening leg 2-1 in Bogor, Indonesia.

It was the fifth time the Indonesians had finished runner-up in the tournament.

And with Singapore also in Group B old rivalries will be revived as the Singaporeans beat Thailand in the final in 2007 and 2012.

A big roar went up at the draw when Malaysia were paired in Group A avoiding a clash with their old enemy Singapore.

On November 25, the final day of the Group matches, Thailand will play Singapore and Indonesia will compete against the Philippines.

In September Timor-Leste and Brunei will go head to head with the winner progressing to Group B. Timor-Leste host Brunei on September 3 while the return game is on September 8.

THAILAND’S “Dwarf Giant” Wanheng Menayothin successfully matched the world record of 50 straight wins by Floyd Mayweather by outclassing Panamanian contender Leroy Estrada to defend his WBC minimumweight title in Nakhon Ratchasima yesterday.

The 32-year-old from Maha Sarakham, who has gone unbeaten since January 2007, ended his 23-year-old opponent’s challenge with a vicious uppercut in round five at the makeshift ring outside the Provincial Hall of the northeastern town.

“I expected a harder fight as he is younger and is a tough boxer,” Wanheng said in a post-fight interview. “But he missed and allowed me to land a few punches first. So it was a bit easy from then on,” said Wanheng, after scoring his 18th win by knockout.

“But I never wrote off his chances as it was a 12-round fight. It wasn’t until the referee stopped the fight that I was convinced I had won,” added the diminutive fighter, who stands just 158 centimetres tall.

After an even start, Wanheng began showing superior skills in the second round by unleashing a barrage of punches with his right hand that buckled the younger rival. The pressure paid finally dividends in the third round as the local fighter sent the Panamanian to the floor twice with powerful rights, only to see the tough Central American beat the count each time.

The roar of fans grew louder in the fourth round as both fighters launched fierce counter-punches, but it was the slower Estrada who took most of the punishment but again showed durability under pressure. Wanheng, shrugging off a cut on his left eyebrow, upped the aggression and sent Estrada to the floor two more times before the bell saved him. But the gritty Panamanian was visibly wilting in the face of Wanheng’s relentless attacks, forcing the referee to stop the fight in the fifth round to save Estada from further punishment.

Wanheng is now one win away from breaking the record of the retired Mayweather. After fighting his whole career on home soil, he would now like a chance to defend his title overseas.

“I’m happy to match his [Mayweather’s] record but breaking it is not what I have in mind right now. I need to focus on my training first in order to win my next fight. I’d love to fight abroad as well but it all depends on my promoter,” said Wanheng, who received a special commemorative watch from WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman after the fight.

Wanheng’s coach Suparb Boonrod is convinced his fighter can rewrite the record books despite his age.

“He is 32 but still very strong. He is very disciplined and is a hard-working man, so winning his 51st consecutive match definitely not out of reach,” Suparb said.

Thailand’s premier youth sailing event, the Thailand Optimist National Championships was first launched in 1976 as the Optimist Thailand Championship Cup, and has been held annually since regularly attracting more than 100 sailors each time. Now, more than 40 years since its first sailing, it remains as competitive as ever and is Thailand’s second oldest annual sailing trophy, the oldest being the Vega Rudder Trophy donated by His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

The Thailand Optimist National Championships is held as an integral part of the Top of the Gulf Regatta, organised by the Junior Sailing Squadron of Thailand and the Yacht Racing Association of Thailand, and in Thailand is often a gauge of a young sailors prowess and a qualifying event for a regional games.

Having been split into two fleets prior to the first race this year, defending champion Panwa Boonak was in the Gold Fleet and was determined to be one of only a handful of juniors to ever defend the title. A fourth in the first race was a solid start, and he built on that with a first in the second race.

Squalls upto 25 knots and thunder and lightening, while periods when the fleet was becalmed, made the three-day event exceptionally challenging and only one race was completed on Day 2. In that race Panwa managed to secure a bullet and set himself up well for a final day showdown.

Hong Kong’s Duncan Gregor had a strong start to the series snd sat in second place at the end of the first day, but a string of below par performances thereafter saw him to drop and finish fifth overall, one place above another Hong Kong sailor, Casey Law.

As the conditions continued to be tricky, local experience came to the fore and M.L Weka Bhanubandh worked his way up the fleet. A second in Race 3 and third in Race 4 helped him to finish in second place overall and be crowned the top Under 12 sailor. Other fast finishers included Patihan Vorrasart (THA) who placed third overall and Chalisa Krittanai who was one place back in fourth and the top female sailor.

Panwa Boonak on his way to a consecutive national optimist title. Photo by Guy Nowell.

The three days, however, belonged to Panwa Boonak. Never flinching under the pressure a 4,1,1,1,1 scoreline saw him defend his title comfortably and be crowned 2018 Thailand Optimist National Champion at the final prize-giving held at Ocean Marina Yacht Club.

In the Silver Fleet the top three places went to Yoth Srimanchanda (THA), Attasuk Boontawee (THA) and Kritphet Suwannarai (THA), respectively.

The 32-year-old Thai nicknamed the “dwarf giant” reached the milestone in the fifth round as Leroy Estrada failed to recover from an upper cut.

The Panamanian was the busier of the two fighters in the opening rounds, leaving a cut above Wanheng’s left eye.

But the veteran Thai was unruffled, knocking down Estrada twice in round three with withering right hands and again in the fourth before the stoppage in the fifth.

Wanheng’s quest to equal “Money” Mayweather has drawn interest between the unheralded, soft spoken Thai and the brash and vastly more wealthy American.

“I’m happy that I can make the same record as him (Mayweather),” the champion said ringside after the fight.

Asked about surpassing the streak, he said he was not thinking about it yet but would keep training hard.

The bout was hosted in the northeastern Thai city of Nakhon Ratchasima, far from the glitz of Mayweather’s favoured venues in Las Vegas.

Boxing analysts have taken note of the achievement but pointed out that Wanheng has dominated undistinguished rivals compared to Mayweather, who took out greats including Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya.

Fighters in Thailand often compete under the label of their gym, which is where his second name Menayothin — the name of his Bangkok gym — comes from.

The Thai boxer’s legal name is Chayaphon Moonsri. But he is better known by the nickname “dwarf giant” — on account of punching power that belies his size — and “Five-Star Grilled Chicken” because of a sponsorship deal with a Thai food company

There may be little local interest in the aforementioned 93-kilogram collision, but both Russia and Brazil can be very hopeful that a world title shot will befall their countryman if either one of them will walk away with the victory.

Bigdash may be displaying more of his grappling as of late, but the 33-year-old native of Rostov, Russia originally made his name in the striking department.

Having started out in his martial arts journey with Kyokushin karate, Bigdash won several tournaments in the aforementioned tough discipline before transitioning to Muay Thai in 2012.

In that same year, Bigdash made his cage debut and racked up eight consecutive victories en route to capturing the ONE Middleweight World Championship in October 2015.

Of his nine wins, four of them have come by way of knockout, including his thrilling stoppage of former ONE Middleweight World Champion Igor Svirid to claim the gold-plated strap in October 2015.

In that bout which has come to be widely regarded as the most exciting in ONE Championship history, Bigdash showed both his ability to absorb and dispense damage, coming back from several knockdowns to dethrone the champion.

Since he dropped the belt to Aung La N Sang in their June 2017 rematch, Bigdash is on the comeback trail, and the first opponent in his path to redemption is Ataides.

“I’ve never been more prepared both mentally and physically to take out my opponent like Leandro Ataides. I will shut down the doubters on May 12. It’s going to be an exciting fight, one that I have definitely been looking forward to for a long time now,” Bigdash declared.

On the other hand, Ataides is re-emerging as a top contender in ONE Championship’s exhilarating middleweight division.

As a five-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion, Ataides has always had the advantage on the ground, but he has also grown into a truly complete martial artist, blending powerful striking and one-punch knockout power with his submission arsenal.

After spending a few years under the guidance of Evolve MMA’s many Muay Thai world champions, the 31-year-old Brazilian brute has won half of his bouts via knockout, which includes his 47-second destruction of Japan’s Tatsuya Mizuno and his flying knee knockout of Mohamed Ali that earned him the honor of ONE Championship’s Best Knockout of 2016.

Leandro Ataides

Even though he has hit roadblocks in his career, it have only made him stronger as he will now take a two-bout winning streak into his upcoming clash with Bigdash at ONE: GRIT AND GLORY.

Ataides believes that his upcoming cage meeting with Bigdash could be the one to catapult him towards a shot at Aung La N Sang’s ONE Middleweight World Championship.

“For me, every match is important. Every match is a title shot for me. Every time I step into the cage, it is a big deal for me. All my matches are important, and I always give 100 percent,” Ataides said.

“I know I will be champion eventually, but actually my goal is to be the number one martial artist in my division in the world. That is what I focus on, but obviously, with that comes the belt,” he added.

Like Ataides, Bigdash hopes that if he gets his hand raised in triumph against his Brazilian foe, it could lead him to a title date with Aung La N Sang.

“I will be very active, and I am going to aim for a knockout or a submission, nothing else. Winning is the minimum result. Once I win this bout, everyone will understand that I am qualified for a title shot,” Bigdash stated. “I want a title shot, period.”

Yet despite the high ceiling for Bigdash, Ataides has the extensive professional background between the two combatants, giving him the advantage in experience and making the bout dead even on paper.

“This fight is going to be a treat for the fans,” Ataides guaranteed. “We’re both hungry warriors, and we are probably just a win away from a title shot. Whatever happened previously in our careers doesn’t matter much anymore because what’s important is what happens next. I believe I’m ahead of the game because of how much I have improved as a martial artist.”

With the middleweight clash between Bigdash and Ataides promising to be an action-packed affair, fans are definitely riled up to see the colossal showdown.

Both Bigdash and Ataides have great enough potential that a loss for either of them would reap the same benefits as a win.

“He wants to win, and I want to win as well. We know what is at stake in this bout. Fans should expect fireworks inside the cage on May 12. We will be going at it,” Bigdash assured.

In the five-part series, the former WTA world number one recounts her victory in last year’s Australian Open, complications surrounding the birth of her eight-month-old daughter Olympia and her wedding to Alexis Ohanian last November.

“It’s about ups and downs,” Williams said in an HBO interview released Tuesday.

Williams won the Australian Open while pregnant and returned in February alongside her sister Venus in a US Fed Cup first-round tie. She lost to Venus in the third round at Indian Wells and to Japan’s Naomi Osaka at Miami in her WTA returns.

“I’m sure there are some moments in there that I’m not excited about. But that’s what it’s all about,” Williams said. “The camera follows you. You have to just allow yourself to just be.”

Williams revealed in an interview with Vogue that she suffered a pulmonary embolism after her daughter was born and spent six weeks recovering with bed rest.

“I chose now to share these moments because I was going through something different in my life,” Williams said. “I always wanted to get it down in a documentary so I can always say to my daughter, ‘Olympia look at all of these moments.'”

Among the behind-the-scenes footage included in the presentation are wedding dress fittings, time with her baby and husband and pets plus wedding photos and even images of her in the hospital as well as seeing Olympia for the first time.

The five-time champions have a 5-2 lead heading into the second leg of a semi-final overshadowed by security concerns and are favourites to reach their eighth final and first since 2007.

But Roma — who last reached the final in 1984 when they lost on penalties to Liverpool — have not conceded a goal at home in the Champions League this season.

Eusebio Di Francesco’s side beat Chelsea and Barcelona 3-0, with the win over the Spaniards overturning a 4-1 first-leg deficit to put them through to the final four.

Despite conceding two late goals in last week’s emphatic first-leg win at Anfield, Klopp knows his side’s destiny is in their hands as they bid to seal their place in the May 26 final in Kiev against Real Madrid.

“After the game, people acted as if we lost, but we won 5-2. And after a week people say Roma ‘only’ need to win 3-0, but that’s quite a result,” Klopp told a press conference in Rome.

“I’m not here to say anything about Barcelona. In that game, Roma were more than ready.

“Everybody’s telling us that it’s quite difficult and it’s possible but nobody told Barcelona, because nobody imagined it could happen.

“I didn’t need a warning but if I did, there it was. We’re in a much better situation than I would have thought before the game, that’s the truth.

– ‘Fight for our dreams’ –

“Whatever I say, we still have to play, and I really like that fact.

“We are here to fight for our dreams, that’s how it is, and we want to go to the final as you can imagine,” the Liverpool boss continued.

“But that means there is a football game to play and I am really looking forward to it because that’s what you want. You want to play when it is big stakes for the big things, and that is why we are here. It is a great opportunity.”

Di Francesco insisted his side “want to try and do something big in a stadium with 70,000 people”.

“The desire to make another miracle happen must push us all to give that extra something.”

The safety of fans in the Italian capital has overshadowed the build-up, with 3,000 police officers deployed around the city for the match after a Liverpool fan was attacked by hard-core Roma ultras outside the club’s Anfield stadium last week and left in a coma.

Dutch midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum said that the Liverpool squad had been “devastated” to hear about the condition of the fan, Sean Cox.

“It’s a game and everybody has to be safe and enjoy it,” he said.

Roma’s players showed their support for Cox by wearing shirts bearing the words “Forza Sean” (Come on Sean) during a training session on Tuesday, but the atmosphere in the city remains tense.

Real earned the chance to win their third Champions League in a row after Karim Benzema’s double strike and desperate last-minute defending gave them a 2-2 draw on the night and a 4-3 victory over the two legs of the semi-final.

Real have already seen bitter rivals Barcelona win the Spanish league this season, but Zidane said Europe’s premier competition always brings the best out of his club, who have won it 12 times.

“It’s in the DNA of the club. We never stop fighting up to the very last minute, just as the Bayern players did tonight.”

Zidane said Benzema had more than earned his chance to start the match after the French striker was only a substitute in the first leg in Munich.

“He deserved to score, he has worked hard and he has never given anything less than his all.

“His game is always the same and he is always important for us. It was important for him that he scored tonight as well.”

The All England Club will introduce the “50:50” rule at this year’s Wimbledon in an attempt to prevent injury withdrawals in the opening round of the men’s and women’s singles events.

Several players were widely criticised last year when they played in first-round matches at Wimbledon, despite being clearly unfit, in order to claim the prize money for losing at that stage.

There were a total of seven mid-match withdrawals in the 2017 tournament.

With an increased purse of £39,000 ($53,000) on offer to first-round losers this year, tournament chiefs are keen to clamp down on the issue.

Players will now be able to claim 50 percent of their first-round prize money if they withdraw on site by the Thursday before the start of the main draw.

An injured player’s replacement would take the other 50 percent of the prize money.

But anyone who competes in the first round and “retires or performs below professional standards” could now be fined their entire prize pot.

“In the wake of first-round withdrawals we pledged to act on it, and we have done so,” said Wimbledon chief executive Richard Lewis.

– Prize money –

The 2018 men’s and women’s singles champions will receive £2.25 million, a small increase of £50,000 on last year.

Roger Federer and Garbine Muguruza won the men’s and women’s titles in 2017.

Lower-ranked players at Wimbledon will enjoy a greater uplift, with an increase of 10 percent across qualifying and the first to fourth rounds of the singles, boosting the overhaul prize money total to £34 million this year.

The haul is larger than the Australian Open’s £31 million, but slightly less than the £34.5 million available at this year’s French Open. The US Open is yet to announce this year’s total prize money.

Wimbledon, which starts on July 2, will reject a “shot clock” on court to monitor time taken between points.

“We aren’t totally convinced yet,” said Lewis. “The rule is there to be enforced by the umpires. The visibility could be counter-productive. We are very content with wait and see for now.”

Wimbledon bosses offered more clarity on the idea of coaching from the sidelines, which is currently banned at the tournament.

“Tennis is a gladiatorial sport, you are on your own. We totally disagree with it,” Lewis said.

In a bid to speed up match times, the tournament will enforce a seven-minute gap between players walking on court and the start of play.

They are also unhappy about the amount of time being wasted by toilet breaks and on-court visits from tour physios.

“It is a concern, it’s not easy to deal with. We have had discussions with people on the medical side,” Lewis said. “Toilet breaks can be an issue. The word gamesmanship comes in.”

Keen to stay environmentally friendly, Wimbledon said no plastic straws will be used at this year’s tournament as part of its sustainability ethos. Last year more than 400,000 plastic straws were used at the southwest London venue.

The Egypt international narrowly topped the poll of the 400-strong FWA membership ahead of Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, the margin understood to be less than 20 votes. Tottenham striker Harry Kane was third.

Between them, Salah, signed by the Reds from Roma last summer, and De Bruyne, who helped City claim the Premier League title with five games remaining, collected more than 90 per cent of the journalists’ votes.

Salah has scored 43 goals in 48 appearances in all competitions this season and spearheaded Liverpool’s push towards a potential place in the Champions League final — the Reds lead Roma 5-2 ahead of Wednesday’s semi-final second leg in Italy.

The 25-year-old, who was last month crowned the Premier League’s Players’ Player of the Year, becomes the first African winner of the FWA accolade, which has been awarded since 1948.