PAISLEY, Scotland -- Billy Joe Saunders enjoyed a successful first defense of his WBO middleweight title against Artur Akavov on Saturday night, with the British boxer starting slowly but finishing the 12-rounder strongly.The three judges called it 116-113, 116-112 and 115-113 in favor of Saunders (24-0) at the Lagoon Leisure Centre in Paisley.With former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury at ringside supporting Saunders, the champion was determined to retain the title he won against Irelands Andy Lee last December.Akavov, previously beaten once in 17 fights but never stopped, looked impressive in the early stages.Saunders started to move forward with more purpose, perhaps sensing the Russian was beginning to feel the effects of his earlier work, and took the eighth and ninth rounds.Akavov came back at the start of the 10th, but Saunders had gained control and soon had his man on the run, imposing himself in the final rounds to take the contest. Manuel Margot Jersey . William Carrier opened the scoring for Cape Breton (6-4-2), but Andrew Ryan tied the game and Brent Andrews put the Mooseheads (8-6-0) in front for good with a short-handed goal at 13:49 of the second period. Aaron Loup Padres Jersey . -- Lou Brocks shoulder-to-shoulder collision with Bill Freehan during the 1968 World Series and Pete Roses bruising hit on Ray Fosse in the 1970 All-Star game could become relics of baseball history, like the dead-ball era. http://www.padressale.com/padres-garrett-richards-jersey/ . In Europe, top teams seem to be largely happy with their squads after spending nearly $1 billion in the off-season. And although English league clubs are unlikely to splash cash in January, Arsenal and Chelsea could be tempted to strengthen their squads with new strikers. Eric Hosmer Jersey . A forerunning sled crashed into the worker Thursday at the Sanki Sliding Center. The unidentified worker broke both legs and was airlifted to a nearby hospital. Craig Stammen Jersey . -- If this was Aaron Gordons final home game at Arizona, and it almost certainly was, then he went out in style. GAMES THAT COULD DECIDE THE AFL FINALS MAKE-UPRound 20Western Bulldogs v North Melbourne, Ethihad Stadium.The Bulldogs and North Melbourne go into round 20 with 12 wins each, sitting seventh and eighth, respectively, on the ladder. Crippled by injuries to several key position players, the Dogs will look to rebound from two bruising losses. After a strong start to the season, the Kangaroos are trying to rediscover their winning form heading into September. They can make it three wins on the trot on Saturday.Round 21Hawthorn v North Melbourne, MCG.The Kangaroos could claw their way up a tightly packed top eight with a win over the defending premiers in their only game at the MCG for the 2016 home-and-away season. Hawthorn escaped with a nine-point victory over North in round 13 at Ethihad Stadium.Round 22West Coast v Hawthorn, Domain Stadium.While Hawthorn were too strong for West Coast in the round two rematch of last years grand final, the Eagles have proven ttough to beat at home.dddddddddddd West Coast have struggled to find the form that took them into the 2015 grand final, but a win at home over the high-flying Hawks could kick-start their finals campaign. West Coast beat Hawthorn the last time they met at Subiaco, running away 32-point winners in last years qualifying final.Round 23West Coast v Adelaide, Adelaide Oval.Adelaide have gradually emerged as one of the front runners to challenge Hawthorn for the 2016 premiership, with three of their last four games against teams outside the top eight. A win over a West Coast side thats struggled away from home should be enough to ensure Adelaide move into September in the top four. A fourth-quarter scoring explosion resulted in Adelaide erasing a two-goal deficit to run out 29-point winners in round 12 at Subiaco the last time they met. ' ' '