different.Cleverly has suffered two points losses since taking a beating from Kovalev -- to fellow Briton Tony Bellew up at cruiserweight, and against Andrzej Fonfara. However, he revived his career last month when he won the WBAs regular version

TOKYO -- An independent panel commissioned by the Japanese Olympic Committee has found nothing illegal in a payment made to a Singapore consulting firm in connection with Tokyos bid to host the 2020 Summer Games.A report by the panel released Thursday said a $2.8 million Singapore dollar (then $2.3 million) payment to the consultancy Black Tidings for bid planning services and lobbying advice in 2013 was legitimate.The panel concluded that Tokyo bid executives had no knowledge of the link between the head of Black Tidings, Ian Tan Tong Han, and the son of former IAAF president Lamine Diack, who is facing corruption charges in France.The investigation concludes that the contents and execution process of the payment are not in violation of any Japanese law, lawyer Yoshihisa Hayakawa, who headed the panel, told a news conference. Any violation of the IOC code of ethics also could not be found.The panel, consisting of two lawyers and a certified public accountant, said Tan deserved the payment based on detailed reports he provided the committee that demonstrated his ability to lobby effectively and provide useful information for the bid committee.The findings are in line with what we expected, and we are relieved, said JOC president Tsunekazu Takeda, who headed the bid committee.The report noted, however, that the payment was twice the average of what the Tokyo bid committee paid to other consultants. Hayakawa said the team also did not receive an exact accounting of how Tan spent the money.In addition, the investigation team was unable to speak directly to Tan, Diack or his son, Papa Massata Diack, in part due to the ongoing French corruption investigation and didnt have access to data stored in computers issued by the committee that had been destroyed when the bidding process ended. The team largely relied on documents that had been kept by former committee members.Personally, I regret we could not interview them. If we could have met Mr. Tan, especially, Im sure we could have examined what exactly happened in this case, Hayakawa said.Suspicion about the Black Tidings payment arose in the course of the French investigation into Diack, once one of the most influential men in sports, and his son, who is wanted in France on bribery, money laundering and corruption charges.Tan is one of Papa Massata Diacks close friends. They were so close that Tan named his child, born in 2014, Massata, according to a World Anti-Doping Agency investigation into Russias athletic doping scandal.According to French prosecutors, the payment is thought to have been transferred from Japan to the Singapore account of Black Tidings in two installments in July and October 2013.The Japanese investigation also found the payment to Tan was made in two installments. The first contract for U.S. $950,000 was signed in July 2013 for Tans lobbying and consulting work, and the remainder of the money was transferred to him three months later as a bonus for winning the bid, the report said. The contract did not include a specific reference prohibiting bribery.Details of the payment procedures were not shared among the committee executives, and the lack of communication might have invited suspicions, the report said. It also noted that future bidding activity for international athletic events should pay more attention to transparency and compliance to stricter rules.Tokyo was chosen in September 2013 as the Olympic host, and the elder Diack, then an International Olympic Committee member, had a vote and influence over blocs of other votes as a high-profile figure in the organization.The widening of the French inquiry into the 2020 Olympic bidding process has put heavy pressure on Tokyo organizers and the IOC, which has sought to distance itself from the FIFA and IAAF corruption scandals and insisted that it had cleaned up since a bid scandal over the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.Orioles Jerseys China .2 billion agreement with Rogers Communications for the leagues broadcast and multimedia rights. Baltimore Orioles Gear . Their 38th instalment is arguably their biggest fight card to date, including three-title fights and a main event which was selected by the fans. 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The Cincinnati Reds remain perfect with their speedy rookie outfielder in the starting lineup.Nathan Cleverly expects Sergey Kovalev to beat Andre Ward on Saturday and wants a rematch with him next year.Cleverly (30-3, 16 KOs) is as excited as any fan about the fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas which will decide the light-heavyweight divisions No.1.But the Briton has a close personal interest, too, as he should have a chance to line up a 2017 bout against the winner of Florida-based Russian Kovalev (30-0-1, 26 KOs), who will defend his WBA super, WBO and IBF world titles, and American Ward (30-0, 15 KOs).Its a brilliant fight, probably the best in the whole of boxing at the moment, because its such a contrast of styles, Cleverly told ESPN.Ward is a masterclass technically as a fighter and then you have Kovalev, whose boxing skills are underrated but has brute force in both hands. Its intriguing.It will be so close, and go the distance, but Im going with Kovalev. I see why people are thinking Ward, but Kovalev keeps his distance and has good balance, he has got long punches -- and he is the bigger guy.Kovalevs the natural light-heavyweight and Ward has come up from super-middle. He [Kovalev] is experienced at fighting bigger guys and his power will be enough to put Ward into his shell. He will win the rounds on work rate and make Ward very defensive. I think he will win a close decision.Kovalev became world champion in 2013 when he dealt Cleverly his first defeat as a professional, in front of his fans in Wales.It was a brutal fourth-round lesson for the home fighter, which featured two knockdowns before it was stopped. But that hasnt put Cleveerly off a rematch with the Russian.ddddddddddddThe winner is my official mandatory defence, so will collide with me at some point in the not-so-distant future, he said. They will get their business done and I will get my business done and then it could happen.If its Kovalev, people will think Im crazy to get back in the ring with him, but Im a fighter and Im a risk-taker; if its there, I will do it. I took the fight too early last time -- next time will be different.Cleverly has suffered two points losses since taking a beating from Kovalev -- to fellow Briton Tony Bellew up at cruiserweight, and against Andrzej Fonfara. However, he revived his career last month when he won the WBAs regular version of the world title from Juergen Braehmer, who retired before the start of the seventh round with a shoulder injury.Provisionally, the rematch with Braehmer is my next fight, Cleverly said. I signed a rematch clause before the fight so Im expecting to fight him again in Germany.I won the [WBO] world title at 24, which is very young when you are against fully-grown men. I took a risk by fighting Kovalev aged 26; he was an unknown quantity then. He came over to the UK and I was a bit immature, he was a mature 30-year-old.He had too much for me. It was a devastating defeat at the time, but maybe it needed to happen. Mentally, Ive wised up, it has given me time to physically mature and get stronger, so maybe it was a blessing in disguise. ' ' '