Boxing: Nelson turns blind eye to age

Johnny Nelson successfully defended the World Boxing Association cruiserweight title for the 12th time when he stopped Germany's Rudiger May in the seventh round in Essen, and afterwards the 37-year-old played down talk of an imminent retirement from the sport, saying he "could box up to the age of 50".

The Sheffield-born Nelson, who has held the title since March 1999, is now being lined up for a title defence against the former WBO light-heavyweight champion Darius Michalczewski, who remains hugely popular in Germany.

Against May, a messy contest exploded into life in the seventh when Nelson twice sent the German to the canvas with right hooks before the referee stepped in to halt the action after two minutes 29 seconds of the round.