BOXING: Hatton retains title

In Manchester, England, Ricky Hatton prevailed in a lopsided decision over Juan Lazcano yesterday to retain his IBO light welterweight title and restart his career before a raucous home crowd.

After the fight it was announced that a deal had been sealed for Hatton to face Brooklyn-native Paulie Malignaggi, who won on the undercard, in November, with New York a likely location.

Malignaggi, narrowly defended his IBF light-welterweight title with a split-decision victory over Lovemore N’Dou but his movement was limited after the sixth round when a knuckle in his right hand was likely broken.

WNBA: Libs head to Motown

It’s bad enough for the Liberty that the Detroit Shock handed them their first and last losses of last season. It’s even worse because Detroit’s Bill Laimbeer has proven to be just as acerbic with his mouth as a coach as he was chippy with his body as a player for the Pistons’ Bad Boys.

When asked if the Liberty, beaten by his team in last year’s Eastern Conference playoffs was an elite team, Laimbeer said, “The jury’s still out.”

The jury gets to see more evidence tonight when New York (1-1) takes to the road for the first time this season (6 p.m., MSG) to play the Shock (2-1). – Lenn Robbins

SOCCER: Chelsea sacks manager

Chelsea fired manager Avram Grant, three days after the club’s loss to Manchester United on penalty kicks in the European Champions League final.

MLB: Carmona on DL

The Indians placed RHP Fausto Carmona on the 15-day disabled list because of a strained left hip suffered Friday night.

BLOTTER: Cepeda drug fine

Former San Francisco Giants star Orlando Cepeda, 70, was fined $100 in Fairfield, Calif., in a drug case plea deal that led to the firing of a deputy district attorney.

TENNIS: Dementieva ousted

Poland’s Agnieszka Radwanska beat defending champion and top seed Elena Dementieva 6-3 6-2 to win the Istanbul Cup in Poertschach, Austria.

* Top seed Nikolay Davydenko beat defending champion Juan Monaco to take the Poertschach International title 6-2 2-6 6-2 in Austria, storming back after an injury troubled him in the second set.

* Gilles Simon defeated fifth-seeded Julien Benneteau 7-5, 6-2 in an all-French clay-court final to clinch his third career title in Casablanca, Morocco.

* Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain battled through the rain to beat Katarina Srebotnik of Slovenia 4-6 7-6 6-0 in the Strasbourg International final in France.