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SOCCER

Kurt Zouma started a Premier League game for West Ham on Tuesday, hours after apologizing for kicking and slapping a cat in abuse caught on video.

Zouma is seen hitting the cat while laughter can be heard in the background. In video released by The Sun newspaper, the 27-year-old France international then chases the animal before throwing a pair of shoes at it and slapping its head.

West Ham condemned the defender’s actions and said it will deal with the player internally – though Manager David Moyes still opted to select Zouma in the team for home match against Watford on Tuesday night. West Ham won 1-0.

He received jeers from some people in the crowd on his early touches of the ball at the Olympic Stadium.

Asked whether the video involving Zouma had influenced the team selection, Moyes said: “No, because he is one of our better players.

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“But it is certainly ongoing and the club are dealing with it, so that is a separate matter.”

Zouma said in a statement there were “no excuses for my behavior, which I sincerely regret.”

“I also want to say how deeply sorry I am to anyone who was upset by the video,” he said. “I would like to assure everyone that our two cats are perfectly fine and healthy.

“They are loved and cherished by our entire family, and this behavior was an isolated incident that will not happen again.”

Zouma joined West Ham from Chelsea in August.

“West Ham United unreservedly condemns the actions of our player, Kurt Zouma, in the video that has circulated,” the club said in a statement.

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“We have spoken to Kurt and will be dealing with the matter internally, but we would like to make it clear that we in no way condone cruelty towards animals.”

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was horrified.

“This is a very upsetting video,” the RSPCA said. “It’s never acceptable to kick, hit or slap an animal, for punishment or otherwise.”

BOXING

WELTERWEIGHTS: Champions Errol Spence and Yordenis Ugas will meet in a title unification bout April 16 in Arlington, Texas.

The fighters’ promoters announced the deal for Spence to defend his WBC and IBF belts against WBA champion Ugas at AT&T Stadium, the massive home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.

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Spence (27-0, 21 KOs) lives in the Dallas area, where he will fight for the fourth time in his last five bouts. He has been the IBF’s 147-pound champion since 2017, and he added the WBC title in 2019 by beating Shawn Porter.

Spence was scheduled to fight eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao in Las Vegas last summer, but Spence withdrew 11 days before the bout with a torn retina.

Ugas (27-4, 12 KOs) stepped in for Spence on short notice and earned the biggest victory of his up-and-down career with a decisive unanimous decision over Pacquiao, who retired after the bout.

Spence and unbeaten WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford have been circling a unification bout for years, but promoters’ squabbles have kept it from happening. Crawford and Canelo Alvarez are considered the world’s top two pound-for-pound fighters by most observers.

TENNIS

ARGENTINA OPEN: 2009 U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro lost in what appeared to be a farewell match in front of his home fans at Buenos Aires.

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The 33-year-old, who had not played since 2019 due to injuries, was eliminated by compatriot Federico Delbonis 6-1, 6-3 in an emotional match. Del Potro was already in tears as the final game unravelled.

The Argentinian said on Saturday he is likely to retire from professional tennis after playing the Rio Open tournament in Brazil next week.

Once ranked as high as No. 3 in the world, Del Potro told fans after the match his decision was motivated by his health problems.

“This is the moment I hoped would never come,” he said. “I don’t have the strength to go ahead. I gave it all.”

Del Potro has had multiple wrist and knee surgeries in the past decade.

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