However, after hearing about this, and similar problems from other athletes, De Monte scoured the internet and managed to secure £1,500 worth of tickets for the runner from foreign websites.

Greene has since paid De Monte back and thanked him for this selfless act saying, “this is exactly what the Olympic spirit embodies.”

De Monte uses his knowledge of where to obtain available tickets and finds people on Twitter who are desperately seeking them, and simply helps them out!

De Monte said: “It feels great. Anything which can help our athletes and Team GB achieve more at the Olympics is fantastic.”

4 DOWN Mark Cavendish
Being the wittiest tweeter in the peloton, Mark Cavendish naturally reacted with good humour after discovering on Tuesday that the water supply at his home in Tuscany had been mysteriously cut off. “Got squirrels living in my hair and mushrooms growing in my feet now,” he quipped, and later admitted he had used the lavatory before fully realising the consequences. That’s the sort of toilet-based humour this blog loves, but we can’t help thinking that there’s a more sinister side to Cav’s predicament. Because if you’ve seen Jean de Florette, you’ll know how they deal with outsiders in the more bucolic parts of the Continent: deprive them of water in the hope of driving them away. Somebody help the poor guy before it ends in tragedy!

3 UP Walker Savidge
It features two chaps thrusting their crotches while another seems delighted to be caught between them, so it’s no surprise that this snap of Taylor Phinney, Danny Summerhill and Walker Savidge has been bringing the LOLS this week following its appearance on yay cycling! and Cycleboredom. But the image is lifted above the usual level of homoerotic fratboy tomfoolery by the expression on Savidge’s face. Just look at him on the right: the quiet dignity, the stoical acceptance that the photo might resurface, say, three years after the event, but those who snigger at it will never, ever be able to take away his sense of self-worth. Or maybe he just didn’t realise where Phinney and Summerhill had their hands. Actually, it’s probably the latter, isn’t it?

2 DOWN Cycling websites
A Tour de France star jets in to Britain, sets a record in an area of the capital known to amateur cyclists throughout the UK, and not one cycling website which doesn’t have a print equivalent bothers to report it. Strange, but true. In fact, The DYNAMITE! Files’ site stats reveal that a few inquisitive souls googling for information about the intriguing event ended up here – so for them, here’s this week’s news about…

1 UP David Millar
You know how it is – your autobiography is about to be published, so your agenda includes a swanky book launch, a round of interviews, and mercilessly crushing the fragile egos of every competitive amateur cyclist in London, Surrey and beyond by doing the fastest-ever lap of Richmond Park on your very first visit. Damn you, David Millar! Setting off at 7:23am on Sunday as part of a clandestine time trial he had organised for his Velo Club Rocacorba buddies, the Commonwealth champ completed an anticlockwise circuit of the hallowed 6.7-mile loop in 13min 35secs, giving him an average speed of 29.595mph. And the BBC’s footage of the event, which was removed on Thursday after the Royal Parks complained, featured a post-ride interview with the great man wearing a natty beret. As they say, hat!

European and Commonwealth bantamweight champion Jamie McDonnell denied Nick Otieno the opportunity to become the first Kenyan to have the Commonwealth title wrapped around his waist as he decisioned the challenger. The judges awarded a lopsided points victory to the champion, however, the fight itself did not reflect such a one-sided display…

Direct link to article.

Stone’s scorecard

Judges scorecards: 118-111, 120-108, 120-108 in favour of McDonnell.

Round By Round Summary

Round One: McDonnell, astonishingly for a bantamweight, had the height of a super welterweight or even a middleweight compared to the more compact Otieno. It was even rumoured that McDonnell had rehydrated to 132lbs following the weigh-in: 14lbs over the bantam limit of 118lbs. During the opening stages McDonnell led with the jab and left hook. He also showed fast hands. Otieno controlled the centre of the ring and made McDonnell work around him.

Round Two: McDonnell utilised his jab more often in the second. His follow-up right hand to the body also worked well for him. Otieno, though, was a game opponent. Otieno’s own jab was accurate and forced McDonnell to work around the ropes. McDonnell’s one-two’ing was good.

Round Three: There was a good soccer-style atmosphere at the Hillsborough Leisure Centre, Sheffield on Saturday, May 28 and all were supporting McDonnell. Movement was key for the home fighter and he began to work Otieno down with continuous body shots in order to try to prevent the Kenyan from coming forward. Both fighters landed a similar amount of punches so the judges may well give the ten score to who had the heavier hits.

Round Four: McDonnell, because of the height gap at 5-6 inches, was often punching down and hunching in posture so Otieno’s uppercuts in the fourth began to land. McDonnell remain focussed on the body. Otieno clipped McDonnell’s nose and also caught the Englishman with good hooks.

Round Five: Otieno was mostly evading McDonnell’s long-reaching jabs and so if the defending Commonwealth champion wanted to enhance his punches landed tally he would need to either double up on the jab or follow it up with straights as, if the first shot misses, you have another chance to land with the second. McDonnell landed a body shot on Otieno followed by a head shot. The punch output had increased and the pressure brought good success for McDonnell. Good right and left from McDonnell and he was beginning to dominate.

Round Six: McDonnell appeared buoyed by the fifth round and was stringing his punches together nicely in the sixth, peppering Otieno with three punch combinations before moving away from the danger. Otieno, though, continued to push forward and was not discouraged despite relinquishing momentum to his opponent. McDonnell caught Otieno with a heavy right hand but Otieno replied by punching back.

Round Seven: Otieno’s guard was tight in the seventh… he oft kept a high right mitt close to his chin to provide a cushion for the left hook but he was now protecting his head with both gloves. McDonnell found a way around this by using his uppercuts.

Round Eight: Otieno controlled the first 30 seconds of the eighth round by his jab alone. He had started on the frontfoot, backed away from McDonnell’s jab and took the fight to McDonnell, trying to get as close to his toes as possible. With one minute remaining McDonnell got his best punch of the round off – a left hook to the body. McDonnell showed fast hands again and landed a one-two-three on Otieno twice in succession. Otieno finished the round with a good four punch combo.

Round Nine: Despite lacking McDonnell’s reach, Otieno had been out-jabbing his opponent but McDonnell re-stamped his authority with that punch in the ninth. Otieno’s engine was strong as he still came forward.

Round Ten: McDonnell was snapping Otieno’s head in all directions with good hooks and he again showed good skill in going for the body. McDonnell, though was boxing on the backfoot due to Otieno’s game. The one-two, from the body then to the head, was a repeated one-two from McDonnell and the straight right too knocked the sweat off Otieno’s face.

Round Eleven: McDonnell had been telling his corner in between rounds that he was not tired and wanted to go after the stoppage. He lived up to that intention by coming out the traps firing, however, he still refused to plant his feet and go toe-to-toe with Otieno and instead shot three punch flurries before skipping away. Otieno hit McDonnell with a good right, and solid jabs. McDonnell was the more active boxer in the round and was largely in control of the fight.

Round Twelve: Even though he was ahead on the scorecards, McDonnell showed a willingness to get into the trenches in the final round by throwing great right uppercuts and left hooks. In defeat, Otieno displayed good courage, strength and also durability.

After a cagey start where the rounds were fairly even, the punch stats were very similar, however, once McDonnell had Otieno figured out, he was able to show his superior skill-set. One in every five punches were landing for McDonnell (173 punches landed out of 854 thrown) while Otieno only succeeded once every six and a half punches (117 landed out of 760 thrown). With victory, McDonnell rose to 17-2-0, 6ko while Otieno dropped to 21-7-0, 9ko.

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Groves: Too much class

George Groves moved a step closer to a ‘Battle of Britain’ clash with bitter rival James Degale after he dispatched of Ghanaian Daniel Allotey on Saturday night.

The unbeaten Commonwealth champion needed just four rounds to dispatch of the awkward Allotey, as Groves made it 12 wins from 12 since he turned professional.

The first round was largely forgettable as Groves sought to ‘feel out’ his opponent and find his range. However Groves’s class began to tell in the second, with him landing a big over-the-top right hand which seemed to rock Allotey.

Groves began to up the work-rate in the third as Allotey began to feel the effects Groves’ power. The Londoner landed a number of ramrod like left jabs which sent the Ghanaian’s head snapping right back on every occasion.

The Hammersmith stylist moved through the gears as he landed a stiff right which sent Allotey stumbling back towards the ropes, where Groves followed up with a powerful right hand that dropped his opponent.

Allotey managed to beat the referee’s count, but the Groves would not be denied as he sent Allotey crashing back to the canvas with another huge right hand, forcing the referee to call a halt the fight.

A CHAMPION boxer has appeared in court over the attempted murder of a man in an alleged hammer attack.

Reigning Commonwealth light-heavyweight champion Kenneth Anderson is charged with the attempted murder of David Togher.

It is claimed Anderson – who won Gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Games – punched and repeatedly hit the 23-year-old in the head with a hammer during an alleged attack on June 23.

Anderson appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court in relation to the incident which police said occurred around 8.20pm in Hay Drive in the capital’s Craigmillar area.

He made no plea or declaration and was remanded in custody overnight.

Prosecutors said they were keen to establish a particular detail and said Anderson would appear again today.

Mr Anderson, from Edinburgh, turned professional in October 2006 following his amateur success.

His last major bout was stopping Nathan King at the Bellahouston Sports Centre in Glasgow last March on points to preserve his run of 10 victories without defeat.

The Willowbrae-based boxer, who began boxing aged eight, fell out with his parents shortly before winning gold at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games three years ago.

It was reported that the then dad-of-three had fallen out with dad Benny – himself a district boxing champion – after losing his job with his father’s flooring business.

His mother Amanda, however, did turn up to congratulate him on his win at Edinburgh Airport.

Mr Anderson, who is now fighting at super-middleweight, teamed-up with legendary boxing promoter Frank Warren for the first time earlier this year.