knocking anybody down because it was more important to make the team than to have the ego trip of putting somebody on the canvas," De La Hoya explained in the Sporting News. "When I get to Spain, I'll show people my power."De La Hoya was the favorite to win the lightweight gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. "The kid has all the tools," said Pat Nappi, former U.S. national boxing team coach, in Sports Illustrated. "Right now, based on what I've seen, he has the gold medal." De La Hoya tried to not get overconfident, though. "I've just got to keep my focus," he explained in the same magazine.

In the end, De La Hoya was the only U.S. boxer to win an Olympic gold medal, defeating Marco Randolph of Germany in the gold medal bout. He celebrated his victory by carrying a U.S. flag in one hand and a Mexican flag in the other. "I went up with the Mexican flag and the American flag," he recalled in Hispanic. "If I'd had enough arms I would have gone up with all the flags of the world!" After returning home, De La Hoya paid tribute to his mother by laying his medal on her grave. "I won the medal for mom," De La Hoya admitted in Sports Illustrated.

Morales vs. Barrera

What happened the first time: If you missed it, find a tape of the fight because this 122-pound unification bout was truly a classic. People will still talk about it 25 years from now because on Feb. 19, 2000, Mexican rivals Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales went toe-to-toe for 12 breathtaking rounds. The only problem was that the wrong guy — Morales — was awarded a split-decision victory.November 25, 2000, Saturday

No Entourage, Just Hopes Of a Knockout; Landing Jabs to Pay Bills

By CHARLIE LeDUFF

Source: The New York Times

Section: Metropolitan Desk

1582 words Abstract

Boxing has always been sport of immigrants, who see it as exit from ghetto life, according to Hank Kaplan, boxing historian; current wave of Mexican immigrants provide names for boxing cards at small clubs and converted ballrooms around New York, with Antonio Oliveros topping list; for Oliveros, club boxing provides money to make ends meet and help pay for his children's education; photo (M) Lead Paragraph

In the boxing game, the brighter your name the dimmer your entourage. Saturday night bouts were being held at the Amazura Ballroom in a dirty corner of Jamaica, Queens, as part of Cedric Kushner's all-Latino show last week. The Spanish-language telev...

Tale of tapes: Payoffs ruled boxing01/29/00

By Robert Rudolph

STAFF WRITER

It was a moment during a meeting in a hotel room in December 1997 between Doug Beavers, the ratings chairman of the International Boxing Federation, and Bob Lee, the founder and president of the IBF.

Beavers hiked up a pants leg, exposing a cellophane-wrapped package he had taped to his leg. Pulling the package free, he placed the bundle on a table and waited as Lee reached out to unwrap the parcel, which was filled with $5,000.

An affidavit describing the meeting, which was secretly videotaped by the FBI, was included in a voluminous inventory of tapes, transcripts, affidavits and other material presented to a federal grand jury in Newark that has been investigating allegations of corruption in boxing for four years. The evidence, made public yesterday by U.S. District Judge John Bissell, exposes details of what authorities call a sordid pattern of corruption, in which Lee and other IBF officials allegedly pocketed hundreds of thousands of dollars in payoffs from promoters seeking to manipulate the rankings of their fighters.

The material includes thousands of pages of taped conversations as well as testimony from promoters and others who claim they were forced to pay Lee to keep their boxers in the game.

"It ain't the turkey, it's the dressing, brother," Lee is quoted as telling Beavers during a discussion of the payoffs.

Beavers, a longtime associate of Lee from Portsmouth, Va., agreed to become an informant for the FBI after being confronted by federal agents in Texas in May 1997. He related a tale of systematic graft that, he said, involved some of the biggest names in the business, including promoters Don King, Bob Arum, Dino Duva and Cedric Kushner.

The evidence unsealed yesterday also shows how Beavers lured Lee into incriminating conversations that were picked up by FBI microphones and cameras.

"Simply stated," Beavers said in an affidavit, "boxers' ratings were enhanced when Robert W. Lee Sr. and I received payoffs from promoters or managers." Those boxers whose promoters failed to pay, or who tried to escape from stables of favored promoters, found their ratings dropping sharply.

In one instance, Beavers said, an irate Lee demanded that a fighter named Ivan Robinson be stripped of his lightweight ranking: "He can come all the way out. He's the bastard that gave us a bad check and never made good on it."

Among those who Beavers claims made payoffs was the flamboyant King; Lee referred to him by the code name "Fuzzy Wuzzy," Beavers said. Lee regularly received cash from King and referred to the payoffs as "Christmas turkeys," Beavers said.

Eventually, Lee became "out of control in giving favorable treatment to King's boxers," Beavers said, describing one instance in which Lee attempted to promote a Nicaraguan fighter neither Lee nor Beavers had ever heard of, simply because the fighter was backed by King.

Lee's position, Beavers said, was: "It don't make no difference whether they can fight or not," as long as they were in King's corner.

Although King's offices in Florida were raided by the FBI last year in connection with the boxing probe, no charges have been filed against him, and a representative yesterday declined comment.

At his Fanwood home, Lee --wearing an IBF sweater -- said he was unaware of the release of the material. "What am I going to say? I don't have any comment on any of that," he said. Lee is currently on unpaid leave of absence from the IBF.

Lee's attorney, Gerald Krovatin, had sought to block the release of the evidence. He called the public release of the material yesterday an "unfair, one-sided preview" of issues that will be aired during Lee's racketeering trial, now slated for late March.

Other prominent promoters have said they fell prey to Lee payoff demands.

Among those was Arum, the president of Nevada-based Top Rank, who had promoted heavyweight champion George Foreman and who had sought a ruling from the IBF to allow the champion to battle an unranked fighter from Germany, Axel Schulz, in 1995.

In the papers released yesterday, Arum said that being granted an exception to the normal course for a champion, in which he is supposed to fight leading contenders first, "came at a price."

Describing one hotel meeting, Arum said, "Lee told me that he wanted a payment of $200,000 for the IBF to sanction the Foreman-Schulz bout."

Arum admitted funneling $100,000 to Lee through an intermediary, and said the IBF demands only escalated after that, with another IBF official attempting to shake down Foreman personally for $250,000.

The same year, authorities charged, Lee and his son, Robert W. Lee Jr., took $100,000 from another promoter to mandate a rematch between the fighters, and Beavers said Lee boasted that the IBF "protected" Schulz after he tested positive for steroids.

In addition, Beavers said, Lee demanded an $800,000 payment to sanction a fight between Foreman and Mike Tyson. It never took place.

At the same time, promoter Dino Duva, then president of the New Jersey-based Main Events, said he was approached by Beavers and told to pay $25,000 to ensure that one of his fighters, junior middleweight champion Fernando Vargas, would be assigned the ranking to which he was entitled.

Duva said he initially balked at the payment but was badgered by Lee. "I finally succumbed to (Lee's) demands" in December 1998, Duva said, and put $25,000 in a package that a Duva employee took to Lee at a breakfast meeting in Atlantic City.

Kathy Duva, who now runs Main Events, said Dino Duva, her brother in law, is no longer with the company. She added that Vargas was never aware of the payoff. "This is not someone who bought a ranking he didn't deserve," Kathy Duva said. "He worked very hard to get the ranking he received."

Documents also implicate international promoter Kushner in the payoff scandal. Beavers described collecting cash from Kushner at the promoter's home in East Hampton, N.Y., and then delivering a $50,000 portion of the proceeds to Lee's son in a rendezvous at the Vince Lombardi Service Area on the New Jersey Turnpike.

Beavers said Lee often became irritated when promoters were slow in paying, and quoted him as asking about Kushner: "What about the fat man, ain't he come through, man?"

After one meeting with King, Lee complained, "There wasn't a piece of bait nowhere, man," according to Beavers.

Asked about the claim that his client was among those who made payoffs, Kushner's lawyer, Richard Edlin, said: "The matter was thoroughly investigated by the U.S. Attorney's Office, and the fact is Mr. Kushner was not the subject of any indictment, nor do we have any reason to believe he will be."

One recording reveals that Beavers ironically already had a plan in action when he realized the FBI was onto the deals.

"Well, we're in trouble," he told an associate. "But we can get out of trouble. But we're gonna have to cooperate with these people. You can't argue with that . . . videotape."

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Reid in Super shape for Trinidad bout

Boxing Notes/by George KimballSunday, January 30, 2000

ATLANTA - David Reid may be the underdog against Felix Trinidad, but he's picking the favorite in Super Bowl XXXIV. ``The Rams all the way,'' said Reid, who interrupted his training for the March 3 bout to visit Atlanta, the site of his 1996 Olympic gold medal performance. Although Trinidad opened a 3-1 favorite at the Caesars Palace Sports Book, a steady influx of Reid money has the odds down to 8-5. At first blush, Trinidad would seem a tall order for Reid, who has just 14 pro fights under his belt, but promoter Dan Goossen likens Reid's situation to Kobe Bryant's entry into the NBA, pointing out that Reid hasn't exactly been tuning up against soft touches. ``David's never been coddled,'' said Goossen yesterday. ``We put him in with a guy (Sam Calderon) who was 10-0 in his first pro fight. His opponents have a combined record of 350-55-9.'' ``It won't be like Oscar (De La Hoya),'' said Reid. ``Oscar was running (against Trinidad). That's how he lost the fight.'' The Golden Boy is also in town for today's Super Bowl, as De La Hoya broke bread with the cast of ``The Sopranos'' last night at a party at Justin's restaurant in suburban Buckhead. Although Trinidad announced this week that his move to 154 pounds is permanent, it doesn't necessarily follow that the Golden Boy's Feb. 26 Madison Square Garden fight against Derrell Coley will be for the vacant WBC welterweight title. Trinidad is hanging on to both that and the IBF title - just in case. ``I'm going to pluck that chicken but good,'' promised Coley. Here comes the judge It certainly was an eventful week for Federal Judge John W. Bissell. The justice, who presides in U.S. District Court in Newark, N.J., is supervising the criminal case against the International Boxing Federation and its president, Bob Lee. Early in the week, Bissell saw Joseph A. Hayden Jr., the monitor he had appointed to run the IBF during Lee's exile, quit after eight days on the job, citing a possible conflict of interest stemming from the fact that he is married to another judge. That same day, Bissell heard motions from lawyers representing Bill Belichick, and eventually turned down motions for an injunction which would have emancipated the new Patriots coach from his contract with the Jets. As if he weren't busy enough, Bissell has also now accepted all the aspects of David Tua's lawsuit against heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis and the IBF. Tua is claiming that his rights as the organization's mandatory challenger have been abrogated by Lewis' scheduled April 29 defense against Michael Grant. This marks the third time, in as many years, that the IBF has been sued in U.S. federal court for an alleged violation of its own regulations. The courts have ruled against the IBF on the two previous occasions. The most telling revelation stemming from Bissell's decision to unseal the evidence in the IBF case this week came in the confirmation of the fact that former IBF ratings committee chairman Doug Beavers secretly wore a wire to help ensnare Lee. At one point, the Feds have Beavers opening a FedEx package containing a $4,000 cash bribe from Don King and referring to it as `the Christmas turkey.'' ``That's just the dressing,'' chortled Lee. Speaking of Lennox Lewis, the heavyweight champion was offered a position as color commentator on last night's Mike Tyson-Julius Francis show in Manchester, England, but decided instead to ignore the proceedings, remaining at his Jamaican retreat. Clay-Bey gets a hand Unbeaten Hartford heavyweight Lawrence Clay-Bey passed a big test when he outpointed former cruiserweight champion Robert Daniels last Sunday in Venice, Fla. The important news wasn't that the 11-0 Clay-Bey won (he was supposed to do that, even though Daniels hadn't lost in six years) but that he managed to go 10 rounds without reinjuring his surgically repaired left hand. . . . Dominican welterweight Emiliano Valdez, who underwent emergency brain surgery after being battered into a coma by the normally light-punching Teddy Reid on the Clay-Bey-Daniels card, remains in critical condition in a Florida hospital. . . . Junior Jones lost his role as Prince Naseem Hamed's March 11 HBO fight. Jones was scrapped, according to Hamed's brother, Riath, because he dragged his feet over signing the contract, which would have paid him $500,000, or about $495,000 more than he is worth at this stage of his career. ``We were messed around and they were very abusive,` said Riath Hamed. ``After the deadline they came back wanting to sign, but there is now no way that Jones will get his chance at Naz.'' IBF featherweight champion Paul Ingle, a fellow Brit who has already lost once to Hamed, also nixed the opponent's role. HBO would prefer a rematch with Kevin Kelley, but Hamed's people would prefer South Africa's Vuyani Bungu. . . . Originally slated to fight Danny Romero on Top Rank's March 4 card, Nestor Garza will now defend against Bones Adams. Romero will still appear on the bill, but in a 10-rounder against an opponent to be determined. . . . Happy birthday, Rich Cappiello.

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GIRLFIGHT,' `YOU CAN COUNT ON ME' SPLIT SUNDANCE HONORS

From Tribune News Services

January 30, 2000

PARK CITY, UTAH The gritty boxing saga "Girlfight" and the tender sibling-reunion tale "You Can Count on Me" shared top honors Saturday at the Sundance Film Festival, the nation's top showcase for independent movies.

The two movies split the grand jury prize for best dramatic film.

"Girlfight" also won the dramatic directing award for Karyn Kusama, and "You Can Count on Me" won the Waldo Salt screenwriting award for Kenneth Lonergan, who also directed the film.

"Girlfight" stars Michelle Rodriguez as a young woman who channels her fierce temper to become a champion boxer. "You Can Count on Me" features Laura Linney and Mark Ruffalo as a sister and brother struggling to maintain a sense of family years after their parents are killed in a car crash.

The grand jury prize for documentary went to "Long Night's Journey Into Day," which examines four cases that came before South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission in the aftermath of apartheid.

The documentary directing award went to Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman for "Paragraph 175," an exploration of Nazi atrocities against homosexuals.

*************

January 27, 2000

Rival: Arum lied yesterday, not telling the truth today

By Dean Juipe

<juipe@lasvegassun.com>

LAS VEGAS SUN

Easygoing as he is, Arthur Williams expressed only soft-spoken displeasure that his rematch with Vassily Jirov appears to be on hold. Oh, he talked about "maybe having to sue somebody" to force the matter to a head, but he was hardly vigilant in his tone despite his lingering disappointment.

But talking with his promoter, Murad Muhammad, was another thing altogether.

Seemingly anxious to rip into rival promoter Bob Arum, Muhammad, speaking from his New Jersey office this week, fired several verbal volleys in an effort to force Arum's hand and put Williams and Jirov in the ring a second time.

Jirov defeated Williams by seventh-round TKO June 5 in Biloxi, Miss., lifting Williams' International Boxing Federation cruiserweight championship in the process. According to Williams and Muhammad, the contract from that fight had a rematch clause that guarantees a return bout in the event Jirov -- who is promoted by Arum -- won.

"I gave the Russian a shot and now I'm hoping he'll live up to his word and give me one," Williams said before departing Wednesday for Atlantic City, where he's headlining a Saturday card by taking on another former champion, Nestor Giovannini. It's Williams' third fight since losing to Jirov and it's obviously starting to wear on Muhammad.

"We gave Bob Arum the opportunity to have his man fight Arthur and it was stated very clearly that if the kid beat Arthur, the rematch would be right away," Muhammad said. "Arthur made a sacrifice for that fight in that it wasn't a mandatory and he didn't have to do it.

"I think he took Jirov lightly and that's why he lost the fight, but that's not the point.

"The point is, Arum lied."

Muhammad was just getting warmed up.

"Both (Don) King and Arum would stab a fighter in the back for a dollar," he said.

"Aside from the fact one's an African-American and the other is Caucasian, there's no difference between them.

"I'll never trust Arum on his word again. I'll openly say he's a liar. I've never done business with a liar before and Arum lied on this deal.

"The only reason we haven't sued him yet is that I've been wanting to work this thing out. It's my job to protect Arthur's interests but I can't do it when I'm dealing with a liar."

So, Murad, how do you really feel?

"Thanks to Arum lying to us, Arthur has had to go into the soup line to face lesser opponents at a time when he should be fighting Jirov," Muhammad said. "I even said to Arum, 'Let's take the fight to Russia.' But Jirov is such a pink elephant that he's not respected in his home country and there isn't a person there who would spend a nickel to see him.

"Arthur's not a young man but he can fight, and Arum is ignoring a verbal and written agreement that would allow (Williams) a chance to regain his championship. Arum hasn't lived up to his end of the contract and it's something I'll never forget."

Those invectives aside, Williams goes into his Saturday fight with Giovannini needing a win to stay alive in the cruiserweight sweepstakes.

Williams, 35, is 32-5-1 and is ranked No. 6 by the IBF.

Giovannini, of Argentina, is 37-9-4 and took this fight last week when Williams' originally scheduled opponent, Latvia's Valery Vikhor, encountered visa problems entering the United States.

"I don't know the guy but I'm ready to go," Williams said. "With the experience I have, I don't worry about the man across from me."

Williams said he trained hard for this fight and is keeping himself prepared in the event the rematch with Jirov falls into place.

"I'm going to stay ready and try to get my title back," he said. "I'm in good shape and I've been working out every day, including running on Sunday."

While Williams jousts with Giovannini, Jirov is preparing for a Feb. 12 fight -- likely to go to Miami -- with mandatory challenger Saul Montana.

That fight will be Jirov's second since defeating Williams, as he handled Dale Brown in 10 rounds Sept. 18.

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Lennox Lewis accused of sex discrimination

by Geraint Smith

World heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis faces a court battle today with a woman who claims he sacked her when she became pregnant by his boxing rival - Mike Tyson's opponent Julius Francis.

Carole Roycroft, 30, whose boyfriend takes on Tyson on Saturday, gave birth to Jada Kai last month. She was employed as Lewis's personal assistant in September 1998 but was sacked the following April, shortly after she had told her bosses she was pregnant. Miss Roycroft launched a legal fight before an industrial tribunal in central London, claiming sexual discrimination by Lewis, his brother Dennis and their company Panix Promotions.

The Lewis camp says she became "star-struck" and broke a clause in her contract by giving unauthorised and inaccurate newspaper interviews, one of which wrecked his bid to appear in the sequel to the hit British film Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels. Media specialist Adrian Ogun, for Lewis, told the tribunal the company was concerned that Miss Roycroft would continue to leak false information.

He said the decision to dismiss her was taken in March but she was not told until April because her line manager, Dennis Lewis, was on holiday. Miss Roycroft claims sex discrimination and unfair dismissal. The hearing continues.

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IBF's new watchdog resigns

Tuesday, January 25, 2000

By DAVID VOREACOS

Staff WriterJust 12 days after his appointment, a Weehawken attorney has been knocked out by an anti-nepotism law as the federal monitor overseeing a cleanup of the scandal-plagued International Boxing Federation.

Joseph A. Hayden Jr., the husband of U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden, resigned Friday in a letter citing a 1948 federal law that bars the appointment of a judge's relative to "any office or duty" in the jurist's district.

U.S. District Judge John W. Bissell accepted Hayden's resignation Monday and signed an order appointing New Jersey's former top federal prosecutor, William W. Robertson, as his successor.

Hayden said he was unaware of the law when Bissell appointed him Jan. 12 to clean up the IBF, an East Orange-based organization that sanctions prizefights. IBF President Robert Lee Sr. and three other officials face criminal charges of pocketing $338,000 to fix fight rankings.

Although Hayden said the law is ambiguous on the part-time post of monitor, he chose not to contest it.

"My feeling is that, given the sensitivity of the case and the importance of the issues involved, this is not the case to make a test case," he said.

In a letter released Monday, Bissell praised Hayden's performance and said he was "completely unaware" of the federal law when he appointed him.

"I take full responsibility for this oversight and any of its consequences," Bissell said. "Rest assured, however, that the appointment of Mr. Hayden was based entirely upon his superior qualifications."

Bissell cited Hayden's many achievements, noting that he was the first president of the Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in New Jersey.

"With this background, plus his reputation for hard work, equanimity, and good common sense, he was an obvious choice, on merit, for the position of monitor," Bissell wrote to the attorneys in the case.

Hayden was one of the three attorneys recommended confidentially by the IBF for the monitor's post. Bissell had asked the IBF and the U.S. Attorney's Office for a list of three candidates after government lawyers filed a racketeering lawsuit against the sanctioning body.

After being appointed, Hayden quickly named a forensic accountant, William Morrison, who works in Paramus, to review the IBF's finances.

Hayden met with Robertson for four hours Saturday to brief him on the case. Robertson was the U.S. attorney in New Jersey in 1980 and 1981 after working for several years as a prosecutor in the office. He has since worked as a private attorney handling white-collar criminal defense and civil litigation.

Robertson could not be reached Monday for comment.

In his letter, Bissell praised Robertson's "qualities of hard work, impeccable character and common sense which characterized his predecessor."

"My conversations with Mr. Robertson in recent days have reconfirmed my confidence in his appointment," Bissell wrote.

IBF attorney Linda Torres could not be reached Monday for comment.

Lee's attorney, Gerald Krovatin, said it was "unfortunate" that Hayden resigned as monitor. "But I don't blame him or the judge for erring on the side of a strict ruling, even though I don't think it applies to this situation."

Krovatin's wife, author Anna Quindlen, was one of five speakers at Katharine Hayden's swearing-in ceremony two years ago, Joseph Hayden said.

********************

Mosley on second welterweight win: `I proved a point'

By Royce Feour

Review-Journal

Undefeated Shane Mosley said he wanted to make a statement Saturday night in his HBO-televised fight at the Hard Rock.

And Mosley did, pounding out an impressive third-round stoppage of Willy Wise of Westbury, N.Y., in the scheduled 10-round main event on the Cedric Kushner Promotions card.

"I thought it was a good performance. I thought I proved a point. I thought I did a great job with Willy Wise," Mosley said Sunday.

Mosley, 28, said he felt "very strong" in improving his record to 34-0.

"I wanted to look good in this fight," Mosley said after his second bout as a welterweight.

Mosley, of Pomona, Calif., had given up his International Boxing Federation lightweight championship last year and moved up two weight classes to the welterweight division.

Mosley dropped Wise, 148, for the second time in the fight with a left hook to the body. Referee Mitch Halpern waived off the count and stopped the fight at 2:28 of the third round.

"This is a great start. I want to have a great 2000. I think my punching power has improved from the last fight," Mosley said.

In his first fight at welterweight, Mosley stopped former welterweight contender Wilfredo Rivera of Puerto Rico in the 10th round Sept. 25 in Temecula, Calif.

Mosley also put Wise down in the first round with a left hook to the body before the announced standing-room-only crowd of 1,731.

"I felt very comfortable. My speed was still there," Mosley said of his performance at 148 pounds.

Jack Mosley, the manager-trainer for his son, was highly pleased with his son's effort.

"I thought he did a tremendous job," Jack Mosley said. "He worked the body, he worked the jab and the right hand. I think he proved once again he is one of the greatest fighters at this time."

Mosley received $1.1 million, while Wise, who fell to 24-7-4, had a purse of $175,000.

"Shane's body shots were tremendous," Jack Mosley said. "When Willy felt the power, he thought 'This is not a light- weight. This is a welterweight.' "

Jack Mosley said his son was ready for bigger venues in Las Vegas.

"We have to go to the MGM or the Las Vegas Hilton. I understand (the Hard Rock) turned away tons of people," he said.

Both Mosleys said they were interested in a possible matchup with former World Boxing Council welterweight champion Oscar De La Hoya on June 17 at Mandalay Bay or the new Staples Center in Los Angeles, which has been proposed by promoter Bob Arum, who promotes De La Hoya.

"Like Shane says, 'Let's sit down and talk.' In the meantime, we'll stay busy," Jack Mosley said.

The manager-trainer said Mosley would probably fight once before June 17.

Wise said a head butt caused him to go down in the third round, resulting in the stoppage.

"It was very hard," Wise said. "Shane knew it. It was a devastating blow. The butt had me discombobulated for a minute."

Wise, 32, said the fight may have been "a lot different" if it had not been for the head butt.

"He was getting tired. He had spent all he had in the first couple of rounds. He went all out the first couple of rounds," Wise said.

At the same time, Wise said Mosley was the best fighter he ever fought.

"He can go all of the way. He has got a lot of power," Wise said. "This was a minor setback. It doesn't stop the ball from rolling. I am going to stand up, brush myself off and begin again."

Wise was coming off a one-sided unanimous decision over former three-time world champion Julio Cesar Chavez on Oct. 2 at the Las Vegas Hilton.

In the other televised fight Saturday night, unbeaten Vernon Forrest of Atlanta took a one-sided unanimous decision over Vince Phillips of Las Vegas.

Forrest, 146, retained his North American Boxing Federation welterweight belt with the victory.

Forrest, who received $110,000, boosted his record to 31-0, while Phillips, a former IBF junior welterweight champion, dropped to 40-5. Phillips was paid $60,000.

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Tyson is victim of racism, says promoter

By Jonathan IrwinTHE boxing promoter Frank Warren attacked the press yesterday over coverage of Mike Tyson, whom he described as "the perfect gentleman".

Despite the boxer's rape conviction and taste for biting off opponents' ears, he claimed the former world champion had become a victim in Britain. Mr Warren said reports that Tyson had dismissed Winston Churchill as "another damn Limey" were fabricated after a visit to Madame Tussaud's wax museum and that the boxer's visit to a mosque had delayed a funeral only because of the amount of press there.

Mr Warren was most indignant over claims in a Sunday newspaper that he had orchestrated a successful media campaign to promote Tyson's forthcoming fight with Julius Francis. He claimed he had no reason to promote the contest because Saturday's 21,000-ticket event was already sold out. When reminded of sales for the pay-per-view event to be screened on satellite television, he claimed these "would go through the roof" whether or not he courted the press.

The promoter also criticised the Evening Standard, saying: "It has run a campaign in London which borders on racism. To suggest Mike Tyson should not be in this hotel - I hate to say this word - it's like saying let's keep the niggers out. It's the most horrid form of racism I've read."

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Jan 23 2000

MIKE TYSON has had an invitation to tour the House of Commons withdrawn after protests by Labour women MPs.

The cross-party Commons boxing group wanted Tyson to visit Parliament during his current stay in Britain ahead of his bout next Saturday against Julius Francis, hoping it would raise the group's profile. But, faced with protests by female MPs about "rolling out the red carpet" at Westminster for a convicted rapist, Labour Party chiefs stepped in to block the move.

It was just as well, for Tyson showed his contempt for British parliamentary history yesterday when, on a visit to Madame Tussaud's waxworks museum, he referred to Winston Churchill as "another damn Limey" on passing the former prime minister's model. His visit to Parliament was cancelled after Clive Soley, the chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), was asked to step in after protests. "It was a case of either going two rounds with Tyson or two rounds with the PLP," said Mr Soley. "The PLP won."

He said that, after Jack Straw, the Home Secretary, had agreed to allow the former heavyweight boxing champion into the country, it would have been "triumphalist" of the boxing group to have insisted on Tyson's visit to the Commons. Lorna Fitzsimons, Labour MP for Rochdale, said: "We thought a visit would be inappropriate." She added: "It was clearly a media opportunity that would have overshadowed all the important work by the Government, which has taken rape and domestic violence so seriously."

Llin Golding, a member of the boxing group and one of several women MPs who take an interest in the sport, said the invitation to Tyson had been discussed at the group's meeting last month - long before the controversy over the boxer's trip to Britain. She said: "We were looking at ways of generating attention for the boxing group and his name came up."

The group discussed the row last week, she said, and felt "there were lots of other sportsmen who have done disreputable things and come into this country and this huge fuss has not been made. We just felt that it was perhaps because Tyson is so high-profile."

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Trinidad said Sunday he plans to leave the welterweight division if he defeats WBA super welterweight champion David Reid on March 3 at Las Vegas. Trinidad wrested the WBC welterweight title from De La Hoya on Sept. 18.

"If there's a rematch now, it's going to be at super welterweight," Trinidad said Sunday during a news conference.

Trinidad said he has nothing left to prove in the welterweight division after handing De La Hoya his only defeat. He added that he has trouble meeting the 147-pound weight limit and might eventually move up to the 160-pound middleweight class.

"There are great fights there," in the heavier categories, he said.

De La Hoya and Trinidad had briefly discussed a rematch, but the talks fell through.

Instead, Trinidad will face Reid, of Philadelphia, a 1996 Olympic gold medalist. Reid, 14-0 with seven knockouts, will be defending the WBA title for the third time.

Trinidad is 36-0 with 30 knockouts.

On Sunday, Trinidad and Reid alternated between trading threats and taking swipes at De La Hoya.

"I'm not going to run like De La Hoya," Reid said. "I'm going to knock out Tito."

Trinidad, meanwhile, promised a fourth-round knockout.

"If he stands to fight, I'm going to liquidate him quickly," Trinidad said.

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Around Jan 2000

INGLE OFFERED HAMED REMATCH

By Mark Staniforth, PA Sport

Paul Ingle and Steve Robinson head the list of potential next opponents for Naseem Hamed after the WBO featherweight champion was forced to scrap plans to meet Junior Jones.

Hamed's brother and business manager Riath called off the bout with American Jones - scheduled for March 11 - when Jones' camp failed to sign fight contracts before a given deadline.

Reigning IBF featherweight champion Ingle and former WBO king Robinson are favourites to replace Jones in Hamed's 14th defence of the title he won by stopping Robinson in September 1995.

"We have made an offer to Paul Ingle which exceeds his purse (around £300,000) for his last fight against Naz, but as yet there has been no response," said Riath.

Ingle, beaten by Hamed in April last year, had been scheduled to defend against American Kevin Kelley on the same card but rejected the deal.

But Ingle is anxious to press ahead with a mandatory defence against South Africa's former IBF super-bantamweight champion Vuyani Bungu, and he would demand a huge payday for a Hamed rematch at just six weeks' notice.

Robinson would jump at the chance of a rematch but it would be a far from ideal fight for the Hameds, who are anxious to re-establish Naseem's credentials in America after three below-par displays.

It would at least give Hamed the chance to get his mandatory defence out of the way, as Welshman Robinson is currently the leading contender for his title.

"Steve Robinson is a possibility because it would be good to get the mandatory defence out of the way," said Riath.

"We will talk to the WBO and if they tell us to get the mandatory out of the way we will consider fighting Robinson again."

Hamed's obvious third option would be another fight with Kelley, who floored the Sheffield star three times before being defeated on Hamed's American debut in December 1997.

Kelley, however, is considered something of a fading force and fought at super-featherweight on Saturday night when he stopped Frankie Archuleta in round nine of a non-title bout.

Riath said Jones "had no chance of earth" of recovering his bout with Hamed despite the Jones camp changing their mind and attempting accept it after the deadline.

"We offered Jones 500,000 US dollars (£300,000) and a one-million dollar rematch clause," said Riath.

"We were messed around and they were very abusive. Junior Jones was never a big deal for us anyway."

****************

Jan 23 2000

Sugar Shane Mosley finally made his Las Vegas debut, and it was a good one.

Mosley stopped Willy Wise of Westbury, N.Y., at 2:28 of the third round in their scheduled 10-rounder Saturday night in the main event of the Cedric Kushner Promotions card at the Hard Rock.

Mosley, a former International Boxing Federation lightweight champion, improved to 34-0 in his second fight since relinquishing his IBF 135-pound belt and jumping up two weight classes to the welterweight division.

Mosley, of Pomona, Calif., put Wise, 148 pounds, down with a left hook to the body. Referee Mitch Halpern immediately waved off the count and stopped the fight, which was televised by HBO.

Mosley, also 148, had hurt Wise with a right hand and came back with a right to the body after Wise had countered with a left hand.

Mosley and Wise had clashed heads just before Mosley's body shot put Wise down. Wise said it was the head butt that did him in before an announced standing-room-only crowd of 1,731.

"The punches didn't knock me out," Wise said. "The head butt knocked me out, and he knows it. After the fight, he said, 'I don't fight like that.' "

Mosley, 28, acknowledged a butting of the heads but said that was not what stopped Wise, who was coming off a one-sided unanimous decision over former three-time champion Julio Cesar Chavez on Oct. 2 at the Las Vegas Hilton.

*************

Jan 2000

But even though Felix Trinidad owns 72 percent of the victories, he's in for a war against David Reid.

The matchup comes March 3 when Trinidad moves back to the 154-pound class, placing his 36-0 record on the line against Reid (14-0), who will defend his WBA super welterwight crown for the third time against his toughest opponent.

"I won't be running from him like Oscar did," said Reid, referring to De La Hoya's first loss to Trinidad on Sept. 18. "A lot of people who don't know boxing think Felix is going to kill me. But I'll be the one putting him to sleep."

The most intriguing fight of the year to date will take place in the good old outdoors in Las Vegas at a new arena erected at Caesars Palace.

Trinidad will be out to finish his triple play by beating his third American gold medalist. His other conquest came against Pernell Whitaker nearly a year ago at Madison Square Garden (Feb. 20).

"David wants to prove he's the golden man, not the golden boy," said Al Mitchell, Reid's trainer and manager. "I think it's going to be a great fight. You've got a corner and a boxer. But David can rumble, too."

Reid had a little excitement Friday when he left his Olympic gold medal and his WBA belt in a case inside the trunk of a taxicab. Cab driver Mohammad Aslem returned the belt a few hours later to the All-Star Cafe, where Reid and Trinidad were holding a press conference to talk about the fight. Reid has invited Aslem and his family to be his guest at the fight.

This fight was all set in November when talks about a Trinidad-De La Hoya rematch had broken down. But Derrell Coley refused to give up his right (again) to be the mandatory challenger for the WBC belt. Lawsuits were about to be flung in every direction before Coley accepted a match against De La Hoya for Feb. 26 at Madison Square Garden, opening the door for Reid and Trinidad, which will be a pay-per-view event on the Showtime network.

Bally's Park Place and the Tropicana will be busy Saturday.

Bally's will host a rare afternoon card promoted by Murad Muhammad's M&M Sports. The main event pits two former cruiserweight champions, Arthur Williams (IBF) against Nestor Giovannini (WBO) in a 10-rounder.

Lemuel Nelson and Arial Nistal will be in a 12-round WBO title elimination bout in the co-feature. This lightweight battle was all set for the Roy Jones Jr.-David Telesco undercard at Radio City Music Hall eight days ago, but got squeezed out because of time constraints.

Newark's Jamar Carter (12-0) and Jersey City's Eugene Yosipov (8-0) are scheduled for separate six-round bouts on the undercard. The main event is set for 5 o'clock.

A couple of hours after the Williams-Giovanni bout, the Tropicana will host a United States vs. Russia card with eight bouts set for the evening.

Arturo Gatti has been reunited with Hector Roca, his trainer when he became the IBF junior lightweight champion in 1996.

Gatti is currently training in the Poconos for his Feb. 26 fight with Joey Gamache on the De La Hoya-Coley undercard at Madison Square Garden. ...

The Boxing Writers Association of America's 75th annual dinner will be held April 28, the night before the Lennox Lewis-Michael Grant heavyweight unification bout at the Garden. The site for the dinner, along with the honorees, will be announced soon.

************

Feb 2000

Tuesday, February 29, 2000

Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Top female boxers brawl in Los Angeles

By Kevin Iole

Review-Journal

Christy Martin has long been the most well-known female boxer in the world, and Lucia Rijker has for years been considered by experts the best fighter among women.

Monday, at an otherwise ordinary media event designed to promote Friday's World Boxing Association super welterweight championship fight at Caesars Palace between David Reid and Felix Trinidad, a brawl between the women took place.

Reid, the World Boxing Association champion, was in the ring at the Los Angeles Boxing Gym completing his workout in front of about 500 fans and media. Martin was standing in front of the ring after having completed a television interview when the brawl started.

"I had just finished the interview and tried to get past her, and I never said anything to her," said Martin, who said she is fine and will fight on Friday's undercard against Belinda Laracuente. "I tried to step around her because I didn't want trouble. I have a fight on Friday, and that's my main objective. But she took a cheap shot and hit me on my blind side. It didn't faze me, and I guess that's got to have her worried."

Seth Palansky, a former public relations specialist who used to work with Martin, said he walked over to the gym to say hello to Martin because he hadn't seen her in a long time. He said he was standing in front of Martin when a punch came over his shoulder and hit her.

It picked up again later as Rijker was being escorted from the gym.

FOX Sports boxing analyst Rich Marotta said he spoke to Rijker shortly before the scrap and had a slightly different view of the start than Palansky. Marotta said Rijker, who could not be reached for comment, whispered something to Martin, prompting Martin to shove Rijker. Rijker responded with a hook, Marotta said, and the two began wrestling on the floor.

Marotta said the two began fighting again on the other side of the ring, but that he didn't have a good angle on it.

Martin said Rijker tries to make it look as if she wants to fight her in the ring, but that neither Rijker nor her team has made a serious offer. Martin said she knows Rijker needs her to make a big payday.

"It would be a big payday for me, too," Martin said. "Rijker seems to make a career of telling the media she wants to fight me, but does she really want to fight me? You tell me. She hasn't come up with any offers, and if she wanted me so badly, I think that would have been taken care of."

**********************

Monday, February 28, 2000

Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Arum: De La Hoya could meet Mosley

By Royce Feour

Review-Journal

Former International Boxing Federation lightweight champion Shane Mosley and his father-manager-trainer, Jack Mosley, were in New York over the weekend for the Oscar De La Hoya fight, and the trip might have paid off for the Mosleys.

They saw De La Hoya stop Derrell Coley at 3:00 of the seventh round Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York in an HBO-televised fight.

Promoter Bob Arum has been focusing on a rematch between De La Hoya and Felix Trinidad, but Arum said Sunday that De La Hoya could face Mosley instead.

Arum had said that if the Trinidad rematch fell through, De La Hoya would turn to Mosley on June 17 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Trinidad will move up in weight to challenge World Boxing Association super welterweight champion David Reid on Friday night at Caesars Palace.

If Trinidad loses to Reid, Arum said a De La Hoya-Trinidad fight will be off.

Arum said he met with Cedric Kushner, Mosley's promoter, in New York and worked out the financial terms for a possible De La Hoya-Mosley fight.

"I would be surprised if it wasn't Mosley," Arum said of De La Hoya's next fight.

Arum said the Staples Center really wants the fight between De La Hoya, who grew up in East Los Angeles and lives in Whittier, and the undefeated Mosley of Pomona, Calif.

"That is a huge fight in the Staples Center," Arum said. "(Staples Center executives) are actively pursuing this fight."

Although Trinidad holds the International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Council welterweight championships, he and his father, Felix Trinidad Sr., have said they they will not go back down to the 147-pound class.

Arum said he and rival promoter Don King, who promotes Trinidad, have been talking about a De La Hoya-Trinidad fight at a "catch" weight of between 150 to 152 pounds -- between the welterweight and super welterweight divisions .

Arum said last week in New York that he has been negotiating with King for a possible two-fight deal for De La Hoya and Trinidad, with the rematch June 10 at Caesars Palace and a third fight at Mandalay Bay.

Trinidad took a controversial majority decision over De La Hoya on Sept. 18 at Mandalay Bay.

Arum said if Trinidad Sr. doesn't want to come down in weight from 154 pounds for a De La Hoya fight, "Oscar will take a walk and fight Mosley."

Arum and De La Hoya have always argued that De La Hoya is the attraction.

"(Trinidad) can't sell 500 tickets," Arum said. "Who cares what he says?"

In the post-fight news conference Saturday night, De La Hoya said he didn't have a preference between a Trinidad rematch and Mosley.

He said he expects to fight Trinidad and Mosley this year, regardless of what the order is.

De La Hoya said he wanted to fight four times this year and score four knockouts, of which Saturday night was the first one.

De La Hoya, 147, stopped Coley, also 147, with a left hook to the side. Coley went down and took the 10 count.

Coley said he could have gotten up, but he said, "I didn't think it was worth it."

Coley put on a flurry in the fourth round for his best showing of the night, but De La Hoya said he was never hurt.

In fact, De La Hoya said he was trying to let Coley punch himself out.

"I knew it was a matter of time and he would get tired," De La Hoya said.

*****************

FBI had insider on its side in probe of boxing bribery

Tuesday, February 1, 2000

By DAVID VOREACOS

Staff Writer

FBI agents had the right kind of help when they began investigating corruption in the International Boxing Federation, according to court papers.

As right-hand man to IBF President Robert W. Lee Sr., Douglas Beavers had accepted bribes with Lee to fix rankings of boxers seeking title fights sanctioned by the East Orange-based federation, Beavers claims in an affidavit.

So, when FBI agents approached Beavers in May 1997, before an IBF convention in San Antonio, Texas, they were pursuing a man who had the complete trust of Lee and easy access to promoters and managers.

In papers unsealed Friday in U.S. District Court in Newark, Beavers says he began secretly recording Lee and others, documenting a pattern of payoffs from promoters Don King, Bob Arum, Cedric Kushner, and others.

For 18 months, Beavers says, he taped dozens of conversations that underpin the Nov. 4 indictment of Lee and three other IBF officials on racketeering charges of taking $338,000 in bribes to fix boxer rankings.

"I participated in scores of payoffs," Beavers, the IBF's former ratings chairman, said in a 59-page affidavit outlining his role.

A retired Navy petty officer and the Virginia boxing commissioner, Beavers emerges in court papers as a wily and profane fixer. He also portrays Lee as having an insatiable hunger for illicit cash.

Promoters and managers willingly complied with the payoffs and seemingly balked only at the price, Beavers claims. He said he and Lee spoke in code about promoters such as Cedric Kushner -- referred to as "Fat Man" -- who he said paid $100,000 to set up a George Foreman fight.

"Ain't heard nothing from the fat man," Lee told Beavers in one call. "It's been a drought, brother."

At an IBF convention in Atlanta, Kushner agreed to pay $100,000 so his fighter, Axel Schulz, would win a rematch against Foreman, then the IBF champion.

Beavers said he drove to Kushner's house in East Hampton, N.Y., to pick up the cash and then delivered half to Lee's son, Robert Jr., at the Vince Lombardi Service Area on the New Jersey Turnpike in Ridgefield.

Beavers also said he took $25,000 to IBF official Robert Brennan, a former Virginia boxing commissioner who recruited him into the organization after he retired from the Navy. Brennan, the younger Lee, and Francisco Fernandez, the IBF's South American representative, also were indicted with Lee.

In December 1997, an FBI video camera caught Beavers hiking up a pants leg and removing a package wrapped in cellophane that contained cash, an agent says in the court papers. He then handed Lee $5,000, or half of what Fernandez had collected to boost the ratings of two Colombian boxers, it says.

"Christmas cheer," Beavers told Lee, according to an FBI transcript.

"What, how much is this?" Lee reportedly asked.

Beavers told Lee the cash was for him and his son, and added: "Listen, man, we got to be careful with these [expletive] Colombians."

Lee consistently took bribes from King, who was referred to as "Fuzzy" and "Fuzzy Wuzzie," to enhance the standing of his boxers, Beavers contends in his affidavit.

In a transcript of another secretly recorded conversation, Beavers asks Lee whether King was going to make a payoff, referring to his illicit cash as "turkey."

"How about Fuzzy Wuzzie? He [going to] bring a turkey this year?" Beavers reportedly said to Lee. "I sure hope so," Lee replies.

According to a transcript of another conversation, King wanted the IBF to place middleweight Simon Brown on its monthly list of the top 15 boxers. Beavers allegedly tells Lee: "I got a magic [expletive] pencil, boss," he said. "Whatever the [expletive] you say. You tell me."

The pair placed Brown at the 14th spot and dropped a French boxer.

Beavers cited other examples of the pair conspiring to move fighters based on payoffs rather than talent. Indeed, those who didn't pay were punished, he said.

When it came to King's boxers, it "don't make no difference whether they can fight or not," Beavers tells Brennan on an FBI tape.

King could not be reached Monday for comment, and Kushner's attorney, Rich Edlin, said his client had provided all documents subpoenaed by a federal grand jury in Newark.

When Lee directed illicit changes in the ratings, Beavers said he recorded them for Lee in red ink on his personal list of rankings. Sometimes, Beavers said, he questioned Lee's decisions to move boxers to more lucrative rankings.

In October 1997, Beavers says, Lee told him to insert middleweight Andrew Council into the rankings, even though he hadn't won a fight in a year.

"I hate to do that," Beavers told Lee.

At times, Beavers said, he complained to Lee about getting payoffs by check. "Lee Sr. directed me to accept the payoffs anyway," Beavers says in the affidavit.

Beavers said that Colombian manager Ivan Feris Chadid -- who handled 11 of the 23 boxers cited in the indictment -- directed several of his payoffs to the Portsmouth (Va.) Athletic Club. Beavers owns the boxing club with his wife, Susan, and his son, Chris, who was a fight trainer.

Beavers quit his ratings post in July 1998 because the federal Professional Boxing Safety Act barred members of state athletic commissions from serving on commission bodies. As the owner of the Virginia Boxing and Wrestling Association, he served as the state's boxing commissioner.

In Beaver's last taped conversation, with Brennan on Nov. 5, 1998, they discuss their concern about federal investigators.

"We don't have no choice but to cooperate with these people," Beavers was recorded saying.

"You want, you want to admit taking money?" Brennan asks.

"They already know we've taken money," Beavers says.

"They know it, yeah," Brennan responds.

"And they got us on tape, so . . ." Beavers says.

"How can they have it on tape, how much money we took?" Brennan asks.

"It doesn't matter how much money," Beavers answers. "The only thing I know is they got me and you and Bob [Lee Sr.] on tape."

*************************

JANUARY

Jan. 2 -- Cho In-joo records majority decision over Gerry Penalosa in Seoul, South Korea to retain his WBC super flyweight title.

Jan. 14 -- Irene Pacheco records an 11th-round technical knockout of Pedro Pena in El Paso, Texas to retain his IBF flyweight title.

Jan. 15 -- Roy Jones Jr. records unanimous decision over David

Telesco in New York City to retain the undisputed light heavyweight

crown.

Jan. 29 -- Markus Beyer records a seventh-round knockout of Leif Keiski in Riesa, Germany to retain his WBC super middleweight title.

Jan. 30 -- JongKwon Baek and Choi Kyu Chul fought to a 12-round majority draw in South Korea. Baek retains his WBA super featherweight title.

Jan. 30 -- Freddie Norwood records a ninth-round knockout of

Takashi Koshimoto in Nagoya, Japan to retain his WBA featherweight

title.

FEBRUARY

Feb. 04 -- Pichitnoi Siriwat records a decision over Yang Sang-ik in Thailand to retain his WBA junior flyweight title.

Feb. 11 -- Jose Antonio Aguirre records a majority decision over Wandee Charoen in Thailand to capture the WBC strawweight title.

Feb. 12 -- Zab Judah records a fourth-round knockout of Jan Bergman in

Uncasville, Connecticut to capture the vacant IBF junior welterweight

title.

Feb. 12 -- Kostya Tszyu records an eighth-round knockout of Ahmed Santos in Uncasville, Connecticut to retain his WBC super lightweight title.

Feb. 12 -- Vassiliy Jirov records a ninth-round technical knockout of Saul Montana in Boise, Idaho to retain his IBF cruiserweight title.

Feb. 19 -- Erik Morales records unanimous decision over Marco Antonio Barrera in Las Vegas to retain his WBC super bantamweight title.

Feb. 25 -- Medgoen Singsurat records unanimous decision over Masaki Kawabata in Thailand to retain his WBC flyweight title.

MARCH

Mar. 03 -- Felix Trinidad records unanimous decision over David Reid in Las Vegas to capture the WBA super welterweight title.

Mar. 04 -- Clarence "Bones" Adams records a unanimous decision over Nestor Garza in Las Vegas to capture the WBA super bantamweight title.

Mar. 04 -- Paulie Ayala records a majority decision over Johnny Bredahl in Las Vegas to retain his WBA bantamweight title.

Mar. 11 -- Veerapol Sahaprom records unanimous decision over Adan Vargas in Thailand to retain his WBC bantamweight title.

Mar. 11 -- Juan Carlos Gomez records a second-round technical knockout

of Mohamed Siluvangi in Lubeck, Germany to retain his WBC

cruiserweight title.

Mar. 11 -- Sven Ottke records unanimous decision over Lloyd Bryan in Magdeburg, Germany to retain his IBF super middleweight title.

Mar. 12 -- Gilberto Serrano records a fifth-round technical knockout of Hiroyuki Sakamoto in Toyko, Japan to retain his WBA lightweight title.

Mar. 17 -- Stevie Johnston records a second-round technical knockout of Julio Alvarez in Denver, Colorado to retain his WBC lightweight title.

Mar. 18 -- Floyd Mayweather Jr. records a unanimous decision over Goyo Vargas in Las Vegas to retain his WBC super featherweight title.

Mar. 18 -- Diego Corrales records a third-round technical knockout of

Derrick Gainer in Las Vegas to retain his IBF junior lightweight

title.

April

=====

Apr. 07 -- Lehlohonolo Ledwaba records an eighth-round knockout of

Ernesto Grey in Bristol, England to retain his IBF junior

featherweight title.

Apr. 08 -- Sornpichai Kratchingdaeng records a fifth-round technical knockout of Gilberto Gonzalez in Bangkok, Thailand to retain his WBA flyweight title.

Apr. 08 -- Fabrice Tiozzo records a sixth-round knockout of Valery Vikhor in Paris, France to retain his WBA cruierweight title.

Apr. 08 -- Bruno Girard records unanimous decision over Byron Mitchell in Paris, France to capture the WBA super middleweight title.

Apr. 09 -- Joma Gamboa records unanimous decision over Atsushi Sai in Japan to retain his interim minimumweight title.

Apr. 14 -- Guty Espadas records an 11th-round technical decision over

Luisito Espinosa in Merida, Mexico to capture the vacant WBC

featherweight title.

Apr. 15 -- Fernando Vargas records unanimous decision over Ike Quartey in Las Vegas to retain his IBF welterweight title.

Apr. 23 -- Hideki Todaka records an 11th-round technical knockout of

Yokthai Sith Oar in Nagoya, Japan to retain his WBA super flyweight

title.

Apr. 29 -- Keith Holmes records an 11th-round technical knockout of Robert McCracken in London, England to retain his WBC middleweight title.

Apr. 29 -- Paul Ingle records an 11th-round technical knockout of Junior Jones in New York City to retain his IBF featherweight title.

Apr. 29 -- Lennox Lewis records a second-round knockout of Michael Grant in New York City to retain the undisputed heavyweight championship.

MAY

May 06 -- Glenn Catley records a 12th-round knockout of Markus Beyer in Frankfurt, Germany to capture the WBC super middleweight title.

May 06 -- Juan Carlos Gomez records a third-round knockout of Imamu Mayfield in Neuss, Germany to retain his WBC crusierweight title.

May 06 -- Paul Spadafora records a 10th-round technical majority

decision victory over Mike Griffith in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to

retain his IBF lightweight title.

May 13 -- Bernard Hopkins records unanimous decision over Syd Vanderpool in Indianapolis, Indiana to retain his IBF middleweight title.

May 13 -- Roy Jones Jr. records an 11th-round technical knockout of

Richard Hall in Indianapolis, Indiana to retain the undisputed light

heavyweight crown.

May 14 -- Cho In-joo records unanimous decision over Julio Cesar Avila South Korea to retain his WBC super flyweight title.

May 19 -- Malcolm Tunacao records a seventh-round technical knockout

of Medgoen Singsurat in Udonthani, Thailand to capture the WBC

flyweight title.

May 20 -- Julio Gamboa and Felix Machado fought to a 12-round draw in Tunica, Mississippi for the vacant IBF junior bantamweight title.

May 20 -- William Joppy records a first-round techinical knockout of

Rito Ruvalcaba in Tunica, Mississippi to retain his WBA middleweight

title.

May 21 -- Joel Casamayor records a fifth-round technical knockout of Jongwon Baek in Kansas City, Missouri to capture the WBA super featherweight title.

May 25 -- Freddie Norwood records a unanimous unanimous decision over Pablo Chacon in Argentina to retain his WBA featherweight title.

JUNE

June 02 -- Zolani Petelo records an eighth-round technical knockout

of Mickey Cantwell in Kent, England to retain his IBF mini-flyweight

title.

June 03 -- Sven Ottke records a unanimous decision over Tocker Pudwill in Karlsruhe, Germany to retain his IBF super middleweight title.

June 11 -- Takanori Hatakeyama records an eighth-round technical

knockout of Gilberto Serrano in Toyko, Japan to capture the WBA

lightweight title.

June 17 -- Choi Yo-Sam records a fifth-round knockout of Chart Kiatpetch in Seoul, South Korea to retain his WBC light flyweight title.

June 17 -- Jose Luis Castillo records a majority decision over

Stevie Johnston in Bell Gardens, California to capture the WBC

lightweight title.

June 17 -- Shane Mosley records a 12-round split decision over Oscar de la Hoya in Los Angeles, California to capture the WBC welterweight title.

June 23 -- Guty Espadas records a unanimous decision over Wethya Sakmuangklang in Merida, Mexico to retain his WBC featherweight title.

June 24 -- Zab Judah records a unanimous decision over Junior Witter in Glasgow, Scotland to retain his IBF junior weltwerweight title.

June 25 -- Veerapol Sahaprom records a unanimous decision over Toshiaki Nishioka in Takasago, Japan to retain his WBC bantamweight title.

JULY

July 07 -- Jose Antonio Aguirre records a fifth-round technical

knockout of Jose Luis Zepeda in Tabasco, Mexico to retain his WBC

strawweight title.

July 15 -- Lennox Lewis records a second-round technical knockout of Frans Botha in London, England to retain his WBC-IBF heavyweight titles.

July 21 -- Javier Castillejo records a unanimous decision over Tony Marshall in Madrid, Spain to retain his WBC super welterweight title.

July 22 -- Felix Machado records a unanimous decision over Julio Gamboa in Miami, Florida to capture the vacant IBF junior bantamweight title.

July 22 -- Felix Trinidad records a third-round technical knockout of Mamadou Thiam to retain his WBA super weltwerweight title.

July 29 -- Kostya Tszyu records a sixth-round technical knockout of

Julio Cesar Chavez in Phoenix, Arizona to retain his WBC super

lightweight title.

AUGUST

Aug 05 -- Clarence "Bones" Adams records a sixth-round technical

knockout of Andres Fernandez in Madison, Wisconsin to retain his WBA

super bantamweight title

Aug. 05 -- Eric Morel records a unanimous decision over Sornpichai Kratchingdaeng in Madison, Wisconsin to capture the WBA flyweight title.

Aug. 05 -- Zab Judah records a fourth-round technical knockout of Terronn Millett in Uncasville, Connecticut to retain his IBF junior welterweight title.

Aug. 11 -- Tim Austin records a unanimous decision over Arthur Johnson in Las Vegas to retain his IBF bantamweight title.

Aug. 12 -- Beibis Mendoza records a sixth-round disqualification victory

over Rosendo Alvarez in Las Vegas to capture the vacant WBA light

flyweight title.

Aug. 12 -- Evander Holyfield records a unanimous decision over John Ruiz in Las Vegas to capture the vacant WBA heavyweight title.

Aug 20 -- Malcolm Tunacao and Celes Kobayashi fought to a 12-round

majority draw in Tokyo, Japan. Tunacao retained his WBC flyweight

title.

Aug 20 -- Joma Gamboa records a split decision victory over Noel Arambulet in Tokyo, Japan to capture the vacant WBA minimumweight title.

Aug. 26 -- Vernon Forrest and Raul Frank fought to no-contest in Las Vegas when Frank was unable to continue due to a cut from an accidental clash of heads in the third round. The IBF welterweight title remains vacant.

Aug. 26 -- Fernando Vargas records a fourth-round technical knockout

of Ross Thompson in Las Vegas to retain his IBF junior middleweight

title.

Aug. 27 -- Masanori Tokuyama record a unanimous decision over Cho In-joo in Osaka, Japan to capture the WBC super flyweight title.

SEPTEMBER

Sept 01 -- Dingaan Thobela records a 12th-round technical knockout of

Glenn Catley in South Africa to capture the WBC super middleweight

title.

Sept 02 -- Sven Ottke records a split-decision victory over Charles Brewer in Magdenburg, Germany to retain his IBF super middleweight title.

Sept 02 -- Diego Corrales records a third-round knockout of Angel Manfredy in El Paso, Texas to retain his IBF junior lightweight title.

Sept 02 -- Erik Morales records a seventh-round technical knockout of Kevin Kelley in El Paso, Texas to capture the interim WBC featherweight title.

Sept 09 -- Willie Jorin records a majority decision over Michael Brodie in Manchester, England to capture the vacant WBC super bantamweight title.

Sept 09 -- Derrick Gainer records an 11th-round knockout of Freddie Norwood in New Orleans, Louisiana to capture the vacant WBC featherweight title.

Sept 09 -- Roy Jones Jr. records an 11th-round technical knockout of Eric Harding in New Orleans, Louisiana to retained the undisputed light heavyweight crown.

Sept 16 -- Bruno Girard records a 12-round split-decision over Manuel Siaca in Chateauroux, France to retain his WBA super middleweight title.

Sept 16 -- Sharmba Mitchell records a unanimous decision over Felix Flores in Las Vegas to retain his WBA super lightweight title.

Sept 16 -- Joel Casamayor records a fifth-round technical technical

knockout of Radford Beasley in Las Vegas to retain his WBA super

featherweight title.

Sept 16 -- William Joppy records a unanimous decision over Hacine Cherifi in Las Vegas to retain his WBA middleweight title.

Sept 19 -- Jose Luis Castillo records a majority decision over

Stevie Johnston in Denver, Colorado to retain his WBC

lightweight title.

OCTOBER

Oct. 06 -- Lehlohonolo Ledwaba records an eighth-round knockout of

Eduardo Alvarez in Kent, England to retain his IBF junior

featherweight title.

Oct. 07 -- Eric Morel records a uanimous decision over Alberto Alberto Ontiveros in Las Vegas to retain his WBA flyweight title.

Oct. 09 -- Leo Gamez records a seventh-round knockout of Hideki Todaka in Nagoya, Japan to capture the WBA super flyweight title.

Oct. 11 -- Takanori Hatakeyama records a 10th-round knockout of

Hiroyuki Sakamoto in Yokohama, Japan to retain his WBA lightweight

title.

Oct. 20 -- Zab Judah records an eighth-round technical knockout of Hector Quiroz in Detroit, Michigan to retain his IBF junior welterweight title.

Oct. 21 -- Jose Antonio Aguirre records a fourth-round round technical knockout of Erdene Chuluun in Mexico City to retain his WBC strawweight title.

Oct. 21 -- Javier Castillejo records a fourth-round technical knockout of Javier Martinez in Mexcio City to retain his WBC super welterweight title.

NOVEMBER

Nov. 04 -- Shane Mosley records a sixth-round technical knockout

of Antonio Diaz in New York City to retain his WBC welterweight

title.

Nov. 10 -- Irene Pacheco records a majority decision over Masibulele Makepula in Las Vegas to retain his IBF flyweight title.

Nov. 11 -- Lennox Lewis records a uanimous decision over David Tua in Las Vegas to retain his WBC-IBF heavyweight titles.

Nov. 22 -- Yober Ortega records an 11th-round technical knockout of

Kozo Ishii in Nagoya, Japan to capture the WBA interim super

bantamweight title.

DECEMBER

Dec. 01 -- Bernard Hopkins records a 10th-round technical knockout of Antwun Echols in Las Vegas to retain his IBF middleweight title.

Dec. 02 -- William Joppy records a fourth-round technical knockout

of Johnathan Reid in Las Vegas to retain his WBA middleweight

title.

Dec. 02 -- Ricardo Lopez records a third-round technical knockout of Ratanapol Vorapin in Las Vegas to retain his IBF junior flyweight title.

Dec. 02 -- Felix Trinidad records an 12th-round technical knockout of Fernando Vargas in Las Vegas to retain his WBA super welterweight title and capture the IBF junior middleweight title.

Dec. 03 -- Steve Forbes records an eighth-round technical knockout of John Brown in Miami, Florida to capture the vacant IBF junior lightweight title.

Dec. 05 -- Veerapol Sahaprom records a fifth-round technical knockout of Oscar Arciniega in Bangkok, Thailand to retain his WBC bantamweight title.

Dec. 06 -- Keitaro Hoshino records a uanimous decision over Joma Gamboa in Yokohama, Japan to capture the WBA minimumweight title.

Dec. 09 -- Virgil Hill records a first-round technical knockout

of Fabrice Tiozzo in Lyon, France to capture the WBA crusierweight

title.

Dec. 12 -- Masanori Tokuyama records a unanimous decision over Akihiko Nago in Osaka, Japan to retain his WBC super flyweight title.

Dec. 16 -- Paul Spadafora records a unanimous decision over Billy Irwin in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to retain his IBF lightweight title.

Dec. 16 -- Mbulelo Botile records a 12th-round knockout of Paul Ingle in Manchester, England to capture the IBF featherweight title.

Dec. 16 -- Juan Carlos Gomez records a 10th-round knockout of Jorge Castro in Essen, Germany to retain his WBC crusierweight title.

Dec. 16 -- Sven Ottke records a unanimous decision over Silvio Branco in Karlsruhe, Germany to retain his IBF super middleweight title.

Dec. 16 -- Felix Machado records a third-round technical knockout

of William de Souza in Maracay, Venzuela to retain his IBF junior

bantamweight title.

*******************

Sunday, March 26, 2000

Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Arum's payment may have bought trouble

By Kevin Iole

Review-Journal

A Nevada deputy attorney general said the promoter's license held by Top Rank president Bob Arum could be in jeopardy, but the flamboyant promoter insisted Friday he has not committed a crime and has done nothing that could endanger his license.

At heart is a declaration made by Arum to the federal government on Nov. 18, 1999, in which he acknowledged paying $100,000 in an effort to persuade the International Boxing Federation to make an exception to a rule that requires a world champion to fight a ranked contender and allow then-heavyweight champion George Foreman to fight unranked Axel Schulz.

There are allegations that this was a bribe Arum paid to IBF president Robert Lee Sr., who is under indictment for a number of charges, including racketeering and tax evasion stemming from alleged bribes Lee Sr. solicited. The trial is scheduled to begin next week, and Arum will be the government's fifth witness to testify.

Kirk Hendrick, the deputy attorney general who represents the Nevada Athletic Commission, said the commission began an investigation in November into the role of the sanctioning bodies in fights in Nevada and in dealings with Nevada licensees. Hendrick, who refused to comment specifically about the case, said the investigation would include Arum because his declaration has been unsealed by a U.S. District Court judge in New Jersey and is now public.

"It's very clear Arum entered into an agreement in order to get the IBF to do something that it may not otherwise have done," Hendrick said.

Even if what Arum did is not considered a crime -- and Arum insists he has broken no laws -- Hendrick said the commission could revoke his license for "bringing discredit to boxing."

Arum faces a similar battle in California, where he plans to promote a huge welterweight fight June 17 in Los Angeles between Oscar De La Hoya and Shane Mosley. Arum, though, said when all of the facts are known, he will be vindicated and will not face sanctions from any athletic commission.

He also said reports he has been given immunity in the IBF case are false.

"It is totally inaccurate to say I have asked for immunity," Arum said. "I have not asked for nor have I been granted immunity, nor have I committed a crime, nor have I been charged with a crime. I will be testifying at the criminal trial, and my testimony will make all of this clear."

     THE EVER-CHANGING

     REGENT CARD

The Regent Las Vegas was hoping to gain a lot of national exposure by holding a boxing card in an outdoor stadium Saturday. While the card still will be held, the Regent isn't getting what it bargained for initially -- a bout between two well-known, highly regarded heavyweights.

The initial main event was to pit Lawrence Clay-Bey against Chris Byrd for the North American Boxing Federation title. Clay-Bey, captain of the 1996 U.S. Olympic team, withdrew earlier this month when he learned he had detached retinas in both eyes. He underwent successful surgery March 17 in Hartford.

Adolpho Washington was brought in to replace Clay-Bey. But when heavyweight Razor Ruddock, who became ill after complications from surgery attempting to reverse a vasectomy, pulled out of a fight the same night against Vitali Klitschko to be televised on HBO, Byrd was flying the coop.

Promoters of the HBO fight in Germany sought Byrd, who clearly wanted the fight because it would be for the more prestigious World Boxing Organization title and would be viewed by more people than would have seen the Regent card on Fox Sports Net.

HBO has high hopes for Klitschko, who is 27-0 with 27 knockouts, and wanted to showcase him to build his profile. A dramatic knockout of Ruddock would have done the trick. Byrd, however, will present a big problem because he is very slick and difficult to look good against, a fact HBO vice president of sports Lou DiBella acknowledged.

"I do have a bit of concern about that, but for the people who know boxing, they know what Chris Byrd is, and I think they'll cut (Klitschko) some slack," said DiBella, who said HBO offered heavyweight David Izon $500,000 to fight Klitschko but was turned down. "He's never fought a southpaw (like Byrd), either. I think he should get credit just for beating him."

To salvage the card at the Regent, promoter Dan Goossen, who had been running large ads featuring photos of Clay-Bey and Byrd in local newspapers for the past month, arranged for a heavyweight fight between unbeaten Robert Davis (20-0, 12 knockouts) and Keith McKnight (38-2, 25 knockouts).

They clearly are smaller names than Byrd and Clay-Bey, but Goossen said the main event actually has improved.

"Byrd's style sometimes makes for tough fights to watch," Goossen said. "These guys will put on a show. They will come to fight, I guarantee you that."

     DOES MAYWEATHER

     GET THE PICTURE?

Floyd Mayweather Jr., the World Boxing Council super featherweight champion, proved in his dominating title defense against Goyo Vargas on March 18 at the MGM Grand Garden that he deserves his lofty position among the best in the world, pound-for-pound.

But Mayweather failed miserably as a headliner. Mayweather drew an announced crowd of 5,131, but at least one-third of those tickets were given away. The club report, which lists tickets sold and those given away and is required to be delivered to the athletic commission within 10 days of the conclusion of an event, was not completed by Friday.

When it is done, it will show that Mayweather was a box-office bomb for the second time in a row as a main eventer. On Sept. 11, he headlined at Mandalay Bay and sold only 1,758 tickets. There were 441 comps given out that night.

The numbers will be worse from the MGM card, possibly the result of fans' reaction to Mayweather's recent behavior. He has become surly and curt with the media, either refusing to do interviews or giving brief, nonresponsive answers. In his defense, however, he was outgoing and charming at the news conference following his win over Vargas.

Mayweather and his manager, James Prince, met with HBO Sports president Seth Abraham and DiBella in New York in Abraham's office several days after the fight. Undoubtedly, the two pointed out to him that De La Hoya-Mosley sold more than 13,500 tickets on Tuesday, the first day they were on sale, and that more tickets were sold in an hour (5,500) than Mayweather sold for the entire card at the MGM.

The crowd at the MGM booed Mayweather on several occasions and didn't seem impressed by his performance. DiBella acknowledged that Mayweather's recent behavior is a problem.

"You have to be concerned when you see he isn't becoming a draw befitting his talent," DiBella said. "Seth and I met with Floyd and Prince, and we had a frank discussion on both sides. Hopefully, this is just a bump in the road and is a case of a kid who is 23 spreading his wings for the first time.

"Even though he hasn't acted terrifically, he hasn't been in any major trouble, so I think he can (be salvaged as an attraction). What he needs is a big fight."

That fight could be a showdown with IBF junior lightweight champion Diego Corrales, who seemed to enjoy the role of Mayweather's opposite during the week leading up to the March 18 MGM card. Corrales knocked out top contender Smoke Gainer in the third round on that card.

Corrales nearly single-handedly carried the promotion. More than 90 minutes after the final news conference had ended, Corrales was still sitting at the dais, talking with fans and posing for pictures.

Arum hopes Mayweather will follow that example.

"He's got to change his attitude," Arum said. "He's got to become the Sugar Ray Leonard I know he can be, not only a great athlete but an outgoing, friendly, charismatic personality. But it's almost impossible to promote someone who says 'no comment' all the time and pretty much refuses to do interviews."

     HARD ROCK REGULARS

The Hard Rock Hotel's night club, The Joint, beginning May 5 will hold monthly shows promoted by Cedric Kushner. The Hard Rock held a Jan. 22 card featuring Mosley that was so successful it decided to take the plunge and hold boxing regularly.

Kushner will put on one fight in seven of the next eight months. After the May 5 card, the next will be June 2 or June 9.

"Because of the overwhelming success of our most recent card featuring Shane Mosley, we elected to pursue a more aggressive schedule," said Todd Moyer, the Hard Rock's vice president of marketing. "We have every confidence that The Joint, which has hosted superstars such as Billy Joel, Ringo Starr and Van Halen, will enjoy similar success in boxing."

     FREEDA IS READY

Got a guess as to which of the fighters on the card Saturday at the Regent has done the most interviews? Give yourself a pat on the back if you said Freeda Foreman.

The daughter of the former heavyweight champion has been in big demand since announcing she would make her pro debut. She will fight Laquanda Landers, who also is making her pro debut. Landers hasn't been heard from much, but Foreman has done interviews with major newspapers and wire services around the world and will go live on Good Morning America on Thursday. In addition, she will do an extensive interview with cable network CNNSI.

Her famous father is opposed to her project and isn't speaking about the subject. But she said she long has wanted to fight.

"I wanted to get into boxing four years ago, but the opportunity wasn't there," she said. "My father is opposed to it, but it's nothing against women. He has spoken highly of women (boxers) before, but he didn't want any of his kids to fight, even my brothers. He doesn't think it's the proper decision for me, but it hasn't strained our relationship one bit."

She said she is surprising herself with how hard she hits.

"My trainer says I can (punch like my father)," she said. "He'll say to me, `Don't give me that George Foreman stuff,' when I throw my left hook. I have his strength, and I have his power. I do have a lot of strength, but the thing about boxing is to have the skills. If you don't have the skills and someone you're facing is quick and moving, all the power in the world isn't worth a hill of beans."

     IKE EYES KNOCKOUT

Ike Quartey will fight Fernando Vargas on April 15 at Mandalay Bay for Vargas' IBF junior middleweight belt. The colorful Vargas has already predicted a fifth-round knockout, which caused Quartey to chuckle. Quartey predicted a knockout of his own.

"We'll see," Quartey said when told of Vargas' prediction. "There's no way Vargas will knock me out, but he will go to sleep in the ring.

**************************

2000

March 23 2000

PANOS ELIADES, Lennox Lewis's promoter, believes the heavyweight champion of the world will be stripped of the World Boxing Association belt this week by a district judge in the United States as the result of an ongoing action brought by rival promoter Don King.

It would mean Lewis facing the American Michael Grant at Madison Square Garden on April 29 with only the World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation belts, which he won after defeating Evander Holyfield last November, up for grabs.

Holyfield has accused Lewis of "thinking he's bigger than boxing" in the New York courtroom where the case is expected to end on Friday.

Eliades, who gave evidence in court on Tuesday with Lewis absent, explained: "I'm convinced the judge is going to rule in favour of Don King. But it is such an absurd situation. One of my attorneys was so incensed he had to leave the courtroom because he was in danger of being in contempt of court."

The Lewis camp insist that King cannot block the WBA from permitting Lewis to fight someone other than their No 1 contender in his next bout. King, meanwhile, is arguing that Lewis must give up his WBA belt because by meeting Grant on April 29, he will fail to fight the top contender by May 13, six months after he won the title from Holyfield.

King also claims Lewis agreed to meet the WBA's No 1 contender, Johnny Ruiz, before his title fight against the then-champion Holyfield last March, which ended in a disputed draw.

However, after Lewis had won the rematch with Holyfield last November, the WBA ordered Lewis to fight Ruiz in his next mandatory defence, before agreeing the defence against Grant, who is ranked No 5 by the WBA.

Eliades has already made plans for Lewis, should he beat Grant next month, to fight Ruiz in Britain in July. Eliades says if district judge Lewis A Kaplan forces the WBA to strip Lewis of the title "it will cause mayhem in the world of boxing".

**************

April 2000

Roberto Duran-Sugar Ray Leonard Reunion

YAKAMA, Wash., March 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Two Legends of the

"squared circle" are reuniting in the most unlikely location, Toppenish, WA.!

7 p.m., April 1st, 2000 at the Yakama Nation Legends Casino,

580 Fort Rd., Toppenish, WA.

Boxing fans know that in the history of pugilism there are only a few

classic pairings; Dempsey - Tunney, Frazier - Ali, and of course Roberto Duran

and Sugar Ray Leonard. The Boxing worlds answer to "Oscar and Felix" will

meet for the first time since the famous "UNO MAS" fight, in the Ring at the

"Yakama Legends Casino" as non-combative celebrity guests, for an evening of

Boxing entitled "Big Duels on April Fools".

Sugar Ray Leonard, who in addition to Public appearances, manages a stable

of fighters will have two of his fighters on the card; Demarcus "Chop Chop"

Corley and Luther "Sugarman" Smith. Roberto Duran known as the "Man with

Fists of Stone," still fights and is perhaps the only fighter to have fought

in 5 decades and boasts a knockout in every round from 1-15, a record that

will never be broken since the advent of 12 round fights. Duran-Leonard

pairings started with Duran's upset in the famous "Brawl in Montreal," and led

to the infamous "No Mas" fight and eventually to the forgettable "Uno Mas"

(one more time) fight.

The Reuniting of Duran-Leonard, has jumpstarted the economy of the sleepy

town of Toppenish, WA. Boxing fans across the country are paying $125 per

ringside ticket to see the April 1st matches. Another celebrity making the

scene will be David Letterman regular Jimmie "JJ" Walker, famous not only for

his appearances in "Good Times" but also for portraying Boxer

Bootney Farnsworth, from "Lets do it Again" with Bill Cosby and

Sydney Portier. April 2nd Walker hosts the "Temptations" in concert at

Legends.

Six bouts of boxing are scheduled highlights includes three brothers

boxing on the same card and Women's boxing. The pre-fight weigh in will be

held at Top Foods, 2203 S. First, Yakima, WA., 7 p.m. on March 31st. Duran

and Leonard will also be in attendance.

Ticket prices are GOLD $125. (includes meet and Greet and Tee Shirt),

Silver $65, Preferred $40., Reserved/Bleacher $25. Charge by phone,

509-865-8800 EXT. 326. For interviews and more information please call

Jeff Connor at 509-865-8800, EXT. 205.

*****************

March 2000'

The champ has taken a turn for the worse Mayweather is called 'brainwashed and is a disappointment' to family

Saturday, March 18, 2000

LAS VEGAS -- Floyd Mayweather's right about one thing. He has a lousy promoter.

Everywhere you looked this week, you saw Diego Corrales. He was on television. He was on radio. He was in newspapers. He sat at a table, after a public press conference Thursday, and signed every autograph for every person in line. I walked into the Top Rank offices Tuesday morning, and who was the first person I saw in the lobby?

Diego Corrales.

Mayweather was seldom seen. He has avoided some interviews, and given vague, sometimes nonsensical answers in others. He has turned off many people by criticizing an $11.25 million HBO contract offer in one breath, then declaring in the next breath that he doesn't box for the money, but rather because he loves it.

Taking the talented Mayweather at his word has become increasingly difficult. He said last year that he planned to remain at 130 pounds long enough to break Joe Louis' record of 26 successful defenses in one weight division, but now says he intends to move up to lightweight soon. He signed a managerial agreement with a Grand Rapids businessman, Don Hale, and fired him before his first professional fight. He once praised his promoter, Top Rank Inc.,

and his uncle, Jeff Mayweather, for their work in helping advance his professional career. Now, he accuses a Top Rank accountant and his uncle of stealing from him.

Jeff Mayweather, freshly fired by the champion, won't be in the arena tonight. "He has disappointed a lot of friends and family," said Jeff, who is one of

the most agreeable people in boxing.

"There's only one person to blame, and that's the person making the decisions," said Floyd Mayweather Sr., who says his son has been "brainwashed" by his new manager, rap-music producer James Smith, a.k.a. James Prince.

"It's almost like he has joined a cult," Top Rank president Bob Arum said of Mayweather. "He's a completely different person."

Mayweather returns to the ring tonight in a championship doubleheader here. He is the pound-for-pound attraction. He is the superstar. But he also has taken the stardom he built inside the ring, and done his darndest to crush it. He'll perform in a half-full arena tonight -- his first title fight in six months, and second in 10 months -- and if you actually pay for your ticket, it's for one of three reasons:

-- You don't know the right people;

-- You aren't a hardcore gambler at MGM Grand;

-- You were thrilled by the openness and frankness of the champion this week -- Corrales, not Mayweather.

Kevin Iole, the boxing reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, tried to interview Mayweather this week. The two ended up in a shouting match, and Iole hung up on him. Iole -- one of the most respected boxing reporters anywhere -- then wrote a story describing Mayweather's changed persona, unpredictability, and sullenness, which Iole likened to a bad-guy professional wrestler.

Well, this isn't pro wrestling. And it's not the 1950s either. You won't find the Gillette Friday Night Fights on national television anymore. In fact, there wasn't a single major-network television fight in 1999, and probably won't be in 2000 either. The only regular fight programs are on cable sports networks.

This isn't the 1970s, either. Muhammad Ali made many boxing fans irate with his antics, yet all but his very biggest fights were afternoon or early-evening events on broadcast networks. Fans could choose not to watch Ali, but when he was fighting on ABC Wide World of Sports at 4:30 on Saturday afternoon, why not watch? It was free.

At the least, today's big fights go on HBO, or to a lesser degree Showtime, which viewers must pay subscription fees to receive. At the high end, the most attractive fights go on pay-per-view, where fans must make a conscious decision to plop down an average of about $40 to purchase viewing rights.

Right now, there's a big question who would pay good money to see a fighter who throws around, "I want $3 million a fight," as if it's some birthright. Mayweather has the talent for that kind of payday, but he relies on the public to provide the cash. That requires solid promotion and genuine personalities. To that end, Mayweather is right. He has absolutely, unequivocally, one of boxing's worst promoters.

Himself.

***********

Vegas Scene

Jack Welsh

BOXING FLASH

Oscar De La Hoya remains promoter Bob Arum’s premier super star until he decides to leave the regimen of the prize ring and jump both feet first into a fickle industry called show business. The final break may be three years away but De La Hoya doesn’t mind a little apprenticeship mixed in while still earning mega-millions with his fists. The perfect illustration arrived Mar.20 when the 27-year-old re-sanctioned WBC welterweight champion grabbed a jet for Miami immediately after a media session in Los Angeles where De La Hoya will meet Sugar Shane Mosley June 17 at the Staples Center. Oscar’s odyssey into Hispanic heaven was to fulfill a contract to cut a compact disc, singing 10 ballads, eight in Spanish and two in English. The music is due on the market later this year. Perfect timing would be September if the boxing brains could

get FelixTrinidad and De La Hoya together for that elusive rematch.

The Golden Boy from East Los Angeles isn’t abusing the code of his No.1 profession since he isn’t scheduled to open serious training for Mosley until mid-April at his mountain retreat in Big Bear, Ca.

For the moment, Arum isn’t concerned about De La Hoya not being in top shape. Being a mega-millionaire nothwithstanding, Oscar created a large order for himself this year---four bouts, promising to win ‘em all

by knockout. Right now Derrell Coley is one down with Mosley two to go. After that, take your pick, De La Hoya

is totally focused and he’s fed up with ringside judges wherever he fights, determined to take any verdict away from the appointed three blind mice.

Meanwhile, Arum has plenty of new challenges to keep him busy through the summer. Beyond De La Hoya, the most appealing is Floyd Mayweather and Diego "Chico" Corrales in the same ring punching to unify two-thirds of the 130-pound championship. On paper, it looks like a natural but nobody knows any better than Top Rank’s board chairman how many pitfalls are in the wings. Notably, the Mayweather family feud that might outdo the Hatfields and McCoys.

Corrales, the 22-year-old IBF/IBA junior lightweight champion, stole the crowd Mar.18 when he destroyed the more seasoned Derrick "Smoke" Gainer in three rounds at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Mayweather, 23, was back after a six-months hiatus, going against the light-punching Goyo Vargas in defending his WBC super featherweight title. The super speed merchant almost had a shutout but injuring his left hand in the sixth round after decking Vargas killed any chance for a kayo and sent him on his

bicycle.

Corrales earned rousing cheers from the house. The spectators didn’t know about Mayweather’s bum hand, so that retreat to safety in the last three rounds had some media wags accusing Floyd of "pulling a De La Hoya."

Floyd Mayweather, Sr., the champion’s father/trainer, came up with a pretty good squelch, snapping. "The big

difference was Oscar never threw any punches like Floyd did backing up." Over the years I’ve never bought into

fathers training sons to be fist fighters for cash. Yet the senior Mayweather, who went nine good rounds with Sugar Ray Leonard in 1978, has done a remarkable job in taking his offspring from a near-miss in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics to the WBC 130-pound diadem ione week short of two years.

After Mayweather TKO’d Genaro Hernandez to win the title, the future was unlimited for this rising talent

from Grand Rapids, Mi., with the gracious manner and lightning fists. Mayweather fought only three times last

year and nothing after September. The undefeated champion’s pleasing personality did a 180 degrees turnaround shortly before Christmas a with head-shaking declaration that HBO’s $12.75 million three-year contract

was "strictly slave wages." This sad story of a family divided seemingly started when Mike Tyson introduced Mayweather to rap music prdoucer James Smith, a.k.a.James Prince of Houston. Whatever the dialogue between the

fighter and Prince, it was what the naive Mayweather wanted to hear. A short time later, Prince was in as

manager, and pop Mayweather was reduced to trainer and nothing else last fall.

It didn’t take long for the elder Mayweather to realize his son "was being brainwashed by a man ,who by his own admission, knows nothing about the business of boxing.

"Little Floyd is young and he’s going to make mistakes. Right now he has completely flip-flipped and it’s different like day and night the way he changed. And it’s all because of these damn rappers. There is only one person to blame, and that’s the person who is making the decisions And that person has to be Floyd, Jr.," said the man who won 16 straight straight fights before losing to Leonard.

"Naturally, I can’t say I like this unusual situation, but I’m learning to cope with it. Now we treat boxing as a business. It’s no longer a father-son duo but that’s the way Floyd wants it. I strongly disapprove of what my son is doing in listening to Prince. My biggest problem is the rappuer, not my son. My son is my son, and he’ll be my son until i die. I don’t like the rappers because those people are putting poison in my son,

Since the rappers have come in contact with my son everything has gone downhill."

Mayweather, on a roll with a 23-0, 17 KOs a resume, appears to have gone hook, line and sinker for Prince’s philosophy. "I’v e never had a better training camp than the one I just had for the Vargas fight. I say that

because it’s up to me to make the decisions. I’m 23 now and it’s about time that I start making some decisions in my life. I like having my father in my corner but I’m not going to force him to stay. If he doesn’t like

the team I’ve put. together, he’s welcome to stay or he’s welcome to go." Mayweather said.

Now for the nitty-gritty on this controversial study who still hasn’t learned how to play the game, not even after collecting $750,000 the other night for beating Vargas. It wasn’t so long along that Mayweather was

beefing loudly about being paid on the same level as De La Hoya. Or at least $3 million a fight. Puleeze,

Floyd, gimme a break. The Michigan marauder needs a crash course in boxing economics. Pretty Boy Floyd has all sorts of requsites to be successful for a long run. But a one-punch kayo artist against major talent, highly unlikely and one-punch chillers, if they are consistent, are usually the guys counting

big money.

A switch may be forthcoming, but Floyd Mayweather, Jr., has yet to sell out a house. Arum was forthright in

declaring that 5,130 attendance figure for the Vargas fight needed 1,500 comp ducats to make it happen.....Stay tuned.

De La Hoya was the only American to win a boxing gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, earning the nickname "Golden Boy." Since his Olympic triumph, he is undefeated and has won three professional championships. De La Hoya won the right to represent the United States at the 1992 Summer Olympics by winning a decision over Patrice Brooks at the Olympic Boxoffs in Phoenix, Arizona. Some experts worried that he did not knock out his opponent, but De La Hoya was not concerned. "I was concentrating more on landing clean punches than I was in

knocking anybody down because it was more important to make the team than to have the ego trip of putting somebody on the canvas," De La Hoya explained in the Sporting News. "When I get to Spain, I'll show people my power."De La Hoya was the favorite to win the lightweight gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. "The kid has all the tools," said Pat Nappi, former U.S. national boxing team coach, in Sports Illustrated. "Right now, based on what I've seen, he has the gold medal." De La Hoya tried to not get overconfident, though. "I've just got to keep my focus," he explained in the same magazine.

In the end, De La Hoya was the only U.S. boxer to win an Olympic gold medal, defeating Marco Randolph of Germany in the gold medal bout. He celebrated his victory by carrying a U.S. flag in one hand and a Mexican flag in the other. "I went up with the Mexican flag and the American flag," he recalled in Hispanic. "If I'd had enough arms I would have gone up with all the flags of the world!" After returning home, De La Hoya paid tribute to his mother by laying his medal on her grave. "I won the medal for mom," De La Hoya admitted in Sports Illustrated.

Morales vs. Barrera

What happened the first time: If you missed it, find a tape of the fight because this 122-pound unification bout was truly a classic. People will still talk about it 25 years from now because on Feb. 19, 2000, Mexican rivals Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales went toe-to-toe for 12 breathtaking rounds. The only problem was that the wrong guy — Morales — was awarded a split-decision victory.November 25, 2000, Saturday

No Entourage, Just Hopes Of a Knockout; Landing Jabs to Pay Bills

By CHARLIE LeDUFF

Source: The New York Times

Section: Metropolitan Desk

1582 words Abstract

Boxing has always been sport of immigrants, who see it as exit from ghetto life, according to Hank Kaplan, boxing historian; current wave of Mexican immigrants provide names for boxing cards at small clubs and converted ballrooms around New York, with Antonio Oliveros topping list; for Oliveros, club boxing provides money to make ends meet and help pay for his children's education; photo (M) Lead Paragraph

In the boxing game, the brighter your name the dimmer your entourage. Saturday night bouts were being held at the Amazura Ballroom in a dirty corner of Jamaica, Queens, as part of Cedric Kushner's all-Latino show last week. The Spanish-language telev...

Tale of tapes: Payoffs ruled boxing01/29/00

By Robert Rudolph

STAFF WRITER

It was a moment during a meeting in a hotel room in December 1997 between Doug Beavers, the ratings chairman of the International Boxing Federation, and Bob Lee, the founder and president of the IBF.

Beavers hiked up a pants leg, exposing a cellophane-wrapped package he had taped to his leg. Pulling the package free, he placed the bundle on a table and waited as Lee reached out to unwrap the parcel, which was filled with $5,000.

An affidavit describing the meeting, which was secretly videotaped by the FBI, was included in a voluminous inventory of tapes, transcripts, affidavits and other material presented to a federal grand jury in Newark that has been investigating allegations of corruption in boxing for four years. The evidence, made public yesterday by U.S. District Judge John Bissell, exposes details of what authorities call a sordid pattern of corruption, in which Lee and other IBF officials allegedly pocketed hundreds of thousands of dollars in payoffs from promoters seeking to manipulate the rankings of their fighters.

The material includes thousands of pages of taped conversations as well as testimony from promoters and others who claim they were forced to pay Lee to keep their boxers in the game.

"It ain't the turkey, it's the dressing, brother," Lee is quoted as telling Beavers during a discussion of the payoffs.

Beavers, a longtime associate of Lee from Portsmouth, Va., agreed to become an informant for the FBI after being confronted by federal agents in Texas in May 1997. He related a tale of systematic graft that, he said, involved some of the biggest names in the business, including promoters Don King, Bob Arum, Dino Duva and Cedric Kushner.

The evidence unsealed yesterday also shows how Beavers lured Lee into incriminating conversations that were picked up by FBI microphones and cameras.

"Simply stated," Beavers said in an affidavit, "boxers' ratings were enhanced when Robert W. Lee Sr. and I received payoffs from promoters or managers." Those boxers whose promoters failed to pay, or who tried to escape from stables of favored promoters, found their ratings dropping sharply.

In one instance, Beavers said, an irate Lee demanded that a fighter named Ivan Robinson be stripped of his lightweight ranking: "He can come all the way out. He's the bastard that gave us a bad check and never made good on it."

Among those who Beavers claims made payoffs was the flamboyant King; Lee referred to him by the code name "Fuzzy Wuzzy," Beavers said. Lee regularly received cash from King and referred to the payoffs as "Christmas turkeys," Beavers said.

Eventually, Lee became "out of control in giving favorable treatment to King's boxers," Beavers said, describing one instance in which Lee attempted to promote a Nicaraguan fighter neither Lee nor Beavers had ever heard of, simply because the fighter was backed by King.

Lee's position, Beavers said, was: "It don't make no difference whether they can fight or not," as long as they were in King's corner.

Although King's offices in Florida were raided by the FBI last year in connection with the boxing probe, no charges have been filed against him, and a representative yesterday declined comment.

At his Fanwood home, Lee --wearing an IBF sweater -- said he was unaware of the release of the material. "What am I going to say? I don't have any comment on any of that," he said. Lee is currently on unpaid leave of absence from the IBF.

Lee's attorney, Gerald Krovatin, had sought to block the release of the evidence. He called the public release of the material yesterday an "unfair, one-sided preview" of issues that will be aired during Lee's racketeering trial, now slated for late March.

Other prominent promoters have said they fell prey to Lee payoff demands.

Among those was Arum, the president of Nevada-based Top Rank, who had promoted heavyweight champion George Foreman and who had sought a ruling from the IBF to allow the champion to battle an unranked fighter from Germany, Axel Schulz, in 1995.

In the papers released yesterday, Arum said that being granted an exception to the normal course for a champion, in which he is supposed to fight leading contenders first, "came at a price."

Describing one hotel meeting, Arum said, "Lee told me that he wanted a payment of $200,000 for the IBF to sanction the Foreman-Schulz bout."

Arum admitted funneling $100,000 to Lee through an intermediary, and said the IBF demands only escalated after that, with another IBF official attempting to shake down Foreman personally for $250,000.

The same year, authorities charged, Lee and his son, Robert W. Lee Jr., took $100,000 from another promoter to mandate a rematch between the fighters, and Beavers said Lee boasted that the IBF "protected" Schulz after he tested positive for steroids.

In addition, Beavers said, Lee demanded an $800,000 payment to sanction a fight between Foreman and Mike Tyson. It never took place.

At the same time, promoter Dino Duva, then president of the New Jersey-based Main Events, said he was approached by Beavers and told to pay $25,000 to ensure that one of his fighters, junior middleweight champion Fernando Vargas, would be assigned the ranking to which he was entitled.

Duva said he initially balked at the payment but was badgered by Lee. "I finally succumbed to (Lee's) demands" in December 1998, Duva said, and put $25,000 in a package that a Duva employee took to Lee at a breakfast meeting in Atlantic City.

Kathy Duva, who now runs Main Events, said Dino Duva, her brother in law, is no longer with the company. She added that Vargas was never aware of the payoff. "This is not someone who bought a ranking he didn't deserve," Kathy Duva said. "He worked very hard to get the ranking he received."

Documents also implicate international promoter Kushner in the payoff scandal. Beavers described collecting cash from Kushner at the promoter's home in East Hampton, N.Y., and then delivering a $50,000 portion of the proceeds to Lee's son in a rendezvous at the Vince Lombardi Service Area on the New Jersey Turnpike.

Beavers said Lee often became irritated when promoters were slow in paying, and quoted him as asking about Kushner: "What about the fat man, ain't he come through, man?"

After one meeting with King, Lee complained, "There wasn't a piece of bait nowhere, man," according to Beavers.

Asked about the claim that his client was among those who made payoffs, Kushner's lawyer, Richard Edlin, said: "The matter was thoroughly investigated by the U.S. Attorney's Office, and the fact is Mr. Kushner was not the subject of any indictment, nor do we have any reason to believe he will be."

One recording reveals that Beavers ironically already had a plan in action when he realized the FBI was onto the deals.

"Well, we're in trouble," he told an associate. "But we can get out of trouble. But we're gonna have to cooperate with these people. You can't argue with that . . . videotape."

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Reid in Super shape for Trinidad bout

Boxing Notes/by George KimballSunday, January 30, 2000

ATLANTA - David Reid may be the underdog against Felix Trinidad, but he's picking the favorite in Super Bowl XXXIV. ``The Rams all the way,'' said Reid, who interrupted his training for the March 3 bout to visit Atlanta, the site of his 1996 Olympic gold medal performance. Although Trinidad opened a 3-1 favorite at the Caesars Palace Sports Book, a steady influx of Reid money has the odds down to 8-5. At first blush, Trinidad would seem a tall order for Reid, who has just 14 pro fights under his belt, but promoter Dan Goossen likens Reid's situation to Kobe Bryant's entry into the NBA, pointing out that Reid hasn't exactly been tuning up against soft touches. ``David's never been coddled,'' said Goossen yesterday. ``We put him in with a guy (Sam Calderon) who was 10-0 in his first pro fight. His opponents have a combined record of 350-55-9.'' ``It won't be like Oscar (De La Hoya),'' said Reid. ``Oscar was running (against Trinidad). That's how he lost the fight.'' The Golden Boy is also in town for today's Super Bowl, as De La Hoya broke bread with the cast of ``The Sopranos'' last night at a party at Justin's restaurant in suburban Buckhead. Although Trinidad announced this week that his move to 154 pounds is permanent, it doesn't necessarily follow that the Golden Boy's Feb. 26 Madison Square Garden fight against Derrell Coley will be for the vacant WBC welterweight title. Trinidad is hanging on to both that and the IBF title - just in case. ``I'm going to pluck that chicken but good,'' promised Coley. Here comes the judge It certainly was an eventful week for Federal Judge John W. Bissell. The justice, who presides in U.S. District Court in Newark, N.J., is supervising the criminal case against the International Boxing Federation and its president, Bob Lee. Early in the week, Bissell saw Joseph A. Hayden Jr., the monitor he had appointed to run the IBF during Lee's exile, quit after eight days on the job, citing a possible conflict of interest stemming from the fact that he is married to another judge. That same day, Bissell heard motions from lawyers representing Bill Belichick, and eventually turned down motions for an injunction which would have emancipated the new Patriots coach from his contract with the Jets. As if he weren't busy enough, Bissell has also now accepted all the aspects of David Tua's lawsuit against heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis and the IBF. Tua is claiming that his rights as the organization's mandatory challenger have been abrogated by Lewis' scheduled April 29 defense against Michael Grant. This marks the third time, in as many years, that the IBF has been sued in U.S. federal court for an alleged violation of its own regulations. The courts have ruled against the IBF on the two previous occasions. The most telling revelation stemming from Bissell's decision to unseal the evidence in the IBF case this week came in the confirmation of the fact that former IBF ratings committee chairman Doug Beavers secretly wore a wire to help ensnare Lee. At one point, the Feds have Beavers opening a FedEx package containing a $4,000 cash bribe from Don King and referring to it as `the Christmas turkey.'' ``That's just the dressing,'' chortled Lee. Speaking of Lennox Lewis, the heavyweight champion was offered a position as color commentator on last night's Mike Tyson-Julius Francis show in Manchester, England, but decided instead to ignore the proceedings, remaining at his Jamaican retreat. Clay-Bey gets a hand Unbeaten Hartford heavyweight Lawrence Clay-Bey passed a big test when he outpointed former cruiserweight champion Robert Daniels last Sunday in Venice, Fla. The important news wasn't that the 11-0 Clay-Bey won (he was supposed to do that, even though Daniels hadn't lost in six years) but that he managed to go 10 rounds without reinjuring his surgically repaired left hand. . . . Dominican welterweight Emiliano Valdez, who underwent emergency brain surgery after being battered into a coma by the normally light-punching Teddy Reid on the Clay-Bey-Daniels card, remains in critical condition in a Florida hospital. . . . Junior Jones lost his role as Prince Naseem Hamed's March 11 HBO fight. Jones was scrapped, according to Hamed's brother, Riath, because he dragged his feet over signing the contract, which would have paid him $500,000, or about $495,000 more than he is worth at this stage of his career. ``We were messed around and they were very abusive,` said Riath Hamed. ``After the deadline they came back wanting to sign, but there is now no way that Jones will get his chance at Naz.'' IBF featherweight champion Paul Ingle, a fellow Brit who has already lost once to Hamed, also nixed the opponent's role. HBO would prefer a rematch with Kevin Kelley, but Hamed's people would prefer South Africa's Vuyani Bungu. . . . Originally slated to fight Danny Romero on Top Rank's March 4 card, Nestor Garza will now defend against Bones Adams. Romero will still appear on the bill, but in a 10-rounder against an opponent to be determined. . . . Happy birthday, Rich Cappiello.

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GIRLFIGHT,' `YOU CAN COUNT ON ME' SPLIT SUNDANCE HONORS

From Tribune News Services

January 30, 2000

PARK CITY, UTAH The gritty boxing saga "Girlfight" and the tender sibling-reunion tale "You Can Count on Me" shared top honors Saturday at the Sundance Film Festival, the nation's top showcase for independent movies.

The two movies split the grand jury prize for best dramatic film.

"Girlfight" also won the dramatic directing award for Karyn Kusama, and "You Can Count on Me" won the Waldo Salt screenwriting award for Kenneth Lonergan, who also directed the film.

"Girlfight" stars Michelle Rodriguez as a young woman who channels her fierce temper to become a champion boxer. "You Can Count on Me" features Laura Linney and Mark Ruffalo as a sister and brother struggling to maintain a sense of family years after their parents are killed in a car crash.

The grand jury prize for documentary went to "Long Night's Journey Into Day," which examines four cases that came before South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission in the aftermath of apartheid.

The documentary directing award went to Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman for "Paragraph 175," an exploration of Nazi atrocities against homosexuals.

*************

January 27, 2000

Rival: Arum lied yesterday, not telling the truth today

By Dean Juipe

<juipe@lasvegassun.com>

LAS VEGAS SUN

Easygoing as he is, Arthur Williams expressed only soft-spoken displeasure that his rematch with Vassily Jirov appears to be on hold. Oh, he talked about "maybe having to sue somebody" to force the matter to a head, but he was hardly vigilant in his tone despite his lingering disappointment.

But talking with his promoter, Murad Muhammad, was another thing altogether.

Seemingly anxious to rip into rival promoter Bob Arum, Muhammad, speaking from his New Jersey office this week, fired several verbal volleys in an effort to force Arum's hand and put Williams and Jirov in the ring a second time.

Jirov defeated Williams by seventh-round TKO June 5 in Biloxi, Miss., lifting Williams' International Boxing Federation cruiserweight championship in the process. According to Williams and Muhammad, the contract from that fight had a rematch clause that guarantees a return bout in the event Jirov -- who is promoted by Arum -- won.

"I gave the Russian a shot and now I'm hoping he'll live up to his word and give me one," Williams said before departing Wednesday for Atlantic City, where he's headlining a Saturday card by taking on another former champion, Nestor Giovannini. It's Williams' third fight since losing to Jirov and it's obviously starting to wear on Muhammad.

"We gave Bob Arum the opportunity to have his man fight Arthur and it was stated very clearly that if the kid beat Arthur, the rematch would be right away," Muhammad said. "Arthur made a sacrifice for that fight in that it wasn't a mandatory and he didn't have to do it.

"I think he took Jirov lightly and that's why he lost the fight, but that's not the point.

"The point is, Arum lied."

Muhammad was just getting warmed up.

"Both (Don) King and Arum would stab a fighter in the back for a dollar," he said.

"Aside from the fact one's an African-American and the other is Caucasian, there's no difference between them.

"I'll never trust Arum on his word again. I'll openly say he's a liar. I've never done business with a liar before and Arum lied on this deal.

"The only reason we haven't sued him yet is that I've been wanting to work this thing out. It's my job to protect Arthur's interests but I can't do it when I'm dealing with a liar."

So, Murad, how do you really feel?

"Thanks to Arum lying to us, Arthur has had to go into the soup line to face lesser opponents at a time when he should be fighting Jirov," Muhammad said. "I even said to Arum, 'Let's take the fight to Russia.' But Jirov is such a pink elephant that he's not respected in his home country and there isn't a person there who would spend a nickel to see him.

"Arthur's not a young man but he can fight, and Arum is ignoring a verbal and written agreement that would allow (Williams) a chance to regain his championship. Arum hasn't lived up to his end of the contract and it's something I'll never forget."

Those invectives aside, Williams goes into his Saturday fight with Giovannini needing a win to stay alive in the cruiserweight sweepstakes.

Williams, 35, is 32-5-1 and is ranked No. 6 by the IBF.

Giovannini, of Argentina, is 37-9-4 and took this fight last week when Williams' originally scheduled opponent, Latvia's Valery Vikhor, encountered visa problems entering the United States.

"I don't know the guy but I'm ready to go," Williams said. "With the experience I have, I don't worry about the man across from me."

Williams said he trained hard for this fight and is keeping himself prepared in the event the rematch with Jirov falls into place.

"I'm going to stay ready and try to get my title back," he said. "I'm in good shape and I've been working out every day, including running on Sunday."

While Williams jousts with Giovannini, Jirov is preparing for a Feb. 12 fight -- likely to go to Miami -- with mandatory challenger Saul Montana.

That fight will be Jirov's second since defeating Williams, as he handled Dale Brown in 10 rounds Sept. 18.

**********************

Lennox Lewis accused of sex discrimination

by Geraint Smith

World heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis faces a court battle today with a woman who claims he sacked her when she became pregnant by his boxing rival - Mike Tyson's opponent Julius Francis.

Carole Roycroft, 30, whose boyfriend takes on Tyson on Saturday, gave birth to Jada Kai last month. She was employed as Lewis's personal assistant in September 1998 but was sacked the following April, shortly after she had told her bosses she was pregnant. Miss Roycroft launched a legal fight before an industrial tribunal in central London, claiming sexual discrimination by Lewis, his brother Dennis and their company Panix Promotions.

The Lewis camp says she became "star-struck" and broke a clause in her contract by giving unauthorised and inaccurate newspaper interviews, one of which wrecked his bid to appear in the sequel to the hit British film Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels. Media specialist Adrian Ogun, for Lewis, told the tribunal the company was concerned that Miss Roycroft would continue to leak false information.

He said the decision to dismiss her was taken in March but she was not told until April because her line manager, Dennis Lewis, was on holiday. Miss Roycroft claims sex discrimination and unfair dismissal. The hearing continues.

********************

IBF's new watchdog resigns

Tuesday, January 25, 2000

By DAVID VOREACOS

Staff WriterJust 12 days after his appointment, a Weehawken attorney has been knocked out by an anti-nepotism law as the federal monitor overseeing a cleanup of the scandal-plagued International Boxing Federation.

Joseph A. Hayden Jr., the husband of U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden, resigned Friday in a letter citing a 1948 federal law that bars the appointment of a judge's relative to "any office or duty" in the jurist's district.

U.S. District Judge John W. Bissell accepted Hayden's resignation Monday and signed an order appointing New Jersey's former top federal prosecutor, William W. Robertson, as his successor.

Hayden said he was unaware of the law when Bissell appointed him Jan. 12 to clean up the IBF, an East Orange-based organization that sanctions prizefights. IBF President Robert Lee Sr. and three other officials face criminal charges of pocketing $338,000 to fix fight rankings.

Although Hayden said the law is ambiguous on the part-time post of monitor, he chose not to contest it.

"My feeling is that, given the sensitivity of the case and the importance of the issues involved, this is not the case to make a test case," he said.

In a letter released Monday, Bissell praised Hayden's performance and said he was "completely unaware" of the federal law when he appointed him.

"I take full responsibility for this oversight and any of its consequences," Bissell said. "Rest assured, however, that the appointment of Mr. Hayden was based entirely upon his superior qualifications."

Bissell cited Hayden's many achievements, noting that he was the first president of the Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in New Jersey.

"With this background, plus his reputation for hard work, equanimity, and good common sense, he was an obvious choice, on merit, for the position of monitor," Bissell wrote to the attorneys in the case.

Hayden was one of the three attorneys recommended confidentially by the IBF for the monitor's post. Bissell had asked the IBF and the U.S. Attorney's Office for a list of three candidates after government lawyers filed a racketeering lawsuit against the sanctioning body.

After being appointed, Hayden quickly named a forensic accountant, William Morrison, who works in Paramus, to review the IBF's finances.

Hayden met with Robertson for four hours Saturday to brief him on the case. Robertson was the U.S. attorney in New Jersey in 1980 and 1981 after working for several years as a prosecutor in the office. He has since worked as a private attorney handling white-collar criminal defense and civil litigation.

Robertson could not be reached Monday for comment.

In his letter, Bissell praised Robertson's "qualities of hard work, impeccable character and common sense which characterized his predecessor."

"My conversations with Mr. Robertson in recent days have reconfirmed my confidence in his appointment," Bissell wrote.

IBF attorney Linda Torres could not be reached Monday for comment.

Lee's attorney, Gerald Krovatin, said it was "unfortunate" that Hayden resigned as monitor. "But I don't blame him or the judge for erring on the side of a strict ruling, even though I don't think it applies to this situation."

Krovatin's wife, author Anna Quindlen, was one of five speakers at Katharine Hayden's swearing-in ceremony two years ago, Joseph Hayden said.

********************

Mosley on second welterweight win: `I proved a point'

By Royce Feour

Review-Journal

Undefeated Shane Mosley said he wanted to make a statement Saturday night in his HBO-televised fight at the Hard Rock.

And Mosley did, pounding out an impressive third-round stoppage of Willy Wise of Westbury, N.Y., in the scheduled 10-round main event on the Cedric Kushner Promotions card.

"I thought it was a good performance. I thought I proved a point. I thought I did a great job with Willy Wise," Mosley said Sunday.

Mosley, 28, said he felt "very strong" in improving his record to 34-0.

"I wanted to look good in this fight," Mosley said after his second bout as a welterweight.

Mosley, of Pomona, Calif., had given up his International Boxing Federation lightweight championship last year and moved up two weight classes to the welterweight division.

Mosley dropped Wise, 148, for the second time in the fight with a left hook to the body. Referee Mitch Halpern waived off the count and stopped the fight at 2:28 of the third round.

"This is a great start. I want to have a great 2000. I think my punching power has improved from the last fight," Mosley said.

In his first fight at welterweight, Mosley stopped former welterweight contender Wilfredo Rivera of Puerto Rico in the 10th round Sept. 25 in Temecula, Calif.

Mosley also put Wise down in the first round with a left hook to the body before the announced standing-room-only crowd of 1,731.

"I felt very comfortable. My speed was still there," Mosley said of his performance at 148 pounds.

Jack Mosley, the manager-trainer for his son, was highly pleased with his son's effort.

"I thought he did a tremendous job," Jack Mosley said. "He worked the body, he worked the jab and the right hand. I think he proved once again he is one of the greatest fighters at this time."

Mosley received $1.1 million, while Wise, who fell to 24-7-4, had a purse of $175,000.

"Shane's body shots were tremendous," Jack Mosley said. "When Willy felt the power, he thought 'This is not a light- weight. This is a welterweight.' "

Jack Mosley said his son was ready for bigger venues in Las Vegas.

"We have to go to the MGM or the Las Vegas Hilton. I understand (the Hard Rock) turned away tons of people," he said.

Both Mosleys said they were interested in a possible matchup with former World Boxing Council welterweight champion Oscar De La Hoya on June 17 at Mandalay Bay or the new Staples Center in Los Angeles, which has been proposed by promoter Bob Arum, who promotes De La Hoya.

"Like Shane says, 'Let's sit down and talk.' In the meantime, we'll stay busy," Jack Mosley said.

The manager-trainer said Mosley would probably fight once before June 17.

Wise said a head butt caused him to go down in the third round, resulting in the stoppage.

"It was very hard," Wise said. "Shane knew it. It was a devastating blow. The butt had me discombobulated for a minute."

Wise, 32, said the fight may have been "a lot different" if it had not been for the head butt.

"He was getting tired. He had spent all he had in the first couple of rounds. He went all out the first couple of rounds," Wise said.

At the same time, Wise said Mosley was the best fighter he ever fought.

"He can go all of the way. He has got a lot of power," Wise said. "This was a minor setback. It doesn't stop the ball from rolling. I am going to stand up, brush myself off and begin again."

Wise was coming off a one-sided unanimous decision over former three-time world champion Julio Cesar Chavez on Oct. 2 at the Las Vegas Hilton.

In the other televised fight Saturday night, unbeaten Vernon Forrest of Atlanta took a one-sided unanimous decision over Vince Phillips of Las Vegas.

Forrest, 146, retained his North American Boxing Federation welterweight belt with the victory.

Forrest, who received $110,000, boosted his record to 31-0, while Phillips, a former IBF junior welterweight champion, dropped to 40-5. Phillips was paid $60,000.

*****************

Tyson is victim of racism, says promoter

By Jonathan IrwinTHE boxing promoter Frank Warren attacked the press yesterday over coverage of Mike Tyson, whom he described as "the perfect gentleman".

Despite the boxer's rape conviction and taste for biting off opponents' ears, he claimed the former world champion had become a victim in Britain. Mr Warren said reports that Tyson had dismissed Winston Churchill as "another damn Limey" were fabricated after a visit to Madame Tussaud's wax museum and that the boxer's visit to a mosque had delayed a funeral only because of the amount of press there.

Mr Warren was most indignant over claims in a Sunday newspaper that he had orchestrated a successful media campaign to promote Tyson's forthcoming fight with Julius Francis. He claimed he had no reason to promote the contest because Saturday's 21,000-ticket event was already sold out. When reminded of sales for the pay-per-view event to be screened on satellite television, he claimed these "would go through the roof" whether or not he courted the press.

The promoter also criticised the Evening Standard, saying: "It has run a campaign in London which borders on racism. To suggest Mike Tyson should not be in this hotel - I hate to say this word - it's like saying let's keep the niggers out. It's the most horrid form of racism I've read."

********************

Jan 23 2000

MIKE TYSON has had an invitation to tour the House of Commons withdrawn after protests by Labour women MPs.

The cross-party Commons boxing group wanted Tyson to visit Parliament during his current stay in Britain ahead of his bout next Saturday against Julius Francis, hoping it would raise the group's profile. But, faced with protests by female MPs about "rolling out the red carpet" at Westminster for a convicted rapist, Labour Party chiefs stepped in to block the move.

It was just as well, for Tyson showed his contempt for British parliamentary history yesterday when, on a visit to Madame Tussaud's waxworks museum, he referred to Winston Churchill as "another damn Limey" on passing the former prime minister's model. His visit to Parliament was cancelled after Clive Soley, the chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP), was asked to step in after protests. "It was a case of either going two rounds with Tyson or two rounds with the PLP," said Mr Soley. "The PLP won."

He said that, after Jack Straw, the Home Secretary, had agreed to allow the former heavyweight boxing champion into the country, it would have been "triumphalist" of the boxing group to have insisted on Tyson's visit to the Commons. Lorna Fitzsimons, Labour MP for Rochdale, said: "We thought a visit would be inappropriate." She added: "It was clearly a media opportunity that would have overshadowed all the important work by the Government, which has taken rape and domestic violence so seriously."

Llin Golding, a member of the boxing group and one of several women MPs who take an interest in the sport, said the invitation to Tyson had been discussed at the group's meeting last month - long before the controversy over the boxer's trip to Britain. She said: "We were looking at ways of generating attention for the boxing group and his name came up."

The group discussed the row last week, she said, and felt "there were lots of other sportsmen who have done disreputable things and come into this country and this huge fuss has not been made. We just felt that it was perhaps because Tyson is so high-profile."

***************

Trinidad said Sunday he plans to leave the welterweight division if he defeats WBA super welterweight champion David Reid on March 3 at Las Vegas. Trinidad wrested the WBC welterweight title from De La Hoya on Sept. 18.

"If there's a rematch now, it's going to be at super welterweight," Trinidad said Sunday during a news conference.

Trinidad said he has nothing left to prove in the welterweight division after handing De La Hoya his only defeat. He added that he has trouble meeting the 147-pound weight limit and might eventually move up to the 160-pound middleweight class.

"There are great fights there," in the heavier categories, he said.

De La Hoya and Trinidad had briefly discussed a rematch, but the talks fell through.

Instead, Trinidad will face Reid, of Philadelphia, a 1996 Olympic gold medalist. Reid, 14-0 with seven knockouts, will be defending the WBA title for the third time.

Trinidad is 36-0 with 30 knockouts.

On Sunday, Trinidad and Reid alternated between trading threats and taking swipes at De La Hoya.

"I'm not going to run like De La Hoya," Reid said. "I'm going to knock out Tito."

Trinidad, meanwhile, promised a fourth-round knockout.

"If he stands to fight, I'm going to liquidate him quickly," Trinidad said.

******************

Around Jan 2000

INGLE OFFERED HAMED REMATCH

By Mark Staniforth, PA Sport

Paul Ingle and Steve Robinson head the list of potential next opponents for Naseem Hamed after the WBO featherweight champion was forced to scrap plans to meet Junior Jones.

Hamed's brother and business manager Riath called off the bout with American Jones - scheduled for March 11 - when Jones' camp failed to sign fight contracts before a given deadline.

Reigning IBF featherweight champion Ingle and former WBO king Robinson are favourites to replace Jones in Hamed's 14th defence of the title he won by stopping Robinson in September 1995.

"We have made an offer to Paul Ingle which exceeds his purse (around £300,000) for his last fight against Naz, but as yet there has been no response," said Riath.

Ingle, beaten by Hamed in April last year, had been scheduled to defend against American Kevin Kelley on the same card but rejected the deal.

But Ingle is anxious to press ahead with a mandatory defence against South Africa's former IBF super-bantamweight champion Vuyani Bungu, and he would demand a huge payday for a Hamed rematch at just six weeks' notice.

Robinson would jump at the chance of a rematch but it would be a far from ideal fight for the Hameds, who are anxious to re-establish Naseem's credentials in America after three below-par displays.

It would at least give Hamed the chance to get his mandatory defence out of the way, as Welshman Robinson is currently the leading contender for his title.

"Steve Robinson is a possibility because it would be good to get the mandatory defence out of the way," said Riath.

"We will talk to the WBO and if they tell us to get the mandatory out of the way we will consider fighting Robinson again."

Hamed's obvious third option would be another fight with Kelley, who floored the Sheffield star three times before being defeated on Hamed's American debut in December 1997.

Kelley, however, is considered something of a fading force and fought at super-featherweight on Saturday night when he stopped Frankie Archuleta in round nine of a non-title bout.

Riath said Jones "had no chance of earth" of recovering his bout with Hamed despite the Jones camp changing their mind and attempting accept it after the deadline.

"We offered Jones 500,000 US dollars (£300,000) and a one-million dollar rematch clause," said Riath.

"We were messed around and they were very abusive. Junior Jones was never a big deal for us anyway."

****************

Jan 23 2000

Sugar Shane Mosley finally made his Las Vegas debut, and it was a good one.

Mosley stopped Willy Wise of Westbury, N.Y., at 2:28 of the third round in their scheduled 10-rounder Saturday night in the main event of the Cedric Kushner Promotions card at the Hard Rock.

Mosley, a former International Boxing Federation lightweight champion, improved to 34-0 in his second fight since relinquishing his IBF 135-pound belt and jumping up two weight classes to the welterweight division.

Mosley, of Pomona, Calif., put Wise, 148 pounds, down with a left hook to the body. Referee Mitch Halpern immediately waved off the count and stopped the fight, which was televised by HBO.

Mosley, also 148, had hurt Wise with a right hand and came back with a right to the body after Wise had countered with a left hand.

Mosley and Wise had clashed heads just before Mosley's body shot put Wise down. Wise said it was the head butt that did him in before an announced standing-room-only crowd of 1,731.

"The punches didn't knock me out," Wise said. "The head butt knocked me out, and he knows it. After the fight, he said, 'I don't fight like that.' "

Mosley, 28, acknowledged a butting of the heads but said that was not what stopped Wise, who was coming off a one-sided unanimous decision over former three-time champion Julio Cesar Chavez on Oct. 2 at the Las Vegas Hilton.

*************

Jan 2000

But even though Felix Trinidad owns 72 percent of the victories, he's in for a war against David Reid.

The matchup comes March 3 when Trinidad moves back to the 154-pound class, placing his 36-0 record on the line against Reid (14-0), who will defend his WBA super welterwight crown for the third time against his toughest opponent.

"I won't be running from him like Oscar did," said Reid, referring to De La Hoya's first loss to Trinidad on Sept. 18. "A lot of people who don't know boxing think Felix is going to kill me. But I'll be the one putting him to sleep."

The most intriguing fight of the year to date will take place in the good old outdoors in Las Vegas at a new arena erected at Caesars Palace.

Trinidad will be out to finish his triple play by beating his third American gold medalist. His other conquest came against Pernell Whitaker nearly a year ago at Madison Square Garden (Feb. 20).

"David wants to prove he's the golden man, not the golden boy," said Al Mitchell, Reid's trainer and manager. "I think it's going to be a great fight. You've got a corner and a boxer. But David can rumble, too."

Reid had a little excitement Friday when he left his Olympic gold medal and his WBA belt in a case inside the trunk of a taxicab. Cab driver Mohammad Aslem returned the belt a few hours later to the All-Star Cafe, where Reid and Trinidad were holding a press conference to talk about the fight. Reid has invited Aslem and his family to be his guest at the fight.

This fight was all set in November when talks about a Trinidad-De La Hoya rematch had broken down. But Derrell Coley refused to give up his right (again) to be the mandatory challenger for the WBC belt. Lawsuits were about to be flung in every direction before Coley accepted a match against De La Hoya for Feb. 26 at Madison Square Garden, opening the door for Reid and Trinidad, which will be a pay-per-view event on the Showtime network.

Bally's Park Place and the Tropicana will be busy Saturday.

Bally's will host a rare afternoon card promoted by Murad Muhammad's M&M Sports. The main event pits two former cruiserweight champions, Arthur Williams (IBF) against Nestor Giovannini (WBO) in a 10-rounder.

Lemuel Nelson and Arial Nistal will be in a 12-round WBO title elimination bout in the co-feature. This lightweight battle was all set for the Roy Jones Jr.-David Telesco undercard at Radio City Music Hall eight days ago, but got squeezed out because of time constraints.

Newark's Jamar Carter (12-0) and Jersey City's Eugene Yosipov (8-0) are scheduled for separate six-round bouts on the undercard. The main event is set for 5 o'clock.

A couple of hours after the Williams-Giovanni bout, the Tropicana will host a United States vs. Russia card with eight bouts set for the evening.

Arturo Gatti has been reunited with Hector Roca, his trainer when he became the IBF junior lightweight champion in 1996.

Gatti is currently training in the Poconos for his Feb. 26 fight with Joey Gamache on the De La Hoya-Coley undercard at Madison Square Garden. ...

The Boxing Writers Association of America's 75th annual dinner will be held April 28, the night before the Lennox Lewis-Michael Grant heavyweight unification bout at the Garden. The site for the dinner, along with the honorees, will be announced soon.

************

Feb 2000

Tuesday, February 29, 2000

Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Top female boxers brawl in Los Angeles

By Kevin Iole

Review-Journal

Christy Martin has long been the most well-known female boxer in the world, and Lucia Rijker has for years been considered by experts the best fighter among women.

Monday, at an otherwise ordinary media event designed to promote Friday's World Boxing Association super welterweight championship fight at Caesars Palace between David Reid and Felix Trinidad, a brawl between the women took place.

Reid, the World Boxing Association champion, was in the ring at the Los Angeles Boxing Gym completing his workout in front of about 500 fans and media. Martin was standing in front of the ring after having completed a television interview when the brawl started.

"I had just finished the interview and tried to get past her, and I never said anything to her," said Martin, who said she is fine and will fight on Friday's undercard against Belinda Laracuente. "I tried to step around her because I didn't want trouble. I have a fight on Friday, and that's my main objective. But she took a cheap shot and hit me on my blind side. It didn't faze me, and I guess that's got to have her worried."

Seth Palansky, a former public relations specialist who used to work with Martin, said he walked over to the gym to say hello to Martin because he hadn't seen her in a long time. He said he was standing in front of Martin when a punch came over his shoulder and hit her.

It picked up again later as Rijker was being escorted from the gym.

FOX Sports boxing analyst Rich Marotta said he spoke to Rijker shortly before the scrap and had a slightly different view of the start than Palansky. Marotta said Rijker, who could not be reached for comment, whispered something to Martin, prompting Martin to shove Rijker. Rijker responded with a hook, Marotta said, and the two began wrestling on the floor.

Marotta said the two began fighting again on the other side of the ring, but that he didn't have a good angle on it.

Martin said Rijker tries to make it look as if she wants to fight her in the ring, but that neither Rijker nor her team has made a serious offer. Martin said she knows Rijker needs her to make a big payday.

"It would be a big payday for me, too," Martin said. "Rijker seems to make a career of telling the media she wants to fight me, but does she really want to fight me? You tell me. She hasn't come up with any offers, and if she wanted me so badly, I think that would have been taken care of."

**********************

Monday, February 28, 2000

Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Arum: De La Hoya could meet Mosley

By Royce Feour

Review-Journal

Former International Boxing Federation lightweight champion Shane Mosley and his father-manager-trainer, Jack Mosley, were in New York over the weekend for the Oscar De La Hoya fight, and the trip might have paid off for the Mosleys.

They saw De La Hoya stop Derrell Coley at 3:00 of the seventh round Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York in an HBO-televised fight.

Promoter Bob Arum has been focusing on a rematch between De La Hoya and Felix Trinidad, but Arum said Sunday that De La Hoya could face Mosley instead.

Arum had said that if the Trinidad rematch fell through, De La Hoya would turn to Mosley on June 17 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Trinidad will move up in weight to challenge World Boxing Association super welterweight champion David Reid on Friday night at Caesars Palace.

If Trinidad loses to Reid, Arum said a De La Hoya-Trinidad fight will be off.

Arum said he met with Cedric Kushner, Mosley's promoter, in New York and worked out the financial terms for a possible De La Hoya-Mosley fight.

"I would be surprised if it wasn't Mosley," Arum said of De La Hoya's next fight.

Arum said the Staples Center really wants the fight between De La Hoya, who grew up in East Los Angeles and lives in Whittier, and the undefeated Mosley of Pomona, Calif.

"That is a huge fight in the Staples Center," Arum said. "(Staples Center executives) are actively pursuing this fight."

Although Trinidad holds the International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Council welterweight championships, he and his father, Felix Trinidad Sr., have said they they will not go back down to the 147-pound class.

Arum said he and rival promoter Don King, who promotes Trinidad, have been talking about a De La Hoya-Trinidad fight at a "catch" weight of between 150 to 152 pounds -- between the welterweight and super welterweight divisions .

Arum said last week in New York that he has been negotiating with King for a possible two-fight deal for De La Hoya and Trinidad, with the rematch June 10 at Caesars Palace and a third fight at Mandalay Bay.

Trinidad took a controversial majority decision over De La Hoya on Sept. 18 at Mandalay Bay.

Arum said if Trinidad Sr. doesn't want to come down in weight from 154 pounds for a De La Hoya fight, "Oscar will take a walk and fight Mosley."

Arum and De La Hoya have always argued that De La Hoya is the attraction.

"(Trinidad) can't sell 500 tickets," Arum said. "Who cares what he says?"

In the post-fight news conference Saturday night, De La Hoya said he didn't have a preference between a Trinidad rematch and Mosley.

He said he expects to fight Trinidad and Mosley this year, regardless of what the order is.

De La Hoya said he wanted to fight four times this year and score four knockouts, of which Saturday night was the first one.

De La Hoya, 147, stopped Coley, also 147, with a left hook to the side. Coley went down and took the 10 count.

Coley said he could have gotten up, but he said, "I didn't think it was worth it."

Coley put on a flurry in the fourth round for his best showing of the night, but De La Hoya said he was never hurt.

In fact, De La Hoya said he was trying to let Coley punch himself out.

"I knew it was a matter of time and he would get tired," De La Hoya said.

*****************

FBI had insider on its side in probe of boxing bribery

Tuesday, February 1, 2000

By DAVID VOREACOS

Staff Writer

FBI agents had the right kind of help when they began investigating corruption in the International Boxing Federation, according to court papers.

As right-hand man to IBF President Robert W. Lee Sr., Douglas Beavers had accepted bribes with Lee to fix rankings of boxers seeking title fights sanctioned by the East Orange-based federation, Beavers claims in an affidavit.

So, when FBI agents approached Beavers in May 1997, before an IBF convention in San Antonio, Texas, they were pursuing a man who had the complete trust of Lee and easy access to promoters and managers.

In papers unsealed Friday in U.S. District Court in Newark, Beavers says he began secretly recording Lee and others, documenting a pattern of payoffs from promoters Don King, Bob Arum, Cedric Kushner, and others.

For 18 months, Beavers says, he taped dozens of conversations that underpin the Nov. 4 indictment of Lee and three other IBF officials on racketeering charges of taking $338,000 in bribes to fix boxer rankings.

"I participated in scores of payoffs," Beavers, the IBF's former ratings chairman, said in a 59-page affidavit outlining his role.

A retired Navy petty officer and the Virginia boxing commissioner, Beavers emerges in court papers as a wily and profane fixer. He also portrays Lee as having an insatiable hunger for illicit cash.

Promoters and managers willingly complied with the payoffs and seemingly balked only at the price, Beavers claims. He said he and Lee spoke in code about promoters such as Cedric Kushner -- referred to as "Fat Man" -- who he said paid $100,000 to set up a George Foreman fight.

"Ain't heard nothing from the fat man," Lee told Beavers in one call. "It's been a drought, brother."

At an IBF convention in Atlanta, Kushner agreed to pay $100,000 so his fighter, Axel Schulz, would win a rematch against Foreman, then the IBF champion.

Beavers said he drove to Kushner's house in East Hampton, N.Y., to pick up the cash and then delivered half to Lee's son, Robert Jr., at the Vince Lombardi Service Area on the New Jersey Turnpike in Ridgefield.

Beavers also said he took $25,000 to IBF official Robert Brennan, a former Virginia boxing commissioner who recruited him into the organization after he retired from the Navy. Brennan, the younger Lee, and Francisco Fernandez, the IBF's South American representative, also were indicted with Lee.

In December 1997, an FBI video camera caught Beavers hiking up a pants leg and removing a package wrapped in cellophane that contained cash, an agent says in the court papers. He then handed Lee $5,000, or half of what Fernandez had collected to boost the ratings of two Colombian boxers, it says.

"Christmas cheer," Beavers told Lee, according to an FBI transcript.

"What, how much is this?" Lee reportedly asked.

Beavers told Lee the cash was for him and his son, and added: "Listen, man, we got to be careful with these [expletive] Colombians."

Lee consistently took bribes from King, who was referred to as "Fuzzy" and "Fuzzy Wuzzie," to enhance the standing of his boxers, Beavers contends in his affidavit.

In a transcript of another secretly recorded conversation, Beavers asks Lee whether King was going to make a payoff, referring to his illicit cash as "turkey."

"How about Fuzzy Wuzzie? He [going to] bring a turkey this year?" Beavers reportedly said to Lee. "I sure hope so," Lee replies.

According to a transcript of another conversation, King wanted the IBF to place middleweight Simon Brown on its monthly list of the top 15 boxers. Beavers allegedly tells Lee: "I got a magic [expletive] pencil, boss," he said. "Whatever the [expletive] you say. You tell me."

The pair placed Brown at the 14th spot and dropped a French boxer.

Beavers cited other examples of the pair conspiring to move fighters based on payoffs rather than talent. Indeed, those who didn't pay were punished, he said.

When it came to King's boxers, it "don't make no difference whether they can fight or not," Beavers tells Brennan on an FBI tape.

King could not be reached Monday for comment, and Kushner's attorney, Rich Edlin, said his client had provided all documents subpoenaed by a federal grand jury in Newark.

When Lee directed illicit changes in the ratings, Beavers said he recorded them for Lee in red ink on his personal list of rankings. Sometimes, Beavers said, he questioned Lee's decisions to move boxers to more lucrative rankings.

In October 1997, Beavers says, Lee told him to insert middleweight Andrew Council into the rankings, even though he hadn't won a fight in a year.

"I hate to do that," Beavers told Lee.

At times, Beavers said, he complained to Lee about getting payoffs by check. "Lee Sr. directed me to accept the payoffs anyway," Beavers says in the affidavit.

Beavers said that Colombian manager Ivan Feris Chadid -- who handled 11 of the 23 boxers cited in the indictment -- directed several of his payoffs to the Portsmouth (Va.) Athletic Club. Beavers owns the boxing club with his wife, Susan, and his son, Chris, who was a fight trainer.

Beavers quit his ratings post in July 1998 because the federal Professional Boxing Safety Act barred members of state athletic commissions from serving on commission bodies. As the owner of the Virginia Boxing and Wrestling Association, he served as the state's boxing commissioner.

In Beaver's last taped conversation, with Brennan on Nov. 5, 1998, they discuss their concern about federal investigators.

"We don't have no choice but to cooperate with these people," Beavers was recorded saying.

"You want, you want to admit taking money?" Brennan asks.

"They already know we've taken money," Beavers says.

"They know it, yeah," Brennan responds.

"And they got us on tape, so . . ." Beavers says.

"How can they have it on tape, how much money we took?" Brennan asks.

"It doesn't matter how much money," Beavers answers. "The only thing I know is they got me and you and Bob [Lee Sr.] on tape."

*************************

JANUARY

Jan. 2 -- Cho In-joo records majority decision over Gerry Penalosa in Seoul, South Korea to retain his WBC super flyweight title.

Jan. 14 -- Irene Pacheco records an 11th-round technical knockout of Pedro Pena in El Paso, Texas to retain his IBF flyweight title.

Jan. 15 -- Roy Jones Jr. records unanimous decision over David

Telesco in New York City to retain the undisputed light heavyweight

crown.

Jan. 29 -- Markus Beyer records a seventh-round knockout of Leif Keiski in Riesa, Germany to retain his WBC super middleweight title.

Jan. 30 -- JongKwon Baek and Choi Kyu Chul fought to a 12-round majority draw in South Korea. Baek retains his WBA super featherweight title.

Jan. 30 -- Freddie Norwood records a ninth-round knockout of

Takashi Koshimoto in Nagoya, Japan to retain his WBA featherweight

title.

FEBRUARY

Feb. 04 -- Pichitnoi Siriwat records a decision over Yang Sang-ik in Thailand to retain his WBA junior flyweight title.

Feb. 11 -- Jose Antonio Aguirre records a majority decision over Wandee Charoen in Thailand to capture the WBC strawweight title.

Feb. 12 -- Zab Judah records a fourth-round knockout of Jan Bergman in

Uncasville, Connecticut to capture the vacant IBF junior welterweight

title.

Feb. 12 -- Kostya Tszyu records an eighth-round knockout of Ahmed Santos in Uncasville, Connecticut to retain his WBC super lightweight title.

Feb. 12 -- Vassiliy Jirov records a ninth-round technical knockout of Saul Montana in Boise, Idaho to retain his IBF cruiserweight title.

Feb. 19 -- Erik Morales records unanimous decision over Marco Antonio Barrera in Las Vegas to retain his WBC super bantamweight title.

Feb. 25 -- Medgoen Singsurat records unanimous decision over Masaki Kawabata in Thailand to retain his WBC flyweight title.

MARCH

Mar. 03 -- Felix Trinidad records unanimous decision over David Reid in Las Vegas to capture the WBA super welterweight title.

Mar. 04 -- Clarence "Bones" Adams records a unanimous decision over Nestor Garza in Las Vegas to capture the WBA super bantamweight title.

Mar. 04 -- Paulie Ayala records a majority decision over Johnny Bredahl in Las Vegas to retain his WBA bantamweight title.

Mar. 11 -- Veerapol Sahaprom records unanimous decision over Adan Vargas in Thailand to retain his WBC bantamweight title.

Mar. 11 -- Juan Carlos Gomez records a second-round technical knockout

of Mohamed Siluvangi in Lubeck, Germany to retain his WBC

cruiserweight title.

Mar. 11 -- Sven Ottke records unanimous decision over Lloyd Bryan in Magdeburg, Germany to retain his IBF super middleweight title.

Mar. 12 -- Gilberto Serrano records a fifth-round technical knockout of Hiroyuki Sakamoto in Toyko, Japan to retain his WBA lightweight title.

Mar. 17 -- Stevie Johnston records a second-round technical knockout of Julio Alvarez in Denver, Colorado to retain his WBC lightweight title.

Mar. 18 -- Floyd Mayweather Jr. records a unanimous decision over Goyo Vargas in Las Vegas to retain his WBC super featherweight title.

Mar. 18 -- Diego Corrales records a third-round technical knockout of

Derrick Gainer in Las Vegas to retain his IBF junior lightweight

title.

April

=====

Apr. 07 -- Lehlohonolo Ledwaba records an eighth-round knockout of

Ernesto Grey in Bristol, England to retain his IBF junior

featherweight title.

Apr. 08 -- Sornpichai Kratchingdaeng records a fifth-round technical knockout of Gilberto Gonzalez in Bangkok, Thailand to retain his WBA flyweight title.

Apr. 08 -- Fabrice Tiozzo records a sixth-round knockout of Valery Vikhor in Paris, France to retain his WBA cruierweight title.

Apr. 08 -- Bruno Girard records unanimous decision over Byron Mitchell in Paris, France to capture the WBA super middleweight title.

Apr. 09 -- Joma Gamboa records unanimous decision over Atsushi Sai in Japan to retain his interim minimumweight title.

Apr. 14 -- Guty Espadas records an 11th-round technical decision over

Luisito Espinosa in Merida, Mexico to capture the vacant WBC

featherweight title.

Apr. 15 -- Fernando Vargas records unanimous decision over Ike Quartey in Las Vegas to retain his IBF welterweight title.

Apr. 23 -- Hideki Todaka records an 11th-round technical knockout of

Yokthai Sith Oar in Nagoya, Japan to retain his WBA super flyweight

title.

Apr. 29 -- Keith Holmes records an 11th-round technical knockout of Robert McCracken in London, England to retain his WBC middleweight title.

Apr. 29 -- Paul Ingle records an 11th-round technical knockout of Junior Jones in New York City to retain his IBF featherweight title.

Apr. 29 -- Lennox Lewis records a second-round knockout of Michael Grant in New York City to retain the undisputed heavyweight championship.

MAY

May 06 -- Glenn Catley records a 12th-round knockout of Markus Beyer in Frankfurt, Germany to capture the WBC super middleweight title.

May 06 -- Juan Carlos Gomez records a third-round knockout of Imamu Mayfield in Neuss, Germany to retain his WBC crusierweight title.

May 06 -- Paul Spadafora records a 10th-round technical majority

decision victory over Mike Griffith in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to

retain his IBF lightweight title.

May 13 -- Bernard Hopkins records unanimous decision over Syd Vanderpool in Indianapolis, Indiana to retain his IBF middleweight title.

May 13 -- Roy Jones Jr. records an 11th-round technical knockout of

Richard Hall in Indianapolis, Indiana to retain the undisputed light

heavyweight crown.

May 14 -- Cho In-joo records unanimous decision over Julio Cesar Avila South Korea to retain his WBC super flyweight title.

May 19 -- Malcolm Tunacao records a seventh-round technical knockout

of Medgoen Singsurat in Udonthani, Thailand to capture the WBC

flyweight title.

May 20 -- Julio Gamboa and Felix Machado fought to a 12-round draw in Tunica, Mississippi for the vacant IBF junior bantamweight title.

May 20 -- William Joppy records a first-round techinical knockout of

Rito Ruvalcaba in Tunica, Mississippi to retain his WBA middleweight

title.

May 21 -- Joel Casamayor records a fifth-round technical knockout of Jongwon Baek in Kansas City, Missouri to capture the WBA super featherweight title.

May 25 -- Freddie Norwood records a unanimous unanimous decision over Pablo Chacon in Argentina to retain his WBA featherweight title.

JUNE

June 02 -- Zolani Petelo records an eighth-round technical knockout

of Mickey Cantwell in Kent, England to retain his IBF mini-flyweight

title.

June 03 -- Sven Ottke records a unanimous decision over Tocker Pudwill in Karlsruhe, Germany to retain his IBF super middleweight title.

June 11 -- Takanori Hatakeyama records an eighth-round technical

knockout of Gilberto Serrano in Toyko, Japan to capture the WBA

lightweight title.

June 17 -- Choi Yo-Sam records a fifth-round knockout of Chart Kiatpetch in Seoul, South Korea to retain his WBC light flyweight title.

June 17 -- Jose Luis Castillo records a majority decision over

Stevie Johnston in Bell Gardens, California to capture the WBC

lightweight title.

June 17 -- Shane Mosley records a 12-round split decision over Oscar de la Hoya in Los Angeles, California to capture the WBC welterweight title.

June 23 -- Guty Espadas records a unanimous decision over Wethya Sakmuangklang in Merida, Mexico to retain his WBC featherweight title.

June 24 -- Zab Judah records a unanimous decision over Junior Witter in Glasgow, Scotland to retain his IBF junior weltwerweight title.

June 25 -- Veerapol Sahaprom records a unanimous decision over Toshiaki Nishioka in Takasago, Japan to retain his WBC bantamweight title.

JULY

July 07 -- Jose Antonio Aguirre records a fifth-round technical

knockout of Jose Luis Zepeda in Tabasco, Mexico to retain his WBC

strawweight title.

July 15 -- Lennox Lewis records a second-round technical knockout of Frans Botha in London, England to retain his WBC-IBF heavyweight titles.

July 21 -- Javier Castillejo records a unanimous decision over Tony Marshall in Madrid, Spain to retain his WBC super welterweight title.

July 22 -- Felix Machado records a unanimous decision over Julio Gamboa in Miami, Florida to capture the vacant IBF junior bantamweight title.

July 22 -- Felix Trinidad records a third-round technical knockout of Mamadou Thiam to retain his WBA super weltwerweight title.

July 29 -- Kostya Tszyu records a sixth-round technical knockout of

Julio Cesar Chavez in Phoenix, Arizona to retain his WBC super

lightweight title.

AUGUST

Aug 05 -- Clarence "Bones" Adams records a sixth-round technical

knockout of Andres Fernandez in Madison, Wisconsin to retain his WBA

super bantamweight title

Aug. 05 -- Eric Morel records a unanimous decision over Sornpichai Kratchingdaeng in Madison, Wisconsin to capture the WBA flyweight title.

Aug. 05 -- Zab Judah records a fourth-round technical knockout of Terronn Millett in Uncasville, Connecticut to retain his IBF junior welterweight title.

Aug. 11 -- Tim Austin records a unanimous decision over Arthur Johnson in Las Vegas to retain his IBF bantamweight title.

Aug. 12 -- Beibis Mendoza records a sixth-round disqualification victory

over Rosendo Alvarez in Las Vegas to capture the vacant WBA light

flyweight title.

Aug. 12 -- Evander Holyfield records a unanimous decision over John Ruiz in Las Vegas to capture the vacant WBA heavyweight title.

Aug 20 -- Malcolm Tunacao and Celes Kobayashi fought to a 12-round

majority draw in Tokyo, Japan. Tunacao retained his WBC flyweight

title.

Aug 20 -- Joma Gamboa records a split decision victory over Noel Arambulet in Tokyo, Japan to capture the vacant WBA minimumweight title.

Aug. 26 -- Vernon Forrest and Raul Frank fought to no-contest in Las Vegas when Frank was unable to continue due to a cut from an accidental clash of heads in the third round. The IBF welterweight title remains vacant.

Aug. 26 -- Fernando Vargas records a fourth-round technical knockout

of Ross Thompson in Las Vegas to retain his IBF junior middleweight

title.

Aug. 27 -- Masanori Tokuyama record a unanimous decision over Cho In-joo in Osaka, Japan to capture the WBC super flyweight title.

SEPTEMBER

Sept 01 -- Dingaan Thobela records a 12th-round technical knockout of

Glenn Catley in South Africa to capture the WBC super middleweight

title.

Sept 02 -- Sven Ottke records a split-decision victory over Charles Brewer in Magdenburg, Germany to retain his IBF super middleweight title.

Sept 02 -- Diego Corrales records a third-round knockout of Angel Manfredy in El Paso, Texas to retain his IBF junior lightweight title.

Sept 02 -- Erik Morales records a seventh-round technical knockout of Kevin Kelley in El Paso, Texas to capture the interim WBC featherweight title.

Sept 09 -- Willie Jorin records a majority decision over Michael Brodie in Manchester, England to capture the vacant WBC super bantamweight title.

Sept 09 -- Derrick Gainer records an 11th-round knockout of Freddie Norwood in New Orleans, Louisiana to capture the vacant WBC featherweight title.

Sept 09 -- Roy Jones Jr. records an 11th-round technical knockout of Eric Harding in New Orleans, Louisiana to retained the undisputed light heavyweight crown.

Sept 16 -- Bruno Girard records a 12-round split-decision over Manuel Siaca in Chateauroux, France to retain his WBA super middleweight title.

Sept 16 -- Sharmba Mitchell records a unanimous decision over Felix Flores in Las Vegas to retain his WBA super lightweight title.

Sept 16 -- Joel Casamayor records a fifth-round technical technical

knockout of Radford Beasley in Las Vegas to retain his WBA super

featherweight title.

Sept 16 -- William Joppy records a unanimous decision over Hacine Cherifi in Las Vegas to retain his WBA middleweight title.

Sept 19 -- Jose Luis Castillo records a majority decision over

Stevie Johnston in Denver, Colorado to retain his WBC

lightweight title.

OCTOBER

Oct. 06 -- Lehlohonolo Ledwaba records an eighth-round knockout of

Eduardo Alvarez in Kent, England to retain his IBF junior

featherweight title.

Oct. 07 -- Eric Morel records a uanimous decision over Alberto Alberto Ontiveros in Las Vegas to retain his WBA flyweight title.

Oct. 09 -- Leo Gamez records a seventh-round knockout of Hideki Todaka in Nagoya, Japan to capture the WBA super flyweight title.

Oct. 11 -- Takanori Hatakeyama records a 10th-round knockout of

Hiroyuki Sakamoto in Yokohama, Japan to retain his WBA lightweight

title.

Oct. 20 -- Zab Judah records an eighth-round technical knockout of Hector Quiroz in Detroit, Michigan to retain his IBF junior welterweight title.

Oct. 21 -- Jose Antonio Aguirre records a fourth-round round technical knockout of Erdene Chuluun in Mexico City to retain his WBC strawweight title.

Oct. 21 -- Javier Castillejo records a fourth-round technical knockout of Javier Martinez in Mexcio City to retain his WBC super welterweight title.

NOVEMBER

Nov. 04 -- Shane Mosley records a sixth-round technical knockout

of Antonio Diaz in New York City to retain his WBC welterweight

title.

Nov. 10 -- Irene Pacheco records a majority decision over Masibulele Makepula in Las Vegas to retain his IBF flyweight title.

Nov. 11 -- Lennox Lewis records a uanimous decision over David Tua in Las Vegas to retain his WBC-IBF heavyweight titles.

Nov. 22 -- Yober Ortega records an 11th-round technical knockout of

Kozo Ishii in Nagoya, Japan to capture the WBA interim super

bantamweight title.

DECEMBER

Dec. 01 -- Bernard Hopkins records a 10th-round technical knockout of Antwun Echols in Las Vegas to retain his IBF middleweight title.

Dec. 02 -- William Joppy records a fourth-round technical knockout

of Johnathan Reid in Las Vegas to retain his WBA middleweight

title.

Dec. 02 -- Ricardo Lopez records a third-round technical knockout of Ratanapol Vorapin in Las Vegas to retain his IBF junior flyweight title.

Dec. 02 -- Felix Trinidad records an 12th-round technical knockout of Fernando Vargas in Las Vegas to retain his WBA super welterweight title and capture the IBF junior middleweight title.

Dec. 03 -- Steve Forbes records an eighth-round technical knockout of John Brown in Miami, Florida to capture the vacant IBF junior lightweight title.

Dec. 05 -- Veerapol Sahaprom records a fifth-round technical knockout of Oscar Arciniega in Bangkok, Thailand to retain his WBC bantamweight title.

Dec. 06 -- Keitaro Hoshino records a uanimous decision over Joma Gamboa in Yokohama, Japan to capture the WBA minimumweight title.

Dec. 09 -- Virgil Hill records a first-round technical knockout

of Fabrice Tiozzo in Lyon, France to capture the WBA crusierweight

title.

Dec. 12 -- Masanori Tokuyama records a unanimous decision over Akihiko Nago in Osaka, Japan to retain his WBC super flyweight title.

Dec. 16 -- Paul Spadafora records a unanimous decision over Billy Irwin in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to retain his IBF lightweight title.

Dec. 16 -- Mbulelo Botile records a 12th-round knockout of Paul Ingle in Manchester, England to capture the IBF featherweight title.

Dec. 16 -- Juan Carlos Gomez records a 10th-round knockout of Jorge Castro in Essen, Germany to retain his WBC crusierweight title.

Dec. 16 -- Sven Ottke records a unanimous decision over Silvio Branco in Karlsruhe, Germany to retain his IBF super middleweight title.

Dec. 16 -- Felix Machado records a third-round technical knockout

of William de Souza in Maracay, Venzuela to retain his IBF junior

bantamweight title.

*******************

Sunday, March 26, 2000

Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Arum's payment may have bought trouble

By Kevin Iole

Review-Journal

A Nevada deputy attorney general said the promoter's license held by Top Rank president Bob Arum could be in jeopardy, but the flamboyant promoter insisted Friday he has not committed a crime and has done nothing that could endanger his license.

At heart is a declaration made by Arum to the federal government on Nov. 18, 1999, in which he acknowledged paying $100,000 in an effort to persuade the International Boxing Federation to make an exception to a rule that requires a world champion to fight a ranked contender and allow then-heavyweight champion George Foreman to fight unranked Axel Schulz.

There are allegations that this was a bribe Arum paid to IBF president Robert Lee Sr., who is under indictment for a number of charges, including racketeering and tax evasion stemming from alleged bribes Lee Sr. solicited. The trial is scheduled to begin next week, and Arum will be the government's fifth witness to testify.

Kirk Hendrick, the deputy attorney general who represents the Nevada Athletic Commission, said the commission began an investigation in November into the role of the sanctioning bodies in fights in Nevada and in dealings with Nevada licensees. Hendrick, who refused to comment specifically about the case, said the investigation would include Arum because his declaration has been unsealed by a U.S. District Court judge in New Jersey and is now public.

"It's very clear Arum entered into an agreement in order to get the IBF to do something that it may not otherwise have done," Hendrick said.

Even if what Arum did is not considered a crime -- and Arum insists he has broken no laws -- Hendrick said the commission could revoke his license for "bringing discredit to boxing."

Arum faces a similar battle in California, where he plans to promote a huge welterweight fight June 17 in Los Angeles between Oscar De La Hoya and Shane Mosley. Arum, though, said when all of the facts are known, he will be vindicated and will not face sanctions from any athletic commission.

He also said reports he has been given immunity in the IBF case are false.

"It is totally inaccurate to say I have asked for immunity," Arum said. "I have not asked for nor have I been granted immunity, nor have I committed a crime, nor have I been charged with a crime. I will be testifying at the criminal trial, and my testimony will make all of this clear."

     THE EVER-CHANGING

     REGENT CARD

The Regent Las Vegas was hoping to gain a lot of national exposure by holding a boxing card in an outdoor stadium Saturday. While the card still will be held, the Regent isn't getting what it bargained for initially -- a bout between two well-known, highly regarded heavyweights.

The initial main event was to pit Lawrence Clay-Bey against Chris Byrd for the North American Boxing Federation title. Clay-Bey, captain of the 1996 U.S. Olympic team, withdrew earlier this month when he learned he had detached retinas in both eyes. He underwent successful surgery March 17 in Hartford.

Adolpho Washington was brought in to replace Clay-Bey. But when heavyweight Razor Ruddock, who became ill after complications from surgery attempting to reverse a vasectomy, pulled out of a fight the same night against Vitali Klitschko to be televised on HBO, Byrd was flying the coop.

Promoters of the HBO fight in Germany sought Byrd, who clearly wanted the fight because it would be for the more prestigious World Boxing Organization title and would be viewed by more people than would have seen the Regent card on Fox Sports Net.

HBO has high hopes for Klitschko, who is 27-0 with 27 knockouts, and wanted to showcase him to build his profile. A dramatic knockout of Ruddock would have done the trick. Byrd, however, will present a big problem because he is very slick and difficult to look good against, a fact HBO vice president of sports Lou DiBella acknowledged.

"I do have a bit of concern about that, but for the people who know boxing, they know what Chris Byrd is, and I think they'll cut (Klitschko) some slack," said DiBella, who said HBO offered heavyweight David Izon $500,000 to fight Klitschko but was turned down. "He's never fought a southpaw (like Byrd), either. I think he should get credit just for beating him."

To salvage the card at the Regent, promoter Dan Goossen, who had been running large ads featuring photos of Clay-Bey and Byrd in local newspapers for the past month, arranged for a heavyweight fight between unbeaten Robert Davis (20-0, 12 knockouts) and Keith McKnight (38-2, 25 knockouts).

They clearly are smaller names than Byrd and Clay-Bey, but Goossen said the main event actually has improved.

"Byrd's style sometimes makes for tough fights to watch," Goossen said. "These guys will put on a show. They will come to fight, I guarantee you that."

     DOES MAYWEATHER

     GET THE PICTURE?

Floyd Mayweather Jr., the World Boxing Council super featherweight champion, proved in his dominating title defense against Goyo Vargas on March 18 at the MGM Grand Garden that he deserves his lofty position among the best in the world, pound-for-pound.

But Mayweather failed miserably as a headliner. Mayweather drew an announced crowd of 5,131, but at least one-third of those tickets were given away. The club report, which lists tickets sold and those given away and is required to be delivered to the athletic commission within 10 days of the conclusion of an event, was not completed by Friday.

When it is done, it will show that Mayweather was a box-office bomb for the second time in a row as a main eventer. On Sept. 11, he headlined at Mandalay Bay and sold only 1,758 tickets. There were 441 comps given out that night.

The numbers will be worse from the MGM card, possibly the result of fans' reaction to Mayweather's recent behavior. He has become surly and curt with the media, either refusing to do interviews or giving brief, nonresponsive answers. In his defense, however, he was outgoing and charming at the news conference following his win over Vargas.

Mayweather and his manager, James Prince, met with HBO Sports president Seth Abraham and DiBella in New York in Abraham's office several days after the fight. Undoubtedly, the two pointed out to him that De La Hoya-Mosley sold more than 13,500 tickets on Tuesday, the first day they were on sale, and that more tickets were sold in an hour (5,500) than Mayweather sold for the entire card at the MGM.

The crowd at the MGM booed Mayweather on several occasions and didn't seem impressed by his performance. DiBella acknowledged that Mayweather's recent behavior is a problem.

"You have to be concerned when you see he isn't becoming a draw befitting his talent," DiBella said. "Seth and I met with Floyd and Prince, and we had a frank discussion on both sides. Hopefully, this is just a bump in the road and is a case of a kid who is 23 spreading his wings for the first time.

"Even though he hasn't acted terrifically, he hasn't been in any major trouble, so I think he can (be salvaged as an attraction). What he needs is a big fight."

That fight could be a showdown with IBF junior lightweight champion Diego Corrales, who seemed to enjoy the role of Mayweather's opposite during the week leading up to the March 18 MGM card. Corrales knocked out top contender Smoke Gainer in the third round on that card.

Corrales nearly single-handedly carried the promotion. More than 90 minutes after the final news conference had ended, Corrales was still sitting at the dais, talking with fans and posing for pictures.

Arum hopes Mayweather will follow that example.

"He's got to change his attitude," Arum said. "He's got to become the Sugar Ray Leonard I know he can be, not only a great athlete but an outgoing, friendly, charismatic personality. But it's almost impossible to promote someone who says 'no comment' all the time and pretty much refuses to do interviews."

     HARD ROCK REGULARS

The Hard Rock Hotel's night club, The Joint, beginning May 5 will hold monthly shows promoted by Cedric Kushner. The Hard Rock held a Jan. 22 card featuring Mosley that was so successful it decided to take the plunge and hold boxing regularly.

Kushner will put on one fight in seven of the next eight months. After the May 5 card, the next will be June 2 or June 9.

"Because of the overwhelming success of our most recent card featuring Shane Mosley, we elected to pursue a more aggressive schedule," said Todd Moyer, the Hard Rock's vice president of marketing. "We have every confidence that The Joint, which has hosted superstars such as Billy Joel, Ringo Starr and Van Halen, will enjoy similar success in boxing."

     FREEDA IS READY

Got a guess as to which of the fighters on the card Saturday at the Regent has done the most interviews? Give yourself a pat on the back if you said Freeda Foreman.

The daughter of the former heavyweight champion has been in big demand since announcing she would make her pro debut. She will fight Laquanda Landers, who also is making her pro debut. Landers hasn't been heard from much, but Foreman has done interviews with major newspapers and wire services around the world and will go live on Good Morning America on Thursday. In addition, she will do an extensive interview with cable network CNNSI.

Her famous father is opposed to her project and isn't speaking about the subject. But she said she long has wanted to fight.

"I wanted to get into boxing four years ago, but the opportunity wasn't there," she said. "My father is opposed to it, but it's nothing against women. He has spoken highly of women (boxers) before, but he didn't want any of his kids to fight, even my brothers. He doesn't think it's the proper decision for me, but it hasn't strained our relationship one bit."

She said she is surprising herself with how hard she hits.

"My trainer says I can (punch like my father)," she said. "He'll say to me, `Don't give me that George Foreman stuff,' when I throw my left hook. I have his strength, and I have his power. I do have a lot of strength, but the thing about boxing is to have the skills. If you don't have the skills and someone you're facing is quick and moving, all the power in the world isn't worth a hill of beans."

     IKE EYES KNOCKOUT

Ike Quartey will fight Fernando Vargas on April 15 at Mandalay Bay for Vargas' IBF junior middleweight belt. The colorful Vargas has already predicted a fifth-round knockout, which caused Quartey to chuckle. Quartey predicted a knockout of his own.

"We'll see," Quartey said when told of Vargas' prediction. "There's no way Vargas will knock me out, but he will go to sleep in the ring.

**************************

2000

March 23 2000

PANOS ELIADES, Lennox Lewis's promoter, believes the heavyweight champion of the world will be stripped of the World Boxing Association belt this week by a district judge in the United States as the result of an ongoing action brought by rival promoter Don King.

It would mean Lewis facing the American Michael Grant at Madison Square Garden on April 29 with only the World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation belts, which he won after defeating Evander Holyfield last November, up for grabs.

Holyfield has accused Lewis of "thinking he's bigger than boxing" in the New York courtroom where the case is expected to end on Friday.

Eliades, who gave evidence in court on Tuesday with Lewis absent, explained: "I'm convinced the judge is going to rule in favour of Don King. But it is such an absurd situation. One of my attorneys was so incensed he had to leave the courtroom because he was in danger of being in contempt of court."

The Lewis camp insist that King cannot block the WBA from permitting Lewis to fight someone other than their No 1 contender in his next bout. King, meanwhile, is arguing that Lewis must give up his WBA belt because by meeting Grant on April 29, he will fail to fight the top contender by May 13, six months after he won the title from Holyfield.

King also claims Lewis agreed to meet the WBA's No 1 contender, Johnny Ruiz, before his title fight against the then-champion Holyfield last March, which ended in a disputed draw.

However, after Lewis had won the rematch with Holyfield last November, the WBA ordered Lewis to fight Ruiz in his next mandatory defence, before agreeing the defence against Grant, who is ranked No 5 by the WBA.

Eliades has already made plans for Lewis, should he beat Grant next month, to fight Ruiz in Britain in July. Eliades says if district judge Lewis A Kaplan forces the WBA to strip Lewis of the title "it will cause mayhem in the world of boxing".

**************

April 2000

Roberto Duran-Sugar Ray Leonard Reunion

YAKAMA, Wash., March 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Two Legends of the

"squared circle" are reuniting in the most unlikely location, Toppenish, WA.!

7 p.m., April 1st, 2000 at the Yakama Nation Legends Casino,

580 Fort Rd., Toppenish, WA.

Boxing fans know that in the history of pugilism there are only a few

classic pairings; Dempsey - Tunney, Frazier - Ali, and of course Roberto Duran

and Sugar Ray Leonard. The Boxing worlds answer to "Oscar and Felix" will

meet for the first time since the famous "UNO MAS" fight, in the Ring at the

"Yakama Legends Casino" as non-combative celebrity guests, for an evening of

Boxing entitled "Big Duels on April Fools".

Sugar Ray Leonard, who in addition to Public appearances, manages a stable

of fighters will have two of his fighters on the card; Demarcus "Chop Chop"

Corley and Luther "Sugarman" Smith. Roberto Duran known as the "Man with

Fists of Stone," still fights and is perhaps the only fighter to have fought

in 5 decades and boasts a knockout in every round from 1-15, a record that

will never be broken since the advent of 12 round fights. Duran-Leonard

pairings started with Duran's upset in the famous "Brawl in Montreal," and led

to the infamous "No Mas" fight and eventually to the forgettable "Uno Mas"

(one more time) fight.

The Reuniting of Duran-Leonard, has jumpstarted the economy of the sleepy

town of Toppenish, WA. Boxing fans across the country are paying $125 per

ringside ticket to see the April 1st matches. Another celebrity making the

scene will be David Letterman regular Jimmie "JJ" Walker, famous not only for

his appearances in "Good Times" but also for portraying Boxer

Bootney Farnsworth, from "Lets do it Again" with Bill Cosby and

Sydney Portier. April 2nd Walker hosts the "Temptations" in concert at

Legends.

Six bouts of boxing are scheduled highlights includes three brothers

boxing on the same card and Women's boxing. The pre-fight weigh in will be

held at Top Foods, 2203 S. First, Yakima, WA., 7 p.m. on March 31st. Duran

and Leonard will also be in attendance.

Ticket prices are GOLD $125. (includes meet and Greet and Tee Shirt),

Silver $65, Preferred $40., Reserved/Bleacher $25. Charge by phone,

509-865-8800 EXT. 326. For interviews and more information please call

Jeff Connor at 509-865-8800, EXT. 205.

*****************

March 2000'

The champ has taken a turn for the worse Mayweather is called 'brainwashed and is a disappointment' to family

Saturday, March 18, 2000

LAS VEGAS -- Floyd Mayweather's right about one thing. He has a lousy promoter.

Everywhere you looked this week, you saw Diego Corrales. He was on television. He was on radio. He was in newspapers. He sat at a table, after a public press conference Thursday, and signed every autograph for every person in line. I walked into the Top Rank offices Tuesday morning, and who was the first person I saw in the lobby?

Diego Corrales.

Mayweather was seldom seen. He has avoided some interviews, and given vague, sometimes nonsensical answers in others. He has turned off many people by criticizing an $11.25 million HBO contract offer in one breath, then declaring in the next breath that he doesn't box for the money, but rather because he loves it.

Taking the talented Mayweather at his word has become increasingly difficult. He said last year that he planned to remain at 130 pounds long enough to break Joe Louis' record of 26 successful defenses in one weight division, but now says he intends to move up to lightweight soon. He signed a managerial agreement with a Grand Rapids businessman, Don Hale, and fired him before his first professional fight. He once praised his promoter, Top Rank Inc.,

and his uncle, Jeff Mayweather, for their work in helping advance his professional career. Now, he accuses a Top Rank accountant and his uncle of stealing from him.

Jeff Mayweather, freshly fired by the champion, won't be in the arena tonight. "He has disappointed a lot of friends and family," said Jeff, who is one of

the most agreeable people in boxing.

"There's only one person to blame, and that's the person making the decisions," said Floyd Mayweather Sr., who says his son has been "brainwashed" by his new manager, rap-music producer James Smith, a.k.a. James Prince.

"It's almost like he has joined a cult," Top Rank president Bob Arum said of Mayweather. "He's a completely different person."

Mayweather returns to the ring tonight in a championship doubleheader here. He is the pound-for-pound attraction. He is the superstar. But he also has taken the stardom he built inside the ring, and done his darndest to crush it. He'll perform in a half-full arena tonight -- his first title fight in six months, and second in 10 months -- and if you actually pay for your ticket, it's for one of three reasons:

-- You don't know the right people;

-- You aren't a hardcore gambler at MGM Grand;

-- You were thrilled by the openness and frankness of the champion this week -- Corrales, not Mayweather.

Kevin Iole, the boxing reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, tried to interview Mayweather this week. The two ended up in a shouting match, and Iole hung up on him. Iole -- one of the most respected boxing reporters anywhere -- then wrote a story describing Mayweather's changed persona, unpredictability, and sullenness, which Iole likened to a bad-guy professional wrestler.

Well, this isn't pro wrestling. And it's not the 1950s either. You won't find the Gillette Friday Night Fights on national television anymore. In fact, there wasn't a single major-network television fight in 1999, and probably won't be in 2000 either. The only regular fight programs are on cable sports networks.

This isn't the 1970s, either. Muhammad Ali made many boxing fans irate with his antics, yet all but his very biggest fights were afternoon or early-evening events on broadcast networks. Fans could choose not to watch Ali, but when he was fighting on ABC Wide World of Sports at 4:30 on Saturday afternoon, why not watch? It was free.

At the least, today's big fights go on HBO, or to a lesser degree Showtime, which viewers must pay subscription fees to receive. At the high end, the most attractive fights go on pay-per-view, where fans must make a conscious decision to plop down an average of about $40 to purchase viewing rights.

Right now, there's a big question who would pay good money to see a fighter who throws around, "I want $3 million a fight," as if it's some birthright. Mayweather has the talent for that kind of payday, but he relies on the public to provide the cash. That requires solid promotion and genuine personalities. To that end, Mayweather is right. He has absolutely, unequivocally, one of boxing's worst promoters.

Himself.

***********

Vegas Scene

Jack Welsh

BOXING FLASH

Oscar De La Hoya remains promoter Bob Arum’s premier super star until he decides to leave the regimen of the prize ring and jump both feet first into a fickle industry called show business. The final break may be three years away but De La Hoya doesn’t mind a little apprenticeship mixed in while still earning mega-millions with his fists. The perfect illustration arrived Mar.20 when the 27-year-old re-sanctioned WBC welterweight champion grabbed a jet for Miami immediately after a media session in Los Angeles where De La Hoya will meet Sugar Shane Mosley June 17 at the Staples Center. Oscar’s odyssey into Hispanic heaven was to fulfill a contract to cut a compact disc, singing 10 ballads, eight in Spanish and two in English. The music is due on the market later this year. Perfect timing would be September if the boxing brains could

get FelixTrinidad and De La Hoya together for that elusive rematch.

The Golden Boy from East Los Angeles isn’t abusing the code of his No.1 profession since he isn’t scheduled to open serious training for Mosley until mid-April at his mountain retreat in Big Bear, Ca.

For the moment, Arum isn’t concerned about De La Hoya not being in top shape. Being a mega-millionaire nothwithstanding, Oscar created a large order for himself this year---four bouts, promising to win ‘em all

by knockout. Right now Derrell Coley is one down with Mosley two to go. After that, take your pick, De La Hoya

is totally focused and he’s fed up with ringside judges wherever he fights, determined to take any verdict away from the appointed three blind mice.

Meanwhile, Arum has plenty of new challenges to keep him busy through the summer. Beyond De La Hoya, the most appealing is Floyd Mayweather and Diego "Chico" Corrales in the same ring punching to unify two-thirds of the 130-pound championship. On paper, it looks like a natural but nobody knows any better than Top Rank’s board chairman how many pitfalls are in the wings. Notably, the Mayweather family feud that might outdo the Hatfields and McCoys.

Corrales, the 22-year-old IBF/IBA junior lightweight champion, stole the crowd Mar.18 when he destroyed the more seasoned Derrick "Smoke" Gainer in three rounds at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Mayweather, 23, was back after a six-months hiatus, going against the light-punching Goyo Vargas in defending his WBC super featherweight title. The super speed merchant almost had a shutout but injuring his left hand in the sixth round after decking Vargas killed any chance for a kayo and sent him on his

bicycle.

Corrales earned rousing cheers from the house. The spectators didn’t know about Mayweather’s bum hand, so that retreat to safety in the last three rounds had some media wags accusing Floyd of "pulling a De La Hoya."

Floyd Mayweather, Sr., the champion’s father/trainer, came up with a pretty good squelch, snapping. "The big

difference was Oscar never threw any punches like Floyd did backing up." Over the years I’ve never bought into

fathers training sons to be fist fighters for cash. Yet the senior Mayweather, who went nine good rounds with Sugar Ray Leonard in 1978, has done a remarkable job in taking his offspring from a near-miss in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics to the WBC 130-pound diadem ione week short of two years.

After Mayweather TKO’d Genaro Hernandez to win the title, the future was unlimited for this rising talent

from Grand Rapids, Mi., with the gracious manner and lightning fists. Mayweather fought only three times last

year and nothing after September. The undefeated champion’s pleasing personality did a 180 degrees turnaround shortly before Christmas a with head-shaking declaration that HBO’s $12.75 million three-year contract

was "strictly slave wages." This sad story of a family divided seemingly started when Mike Tyson introduced Mayweather to rap music prdoucer James Smith, a.k.a.James Prince of Houston. Whatever the dialogue between the

fighter and Prince, it was what the naive Mayweather wanted to hear. A short time later, Prince was in as

manager, and pop Mayweather was reduced to trainer and nothing else last fall.

It didn’t take long for the elder Mayweather to realize his son "was being brainwashed by a man ,who by his own admission, knows nothing about the business of boxing.

"Little Floyd is young and he’s going to make mistakes. Right now he has completely flip-flipped and it’s different like day and night the way he changed. And it’s all because of these damn rappers. There is only one person to blame, and that’s the person who is making the decisions And that person has to be Floyd, Jr.," said the man who won 16 straight straight fights before losing to Leonard.

"Naturally, I can’t say I like this unusual situation, but I’m learning to cope with it. Now we treat boxing as a business. It’s no longer a father-son duo but that’s the way Floyd wants it. I strongly disapprove of what my son is doing in listening to Prince. My biggest problem is the rappuer, not my son. My son is my son, and he’ll be my son until i die. I don’t like the rappers because those people are putting poison in my son,

Since the rappers have come in contact with my son everything has gone downhill."

Mayweather, on a roll with a 23-0, 17 KOs a resume, appears to have gone hook, line and sinker for Prince’s philosophy. "I’v e never had a better training camp than the one I just had for the Vargas fight. I say that

because it’s up to me to make the decisions. I’m 23 now and it’s about time that I start making some decisions in my life. I like having my father in my corner but I’m not going to force him to stay. If he doesn’t like

the team I’ve put. together, he’s welcome to stay or he’s welcome to go." Mayweather said.

Now for the nitty-gritty on this controversial study who still hasn’t learned how to play the game, not even after collecting $750,000 the other night for beating Vargas. It wasn’t so long along that Mayweather was

beefing loudly about being paid on the same level as De La Hoya. Or at least $3 million a fight. Puleeze,

Floyd, gimme a break. The Michigan marauder needs a crash course in boxing economics. Pretty Boy Floyd has all sorts of requsites to be successful for a long run. But a one-punch kayo artist against major talent, highly unlikely and one-punch chillers, if they are consistent, are usually the guys counting

big money.

A switch may be forthcoming, but Floyd Mayweather, Jr., has yet to sell out a house. Arum was forthright in

declaring that 5,130 attendance figure for the Vargas fight needed 1,500 comp ducats to make it happen.....Stay tuned.

*********************

JUDGE MILLS LANE AND TONY HOLDEN ANNOUNCE PROMOTIONAL JOINT VENTURE - "LET’S GET IT ON PROMOTIONS"Las Vegas, Nev. (Dec. 5, 2000) -- Judge Mills Lane, retired referee and member of the World Boxing Hall of Fame, and Tony Holden, president of Holden Productions, announced today in a press conference their new promotional joint venture - "LET’S GET IT ON Promotions" - which will promote professional boxing domestically and internationally. Judge Lane, one of the most respected referees in the history of professional boxing, has more than 30 years of experience refereeing, including 102 world title fights and has served on the National Association of Attorney Generals - Task Force on Improvement of Boxing. In addition to his involvement in LET’S GET IT ON Promotions, Judge Lane, a former Nevada district judge, hosts his own nationally syndicated courtroom television series, "Judge Mills Lane," now in its third season. 12/6/00

Felix Trinidad and Fernando Vargas did not disappoint fans with this nail-biting 12-round IBF/WBA unification championship fight. The fight almost ended as quickly as it began, when Trinidad knocked Vargas down twice in the first round--stunning the 22 year old, that was taking all that he had as a fighter to make it the first three minutes. Trinidad lost two points during the 12-rounder by "hitting below the belt." Vargas did manage to get a low shot in during the later part of the rounds, and the ref took away a point for that violation. At times, Vargas looked like he was going to pull it off, but then in the last round Trinidad knocked Vargas down three times. The fight was stopped at 1:33 of the final round. Sue TL Fox 12/03/00 For more, New York Post Round-by-roundMartin makes it a short night with Hall! By Sue TL FoxLAS VEGAS (Dec. 02) – Christy "The Coal Miners Daughter" Martin, 32, did not waste time in establishing herself in tonight's scheduled eight-round bout with Sabrina "Sock it to ya" Hall, 31, at the Mandalay Hotel that ended in a first-round 1:05 TKO in favor of Martin! Martin and Hall were first up to fight on the televised segment of TVKO Pay-Per-View. Felix Trinidad TKO'd Fernando Vargas in what was the "Fight of the Night" in the 12th round. Fight Report with Fight Photo Gallery. Sue TL Fox 12/03/00

Mike Tyson given the "green Light" that he can fight in Las Vegas! Mike Tyson has been told by the Nevada Boxing Commission that he will be able to fight in Las Vegas again. This will clear the path for a potential matchup with Lennox Lewis as most places would not be able to afford the site fee! Apparently, Tyson has made an impression with his recent stability inside the ring and will be allowed another chance..... Sue TL Fox 11/21/00