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Tyson,
Lewis scheduled for June to meet in the ring
Memphis,
Tenn. (AP) — If everything goes as planned — a big if
when Mike Tyson is involved — the next time Tyson and Lennox
Lewis see each other it will be in the ring.
One
of the biggest fights in years was salvaged Monday when promoters
reached an agreement for Tyson and Lewis to meet for the heavyweight
title June 8 in Memphis, ending weeks of on-again off-again negotiations.
A fight
that could make more than $100 million — and pay each fighter
more than $20 million — is now scheduled to take place at the
20,000-seat Pyramid arena, where ringside seats will fetch $2,500.
Unlike
the New York press conference that caused the fight to be run out
of Las Vegas when Tyson threw a punch and then a tantrum, the fighters
will not get together for any pre-fight publicity this time around.
“We’re
not having any more press conferences with the two of them together
in the future,” Tyson adviser Shelly Finkel said.
Weeks
of trying to salvage the fight culminated Monday in an agreement
for Lewis to defend his IBF and WBC heavyweight titles against the
once-feared former champion in Memphis.
Cincinnati
coach Huggins turns down W. Va. position
CINCINNATI
(AP) — Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins is staying put, turning
down alma mater West Virginia on Monday.
“I
have tremendous feelings toward West Virginia and what they did
for me, the opportunities they gave me. It’s a heck of a place,”
Huggins said. “I feel the same way about here. I can’t
imagine it being better anywhere.”
After
being courted by West Virginia, Huggins had a series of meetings
with Cincinnati athletic director Bob Goin, the latest on Monday
afternoon.
Huggins told West Virginia officials of his decision Monday.
“Today
we got the feeling things weren’t going where we thought we
were going with it,” West Virginia assistant athletic director
Mike Parsons said.
“He
wished us well and offered to help the university in any way he
could.”
Cincinnati finished 31-4 this year, upset by UCLA 105-101 in double
overtime in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Huggins
built a perennial Top 25 program at Cincinnati. His teams won or
shared the Conference USA regular season title in each of the league’s
seven years.
Huggins
is 500-172 in 22 seasons as a head coach, including 13 at Cincinnati.
Nets’
Martin vows not to change physical game
EAST
RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Despite calls from coaches and teammates
to cool it after a fifth suspension for a flagrant foul, New Jersey
Nets bad boy Kenyon Martin vowed not to change his physical game.
Martin
on Monday was suspended for two more games — his sixth and
seventh of the season — for throwing an elbow at Shareef Abdur-Rahim
of Atlanta on Sunday in the fourth quarter of the Nets’ 116-102
win.
The
length of this penalty was mandated because Martin had eight points
from flagrant fouls.
Martin,
who met with NBA officials last week to ask that the officials treat
him like any other player, termed this flagrant call as bogus, noting
his elbow hit Abdur-Rahim in the ribs, and not the chin as crew
chief Dick Bavetta said after the game.
“I’m
not changing the way I play. I’m not going to change,”
Martin said after practice on Monday. “I’m getting paid
to play. I’m getting paid to play basketball.
“So
why would I change? I’m not doing it on purpose,” Martin
insisted. “If I was doing the it on purpose, then it would
be different. I’m not doing it on purpose.”
Martin
said the last two flagrants he received have happened during ordinary
basketball plays.
“The
same things I’m doing now, I was doing in college,” Martin
said.
“The
same moves I was making then, I’m making now. It’s just
a target on me now I guess. It is a little more obvious now than
it was before.”
Nets
coach Byron Scott doesn’t want his fiery power forward to change
his game, certainly not with the Nets on the verge of their first
playoff berth since 1997-98.
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