Holmes Might Fight Again--to Tie Marciano

Heavyweight Larry Holmes said he is seeking a fight with Michael Spinks, the undisputed light-heavyweight champion.

Holmes, the unbeaten International Boxing Federation champion, is also once again talking about tying the late Rocky Marciano’s career record of 49-0. Holmes has a 47-0 record. Marciano is the only previous heavyweight champion to retire without having lost a fight.

After stopping David Bey in the 10th round of a title defense at Las Vegas March 15, Holmes said he would announce his retirement June 9 unless he got a $3-million or $4-million fight with Spinks.

Holmes said that if he does fight Spinks, he would seek one more match on special terms.

“We don’t want to break Marciano’s record, we just want to tie it,” Holmes said.

Unbeaten Hector (Macho) Camacho of New York will fight World Boxing Council lightweight champion Jose Luis Ramirez of Mexico City in a 12-round title bout June 6 at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas.

Camacho will be going for his second world championship. He relinquished his WBC junior-lightweight title because of difficulties making the 130-pound weight limit.

It will be the first title defense for Ramirez, who won the 135-pound title Nov. 3, 1984 at San Juan, P.R., stopping previously unbeaten Edwin Rosario.

Villanova University’s NCAA championship basketball team was told by President Reagan at a White House reception that its shooting was better than he ever shot “in one of those Western movies.” The President was given a blue-and-white Villanova warmup jacket, even though Wildcat Coach Rollie Massimino said that Reagan was “a Hoya (Georgetown) fan.”

The National Football League must hire a new law firm to defend itself against the United States Football League’s antitrust suit, a federal judge ruled.

U.S. District Judge Peter K. Leisure disqualified the Park Avenue firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison from representing the NFL because the firm did some work for the USFL’s founders when the league was being organized in 1981.

The USFL went to court against the NFL last year, charging the league with illegally trying to monopolize access to players, stadiums, television contracts and game officials.

A high school sophomore who suffered a fractured skull when struck by a 16-pound shot during a track team practice accident remained in good condition at a Pittsburgh hospital.

Shotputter Keith Wright was taken to Children’s Hospital by helicopter March 29 after being struck by the iron ball as he completed a throw and was walking to retrieve his shot.

Wright reportedly had walked into the line of another shotputter who was practicing.

Robert Helmick, president of the U.S. Olympic Committee, said he supports broadening of eligibility rules to allow collegiate and amateur athletes to be paid.

Speaking in Des Moines on Iowa Public Television, Helmick said: “I think we need to revise the rules so that eligible Olympic athletes and athletes at the collegiate level can indeed earn money while engaged in athletics, and money that relates to athletics, short of cash prizes and devoting themselves professionally to athletics.”

Gregg Von Thaden of San Jose State posted the best individual round of the tournament, a two-under-par 69, to help his team score a one-stroke victory over UCLA in the 39th Western Intercollegiate golf tournament at Pasatiempo golf course near Santa Cruz.

The Spartans, the host team, finished with a three-day total of 1,110. UCLA had 1,111 and was followed by Brigham Young with 1,128.

UCLA’s Duffy Waldorf won his fifth individual title of the college season, shooting a 72 for a 54-hole total of 217. Von Thaden’s total was 222.

Names in the News

Lou Carnesecca, coach of the St. John’s University Redmen, who won the Big East Conference basketball title and got to the semifinals of the NCAA tournament, was the recipient of the Sports Achievement Award given by the March of Dimes.

The Detroit Red Wings asked the National Hockey League to review the three-day suspension of captain Danny Gare for allegedly being the first player to leave the penalty box to take part in a melee between the Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins. Gare said he thought the penalty period was over when he left the box and that he did not get involved in the scuffle.

Former U.S. Olympian Peter Pfitzinger of West Newton, Mass., heads the eight-member U.S. team that will compete April 13-14 at Hiroshima, Japan, in the inaugural World Cup Marathon.