Razor Wasn’t Sharp When He Arranged His Cut

Razor Ruddock earned $2.9 million for his heavyweight bout against Mike Tyson in March but, at the rate he’s going, he may soon be hitting friends up for cab fare.

Boxing writer Ron Borges of the Boston Globe reports that Ruddock stands to lose more than 93% of his purse if can’t find a way out of a financial quagmire. Worse yet, referee Richard Steele can’t stop this beating.

For starters, Ruddock pays 33% to his manager, brother Delroy Ruddock. A Seattle promoter, Bill Wheeler, and two New York attorneys are seeking another 40%, claiming they were sold that percentage of Ruddock’s contract. A Seattle court has impounded $1.3 million of the purse until the issue is settled.

Ruddock’s former manager, Janks Morton, insists he is owed 10% for services rendered. Ruddock’s current trainers, Jim Robinson and Art Miles, receive 10% of the gross. Ruddock also pays 28% in Canadian taxes and has few deductions. Plus, he has 20members of his entourage on the payroll.

Borges writes: “You get the point. One sage said he’d be lucky to clear $150,000. No wonder Ruddock signed for that Tyson rematch so fast.”

Trivia time: How many times was Muhammad Ali knocked down in his boxing career?

Give Up the Rock Dept.: Once every 20 years or so, an NBA scoring champion leads his team to an NBA championship, or so Michael Jordan hopes. The Chicago Bull star is attempting to become the first scoring champion to pull off the feat since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar led the Milwaukee Bucks to the title in the 1970-71 season while leading the league with a 31.7 average.

Before that, you have to go back to the 1949-50 Minneapolis Lakers and their bespectacled center, George Mikan, who led the league with a 27.4 average.

“The media has always said it can’t be done,” Jordan said recently.

Add scoring titles: Wilt Chamberlain won seven consecutive scoring titles from 1959 through 1966 but didn’t win his first championship until 1967 with the Philadelphia 76ers, when he led the league in assists.

Think Magic Johnson is on to something?

Gender trap: The New South Wales state body of Australia recently asked the International Amateur Athletic Federation to rule on the eligibility of an athlete who has allegedly undergone a sex change operation and is competing in women’s long distance events.

Said Alan Batchelor, general manager of the state body: “We wanted to make sure we weren’t caught with our pants down when it happens.”

Sparky on parks: Detroit Manager Sparky Anderson, lobbying for a new stadium for his Tigers, claims rundown ballparks do not provide a home-field advantage.

“I am one thousand degrees against tradition,” he said. “Why would you want a dump for a home when you can have something really nice and new?”

Anderson might ask the basketball Celtics, whose rather dank home court, the Boston Garden, is cluttered with 16 championship banners.

Add ballparks: Not everyone in Detroit is ready for change. The following sign, protesting a proposed new stadium site, was recently spotted in a Detroit suburb: “If you build it, they won’t come.”

Trivia answer: Ali was knocked down four times, against Sonny Banks (Feb. 10, 1962), Henry Cooper (June 18, 1963), Joe Frazier (March 8, 1971) and Chuck Wepner (March 24, 1975). Note: Wepner’s punch was ruled a knockdown, although news footage showed Ali actually tripped when Wepner stepped on his foot.

Quotebook: Colin McPhail, scoreboard operator for the Edmonton Trappers of the Pacific Coast League, after hearing that a stereo system and several compact discs had been stolen from the press box at Edmonton’s John Ducey Park: “I hope whoever did it enjoys listening to ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame.’ ”