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Notes on a Scorecard - March 1, 1995

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This is George Foreman’s counterpunch to those calling for the abolition of boxing: “Please do something to help us instead of trying to destroy us.” . . .

The latest hue and cry by doctors and politicians is the result of Gerald McClellan being in critical condition and on a life-support system after his 10th-round knockout by super middleweight champion Nigel Benn in London on Saturday night. . . .

“My complaint with the intellectual community is that it’s always trying to stop our sport, not improve it,” Foreman said. “Well, boxing is going to continue. It always will. It’s a part of mankind. So let’s try to make it safer.” . . .

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He is an advocate of the use of headgear, which is mandatory in amateur bouts. . . .

“I’d love to see it in pro boxing,” said the 46-year-old heavyweight champion. “I’d want to be one of the first two fighters to use it.” . . .

“We didn’t wear headgear when I won the Olympic Games in 1968,” he said. “People said nobody would come to see the fights if headgear was worn. Of course, that’s been proven wrong. It looks funny, but people get used to it. It doesn’t prevent clean knockouts to the chin, but it protects the brain from damage.” . . .

He believes something is amiss when football and hockey players and baseball batters wear helmets and pro boxers don’t, except during sparring sessions. . . .

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The Phoenix Suns played the Clippers Tuesday night at the Sports Arena and will face the Lakers tonight at the Forum. That makes a lot of sense, but it’s the only time this NBA season that a visiting team will play back-to-back games in Los Angeles. . . .

A victory over UCLA tonight at Pauley Pavilion would make USC interim Coach Charlie Parker’s season, but don’t look for it. . . .

The top-ranked Bruins are heavily favored to sweep their cross-town rivals for the first time since Jim Harrick’s first season at UCLA, 1988-89. . . .

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A closer game should be that between the Trojan and Bruin women Friday night at the Sports Arena. . . .

UCLA’s other No. 1-ranked team, men’s volleyball, is 12-0 and has been on top the entire season. . . .

On Friday night, Coach Al Scates will be trying for his 850th victory when the Bruins play Ball State in the Volleyball Hall of Fame Classic at Springfield, Mass. . . .

“Our goal is to be No. 1 every year,” Scates said. “People expect us to be No. 1, and we are the No. 1 team.” . . .

The first home track and field meet of Ron Allice’s tenure as USC coach will be Saturday against Cal State Northridge, UC Irvine and Azusa-Pacific. For a change, the Trojan-Bruin dual meet will be at Cromwell Field on May 6. . . .

Former running back Alonzo Highsmith is attempting a boxing career. He won a four-round decision over Marcus Gonzales in his debut last week but was knocked down in the second round. . . .

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About the only ex-football player who could fight professionally without embarrassing himself was Charlie Powell. . . .

Foreman believes that referees should police the sport better and not be afraid to disqualify fighters for fouls. He says Benn, against McClellan, and John John Molina, against Oscar De La Hoya, got away with too many rabbit punches. . . .

Ticket sales for the Forum-promoted quadruple-header at the Pond of Anaheim on March 31 are going faster at the same stage than those for the Humberto (Chiquita) Gonzalez-Michael Carbajal bout, which drew 10,333 fans to Inglewood last year. . . .

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“Marvelous” is how trainer Wayne Lukas describes Timber Country’s preparation for Saturday’s $150,000 San Rafael Stakes at Santa Anita, the juvenile champion’s first race of the year. . . .

What happens when Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert and Monica Seles are gone from the tour and Steffi Graf is just beginning to come back from an injury? Ten different women have won the 10 tournaments this year. . . .

The Joe McDonnell-Doug Krikorian sports talk show on KMAX (107.1) will carry periodic analysis of the O.J. Simpson trial by veteran L.A. attorney Paul Caruso. . . .

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The NFL draft won’t be conducted until April 22-23. . . .

Boston Bruin center Adam Oates is expected to make his acting debut in “Cass,” which films this summer. . . .

“Hoop Dreams” update: Will Gates, a 6-0 senior guard, is averaging 2.7 points for Marquette. Arthur Agee, a 6-2 senior guard, is averaging 7.9 points for Arkansas State. . . . You would think the baseball players’ union would have more pressing matters than filing a grievance against the San Francisco Giants on behalf of Darryl Strawberry.

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