Nigel Benn Retains WBC Title

Nigel Benn shook off six rounds of a tough challenge from Vincenzo Nardiello with two rounds of powerful punching Saturday to retain his World Boxing Council super-middleweight title at London.

After six even rounds during which Nardiello occasionally had the champion in trouble, Benn sent the Italian down three times in the seventh and twice in the eighth.

One minute, 43 seconds into the eighth round, while down on one knee, Nardiello shook his head in surrender and his corner threw in the towel.

It was Benn’s eighth successful defense of his title, and his first since his brutal victory over Gerald McClellan in February when the American sustained severe brain injuries.

But Benn appeared to have no hangover from the near tragedy of that night in the same London Arena ring, and improved his record to 41-2-1, while Nardiello fell to 26-4.

On the undercard, Nate Miller of Philadelphia rallied from a lethargic start to win the World Boxing Assn. cruiserweight title with an eighth-round knockout of Orlin Norris.

Norris was carried out of the ring on a stretcher with an oxygen mask over his face.

Doctors from Royal London Hospital later reported that Norris was talking normally and was being kept for observation. They said he was likely to be released today.

*

Challenger Alima Goitia of Venezuela knocked out South Korea’s Lee Hyung-chul in the fourth round at Seoul to become the new WBA junior-bantamweight champion.

Tennis

Top-seeded Andre Agassi defeated No. 4 Todd Martin, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), in the semifinals of the $675,000 Legg Mason Tennis Classic.

Agassi will meet second-seeded Stefan Edberg in today’s final. Edberg, the defending champion, defeated No. 13 Patrick Rafter of Australia, 7-5, 5-7, 6-2.

Lindsay Davenport defeated Julie Halard, 7-6, 7-5, in a Fed Cup semifinal match at Wilmington, N.C., as the United States tied France.

In the opening match, France’s Mary Pierce defeated Mary Joe Fernandez, 7-6 (7-1), 6-3.

The split sets up a best-of-three showdown today for the chance to meet Spain or Germany in the championship round.

A heavy storm after a heat wave saved French Open champion Thomas Muster from defeat against Sergi Bruguera in the semifinals at Stuttgart, Germany.

Muster saved four match points and was at deuce, serving to stay in the match with Bruguera leading, 7-6 (7-5), 5-3, when the storm hit. They will finish today.

Tina Karwasky of Glendale defended her 40 division title in the USTA Women’s Grass Court championships, beating third-seeded Marlie Buehler of New York, 0-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), in New York.

Trish Faulkner of Boca Raton, Fla., upset No. 1 Charlene Hillebrand of San Pedro, 6-2, 6-3, to win the 50 division, and Dorothy Matthiessen of Pasadena defeated Betsy Roberti of Santa Monica, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, in the 60 final.

Softball

Tanya Harding, the Australian ace who led UCLA to the NCAA women’s championship in May, then left before taking her final examinations, made up her tests last Thursday and Friday at the school, said Judith Holland, Bruin associate athletic director.

Harding, in Orange County on Saturday to participate in an exhibition game with the Australian National team, declined to comment through a team spokeswoman. But Bob Crudgington, Australia’s national coach, said Harding made up the exams she missed when leaving UCLA three days after being named the most valuable player of the women’s College World Series and leading the Bruins to their eighth title.

Harding, who enrolled at UCLA in March, has said she had to return before school was out because she could not risk losing her position on the national team.

Track and Field

Fernanda Ribeiro of Portugal broke the women’s 5,000 meters world record with a time of 14 minutes 36.45 seconds at an international meet in Hechtel, Belgium.

Ribeiro beat the previous mark of 14:37.33 set by Norwegian Ingrid Kristiansen in Stockholm on August 5, 1986.

Michael Johnson, the U.S. champion in the 200- and 400-meter dashes, will not be given any special consideration in his bid to win both races at the 1996 Olympics.

Dave Maggard, managing director of sport for the Atlanta Games, said that the schedule won’t be adjusted to allow Johnson more time between races.

Motor Racing

Gil de Ferran overtook Jacques Villeneuve on the last lap of qualifying to win the pole for today’s Cleveland Grand Prix at a course-record 147.512 m.p.h.

Kenny Bernstein led Top Fuel qualifying for today’s Mopar Parts Mile-High Nationals at Morrison, Colo., covering a quarter-mile in a track-record time of 4.888 seconds at 296.24 m.p.h.

Miscellany

Greece defeated Australia, 91-73, to win the Junior World Basketball Championships at Athens. The United States routed France, 92-55, in the seventh-place game to finish 4-4.

Seventh-seeded Holly McPeak and Nancy Reno defeated fourth-seeded Karolyn Kirby and Liz Masakayan, 12-11, 12-9, to win the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship at Pusan, Korea.

The Japanese Racing Assn. has bought Forty Niner, a champion 2-year-old and second-place finisher in the 1988 Kentucky Derby, for $10 million.

Names in the News

Addison Hawthorne, who played halfback at USC in 1952 and 1953, died Friday at the age of 65 after a long battle with cancer. . . . Kathryn Currie, a former sportswriter for the San Bernardino Sun, died of complications of an automobile accident and cancer. She was 59.