Holyfield Starts Hedging on Retirement in Spring

Evander Holyfield backed away a bit Thursday from his plan to retire after a heavyweight title unification fight with Lennox Lewis, and left open the possibility of a third fight with Mike Tyson.

Holyfield refused to commit himself to retirement after a possible fight in late April or early May against Lewis, although he said, “In my mind, I think it will be over.”

“It’s too early to say what I’ll do,” Holyfield said. “You can never say what might happen.”

Holyfield, who had previously said he had no interest in fighting Tyson again, conceded that there could be such a match if he is still fighting and if Tyson is reinstated by Nevada boxing officials.

“If something is available, then why not, if I’m still in the game,” he said. “But to fight him again, it has to be that I’m just there and have nowhere else to go.”

The 35-year-old champion had talked about retiring if he unifies the three major parts of the heavyweight title in a fight against Lewis, who holds the World Boxing Council version of the title.

That was before his performance Saturday night, when he knocked Michael Moorer down five times before the fight was stopped at the end of the eighth round. The victory added the International Boxing Federation title to the World Boxing Assn. crown that Holyfield won in his first fight with Tyson.

Tyson’s license was revoked by Nevada officials after he bit Holyfield’s ears in their rematch. He will not be able to apply to box again until the first week of July.

Tennis

Michael Chang was defeated by Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov, 6-3, 6-0, but can still advance to the semifinals of the round-robin ATP World Championship at Hanover, Germany, by beating Sweden’s Jonas Bjorkman of Sweden, who defeated Spain’s Sergi Bruguera, 6-3, 6-1.

Lindsay Davenport and Irina Spirlea of Romania advanced to the third round with of the Advanta Championships in Philadelphia. Davenport beat Spain’s Conchita Martinez, 6-3, 3-0. Spirlea defeated Venezuela’s Maria Alejandra Vento, 6-2, 6-1.

Anke Huber’s 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 victory over Lisa Raymond set the 16-player field in next week’s season-ending Chase Championships. Raymond’s loss meant Brenda Schultz-McCarthy and Sabine Appelmans secured the final two spots for the $2-million tournament in New York.

Basketball

Only 933 American Basketball League fans in Atlanta were in attendance as player-coach Teresa Edwards scored 18 points for the Atlanta Glory in a 76-64 victory over the New England Blizzard. . . . Natalie Williams scored 12 of her 20 points in the first quarter and grabbed nine rebounds, leading the Portland Power to a 76-67 victory over the Philadelphia Rage before 4,299 fans at Portland, Ore.

Royce Olney, a starting guard for No. 11 New Mexico who scored 19 points in the Lobos’ victory over USC on Tuesday, will be suspended for an exhibition Saturday but will sit out no other games for his arrest six weeks ago on a drunk-driving charge.

Jurisprudence

Two business associates of former King owner Bruce McNall received probation in sentences handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Richard Paez.

C. David Rossen, the former head of McNall’s thoroughbred horse operations, was put on probation for five years, including four months of electronic monitoring. Rossen pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in 1994 during an investigation of McNall’s banking practices.

Joanna Orehek, former vice president and controller of McNall’s chief holding company, was put on probation for three years, including six months of electronic monitoring. She pleaded guilty to conspiracy and wire fraud in 1994.

Soccer

Major League Soccer, expanding to 12 teams next year with new clubs in Chicago and Miami, is also considering one in Anaheim, perhaps as soon as 2000 if the Walt Disney Co. pursues its interest in supplementing its baseball and hockey franchises.

Birmingham plans to withdraw its bid to hold 1999 women’s World Cup matches, officials with the Alabama Sports Foundation said.

Names in the News

The death of Rod Milburn, a U.S. gold medal winner in the 110-meter hurdles at the 1972 Olympics, has been ruled an accident.

Milburn, 47, was found dead Tuesday in a rail car full of a hot chemical solution at the paper plant where he worked near Baton Rouge, La.

Preliminary autopsy results showed that Milburn had severe burns over his entire body, and that will be listed as the cause of death.

Troy Dumais of Ventura won the boys’ 16-18 one-meter springboard event at the FINA World Championships in Penang, Malaysia. . . . Jockey Jorge Velasquez has announced his retirement. Velasquez, 50, has been riding for 30 years.