Tyson’s Latest Comeback to Open Against Douglas

Mike Tyson will start his third comeback against perhaps his biggest nemesis when he fights Buster Douglas on Oct. 2 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.

Tyson’s promoter, Dan Goossen, denied that a deal had been struck, but the Washington Times, CNN/SI and the New York Daily News all reported the news Tuesday and Wednesday and a source confirmed it to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Tyson lost his undisputed heavyweight championship to Douglas in one of the most shocking upsets in boxing history when he was knocked out in the 10th round of their fight Feb. 11, 1990, in Tokyo. Douglas went off as a 42-1 underdog, but dominated the bout and put Tyson out with a series of punches in the 10th.

Douglas, 38, is in the midst of his own comeback after having been away from boxing for six years.

College Sports

Alabama reached a $350,000 settlement with an employee who had accused football Coach Mike DuBose of sexual harassment, and DuBose apologized for embarrassing the university.

An emotional DuBose, reading a brief statement, said he had reached a settlement in the case but did not disclose details.

School officials said DuBose’s salary will be cut by $360,000 in the next three years, almost the same amount being paid to the university employee who filed the complaint against him.

DuBose admitted to misleading the public in May when he denied what he called “unfounded rumors and innuendoes” about his personal life.

The NCAA Division I board of directors decided there is “no compelling reason” to change Proposition 16 requirements on freshman eligibility pending a challenge in federal court.

Proposition 16 requires freshmen athletes have a high school diploma and a minimum grade-point average in 13 core academic courses with the GPA contingent on an indexed, sliding scale with a student’s score on either the Scholastic Assessment Test or American College Test. Those scoring less than 820 on the SAT, or 16 on the ACT, cannot participate, regardless of their other academic credentials.

Kahlil Hill, Iowa’s leading receiver and kickoff return specialist, has been suspended for the season for violating team rules, first-year Coach Kirk Ferentz said.

Temple extended the contract of Coach John Chaney through the 2002 season, the school announced. . . . Loyola of Chicago extended Coach Larry Farmer’s contract for two years, taking the former UCLA coach through the 2002-2003 season. The Ramblers were 9-18 last season, Farmer’s first with the team.

Hockey

After a season in which he finished with the best goals-against average of his career, King goalie Stephane Fiset was awarded a $2.1-million contract for 1999-2000 by an NHL arbitrator.

The Kings have 72 hours in which to refuse the ruling, but that would make Fiset a free agent, and a team source said that would not happen.

Fiset, who struggled with injuries much of last season while earning $1.1 million, played in 42 games and finished with a 2.60 goals-against average and 18-21-1 record.

Forward Steve Sullivan, who had career highs of 20 goals and 40 points last season, re-signed with the Toronto Maple Leaf for a two-year deal worth $1.9 million.

A federal bankruptcy judge gave Mario Lemieux’s group a second extension to wrap up what is becoming the much-delayed purchase of the bankrupt Pittsburgh Penguins. The delays have resulted from the complexities in completing a deal involving numerous investors and more than $50 million in cash.

Miscellany

Saying he was the unwitting victim of a “dirty trick,” high jumper Javier Sotomayor of Cuba angrily disputed the positive cocaine test that cost him his Pan American Games gold medal.

“I am innocent,” the world-record holder told foreign reporters as he left his home in Havana.

In an interview published and broadcast by Cuba’s state media, Sotomayor said he doesn’t even take vitamins. He pointed out that countless previous drug tests at competitions and by Cuba’s official sports doctors had all showed negative results.

In the Pan Am Games at Winnipeg, Canada:

The U.S. 18-and-under women’s soccer team has something in common with its sisters from the World Cup: a championship. Catherine Reddick scored in the first half as the United States edged Mexico, 1-0, in the final.

Paul Goldstein of Rockville, Md., won an all-American final in men’s tennis, 4-6, 6-0, 6-3 over Cecil Mamiit of Los Angeles. Maria Vento of Venezuela defeated Tara Snyder of Houston for the women’s crown, 7-6 (7-3), 6-1.

Games records by Staciana Stitts and Karen Campbell gave the beleaguered U.S. women’s swimming team a major boost. Stitts, 17, smashed the Pan Am record in the 100-meter breaststroke with a time of 1:09.16. Campbell, 22, shattered the record in the 100 butterfly in the preliminaries in 59.70, then won the final in 1:00.05.

Hidalberto Aranda of Cuba set the world record in the clean and jerk for the 77-kilogram division in weightlifting. Aranda lifted 205.5 kilograms (453 pounds) to break the record of 205.0 (452 pounds) set by Khachatur Kyapanaktsyan of Armenia on Jan. 1, 1998, in La Coruna, Spain.

Diego Gutierrez and Ante Razov scored in the first half and the Chicago Fire held off the Kansas City Wizards, 2-1, in a Major League Soccer game before 5,072 in Kansas City, Mo.

Oscar-winning actress Geena Davis has qualified for the competition that could put her on the U.S. Olympic archery team.

Outside of the competitors, apparently no one noticed that Davis was advancing through the ranks of Olympic hopefuls.

“She just wants to keep a low profile,” National Archery Assn. spokeswoman Kathleen Frazier said.

Davis, who won the supporting actress Academy Award for the 1988 movie “The Accidental Tourist,” was one of 300 women competing July 12-16 at Oxford, Ohio, for a semifinals berth.

The finals Aug. 22-24 at Bloomfield, N.J., will determine three berths, plus an alternate, on the U.S. Olympic team.

U.S. immigration officials are examining whether John Kim, the son of an International Olympic Committee member from South Korea, set up a sham job with a Utah company to get United States residency.

Andre Agassi, whose first-round match was washed out by rain, won twice Thursday to move into the quarterfinals of the du Maurier Open tennis tournament at Montreal.

Agassi opened with a 6-7 (5-7), 6-0, 6-3 victory over Richey Reneberg in a match postponed from Wednesday because of rain. Then he eliminated Michael Chang, 6-2, 7-5.