Report Raises Specter of Fraud in Boxing

More than 30 prizefights including one involving former heavyweight champ George Foreman have been fixed or tainted with fraud in the last 12 years, the Miami Herald reported Sunday.

Some fighters took payments to throw fights while others took dives to avoid injury and earn a quick paycheck, the newspaper reported, citing interviews with participants in the fights.

Onetime world-ranked heavyweight Tony Fulilangi said he faked a second-round knockout by Foreman on Oct. 27, 1988, in Marshall, Texas, the Herald said.

“I really hate to say this because it’s not good for the sport,” the newspaper quoted Fulilangi as saying. “I took a dive.”

The Herald report cited sworn statements and interviews with more than 60 fighters, promoters, trainers, managers, matchmakers and commissioners.

A U.S. grand jury in New Jersey is investigating whether boxing sanctioning bodies committed fraud by selling rankings, which determine title fights and other matches.

The Herald reported that Andre Smiley, a former heavyweight, said he made thousands of dollars faking 14 knockouts from 1990 to 1997, the Herald said.

“I made a lot of money throwing fights,” the Herald quoted him as saying.

The newspaper said an examination of videotape of Fulilangi’s 1988 fight with Foreman confirmed the boxer’s claim that he fell into the ropes and then to the canvas after a Foreman punch that did not connect.

Tennis

Top-seeded Mary Pierce defeated Sandrine Testud, 7-6 (7-2), 6-1, in an all-French final of the Generali Ladies tournament at Linz, Austria, for her 13th career title and her first since last October. . . . Thomas Enqvist of Sweden overcame 25 aces to upset defending champion Richard Krajicek of the Netherlands, 6-1, 6-4, 5-7, 7-5, to win the Eurocard Open at Stuttgart, Germany. . . . Mats Wilander defeated John McEnroe, 1-6, 6-3, 10-7, to win the NTT DATA Champions at Tokyo.

Winter Sports

Jason Hedstrand qualified for the World Cup by winning the men’s 5,000 meters, and Shana Sundstrom won the women’s 3,000 in the final two events at the U.S. speedskating trials at West Allis, Wis. The trials were held to round out the men’s and women’s teams that begin international World Cup competition Nov. 13-14 in Inzell, Germany.

Five competitors earned the right to join Chris Witty of West Allis, silver medalist at the 1998 Olympics, and other skaters who already qualified for the World Cup based on competition last year.

Hermann Maier of Austria, seeking to regain the overall World Cup title, won the season-opening giant slalom at Tignes, France. Lasse Kjus, the defending World Cup champion from Norway, skidded off the course in the first run, after losing his grip on the rapidly deteriorating surface.

Maier, the 1998 World Cup winner, raced in a combined time of 2 minutes 22.33 seconds. It was his 19th World Cup victory and sixth in the giant slalom.

Miscellany

The Indiana Pacers cut forward Mark Pope and and former UCLA guard Mitchell Butler, reducing their roster to the NBA maximum of 15 players. . . . Assistant coach Bill Musselman of the Portland Trail Blazers was upgraded to fair condition following a possible stroke suffered after an exhibition game Thursday night.

Patience Avre of Brazil scored on a rebound 21 seconds into overtime to rally the world all-star team from a four-goal deficit to a 10-9 victory over the U.S. Women’s World Cup team in an exhibition at Rosemont, Ill. Tisha Venturini scored three goals and Tiffeny Milbrett added a goal and three assists to lead the U.S. team, which was playing without Mia Hamm. . . . In one of the major upsets in the history of the Rugby World Cup, France defeated New Zealand, 43-31, at Twickenham, England, to advance to the final against Australia.

Pavel Loskutov of Estonia overcame windy conditions to win the Frankfurt Marathon by seven seconds in Germany, and Esther Barmasai of Kenya won the women’s division by 1 minute 21 seconds. Loskutov was timed in 2 hours 12 minutes 38 seconds through the streets of Germany’s financial capital in a race with about 8,500 participants. Barmasai had a time of 2:33:58. . . . Kelly Keeler of Bloomington, Minn., won the Avon national championship at Cincinnati and will represent the United States in May’s international competition in Milan, Italy. Keeler was timed in 34:59 on the 6.2-mile course.

Henry Kissinger is convinced the International Olympic Committee is embracing reforms that should restore its reputation and silence critics in Washington. The former Secretary of State played a significant role in the final meeting of the IOC 2000 reform panel at Lausanne, Switzerland, which endorsed nearly 50 recommendations for reshaping the organization in the wake of the Olympic corruption scandal.

Among key proposals adopted Saturday: eight-year terms of office and reelection for IOC members, election of 15 athletes to the committee, new rules for financial disclosure and a possible ban on visits to bid cities.

Steer roper Colby Goodwin of Canyon, Texas, died a day after suffering massive head injuries when his horse fell on him during the national finals Saturday in Oklahoma City. He was 32.