Lewis Sues Tyson, WBCto Prevent Jan. 19 Fight

Lennox Lewis is suing Mike Tyson to prevent him from fighting Jan. 19 or to have the World Boxing Council remove Tyson from the mandatory challenger’s position if he does fight.

The suit, which also names the WBC as a defendant, was filed in U.S. District Court in New York on Tuesday.

It contends that such a fight for Tyson could hurt Lewis financially. Tyson and Lewis are expected to fight next spring.

Lewis regained the WBC and International Boxing Federation heavyweight titles by knocking out Hasim Rahman on Nov. 17.

Tyson is scheduled to fight Ray Mercer next month, probably at Atlantic City, N.J. He then is supposed to challenge Lewis in April, although that fight is not yet signed.

In a statement, Tyson said Wednesday that he was “outraged by Lennox’s attempt to interfere with my career.”

“I stepped aside as the WBC challenger in November to allow the rematch with Rahman,” Tyson said. “Lennox makes his own rules only when they suit him.”

The WBC mandatory defense was scheduled for November. A federal judge, however, ruled that Rahman, who knocked out Lewis on April 22, must fight Lewis again before he fought anyone else.

Track and Field

British 400-meter runner Mark Richardson won his appeal against a lifetime Olympic ban stemming from his positive test for the banned steroid nandrolone.

Richardson was reinstated in June by the International Assn. of Athletic Federations in June. But under British Olympic Assn. rules, he remained ineligible for future Olympics because he had tested positive.

An independent panel said “significant mitigating circumstances existed,” and the 29-year-old runner’s Olympic eligibility should be restored immediately, the BOA said.

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Former Olympic champion Dieter Baumann was cleared to return to competition next month after track and field’s ruling body lifted an extended drug ban.

Baumann’s original two-year suspension for testing positive for the banned steroid nandrolone ends Jan. 21. But an extra year was added by the IAAF in February after Baumann, 36, defied the ban by running in the German indoor national championships with the help of a court order.

“The news makes me very happy because it means I can resume my career,” Baumann said. “But I’m not going to say when I’ll race again. I can just say I’m in top condition.”

Motor Sports

NASCAR and its new networks bucked the trend of decreasing TV ratings for sports events.

The 20 races on NBC and TNT in the second half of the 2001 Winston Cup season drew audiences 34% larger than for those races last year. Fox Sports and cable channel FX saw ratings increase 29% for 19 races.

“This year proves that not only is there a core audience for NASCAR but, more important, that audience is growing and becoming more diverse,” NBC Sports President Ken Schanzer said.

NBC, Turner and Fox negotiated TV rights deals with NASCAR in 1999 for about $400million per year starting with the 2001 season.

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Dale Earnhardt willed most of his business interests and property to his wife, Teresa, including the rights to the “Intimidator” trademark, the Charlotte Observer reported.

Some of the NASCAR star’s estate will remain a secret because it was willed to a trust, the newspaper said.

The value of his estate is not cited in the will. Forbes magazine said Earnhardt was one of the world’s 40 highest-paid athletes in 1999, earning $24 million.

Miscellany

U.S. national team soccer captain Claudio Reyna could be playing in England’s Premier League this weekend.

Scottish news reports said the Glasgow Ranger midfielder is being offered to Sunderland for a $6.65-million transfer fee.

The sale could go through Friday, clearing Reyna to play in Sunderland’s home game against Chelsea on Sunday.

Reyna, who has been with the Glasgow club for two years, confirmed that his appearance for Rangers against Paris-St. Germain in the UEFA Cup today could be his last for the team.

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The NCAA baseball championship might be changed to a best-of-three series from the current single-game format.

A proposal to revise the series will be considered by NCAA officials in February, said Dennis Poppe, the association’s senior director for baseball and football.

If it passes, the national champion would be decided by a best-of-three series that would be played after the conclusion of the double-elimination portion of the event. The proposal would start in 2003.

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Mark Calcavecchia, the 1989 British Open champion and a member of four Ryder Cup teams, has replaced U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen in the Williams World Challenge field.

The $4.1-million tournament, hosted by Tiger Woods, will be played Dec. 13-16 at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks.

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Free-agent wide receiver-linebacker Greg Hopkins signed a one-year contract with the Avengers.

Hopkins, who played six years for the Albany/Indiana Firebirds, has caught an Arena League-high 213 passes the last two seasons.

Hopkins has scored 100 touchdowns in his career.

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The Washington Mystics traded the WNBA franchise’s original player, sending Nikki McCray to the Indiana Fever for Angie Braziel in a deal that involved several draft picks.

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Two Olympic champions from the Czech Republic--javelin thrower Jan Zelezny and gymnast Vera Caslavska--resigned from the International Olympic Committee. Zelezny, 35, said he wants to compete again and Caslavska resigned for health reasons.

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The Ice Dogs lost to the Idaho Steelheads, 3-1, at the Long Beach Arena. Zdenek Vanc scored for the Ice Dogs.