Boxer Endures Brain Surgery

A boxer underwent three hours of brain surgery Wednesday in New York after being punched into a coma only two rounds after ringside physicians nearly stopped his light-heavyweight fight.

Beethavean Scottland, 26, was in extremely critical condition at Bellevue Hospital, where his family was keeping vigil. Scottland was knocked out Tuesday night in the 10th round of his fight with undefeated George Khalid Jones.

Scottland, of North Brentwood, Md., was a late replacement when the scheduled fighter pulled out Friday after suffering a broken nose during training. After he was staggered in the seventh round, Scottland appeared shaken as he returned to his corner.

The John Ruiz-Evander Holyfield World Boxing Assn. heavyweight championship fight in Beijing on Aug. 5 is on, and promoter Don King’s television company will handle the pay-per-view in the United States. A court ruling that World Boxing Council-International Boxing Federation champion Hasim Rahman cannot be part of the show and the withdrawal of Rainbow Sports Network from a tentative agreement to handle the pay-per-view telecast had raised fears that the card might be off.

Jurisprudence

Former USC and Raider quarterback Todd Marinovich, 31, is scheduled to surrender in court July 9 to begin serving a one-week jail term for possession of heroin, a prosecutor said.

A medical expert testified in Castle Rock, Colo., that the diet drug that Denver Bronco linebacker Bill Romanowski allegedly obtained illegally could have improved his performance. Romanowski, 35, is accused of obtaining the appetite suppressant phentermine from prescriptions written for his wife, Julie, and a family friend during the 1998 season.

Floyd Mayweather has been sued by Greg Bedford, 31, of Las Vegas who alleges the boxing champion broke a champagne bottle over his head in a Las Vegas nightclub altercation June 19.

Two Southeast Missouri State basketball players were released from the team after guilty pleas. Point guard Bobby Smith pleaded guilty to felony forgery last week in an agreement with the prosecutor to drop a second charge of misdemeanor credit card fraud. Backup center Terry Rogers pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor drug charge in April.

Toalei Mulitauaopele, a former University of Washington football player who served time for manslaughter, was charged in Seattle with attempting to elude police and violating probation.

Pro Football

Saying he was insulted but still willing to negotiate, New Orleans Saint owner Tom Benson offered to put off immediate demands for a new stadium. Benson wants the state to guarantee his team an average of $15 million a year for the next five to seven years. And, in what he termed a final offer, Benson said he still wants a new stadium by 2008.

Fox Sports Net is expected to announce today that Boomer Esiason will join its “NFL This Morning” program as a studio analyst this fall. Esiason will continue his role as a “Monday Night Football” commentator for Westwood One/CBS Radio as well.

Quarterback Steve McNair of the Tennessee Titans soon will sign a contract extension worth $47 million over six years, his agent said. . . . The St. Louis Rams have signed cornerback Jerametrius Butler, their fifth-round draft pick, to a three-year contract. . . . Defensive tackle Nate Hobgood-Chittick agreed to a contract with the Kansas City Chiefs after spending last season with the Rams and San Francisco 49ers.

Miscellany

The USC men’s basketball team will play Wyoming on Nov. 13 at the Sports Arena in the opening round of the Preseason NIT.

USC basketball player Nate Hair will redshirt the 2001-2002 season, sources said. Earlier this year, the university investigated Hair’s allegations that assistant coach Dave Miller physically harassed him. Miller has resigned his position, effective Saturday. Hair will remain on scholarship but has not decided whether he will return for the 2002-2003 season.

In WNBA games, Tina Thompson had 24 points to lead the Comets (9-1) to their ninth consecutive victory, a 76-63 decision over the Washington Mystics (2-9) before 9,298 at Houston. . . . The Cleveland Rockers (10-3) built a 21-point first-half lead and cruised to a 65-41 victory over the Orlando Miracle (4-7) before 5,396 at Orlando, Fla. . . . Andrea Stinson scored 23 points as the Charlotte Sting (2-10) ended a seven-game losing streak with a 74-50 victory over the Shock (3-8) before 4,036 at Detroit. . . . Jackie Stiles scored 26 points as the Portland Fire (7-4) defeated the Indiana Fever (4-7), 68-65, before 7,302 at Indianapolis. . . . Margo Dydek scored a season-high 24 points as the Utah Starzz (5-5) handed the Miami Sol (5-6) its sixth loss in seven games with a 68-63 overtime victory before 8,575 at Miami.

California’s football stadium, which sits atop a major fault line, is getting a $100-million remodeling to make it earthquake safe.

The 75,000-seat Memorial Stadium is built on the active Hayward Fault, which is about 70 miles long and runs through major East Bay cities. Some seismic experts say it is the one most likely to produce the next devastating U.S. quake.

Lance Armstrong looked unbeatable in the Tour de Suisse cycling race, easily preserving his commanding lead with one day of racing left.

The United States was eliminated from the FIFA World Youth Championship in baseball, losing to Egypt, 2-0, at Buenos Aires. . . . Baseball Coach Rick Jones will stay with Tulane rather than move to Georgia. . . . The Long Beach Ice Dogs minor league hockey team will open its sixth season Oct. 12 against the Bakersfield Condors at Bakersfield. The Ice Dogs’ home opener is Oct. 13 against the San Diego Gulls at the Long Beach Arena.