Arum Rips His Own Guy

Verbal attacks at boxing news conferences are nothing new. But a promoter blasting his own fighter?

In a scene truly bizarre, even for boxing, promoter Bob Arum ripped Floyd Mayweather, Jr. for failing to show up Thursday at a news conference in Las Vegas to discuss the defense of his World Boxing Council lightweight title Saturday against Jose Luis Castillo.

Castillo was on hand at Mandalay Bay Hotel, as were the two heavyweights -- Wladimir Klitschko and Jameel McCline -- who will fight in the main event at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.

“He’s getting paid $2.4 million,” said Arum, pointing to Mayweather’s empty seat on the dais. “Both of the heavyweights together [McCline $1 million, Klitschko $950,000] are not getting that much. Does that make any sense, particularly when Floyd Mayweather doesn’t have the decency to show up? I feel sorry about this. I really do, I want to apologize for him.”

-- Steve Springer

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Female boxing star Christy Martin threatened to pull out of tonight’s scheduled fight with Mia St. John, citing a lack of money.

Martin and St. John are scheduled to headline a boxing card in the Silverdome at Pontiac, Mich., but Martin said she has not been paid her estimated $300,000 purse.

Motor Sports

Formula One will race in Southern California as vintage cars participate in the 29th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 11-13.

Jim Michaelian, president and chief executive of the Grand Prix Assn., of Long Beach, said 24 cars will race, with a Sunday race preceding the CART Champ Car World Series. Most of the cars will be from 1976-83, when F-1 raced at Long Beach.

Bobby Rahal has chosen Kenny Brack to drive his team’s first full-season entry in the Indy Racing League.... Casey Mears is the surprise choice to replace Jimmy Spencer next year in the No. 41 Target/Chip Ganassi Racing Dodge in NASCAR’s Winston Cup racing series.

Miscellany

The Utah Starzz are moving to San Antonio, the third WNBA franchise to either relocate or shut down this year.

Figure skating coach Tatiana Tarasova announced she has split with collaborator Nikolai Morozov and will no longer coach U.S. ice dance champions Naomi Lang and Peter Tchernyshev or world ice dance silver medalists Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz of Canada.