Holyfield Is Suspended by New York Officials

Evander Holyfield was suspended indefinitely by New York boxing officials in the wake of his lopsided loss Saturday night to journeyman Larry Donald.

Ron Stevens, chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission, told the New York Daily News on Monday that Holyfield was suspended because “to my practiced mind, Holyfield shouldn’t be fighting anymore. It’s the responsibility of the state athletic commission to save a boxer from himself.”

The 42-year-old former four-time heavyweight champion must seek medical clearance if he wants to fight again in the United States. All other state commissions are expected to honor the suspension.

Holyfield said the commission was involved in a “conspiracy” to get him out of boxing and that he would contest the ban.

Tennis

Lleyton Hewitt came back to beat Carlos Moya, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4, in a first-round match at the ATP Masters Cup Championships at Houston. In another match, Marat Safin needed only one hour to beat Guillermo Coria, 6-1, 6-4. Coria played his first match in over three months after surgery on his right shoulder. In a night match, second-seeded Andy Roddick defeated Tim Henman, 7-5, 7-6 (6).

As expected, Lindsay Davenport finished No. 1 in the world in the year-end WTA rankings. Davenport won a WTA Tour-leading seven titles and had a 22-match winning streak during the summer hardcourt season.

Jurisprudence

New York Yankee star Gary Sheffield and his wife were the targets of a blackmailer who claimed to have embarrassing sexual videotapes of her and a musician, the slugger said.

“I will not be blackmailed. I will not have my family dragged through the mud and filth,” Sheffield said in a statement read by his Chicago-based business agent, Rufus Williams.

The Yankee outfielder said his wife, DeLeon, “had a long-term relationship with a well-known professional singer over 10 years ago.” Sheffield said he had known about the relationship, which came before the couple married.

Derrick Mosley, 38, was charged Monday with operating a scheme to defraud for allegedly trying to extort money from a professional athlete, who was not named.

Miscellany

David Frost, the agent for jailed former NHL player Mike Danton, has been banned from attending games and events of the Central Junior A Hockey League. The ban follows an incident in Jim Durrell Arena in Ottawa on Saturday in which Frost entered an area off limits to fans, a league news release said, adding that Frost “accosted, harassed and threatened an official of the CJHL.”

Jason Taylor, head professional at Jurupa Hills Country Club in Riverside, has been named golf pro of the year by the Southern California PGA. Jerry Elwell, who teaches out of the PGA of Southern California Golf Club in Beaumont, was named teacher of the year. Chris Starkjohann of Encinitas was the association’s player of the year and Bob E. Smith of Ventura the senior player of the year.

A memorial service for Lennox Miller, a silver medalist in the 1968 Olympics and a sprinter for two USC national championship track teams, will be at 3 p.m. Friday at United University Church at USC. A reception will follow at Heritage Hall.

Miller competed for Jamaica in the Mexico City Games and finished second in the 100-meter dash.

Miller died of cancer Nov. 8 in Pasadena. He was 58.

Information: (213) 748-0209.

Passings

Larry Williams, a Louisville basketball player in the 1970s who later spent five seasons in Europe, died at age 48. Williams’ body was found at a Louisville motel Saturday, Jefferson County Deputy Coroner R.D. Jones said. The cause of death was not immediately known.

T.J. Simers has the day off.