Match Gives ‘Lights Out’ Some New Meaning

James “Lights Out” Toney, a former middleweight, super-middleweight and cruiserweight world champion now fighting as a heavyweight, did not care for the pace of last weekend’s World Boxing Organization title fight between former sparring partners Lamon Brewster, who was making his first defense, and Kali Meehan.

“It was like two friends touching each other, ‘I’ll touch you, then you touch me,’ ” Toney said in a conference call with reporters.

“It was garbage. It was so boring, I fell asleep with the dog.”

*

More Lights Out: Having recovered from an Achilles’ heel injury that postponed a bout in February, Toney will return to the ring at the Pechanga Resort and Casino on Sept. 23 to fight Rydell Booker on Fox Sports Net’s “Best Damn Sports Show Period.”

Toney knows that a more heavily anticipated bout between Bernard Hopkins and Oscar De La Hoya for the undisputed middleweight world title will go down five days earlier. Not that Toney’s looking forward to it.

“Oscar is scared and he’ll run,” Toney said. “I’m not going to buy it [on pay-per-view]. I have a black box so I’ll steal it.”

*

Trivia time: Who were the first three Dodgers whose numbers were formally retired by the team?

*

Looking back: On this date in 1972, the U.S. men’s basketball team lost its first game in Olympic competition, falling to the Soviet Union, 51-50, in a much-disputed ending.

William Jones, secretary general of the International Amateur Basketball Federation, had the referees replay the final three seconds and the Soviets scored a last-second basket.

The U.S., which had the lead when the buzzer sounded the first time, protested in vain and later refused to accept the silver medal.

*

Coaching search: According to El Informador in Mexico, the expansion Chivas USA club, which has yet to announce its official name and will begin Major League Soccer play at the Home Depot Center next spring, has four coaching candidates.

The contenders are Javier “Zully” Ledezma, Jose Manuel “Chepo” de la Torre, Fernando Quirarte and Sergio Lugo Barron.

*

Low on ammo: David Thomas of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, on running back LaDanian Tomlinson’s being the San Diego Chargers’ lone offensive threat: “What do Marty Schottenheimer and Barney Fife have in common? Both have one bullet.”

*

Looking back II: On this date in 1993, Mexican boxing legend Julio Cesar Chavez suffered the first blemish on his record with a majority draw against Pernell Whitaker when two judges scored the bout, 115-115, and the third favored Whitaker, 115-113. Chavez was 87-0 before the fight.

*

Trivia answer: Jackie Robinson, No. 42; Roy Campanella, No. 39, and Sandy Koufax, No. 32, on June 4, 1972.

*

And finally: Channel 5’s Damon Andrews, on U.S. Open chair umpire Mariana Alves’ being dismissed after her questionable calls in Lindsay Davenport’s victory over Serena Williams:

“Alves has left the building.”