Berbick nephew is charged in his beating death

A 20-year-old nephew of former heavyweight boxing champion Trevor Berbick and another man have been charged with beating him to death and leaving his body in a church courtyard, police said Friday.

Harold Berbick, who had been involved in a land dispute with his uncle, allegedly killed him as part of the long-running feud, police Sgt. Jubert Llewellyn said.

The nephew and Kenton Gordon, an 18-year-old from the same eastern region of the Caribbean island, were detained this week and charged late Thursday. At a court hearing Friday, they were ordered to remain in custody in Portland parish, about 80 miles east of Kingston.

They confessed to the crime during an interrogation, said Det. Sgt. Kenneth Bailey of the Port Antonio police. Their next court appearance is set for Tuesday.

The body of Berbick, who was believed to be 51, was discovered Oct. 28 outside a Portland church. Berbick grew up in the area and returned to live there after his deportation from the United States in 2002.

Berbick was the last boxer to face Muhammad Ali in the ring and briefly held the World Boxing Council heavyweight title before losing it to Mike Tyson in 1986.

The retired fighter died from multiple blows to the back of his head, police said. A two-inch-thick metal pipe recovered from the scene was believed to be the weapon used.

TENNIS

Davydenko ends Ancic’s bid for Masters Cup

Fourth-seeded Nikolay Davydenko ended ninth-seeded Mario Ancic’s bid to qualify for the season-ending Masters Cup with a 6-3, 6-3 victory in the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters.

Davydenko will next play sixth-seeded Tommy Robredo, who beat 14th-seeded Jarkko Nieminen, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4), 6-4.

The Masters Cup, which starts Nov. 12 in Shanghai, is reserved for the top eight players on the ATP Tour. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Andy Roddick, Ivan Ljubicic, Davydenko, Robredo and David Nalbandian have qualified so far.

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Qualifier Kaia Kanepi upset second-seeded Francesca Schiavone, 6-2, 7-5, to advance to the semifinals of the Gaz de France at Hasselt, Belgium. Schiavone broke first in both sets, but the 91st-ranked Kanepi rallied to win.

Kanepi will play Michaella Krajicek, who defeated third-seeded Ana Ivanovic, 6-3, 6-4. Top-seeded Kim Clijsters beat Sandra Kloesel, 6-1, 6-0, and will play sixth-seeded Vera Zvonareva, who beat Aravane Rezai, 7-6 (5), 6-2.

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Top-seeded Jelana Jankovic dropped out of the Bell Challenge at Quebec City, retiring because of pain in her lower back after eighth-seeded Olga Poutchkova took a 2-6, 6-4, 3-1 lead in their quarterfinal match.

Poutchkova’s win set up a semifinal match against fourth-seeded Severine Bremond, who beat Martina Sucha, 6-1, 6-4.

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The use of electronic line calling in tennis will expand in 2007 as officials from the Pacific Life Open announced the system would be used at its tournament in March at Indian Wells.

Following the lead of this year’s U.S. Open, the Australian Open in January will be the second Grand Slam event to use instant replay.

But use of the Hawk-Eye system at the Australian Open will be limited to one court, Rod Laver Arena, whereas the U.S. Open used the system on its two main show courts.

-- Lisa Dillman

MOTOR RACING

Vickers wins pole with record run

Brian Vickers, the last of 50 drivers to make a qualifying attempt at Texas Motor Speedway, knocked Elliott Sadler off the pole for Sunday’s NASCAR Nextel Cup Series Dickies 500 before Sadler even had time to get out of his car.

Moments after Sadler posted a lap of 195.390 mph to bump Kurt Busch off the top spot, Vickers, driving a Chevrolet, posted a fast lap of 196.235 mph to cap a record-setting qualifying session.

The top four drivers all surpassed the previous track record of 194.224, set by Bill Elliott in April 2002.

Among the drivers in the Chase for the championship, Kasey Kahne was the fastest, qualifying fourth in a Dodge at 194.812. Kahne trails leader Matt Kenseth by 210 points. Kenseth qualified 36th, the slowest of the contenders.

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Mark Martin earned his 30th NASCAR Busch Series pole with a fast lap of 192.589 mph in a Ford for tonight’s O’Reilly Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway. Kyle Busch will start his Chevrolet second after a lap of 191.986 mph.

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Clint Bowyer held the lead after a green-white finish to win the NASCAR Craftsman Trucks Series Silverado 350 at Texas Motor Speedway. Bowyer led 103 of 148 laps and finished 0.279 of a second ahead of Kyle Busch, giving Chevrolet a 1-2 finish.

BASEBALL

Twins’ Liriano probably out for 2007 season

Minnesota Twins pitching sensation Francisco Liriano will undergo Tommy John surgery on his left elbow and probably will sit out the 2007 season.

Liriano, 23, who went 12-3 with a 2.16 earned-run average as a rookie, met with specialist Dr. Lewis Yocum. The surgery is scheduled for Monday with team physician Dr. John Steubs assisting Yocum.

The ligament transplant procedure usually takes at least a year for recovery. Liriano pitched only six innings over the final two months because of pain in his left elbow.

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Greg Maddux of the Dodgers won his 16th Gold Glove, tying the record shared by pitcher Jim Kaat and third baseman Brooks Robinson. He has won the NL pitching award each year since 1990 except for 2003, when Atlanta’s Mike Hampton won.

San Francisco shortstop Omar Vizquel won his 11th Gold Glove, his second in a row in the NL after the nine straight he earned with the Cleveland Indians from 1993 to 2001. Atlanta center fielder Andruw Jones won for the ninth straight time, and St. Louis third baseman Scott Rolen won his seventh.

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Trevor Hoffman of the San Diego Padres and Francisco Rodriguez of the Angels won the awards for the best relief pitchers the major leagues. Hoffman saved 46 games to lead the National League. Rodriguez had 47 saves to lead the American League. Rodriguez gets a $100,000 bonus from the Angels for winning.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL

Ohio State’s Matta gets new contract

Thad Matta was rewarded for winning a Big Ten Conference title and guiding the Ohio State men’s program through an NCAA investigation with a new contract. Matta, 39, agreed to a new deal that runs through the 2014-15 season and will pay him almost $1.9 million this season and more than $2.6 million in the final year.

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UC Riverside men’s Coach David Spencer has requested and been granted a medical leave of absence, Director of Athletics Stan Morrison announced. Associate head coach Vonn Webb will serve as interim head coach.

MISCELLANY

Safety Board says wind caused Lidle’s crash

A light wind was cited by federal investigators for blowing a small airplane carrying Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and flight instructor Tyler Stanger off course and into a New York City high-rise on Oct. 11.

The National Transportation Safety Board said the wind, coupled with the pilot’s inability to turn sharply, forced the aircraft away from its intended path over the East River.

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Daisuke Takahashi of Japan topped the men’s standings at Skate Canada in Victoria after the short program with 78.80 points. American Johnny Weir was second at 76.28, followed by the Czech Republic’s Tomas Verner (71.30).