Berbick, who won Ali’s last fight, is found dead

Trevor Berbick, a former heavyweight champion best remembered for beating Muhammad Ali in Ali’s last fight, was found dead Saturday in a church courtyard in Kingston, Jamaica.

Berbick had chop wounds on his head, according to police, who are treating his death as a homicide. Berbick’s body was discovered about 6:30 a.m. in his hometown parish of Portland, according to constable Beverly Howell.

Berbick was listed as 52, according to boxing records, but various other sources claimed he was anywhere from 49 to 56.

Once asked to explain the discrepancy, Berbick said, “I’m a spirit. I have no age.”

After losing the heavyweight crown to Mike Tyson, Berbick floundered in the ring in subsequent big fights and his life outside the ring spiraled downhill. He ultimately landed in prison.

Ali was there in little more than spirit when he lost a unanimous decision to Berbick in the Bahamas in 1981. One month shy of his 40th birthday, Ali was long past his prime.

Berbick gained more credibility by winning the World Boxing Council heavyweight title in 1986 with a decision over Pinklon Thomas.

But that didn’t last long. Eight months later, Berbick faced 20-year-old Tyson, who stopped him in devastating fashion in the second round to become the youngest heavyweight champion ever. After knocking Berbick down once in the round, Tyson sent him back to the canvas with such force that Berbick, upon rising, fell down twice more without another punch being thrown.

Berbick, who finished 50-11-1 with 33 knockouts in a career that stretched from 1976 to 2000, was convicted of misdemeanor assault, raping a family baby sitter and second-degree grand theft in the 1990s.

Berbick eventually returned to Jamaica, his native country, where he had been serving as a coach at boxing clinics.

-- Steve Springer

TENNIS

Top-ranked Federer gets 23rd consecutive victory

Roger Federer rallied in a third-set tiebreaker to reach the Swiss Indoors final in Basel, beating Thailand’s Paradorn Srichaphan, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (5), for his 23rd consecutive victory.

The top-ranked Swiss, trying to win his hometown tournament for the first time, will play for the title today against defending champion Fernando Gonzalez, who beat Stanislas Wawrinka, 6-4, 6-4, in the other semifinal.

Marc Gicquel reached his first career final, defeating seventh-seeded Xavier Malisse, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (5), at the Lyon Grand Prix in France.

Gicquel will play fourth-seeded Richard Gasquet today in an all-French final. Gasquet defeated countryman Arnaud Clement, 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-1, in the other semifinal.

Third-seeded Mario Ancic beat wild-card entry Ernest Gulbis, 6-2, 6-3, to reach the St. Petersburg Open final in Russia, where he will face defending champion Thomas Johansson.

Johansson beat another wild-card player, Igor Kunitsyn, 6-3, 7-6 (3) to advance to the final.

Maria Sharapova, unbeaten since August, reached the Generali Ladies final with a 7-5, 7-5 victory over Patty Schnyder of Switzerland in Linz, Austria.

The top-seeded Sharapova will play for the title today against defending champion Nadia Petrova in an all-Russian final. Petrova, seeded second, defeated Nicole Vaidisova, 6-1, 6-2.

BASEBALL

Garciaparra, Bonds and Thomas are free agents

The Dodgers’ Nomar Garciaparra, San Francisco’s Barry Bonds and Oakland’s Frank Thomas topped 59 players who filed for free agency.

Oakland pitcher Barry Zito and Washington’s Alfonso Soriano are the biggest names available in this year’s free-agent class. Approximately 200 players are eligible to file by the Nov. 11 deadline, and free agents can start talking money with all teams the next day.

Under new rules this off-season, free agents do not face any deadlines to re-sign with their former teams. In the past, players had to re-sign by Dec. 7 (or Jan. 8 if offered salary arbitration) or else they could not return to their former teams until May 1. The deadlines were eliminated in baseball’s new labor contract.

MISCELLANY

Cintron stops Suarez for IBF welterweight title

Kermit Cintron stopped a nearly defenseless Mark Suarez in the fifth round with a series of combinations to win the vacant IBF welterweight title at West Palm Beach, Fla.

Cintron (27-1, 25 KOs), of Puerto Rico, forced Riverside’s Suarez (25-3) to take a knee and an eight-count. Suarez tried to continue, but Cintron pummeled him with shots to the head.

Norway’s Marit Bjorgen won the opening race of the World Cup cross-country ski season, winning a women’s freestyle event in front of a crowd of 150,000 in Duesseldorf, Germany.

Bjorgen, the defending World Cup overall champion, finished the 800 meters through downtown Duesseldorf in 1 minute 46.9 seconds. Eldar Ronning led a Norwegian sweep in the men’s freestyle sprint.

South Korea’s Olympic triple gold medalist Ahn Hyun-soo took his second 1,500-meter win in two weeks at a short-track speedskating World Cup meet in Jeonju, South Korea.

Anne Bersagel, who participated in cross-country and indoor and outdoor track and field at Wake Forest, was named the NCAA woman of the year.