Heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson left Vancouver, British Columbia, after a whirlwind 24 hours that included sparring sessions with two pieces of camera equipment and a visit with estranged wife Robin Givens. Witnesses said Tyson grabbed a photographer’s camera and broke part of a television camera. Most of the incident was recorded on videotape as he stepped out of taxi and entered the Hotel Vancouver on Wednesday. Givens is in Vancouver filming an ABC television movie. Jasper Vance, an ABC publicist, said Tyson visited Givens on the set Wednesday and Thursday. “I don’t know whether this means they have affected a reconciliation,” he said. A member of the production staff who refused to give his name said Tyson and Givens were “very affectionate” when they were together on the set…
Thomas Hearns cast doubt on a rematch against Sugar Ray Leonard, but added that a bout with Marvin Hagler was possible. “There’s only a 30-to-35 percent chance of it coming off,” Hearns said in Los Angeles. “The man doesn’t want to talk.” Leonard, who rallied from a near certain defeat to stop Hearns in the 14th round of their 1981 welterweight title fight, differed with Hearns’ assessment. “I was led to believe the odds are close to 50-50,” Leonard said. “Maybe he doesn’t want to fight.”..
Former heavyweight champion George Foreman will continue his comeback Jan. 26 in Rochester, N.Y., with a 10-round fight against Mark Young, a Miami boxer. Foreman, 40, has won all of his 14 bouts by knockout since returning to the ring in March 1987 after a 10-year layoff. His overall record is 59-2 with 56 knockouts.
BASEBALL WINFIELD’S CONTRIBUTIONS FAILED TO MEET OBLIGATION
Dave Winfield failed to make at least $300,000 in required contributions to his charitable foundation since 1982, Internal Revenue Service documents show. The documents, obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, show Winfield contributed $175,000 to his foundation from the years 1982-83 and 1985-87. Under the 10-year contract he signed with the Yankees, he is required to contribute $100,000 per year to the David M. Winfield Foundation. Winfield paid $115,000 in 1982, nothing in 1983, $35,000 in 1985, $25,000 in 1986 and nothing in 1987, according to foundation’s tax returns. The 1984 return could not be obtained, however, a source who asked not to be identified said it showed Winfield contributed $60,000. With that amount, the shortfall totaled $365,000. Winfield sued George Steinbrenner last Friday, charging the Yankees’ owner with failing to make his required $300,000 yearly contribution, as agreed in a memorandum between Steinbrenner and the foundation signed Dec. 14, 1980. Steinbrenner countersued Monday, charging Winfield with failing to make required payments.
RHODEN SAYS HE’LL STAY PUT
Rick Rhoden says he’s looking forward to wearing a Houston Astros uniform despite rumors he’ll be used as part of a trade for a power hitter. “Bill Wood (Astros general manager) told me he intends to keep me,” Rhoden said. “But you never know. Anything can happen.” The Astros obtained Rhoden from the New York Yankees on Tuesday for three minor league players, outfielder John Fishel and pitchers Mike Hook and Pedro DeLeon…
A bill that would form a metropolitan tax district for the purpose of building a baseball-only stadium in Denver will be introduced in the Colorado Legislature next week. The proposal, created by Denver businessman Neil Macey and Denver Zephyrs owner John Dikeou, will be sponsored in the General Assembly by Rep. Kathi Williams, R-Westminster, and Sen. Terry Considine, R- Arapahoe County…
Mike Smithson, a free agent pitcher who had agreed to salary arbitration with Boston, agreed to a one-year, $470,000 contract with the Red Sox. Three other players who were eligible for arbitration agreed to one-year contracts. Outfielder Joe Orsulak and Baltimore agreed to $280,000, double his 1988 salary. Infielder Rick Schu and the Orioles agreed to $170,000 a $5,000 raise. Catcher Mark Salas and the Chicago White Sox agreed to $237,500, a raise from his 1988 salary of $185,000.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL HOLTZ NAMED COACH OF YEAR BY ‘THE SPORTING NEWS’
Lou Holtz, who led Notre Dame to a 12-0 record and a national championship, has been named The Sporting News’ college football coach of the year. Notre Dame climaxed its perfect season with a 34-21 victory over West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl at Phoenix, Ariz., on Jan. 2. Holtz, who coached 16 collegiate seasons before taking over the Fighting Irish in 1986, led them to 5-6 and 8-4 records his first two seasons there. Holtz is the first Notre Dame coach to win the Sporting News salute since Ara Parseghian won in 1966…
Don Nehlen, who led West Virginia to the first perfect regular season (11-0) in its 96-year football history, was named major-college Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association…
NBC Sports’ telecast of the Fiesta Bowl game between Notre Dame and West Virginia drew a 17.0 national rating, the highest of any bowl game this year, the network said. Playing opposite the Fiesta Bowl, ABC’s Rose Bowl had a 10.8 rating, lowest in the television history of the game, NBC said. The rating means an average of 17 percent of all U.S. TV households were tuned into the Fiesta Bowl, or about 15.4 million households. CBS’ Cotton Bowl drew a 9.8 rating, lowest in its history, and the Hall of Fame Bowl on NBC had an 8.1. The Citrus Bowl, on ABC, had a 7.2 rating. Ratings were announced earlier for NBC’s Orange Bowl (12.8) and ABC’s Sugar Bowl (8.1), which faced each other in prime time…
Penn State tailback Blair Thomas, a third-team All-America selection in 1987 sidelined by a knee injury for all of last season, said he will return for a final season with the Nittany Lions. Thomas ran for 1,414 yards on 268 carries in 1987, the third-best single-season total at the university. He also caught 23 passes for 300 yards and set a school record for all-purpose yards in 1987, with 1,772.
TENNIS MCENROE UPSETS WILANDER IN THE RIO INTERNATIONAL
John McEnroe and world No. 2 Ivan Lendl scored straight-set victories in the Rio International at Adelaide, Australia. McEnroe, ranked 11th in the world, upset No. 1 Mats Wilander of Sweden 6-4, 6-3. Lendl scored a 6-4, 7-6 (8-6) triumph over Australian Mark Woodeforde. The event, a six-man round- robin exhibition, is a warmup for the Australian Open, which starts Monday at Melbourne…
Aaron Krickstein and Mary Joe Fernandez advanced, but Helena Sukova was upset in the $350,000 New South Wales Open at Sydney, Australia. The third- seeded Krickstein, ranked 14th in the world, advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 6-4 second-round victory over Joey Rive. Fernandez reached the quarterfinals with a 6-7, 6-2, 6-1 victory over Gretchen Magers in a third- round match. Sukova lost 6-3, 6-0 to Catarina Lindqvist…
Second-seeded Ramesh Krishnan and unseeded Richey Reneberg scored second- round victories in the $145,000 New Zealand Open at Auckland, New Zealand. Krishnan beat Tobias Svantesson 6-3, 6-3. Reneberg upset third-seeded Milan Srejber 6-3, 6-4.
WINTER SPORTS FIGINI LEADS SWITZERLAND TO TOP DOWNHILL FINISH
Defending World Cup champion Michela Figini led the Swiss to a sweep of three of the top four places in a World Cup downhill race at the new Tschuggen course on Mt. Eiger in Grindelwald, Switzerland. Figini, 22, was timed in 1 minute, 55.82 seconds, for an average speed of 58.8 mph, down the tough, bumpy course. At 3,062 meters, it’s the longest women’s downhill on the tour “but just the kind of course that suits me,” Figini said. Figini was a half a second ahead of teammate Beatrice Gafner, while Carole Merle of France was third, .74 behind Figini. Maria Walliser of Switzerland was fourth…
American Nelson Carmichael will try to extend his World Cup freestyle skiing lead this weekend in the fifth annual Subaru World Cup Freestyle at Whiteface Mountain in Lake Placid, N.Y. Competition begins today with the mogul competition, a series of high-speed turns on a bumpy slope. Carmichael, of Steamboat Springs, Colo., won the first two World Cup men’s mogul races this season in France and finished second to Norway’s Hans Eide Engelsen in the third mogul run last week at Mont Gabriel, Quebec.
MISCELLANEOUS CANADIAN OFFICIAL: JOHNSON MOBILIZED ANTI-DRUG EFFORTS
The Ben Johnson scandal did more to mobilize international anti-doping efforts than any other event, a Canadian government official told a judicial inquiry into the problem Thursday. Raising the sprinter’s name publicly for the first time since the investigation was called for months ago, Lyle Makosky said in Toronto that Johnson’s positive drug test at the Seoul Olympics exposed the strengths and weaknesses of the system. “It raised the issue on the worldwide agenda in a rather dramatic fashion,” said Makosky, a senior assistant to Sports Minister Jean Charest. But he said the international movement against doping in sports still is plagued by lack of leadership and has no consistent approach to the problem…
Manitoba will become the first Canadian province to impose mandatory drug testing on amateur body builders, at the provincial championships in June, the president of the Manitoba Amateur Body Building Association said. Randy Pearson said it’s time to start weeding out steroid users. “They are taking the place of people who don’t use steroids by winning at a lower level and then not being able to compete after that, because there is testing on national and international levels,” Pearson said…
Greg Foster, two-time world champion in the men’s 110-meter high hurdles, has entered the Feb. 3 Millrose Games at Madison Square Garden in New York, where he will face two-time Olympic champion Roger Kingdom. Foster, the 1984 Olympic silver medalist, and Kingdom will meet in the 55-meter hurdles.
