LAS VEGAS - James Toney didn't just stop Evander Holyfield with a dominating performance Saturday night. He may have ended his career.
Making his heavyweight debut, Toney exposed Holyfield as an aging fighter with fading reflexes before stopping him at 1 minute, 42 seconds of the ninth round.
The sight of Holyfield going down from a body punch was followed by another sight never seen before in his 20-year career: his cornermen jumping in the ring to save their fighter.
Toney joined Riddick Bowe as fighters who stopped Holyfield, who turns 41 in two weeks.
HORSES: Frankel gets record win
Sightseek cruised to a 41/2-length win over Bird Town at Belmont Park in the $750,000 Beldame Stakes. The 4-year-old filly won her fourth straight Grade I race and is likely to be favored when she meets Horse of the Year Azari in the Breeders' Cup Distaff on Oct.25. It was trainer Bobby Frankel's 23rd Grade I win this year, breaking the record of 22 set by D. Wayne Lukas in 1987.
BREEDERS' CUP PREPS: At Belmont Park, Birdstone caught favorite Chapel Royal in the stretch and won the $500,000 Champagne for 2-year-olds; Society Selection was a surprise winner over Victory U.S.A. in the $500,000 Frizette for 2-year-old fillies; long-shot Freefourinternet nosed out Proud Man to take the $250,000 Kelso Breeders' Cup. ... At Keeneland, Perfect Soul passed four horses in the stretch and finished three-quarters of a length ahead of Honor in War in the Grade I Shadwell Turf Mile; Eurosilver pulled away for a 43/4-length win over Tiger Hunt in the Grade II Lane's End Breeders' Futurity for 2-year-olds. ... At Santa Anita, Pleasantly Perfect won the $500,000 Goodwood Handicap for the second straight year.
TENNIS: Dent in another final
Taylor Dent hit 18 aces at up to 132 mph to beat defending champion Paul-Henri Mathieu 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (7-1) at the Kremlin Cup in Moscow and reach a second straight ATP Tour final. Dent plays Sargis Sargsian today.
COLLEGES: Gator golfers second
The Florida women's golf team was second at 19-over 595 at the Franklin Street Partners Invitational in Chapel Hill, N.C. Duke led at 564. UF's Aimee Cho was fourth with 142, and Naree Song and Tarah McNaughton, both of Bradenton, were tied for 10th at 148. ... The Gator men totaled 572 to move into second at the Carpet Capital Collegiate in Dalton, Ga., four behind Clemson. UF's Camilo Villegas and Jessie Mudd were tied for eighth at 142s.
CROSS COUNTRY: The UF women were second and the men fifth at the FinishLynx/Murray Keatinge Invitational in Orono, Maine.
MEN'S SOCCER: J.R. Casadonte of St. Petersburg scored the winner as host USF upset UAB 2-1.
MEN'S TENNIS: The Bulls' Fredy Barton beat teammate German Escallon 6-3, 7-5 in the USF Fall Invitational quarterfinals. ... UF's Vlad Obradovic and Martin Stiegwardt made the singles and doubles rounds of 32 in prequalifying at the ITA All-America Championship in Chattanooga, Tenn. Obradovic plays with Trey Johnson and Stiegwardt with Chris Brandi.
VOLLEYBALL: Wake Forest downed host Florida State 30-18, 27-30, 30-19, 30-23. ... Host Eckerd beat rival Rollins 30-19, 30-18, 30-18. ... Host Tampa defeated Florida Tech 30-22, 30-13, 30-24.
ET CETERA
MLS: Chris Klein had two goals to lead host Kansas City over Colorado 4-2. ... Marco Etcheverry converted a penalty kick in the 59th minute as D.C. and host Columbus tied at 1 in overtime.
WRESTLING: Sweden's Aza Abrahamian failed to win a third straight title, losing 2-0 in overtime in the 185-pound final of the Greco-Roman World Championships in Creteil, France.
