NEW YORK - Vitali Klitschko learned one thing in February as he sat in his brother Wladimir's corner watching him take a beating at the fists of Corrie Sanders: No matter how good you are, any heavyweight is just one big punch from defeat.
"In the heavyweight division, it's one shot and that's it," Klitschko said. "In this division, you always have to be careful and pay attention in the ring."
That's one reason Klitschko said he has prepared for tonight's bout with Kirk Johnson as he would for a heavyweight title fight. He knows all the credit he got for standing up to Lennox Lewis could fade with a few well-placed punches from Johnson.
Klitschko (32-2, 31 KOs) must beat Johnson to prove his fight with Lewis wasn't a fluke and to keep alive any hope of a rematch with the WBC heavyweight champ. But Lewis may retire without fighting again, and if he does, the winner of the Klitschko-Johnson fight likely will meet Sanders for the WBC title.
Tonight's scheduled 12-round bout at Madison Square Garden will determine the WBC's No. 1 challenger. Johnson's (34-1-1, 25 KOs) loss came in a WBA title fight with John Ruiz, in which he was disqualified for low blows.
AUTOS: Dale Jr. is tops with fans
Dale Earnhardt Jr. was voted NASCAR's most popular driver, marking the first time a father and son have won. Dale Earnhardt was the posthumous winner in 2001. Earnhardt Jr. received more than 1.3-million of the more than 3-million votes cast. Four-time Winston Cup champ Jeff Gordon was second with 348,629.
REVIEW: NASCAR officials meet today to look at whether the 2004 Nextel Cup champion will be determined by the same points system. Before Brian France handed over the CEO position this year to his son, Bill France Jr. indicated changes to the system used since 1975 were likely. Brian France said a decision could come as late as January.
SOCCER: Grenada or Guyana?
The United States will start its long path to the 2006 World Cup with a two-game series against Grenada or Guyana in June. Grenada and Guyana were picked in a qualifying draw to meet in a first-round home-and-home series Feb. 18 and March 31. The United States, which has a first-round bye, plays the winner at home June 13 and on the road June 19 or 20. It will be the first two-game series for the United States in Cup qualifying since 1988, when the Americans played a scoreless tie at Jamaica, then won the second leg 5-1. That U.S. team went on to qualify for its first Cup since 1950.
U20: The United States advanced to the second round of the FIFA World Youth Championship, beating South Korea 2-0 in the United Arab Emirates to win its first-round group in the tournament for under-20 teams.
GOLF: Swedes lead qualifier
Swedes Daniel Chopra and Mathias Gronberg shared the lead at the halfway point of the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament in Winter Garden. Chopra, tied for seventh after two rounds, shot 65 for 13-under 203. Gronberg, who held at least a share of the lead through three rounds, shot 67. The top 30 after the sixth round Monday receive 2004 tour cards.
PGA GRAND SLAM OF GOLF: U.S. Open winner Jim Furyk putted just 12 times on the final nine holes as he opened with 5-under 67 for a five-stroke lead over Masters champion Mike Weir at Poipu Beach, Hawaii. British Open champ Ben Curtis shot 73 and PGA champion Shaun Micheel 75 in the 36-hole event for the winners of this year's majors.
HONG KONG OPEN: Richard McEvoy shot 2-under 68 for a three-stroke lead over defending champion Fredrik Jacobson (65). McEvoy, a European tour rookie, finished 10-under 130.
OBITUARY: Jace Bugg, a professional diagnosed with leukemia last year, died in Evansville, Ind. He was 27. Mr. Bugg was in contention for a spot on the PGA Tour before his diagnosis. He played on the Buy.com Tour with his victory in the 2002 Arkansas Classic after earning a spot in the tournament as a Monday qualifier.
ET CETERA
FIGURE SKATING: Russia's Evgeni Plushenko overcame apparent pain from an injured knee and Michelle Kwan overcame a fall to win the International Challenge in Auburn Hills, Mich. The non-prize money event featured four men and seven women and lacked clean skating. All either fell, stepped out of landings or popped jumps. American Sasha Cohen finished third, despite three falls.
HORSES: Pacing Triple Crown winner No Pan Intended was retired. He had 17 victories in 21 races. The leading contender for harness racing's Horse of the Year, No Pan Intended finished with a win in the Breeders Crown for 3-year-old colts at the Meadowlands.
WINTER SPORTS: American Daron Rahlves (1:39.59) won a World Cup downhill in Beaver Creek, Colo., finishing .69 seconds ahead of Austria's Stephan Eberharter and Norway's Bjarne Solbakken.
