WBC leader: Jones should be tested before Tarver fight
By Times Staff
Published August 30, 2005
MEXICO CITY - The World Boxing Council president said Monday that former champion Roy Jones should have intensive neurological testing before his Oct.1 fight against Antonio Tarver at the St. Pete Times Forum inTampa.
The boxing organization said in a news release that it was "deeply concerned" about the light heavyweight fight because Jones was knocked out in his past two bouts.
"We believe that (Jones) should have a solid economic position to live comfortably for the rest of his life, and he shouldn't let - for any reason - his pride as a great champion push him to risk his health or his life," WBC president Jose Sulaiman said.
Sulaiman urged Jones to get medical approval to participate in the fight "to eliminate doubts or health risks, especially in times like these when we are seeing accidents likely caused when athletes push themselves beyond what humans can tolerate."
Brad Jacobs , Jones' key adviser, dismissed the release as grandstanding by the WBC, which is not involved with the fight, does not rank Tarver in its top 10 and recognizes Tomasz Adamek as its champion.
"Our only response is that immediately following Roy's last fight and several times since and including in preparing for this fight, he had a battery of tests which all concludes he is 100 percent fit and ready to fight," Jacobs said.
Jacobs said he did not know if any of Jones' testing was neurological. But Jones had seen his private physician and an independent physician multiple times before deciding to fight Tarver again, Jacobs said.
Tarver, a Tampa resident, knocked out Jones in the second round in May 2004 to keep the WBC title. Jones won their first bout in a 12-round decision in November 2003 to win the championship. Jones was knocked out by Glen Johnson in September 2004.
Tarver, 23-3 with 18 knockouts, scored a one-punch knockout last year of Jones, who landed only seven punches.
Sulaiman has been outspoken in recent months about safety, launching an investigation into the July 1 death of Martin Sanchez and suggesting that Fernando Vargas seek medical advice after his less-than-impressive showing two weeks ago.
CYCLING
Union says it will investigate '99 Tour
The International Cycling Union said it will investigate reports of positive drug tests at the 1999 Tour de France, but stopped short of naming seven-time winner Lance Armstrong .
The allegations, which surfaced last week in the French daily sports newspaper L'Equipe, said Armstrong used the performance-enhancing drug EPO to help win his first Tour in 1999. Armstrong, a frequent target of L'Equipe, has denied the allegations.
The UCI said it regretted the breach of confidentiality in the disclosure of samples, but said it was pressing ahead with its own assessment.
FAKE LIVESTRONGS: Six people have pleaded guilty to charges connected to the sale of thousands of phony LiveStrong wristbands in New York and have turned over almost $112,000 to the Lance Armstrong Foundation, the state Attorney General's Office said.
SOCCER
Coach mum about roster
The U.S. national team had a light workout in preparation for its World Cup qualifying match Saturday with Mexico - although team officials didn't release a roster for the game.
Coach Bruce Arena joked that he wanted to release the list of those on the team, but it was being delayed by press officers.
Asked if this was an added degree of gamesmanship, he said, "There's no point in releasing our roster when we have to get through games. We have players playing today. Once we get everyone through their games, then we're in a position to release a roster. I suspect that'll happen on Wednesday."
INDUCTEES: Former U.S. national team stars John Harkes , Tab Ramos and Marcelo Balboa were inducted into the National Hall of Fame in Oneonta, N.Y.
ET CETERA
NBA: San Antonio signed veteran guard Nick Van Exel , 33, who was released by the Trail Blazers. ... Center Ervin Johnson returned to Milwaukee, signing a one-year deal with the team he played for from 1997-2003. ... Denver assistant Doug Moe has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and will have surgery next month.
NHL: Pittsburgh accepted the $1.6-million salary awarded defenseman Dick Tarnstrom in arbitration and signed its leading scorer from the 2003-04 season to the one-year deal.
SAILING: Defending America's Cup champion Alinghi of Switzerland won Act 6 of the Louis Vuitton regatta in Malmo, Sweden, with a day to spare, extending its winning streak to 21 match races.
EQUESTRIAN: Brazil's Rodrigo Pessoa received the Athens Olympic gold medal in the individual show-jumping event, nearly two months after Ireland's CianO'Connor decided not to appeal his disqualification in a doping case. O'Connor won but forfeited the medal when his horse, Waterford Crystal , failed a drug test.
TRACK: Discus thrower Neelam Jaswant Singh of India and Ukrainian hammer thrower Vladyslav Piskunov tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs at the world championships, the International Association of Athletics Federations said.
--Times staff writer John C. Cotey contributed to this report, which used information from other news organizations.
