Lewis-Holyfield Judge Says View Was Obscured

The judge at the center of the controversial Lennox Lewis-Evander Holyfield draw said Thursday in New York that her view of the fight was obscured at times by photographers.

Testifying at a New York state Senate hearing, Eugenia Williams also said that after watching a tape of Saturday’s heavyweight unification fight, she would have scored it a draw, instead of 115-113 for Holyfield.

That scoring, however, would not have changed the outcome. If Williams had scored the fifth round for Lewis, her card would have been 114-114, and the decision would have been a majority draw.

Williams, of Atlantic City, N.J., appeared at a hearing conducted by the state Senate Committee on Investigations and maintained that she had correctly judged the fight.

After watching a replay, Williams said she would have scored the fifth round for Lewis.

But she added, “What I saw that night is not what the camera saw. They were at a different angle than I was. I only score the blows I see.”

Williams, a 10-year veteran of judging who works as a $39,200-a-year accounts clerk for Atlantic City, confirmed reports that she had filed for bankruptcy recently, but said there had been no attempt by anyone to help her financially for influencing her judgment.

“Absolutely not,” she replied.

Meanwhile, a still furious Lewis returned home to London and demanded that “everything should be looked into.”

He urged Holyfield to hand over the World Boxing Assn. and International Boxing Federation titles.

“If Evander’s a man, he should admit that he got beat and give me my belts,” the World Boxing Council champion said. “But he’s not that kind of character.

“You could say that Evander Holyfield is holding my belts right now for me. They’re actually my belts, but he’s holding them.”

Separately, Manhattan District Atty. Robert Morgenthau has convened a grand jury to issue subpoenas and gather testimony about Saturday’s bout. The New York state Athletic Commission also is investigating.

Miscellany

Boris Becker played his first tennis match in the United States in three years, and he’ll have at least one more.

The German, who has been flirting with retirement since 1997, beat Gianluca Pozzi of Italy, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4, in the opening round of the Lipton Championships at Key Biscayne, Fla.

Playing in his final U.S. tournament, Becker plans to enter Wimbledon this summer and then retire. His wife is expecting their second child in August.

Michael Chang, losing his fourth match in a row, was eliminated by Juan Antonio Marin of Costa Rica, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (9-7), and Petr Korda of the Czech Republic lost to Christian Ruud of Norway, 6-2, 7-6 (8-6).

The No. 10 UCLA women’s tennis team narrowly defeated No. 27 Miami, 5-4, at the LA Tennis Center. The teams split in singles play and the match was decided on the third doubles match, when the Bruins’ Brandi Freudenberg and Petya Marinova defeated Sophie Cortina and Marcy Hora, 8-4. UCLA (13-3) plays No. 12 Pepperdine (11-3) today at 1:30 at the LA Tennis Center.

A boy in Brownsville, Texas, who suffered brain damage while playing high school football, and his family have won a nearly $15-million jury award from the company that made the boy’s helmet.

After six hours of deliberation, federal jurors awarded $11.45 million to Joe Rodriguez, a former Los Fresnos High football player, and his mother, Raquel Rodriguez.

Prejudgment interest currently puts the total award around $14.5 million, said plaintiffs’ attorney Arnold Aguilar. Riddell Sports Inc. of Chicago said it will appeal the decision.

Ukrainian shotputter Vita Pavlysh, a gold-medal winner at the World Indoor Championships this month, was suspended for two years by her federation for failing a drug test after her victory in Japan.

Top-ranked Oklahoma State narrowly led Iowa after a mostly upset-free first round of the NCAA Division I wrestling championships at State College, Pa.

Mike Mendoza of Cal State Bakersfield defeated No. 4 Troy Marr of Minnesota at 149 pounds in the round’s biggest upset.