2B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY OF DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY MAY 4, 2007
》 DO THE DREW
Boxing returns to limelight
Boxing is finally back in the limelight this weekend as Oscar De La
weekend as Oscar De La Hoya ("Golden Boy") and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. ("Pretty Boy") square off in a super welterweight title fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Saturday.
And, it's about time.
When I was in middle school, I remember begging my parents or my friends' parents to order the big fights with Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield. But, the heavyweight fighters have pretty much disappeared. The last undisputed heavyweight champ was Lewis in 2003.
BY DREW DAVISON
BY DREW DAVISON
KANSAN SPORTS COLUMNIST
DDAVISON@KANSAN.COM
And, after watching the heavyweights fight, I enjoyed watching Roy Jones, Jr. and De La Hoya in the lower classes.
I would say that the Tyson vs. Lewis heavyweight fight five years ago was the last big pay-per-view fight and let's be honest, that fight got 2.03 million pay-per view orders because people wanted to see Tyson do something crazy — which he didn't.
So, here we are in 2007,and
Saturday is the fight that will save boxing — at least that's what Richard Schaefer, CEO of De La Hoya Golden Boy Promotions, wants to happen.
From the way things look, it just might and I hope it does. Tickets sold out in three hours generating a Nevada record at $19 million. The second Lewis vs. Holyfield heavyweight title fight in 1999 brought in $16.8 million, the previous record.
Not just ticket sales, the promotion for this fight is like none I have ever seen either. The "De La Hoya/Mayweather 24/7" four-part series on HBO, which concluded last night, got most college-aged guys' attention. It aired right after "Entourage" and "The Sopranos."
And because of that, it has been reported that the first-show ratings averaged 1.2 million viewers. De La Hoya is a good, not great, fighter, but he is definitely marketable. Mayweather, meanwhile, is just entertaining to watch.
As for the fight. Mayweather is favored for a reason — maybe because he has yet to lose (37- 0, 30 KO). Yes, De La Hoya has more experience and a size advantage (De La Hoya is $^{5'11''}$ compared to Mayweather's $^{5'8''}$). But, Mayweather, 30, is younger than De La Hoya, 34, and has more speed. Mayweather is an aggressive fighter and I think he will be too much for De La Hoya to handle.
So, bottom line, this fight is worth splitting the $54.95 pay per view bill with some friends. And, don't worry; I'm sure there will still be plenty of tequila to drink at the bars after the fight on Cinco de Mayo.
Davison is an Overland Park senior in journalism.
Edited by Trevan McGee
Athletics calendar
TODAY
Baseball vs. Kansas State, 6:35 p.m. Manhattan Track at Arkansas Razorbacks Twilight, All day, Fayetteville, Ark.
SATURDAY
- Softball vs. Iowa State
  2 p.m. Ames, Iowa
- Baseball vs. Kansas
  State, 3 p.m. Hoglund
  Ballpark
Track at Nebraska Invitational, All day, Lincoln, Neb.
SUNDAY
Softball vs. Iowa State Noon, Ames, Iowa Baseball vs. Kansas State, I p.m. Hoglund Ballpark
》COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Majerus snags first recruit at St. Louis coaching job
ST. LOUISE — Just days into the job and new Saint Louis University coach Rick Majerus has his first recruit.
The Billikens announced late Wednesday the signing of 6-foot-7 power forward Barry Eberhardt, who was a thirdteam junior college All-American last season at Coffeyville College in Kansas. He averaged 17.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game while shooting 56 percent from the field.
scoring presence with the ability to pick and pop," Majerus said, "We are excited about his developing rebounding game in conjunction with a defensive commitment."
"Barry gives us a low post
Eberhardt joins Anthony Mitchell of East St. Louis (III.) High School and Chicago's Markus Reiphorde, who signed earlier in the signing period.
Majerus was introduced Monday.
Associated Press
Glasgow bound
Joerg Sarbach/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Bremen's Hugo Almeida from Portugal, left, and teammate Diego from Brazil react after losing the UEFA Cup semifinal second leg match to Espanyol Barcelona 2-1 on Thursday. Espanyol will face Primera Liga rival, Sevilla in Glasgow, Scotland on May 16.
Nowitski steps up late
BY JIM LITKE ASSOCIATED PRESS
》 NBA PLAYOFFS
Superstars come in all shapes and sizes.
Not so their egos, which are supposed to start at XXL and only get bigger from there.
Maybe that's why Dirk Nowitzki's "I'll-try-to-do-better" plea, made on the eve of Dallas' elimination game Tuesday night against Golden State in the first round of the NBA playoffs, rubbed so many people the wrong way.
First, his coach lit into him.
they've taken him out of his game and any lack of confidence," Avery Johnson said. "You're just not supposed to have that."
N e x t ,
Nowitzki's team-
mates called
a players-only
meeting, "just to
since Game 2 of the NBA finals a year ago; step up.
What followed were a dozen points in a 15-0 run the Mavericks strung together to close out the game, including two clutch threepointers, a perfectly timed block on Matt Barnes' layup attempt and a half-dozen free throws. That moved the series to Game 6 in Oakland.
"We got on Dirk's back and he carried us," teammate Devean George said afterward. "That's who he is for us."
Nowitzki can be a game-changer,
to be sure, and anybody who watched
Not exactly.
"I'm tired of hearing about how they've taken him out of his game and any lack of confidence.
AVERY JOHNSON Dallas coach
make sure," Jason Terry explained, "that everybody was on the same page."
Then, the Warriors clawed their way back from a 21-point deficit to take a 112-103 lead with just over three minutes left and dared Nowitzki to do something he hadn't done in 19 quarters of playoff basketball this season — really, ever
him carry most of the offensive load for the Mavericks throughout their 67-win regular season wouldn't quibble with him collecting the MVP next week. But those comparisons the past few days to basketball's holy
trinity — as in, "Michael, Larry and Magic never would have backed down, no matter how many double-teams opponents threw their way" — were overblown.
For one thing, Nowitzki just isn't that good. He's basically a first-rate shooter who rebounds adequately and doesn't play defense that well. Nowitzki needs his teammates at
least as much as they need him, which is what he was trying to explain when he said the Warriors' constant double-teaming was forcing him to find other ways to contribute "help out on defense more; hit the glass harder, as hard as I can, get some extra possessions; if I have a shot, try to knock it down and if I don't, move the ball and let someone else make a shot."
It didn't help that Nowitzki's former coach, Don Nelson, working the other sideline and still nursing a grudge against Mavericks owner Mark Cuban knew all of Nowitzki's weaknesses. Or that his Warriors' team, small and fast but rugged, presented matchup problems for Dallas at just about every spot on the floor.
That's why Golden State won six of its last seven regular-season games against the Mavericks, who averaged four points less and allowed 14 more than they did against the rest of the league. Nelson knew that forcing anyone other than Nowitzki to beat him was Golden State's best chance to pull off a historic upset. After the Mavericks dropped three of the first four in the best-of-seven series, Nowitzki knew it, too.
At the end, Nowitzki took advantage of all the free advice and asserted himself on the offensive end.
"He was more aggressive," Golden State's Baron Davis said. "I thought he was trying to take the ball to the basket and post up. Our guys did a great job defending him. But he was able to get to the line."
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