South Florida Sun Sentinel du lieu suivant : Fort Lauderdale, Florida • 50

VI 30 10 OX Final TUT -ITT 930 13 ON 2D MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2004 SPORTS SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL HOPKINS- DE LA HOYA FIGHT ronni THAT'S ALL: Oscar De La Hoya writhes on the canvas as referee Kenny Bayless counts him out at 1:38 of the ninth round during the middleweight title fight in Las Vegas. AP Locher Boxers on opposite paths WIRE REPORTS LAS VEGAS Bernard Hopkins' future seems certain, full of big fights and bigger paydays. The future is less clear for Oscar De La Hoya. De La Hoya must deal with his first knockout loss and the possibility that he may be near the end of a brilliant career. A devastating hook to the body in the ninth round Saturday night didn't just help establish Hopkins as one of the all-time middleweight greats.

It also raised the question of whether De La Hoya might want to finally hang it up. "I really can't answer that now," said De La Hoya, 31. "You know us fighters have a love-hate relationship with boxing. I really l8r can't say yes or no. I was so focused on this fight that I just can't answer that." The answers are easier for the 39-year-old Hopkins, who became the first fighter to stop TENNIS Kuznetsova wins title, moves to No.

5 U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova won the Wismilak International on Sunday, defeating Germany's Marlene Weingartner 6-1, 6-4 in Bali, Indonesia, to advance to No. 5 in the rankings. This was the Russian's second consecutive title and the fifth in her WTA Tour Marat Safin won his first title in two years, beating Mikhail Youzhny 7-6 (4), 7-5 in an all-Russian China Open final in Beijing. Safin, a former U.S.

Open champ who has been struggling since an injury-plagued 2003, moved to No. 8 in the world. Justin Gimelstob of Delray Beach and Graydon Oliver won the doubles title. WNBA Sun downs Fever, clinches conference Reserve Asjha Jones scored 16 points and the host Connecticut Sun clinched the regular-season Eastern Conference title for the first time in its six-year history with an 80-60 win over the Indiana Fever. Indiana, already eliminated from the playoffs, got a 30-point performance from Tamika Becky Hammon and rookie Shameka Christon scored 18 points apiece, and the host New York Liberty earned a 79-75 victory over the Washington Mystics earn the second seed in the Eastern Conference Cheryl Ford and Barbara Farris each scored 15 to help the WNBA defending champion Detroit Shock clinch the East's third seed with a 68-54 victory against the visiting Charlotte Sting.

SOCCER Troubled Real Madrid loses to Espanyol Real Madrid missed a chance to stay atop the Spanish standings when it lost to Espanyol 1-0. Maxi Rodriguez provided the lone goal. Madrid, already without injured Zinedine Zidane and Luis Figo, dropped David De La Hoya while running his remarkable streak of successful title defenses to 19. His wallet fat with the $10 million or so he collected for beating De La Hoya, Hopkins has his eye on posterity as well. Hopkins said he wants to make at least one more title defense to become the first fighter to defend his title 20 times, then perhaps take on light-heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver or Roy Jones Jr.

in a huge money bout. "Money you can make and money you can lose," Hopkins said. "But history you can never erase. That's important. to go down in history and be talked about like Ray Robinson is talked about now." Hopkins, who was criticized for not capitalizing on his knockout of Felix Trinidad three years ago, doesn't plan to make the same mistake again after suddenly stopping Briefing STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS De La Hoya in a tactical fight that really didn't live up to its advance billing.

Hopkins and De La Hoya fought cautiously the first half of the fight before Hopkins began taking control in the seventh and eighth rounds behind his jab. De La Hoya was still competitive before a devastating left hook to his liver left him writhing on the deck. "It paralyzes you. You can't do anything about it, and you lose your breath," De La Hoya said. "You're stuck.

It's like you want to get up but can't." De La Hoya went down on his elbows and knees, his face contorted in pain before rolling over on his back as referee Kenny Bayless waved the fight to a close at 1:38 of the ninth round. "I feel proud but obviously very disappointed," De La Hoya said. "But I don't regret it at all." SPORTS ON TODAY SPORT EVENT TIME TV NCAA UAB-Florida State (T) Noon (SUN NCAA Florida Tennessee (T) Noon CSS Baseball Cubs-Marlins, game 1 1 p.m. (FSN) WOAM, WOBA, WINA Baseball Cubs-Marlins, game 2 4:30 p.m. PAX WOAM, WOBA, WINA Baseball Royals-Devil Rays 7 p.m.

(FSN) NFL Vikings-Eagles 9 p.m. 10 25 WFLL, WEFL CSS available in Broward and Miami-Dade counties only. Radio dials: WQAM (560-AM, Miami), WOBA (1140-AM, Spanish), WINA (640-AM), WEFL (760-AM, Palm Beach), WFLL (1400-AM, Fort Lauderdale). Beckham and Raul Gonzalez $4.20 and $3.30. Royal Regalia from the starting lineup and paid $4.50....

then had defender Walter Sightseek easily won the Samuel and right back Michel Grade I $300,000 Ruffian Salgado ejected. Handicap at Belmont by In other European games, lengths. Sent off as the 1-5 Juventus defeated Atalanta favorite, the 5-year-old mare 2-0 on David Trezeguet's two ran effortlessly under John goals, becoming the only team Velazquez to cover the 116 in the Italian league to win its miles in 1:41.51 over a fast first two games. Also, track, paying $2.50 and $2.10. first two games.

Also, Tottenham, which hasn't beaten Chelsea in 28 matches, held the Blues to a 0-0 draw in the Premier League. TRACK FIELD UM's Williams third in 100 in Monaco University of Miami student and Olympic gold and silver medalist Lauryn Williams (11.21 seconds) finished third in the 100 meters behind Jamaicans Veronica Campbell (10.91). and Aleen Bailey (11.16) in the World Athletics Final in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Former Lauderhill resident Lacena Golding-Clarke, representing Jamaica, took third in the 100 hurdles (12.69), behind Olympic champion Joanna Hayes (12.58) and American countrywoman Jenny Adams. Miami's Bershawn Jackson won the men's 400 hurdles with a personal best of 47.86.

HORSE RACING Soaring Free takes $1 million Atto Mile Favorite Soaring Free beat Perfect Soul by a length to win the $1 million Atto Mile on the turf at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto. Soaring Free won in a stakes record 1 minute, 32.72 seconds. Soaring Free, ridden by Todd Kabel, paid $6.30, $3.20 and $2.70. Perfect Soul finished second, paying Fast 4 ward Sun-Sentinel South Florida's 2000 election fiasco inspires Silver City, a political satire film. LIFESTYLE TODAY Get a head start on 2 theme events Halloween at parks.

with Florida's special AUTUMN LEAF TODAY LYNNE co the ST. KE High school football WASHINGTON standings, statistics, MUTUAL team-by-team schedules and state polls. SPORTS TOMORROW Could new banking 4 help rules BUSINESS or for hurt TOMORROW checkbooks you? Pocus Hocus paid $2.10 (no show wagering). In stakes races for 2-year-olds, Park Avenue Ball won the Grade II Futurity, and Sense of Style won the Grade I Matron for Harness racing driver Bruce Ranger set a Pompano Park record late Saturday when he won nine races on the same card. He bettered Brian Sears' eight victories on Feb.

15, 2003. Ranger, 44, competed in 17 of the 18 races on the program. ET CETERA Ex-Gibbons: standout M. Yastrzemski dies Mike Yastrzemski, who played baseball at Cardinal Gibbons High and Florida State, died Wednesday at age 44. The son of Boston Red Sox great and Hall of Famer Carl Yastrzemski died from a blood clot, a complication from hip surgery a few days earlier, according to the Eagle-Tribune in Andover, Mass.

Yastrzemski lived in Holyoke, but while at FSU, he played in 279 games from 1980-83 and still ranks in the top 10 in eight categories, including RBI (223) and runs (244). Yastrzemski is survived by his former wife, Ann Marie (Wesson), son Michael Andrew, 16, and by his father Carl Yastrzemski, who splits his time between Boxford, and Boca Raton. WOODLANDS COUNTRY CLUB By "Par" S. Florida's Favorite Member Owned Private Golf and Country Club. SINGLE FAMILY GOLF.

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