The Ottawa Journal from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada • Page 20

PAGE 20 Preparing for Holmes hardest: Ali CAMBRIDGE. Mass. (AP) Muhammad Ali said Saturday that training to fight Larry Holmes for the World Boxing Council heavyweight championship is the most difficult thing he has done in his life. The former heavyweight champion said he has lost 21 pounds in the last eight weeks to bring his weight to 230 pounds. He is scheduled to fight Holmes in September.

Ali gave a 35-minute speech to members of the Harvard class of 1975, who gathered for their fifth-year reunion. In a question period afterward, Ali was asked to name the hardest thing he has ever done. "Getting ready for the last Spinks fight at my age," said Ali, 38, referring to his bout with Leon Spinks in which he regained the heavyweight title. Then he added: "No, this one now. This is harder." At a news conference later, Ali called Holmes a good fighter and said he was fighting Holmes rather than World Boxing Association champion Mike Weaver because "Holmes has knocked Weaver out." "Holmes is the best.

It's more prestigious to beat Holmes. Weaver later." Ali said he is motivated by his quest to gain the heavyweight title for the fourth time. "The main point is the record," he said. "Do you know how supreme I'll be?" "Four times the world champion. They say records are made to be broken.

I'll be the only one with a record that can't be broken." Reports have quoted his former physician. Dr. Ferdi Pacheco, and referred to an unnamed British neurologist, who have suggested Ali may have suffered brain damage. They say Ali has shown signs of slurred speech and slow movements. Briefly Scot retains WBC crown GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) Jim Watt of Scotland retained his World Boxing Council lightweight title by outpointing U.S.

challenger Howard Davis in 15 rounds Saturday. It was the third successful defence for the champion, 31, who took a lead over the New Yorker in the early rounds before winning a unanimous verdict from the three judges. A crowd of 15,000 braved pouring rain to see Watt, always calm and collected, outbox former Olympic champion Davis, who was unbeaten in 13 previous professional contests. Referee Carlos Padilla of the Philippines scored the fight 145-144, judge Angel Custodio Tovar of Venezuela scored 147-144 and judge Jose Guerra of Mexico had Watt a 149-142 winner. Davis, a narrow pre-fight favorite, was slow to settle in front of the shouting Scottish crowd.

Southpaw Watt completely dominated the opening half of the bout and although the challenger produced some telling late blows, the result was not in doubt. It was Watt's 37th victory in a 44-fight, 12-year professional career. He is unbeaten since 1976. The rugged Scot captured the vacant crown relinquished by Roberto Duran of Panama by defeating Alfredo Pitalua of Colombia at the Kelvin Hall here last year. He made two subsequent defences but was angered by U.S claims that Davis, although inexperienced, was the real champion.

Davis was voted best boxer at the 1976 Montreal Olympics but his lack of professional experience cost him Saturday. Watt earned an estimated $1 million for his victory in the first outdoors title fight in Glasgow for 20 years. Davis picked Up an estimated $300,000. Galindez-Camel fight postponed ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) The scheduled World Boxing Council cruiserweight championship bout between champion Marvin Camel and challenger Victor Galindez has been postponed because of an Injury to Camel's eye, WAY Athletic Enterprises announced Saturday.

1 The bout was scheduled to be held next Saturday at the Disneyland Hotel Exhibit Hall. No new date was set for the bout. Cuevas-Hearns bout scheduled NEW YORK (UPI) The World Boxing Association welterweight championship fight between Peplno Cuevas of Mexico and Tommy Heams ot Detroit will be held Saturday, Aug. 2, at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. The winner is expected to fight the victor of the Roberto Duran-Sugar Ray Leonard World Boxing Council welterweight title match, which will be held June 20 in The safety of you and your family depends on your driving control.

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Bill Sargent, a 53-year-old promoter of rock concerts and Broadway shows who once proposed staging a fight to the death between a man and a great white shark, showed copies Saturday of a contract signed by himself, Ali, Holmes, Herbert Muhammad, Ali's manager, Richie Giachetti, Holmes's manager, and Don King, the co-promoter, Deposits already paid Sargent says he has already sent' $250,000 deposits to Ali and Holmes and $50,000 to Mercado, a Colombian who is the No. 1 contender for Holmes's World Boxing Council heavyweight title. The promoter said he had raised $47 million, "all good. clean Swiss money," but said his backers had been promised anonymity-He said Holmes would receive $7.5 million and Mercado $1 million for meeting the 38-year-old three-time champion, who has not fought since Sept. 15.

1978. A key member of Holmes's entourage warned that "there are still many contingencies that have to be worked out, but my gut feeling is that this deal is going to go." If it goes according to Sargent's plans, the package would gross well more than $300 million, most of it from a planned network of four million closed-circuit seats. He said he would "borrow the Ro-zelle plan" from commissioner Pete Rozelle of the National Footbali League and sell the program to home television in any city where the closed-circuit show had been sold out. Sargent, who four years ago offered the NFL $40 million to show the league's nine playoff games, including, the Super Bowl, on closed-circuit, said he was hoping for 80,000 to 85,000 seat at New York-area locations. The boxing programs will be held ot three Monday nights, beginning Aug 1 1 with the Ali-Mercado fight, now planned for Rio de Janeiro, and ending with the Ali-Holmes heavyweight title at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas Sept.

8. Sargent said that "win, lose or draw" against Mercado, Ali would still fight Holmes. Aug. 25, Sargent said King would provide "maybe four other title fights." On the Monday nights of Aug. 18 and Sept.

1, Sargent said he would present two "superstar" rock and 'roll concerts. Sargent, who promoted the 1964 Santa Monica, 'concert that marked the U.S. debut of the Rolling Stones and the first stage performance of the Supremes, said he could not reveal any of the acts, but said they would be on the level of the Stones or the Eagles. "They'll be the biggest rock concerts in history," he said. It sounded as if he was going to reunite the Beatles.

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