The Capital from Annapolis, Maryland • Page 12

All batters Wepner in 15-round win CLEVELAND AP) "1 tried to kill him, I to ao- fighter that battled his way to the heavyweight crown only to groped to bis feet at the count of nine but referee Tony Perw mm, ire uui fighter for an eye, tooth for a tooth." Muslim Muhammad AH reached into the Bible to find words describe the bitterness that swept him after a wild last- round victory over obscure Chuck Wepner that preserved his world heavyweight boxing championship Monday night, It wasn't one of Ali's most glorious hours. For 14 rounds and most of the 15th, the big, awkward, bar room brawler from New Jersey- stood to toe with the world title-holder, taking Ali's best shots without buckling. The great All was booed in the sixth round when he stood in the corner, covering his face from Wepner's ma shmallow left hooks and looping rights. Ali dropped to the lower nf thp in the ninth for a disputed knockdown. He was only a shadow of the great I the crowd of UJUl in the Cleveland Coliseum yelled and then regain it.

He wasn't the Ali who fought two great battles with Joe Frazier and smashed Gtorge Foreman into submission last October in Zaire, Africa--and he admitted it. But, like a choreographer, he tallied for a stirring finish that left his legion of followers again chanting, "Ali, Ali. Ali." With seconds left in the 15th round, champion unleashed a devastating attack. He nailed Wepner with a left and then shot a straight right to the jaw that had the impact of a sledgehammer. Wepner was bleeding from a cut over the left eye and his face was reddened and bruised from scores of unblocked punches.

He collapsed against the ropes and dropped to the I1HC Ml lineil i challenger by a technical knockout in 2:41 of the 15th round, It will be recorded as a knockout because TKO's are pot counted in heavyweight title fights. Wepner. a game but futile battler, was taken to a local hospital for examination and possible treatment of cuts around his eyes. A spokesman said that Wepner would have the cuts cleaned but it was believed that only one of them would require stitches. Wepner went to Green Cross Hospital, in a suburb of Akron.

The nursing supervisor of the emergency room at Green Cross Hospital in a suburb of Akron said the cut above the left eye was being treated and that rays of his head were being taken as a precautionary measure. As Wepner was literally uraggni tu ills turner manager Al Bra verman--while the ring, slumped to the floor. He lay there momentarily-as if unconscious from exhaustion. There were moments of high tension It appeared to be a fight ending with both boxers prostrate. But it was a Muhammad gag.

Boxing's greatest actor was on stage again. "Too many fools were climbing into the ring," he said. "I just lay down." In one breath, Ali praised Wepner as a creditable than you all gave him credit for. George Foreman and Ken Norton were in the next breath he lashed out at both the ring tactics of his opponent and the performance of Perez, the referee. "He was a dirty dog," Ali said of Perez.

"He let that man keep banging me on tne neaa. i got two welts on the back of my head. Wepner butted me and he kicked me once. The referee didn't say anything. "Perez is not white, he is not black.

He is just trying to be white, a part of the people in New York who took my title away. I never want to see him in the ring again. If he is, I will not fight." Ali admitted that he did not train hard. He said he paced himself, saving energy for future opponents, such as European champion Joe Bugner, his possible next foe this summer, Joe Frazier and George Foreman. "I trained just hard enough to get by," he said.

"I plan to fight 10 more years. If I tried to mtve and duck every punch I would have been tireder than him at the end. "Few human beings could go 15 rounds like that." Frazier was at ringside as was Joe Louis, the old Brown Bomber whom Ali has idolized for years. "He can't keep ducking me," VALIANT EFFORT FAILS Chuck Wtpner up at referee aftw being knocked down for tho first in his 42-fight career by Muhammad Ali in lost heavyweight chom- pionihip fight in Cleveland. The knockout came with than one minute remaining in the fight.

Louis agreed, "Ali should fight Frazier next and the winner should fight Foreman," he said. "1 think Frazier would win the next time." Ali was told of Fmier's challenge at his post-midnight news conference after the fight. "I'll fight Frazier. I'll fight him before Bugner if he will come up with $10 million," Ali said. Some predicted that this electronic double header--tied in with the Ken Norton-Jerry Quarry bout at New York's Madison Square Garden- stand for it.

We gave Clay his chance when the government was against him. Now he's got to give us a chance." Don King of Video Techniques denied it. Video Techniques, which handled tne closed circuit television, said indications were that 500,000 seats were sold and that this plus foreign sales would easily meet the $2.5 million net. The Ali-Wepner fight, staged in the Coliseum, halfway bet-, ween Akron and Cleveland, started crisply, bogged down badly in the middle rounds- drawing gallery boos--and finished on a high dramatic note. Muhammad Ali was the choreographer.

"My plan was to dance, play the ropes and stick him," Ali said. "I fought him just the way 1 wanted to. i geareu to iigm fighters but he hits, kicks and butts you." absorbed a tremendous amount of punishment from Ali's lightning jabs and straight rights but he repeatedly kept boring in for more, drawing cheers from the spectators. He was given only two rounds--the first, when Ali chose not to fight, and the ninth. when Ali went stumbling across the ring for what Perez ruled an official knockdown.

The crowd gasped at seeing the champion in such straights. "It was a dean knockdown," the referee said afterwards. "Wepner hit him with a right hand to the body." tuniiiw (Capital A SPORTS slashes Quarry UPI TetoplMto KNOCKDOWN OR SUP? Muhommod 'Ali the deck in the ninth round of nighfj fight with unheralded Chuck Wepnor.Although official! called it a knockdown, Ali to id ho merely dipped. The champion tame back to KO Wepnor in the 15th round to retain his ri- nV NEW YORK (AP) Jerry Quarry, his face battered and covered with blood after a devastating loss to Ken Norton, i a i retirement from boxing Monday and exited Madison Square Garden asking that he be allowed to keep his pride. Harassed by photographers' flash bulbs after being stopped in the fifth round of the Bill tenatively approved Orioles will get aid The Maryland House has voted tentative approval to a 14 million state bond authorization to aid a private group in buying the Baltimore Orioles.

The house beat back a series of floor amendments to place further restrictions on the gave tentative approval on a voice vote Monday night. The bill still faces a final house vote. House members rejected amendments proposed by Del. a Montgomery, one of which would have stipulated that the American League club play all its home games in Maryland. Such a provision would have put an end.to proposals to have the club play some of its home dates at Washington's Robert F.

Kennedy Stadium, The House also rejected Docter amendments that would have made those receiving the million loan pay the prime interest rate and a proposal that would have required the loan to be secured by f4 million worth of real estate. "It's very the gentleman from Montgomery is trying to kill the Ml," Slid Pel. John D- Caroline, chairman of the House committee which approved ute uwt week. But Docter denied wanting to kill the legislation. "I don't want uxpayen to be taken tor a ride, and that's what tins hill does now." he said.

Bvt Rom did a series committee a a restrictions on the loan. One amendment would provide that the state loan must be paid in full if the club pulls out of Maryland. Other committee amendments, also adopted, would require that the loan be repaid within 15 years and that it would not be made if the selling price of the club topi $12.5 million. Jerold C. Hoffberger, principal owner of the team, is engaged in negotiations with a private headed by Bill Veeck to sell the dub for $12.5 million.Veeck previously owned three other baseball teams.

The million loan, to be repaid under terms set by the state Board of Public Works, is being pushed by Gov. Marvin Mandel in an effort to have the team purchased by buyers who want to keep the Orioles in Baltimore. Maryland slips to 5th UCLA No. 1 again scheduled 12-rounder, Quarry said: "No more damn pictures. "I want to go with a little pride Norton scored repeatedly throughout the fight--a closed circuit television preliminary to the Muhammad Ali-Chuck Wepner bout-with left-right combinations and left jabs.

Norton, 29 like Quarry, immediately thrust himself back into the heavyweight championship picture when he opened a gash above Quarry's right eye in the third round and then closed Quarry's right eye in the fifth, Norton scored with a leftright combination, landed another hard right, then a left jab and referee John LoBianco stepped in and stopped the fight at 2:29 of the fifth round. "I couldn't see," said Quarry, whose only real flurry of scoring punches came in the third round. "We gave it a try." "The time has come to quit," the heavyweight said as he was escorted into a private elevator with his wife and left the Garden area in a taxicab Norton, picking up his 33rd victory against three losses, began battering Quarry in the first round with left jabs and several right uppercuts. After a brief Norton flurry in the third, Quarry appeared to be the aggressor as he backed Norton into the ropes and flailed away. NEW YORK (AP) Teddy Brenner, director of boxing at Madison Square Garden, says he will try to arrange a Ken a a A i heavyweight title fight at the Garden.

Brenner made the announcement Monday night after Norton had stopped Jerry Quarry in the fifth round of their 12-rounder in a closed circuit television preliminary to the Ali-Chuck Wepner fight. Brenner said if the Norton-Ali bout could not be arranged, he would try to sign Joe Frazier, former world heavyweight champ, to a fight at the Garden with Norton. "I was in charge," Norton said of the third-round exchange. "I was catching his punches with my gloves, countering occasionally. I didn't get hit with any clean shots.

"After the third, I knew he didn't have anything left," said Norton, apparently rested and unmarked. Norton caught Quarry against the ropes several times in the fourth round as Quarry's right eye began bleeding profusely NwUu dsiifi forced Quarry to the ropes in the fifth, where he finished off his lighter opponent "I don't want to say anything a a i (Quarry's) ability," said Norton, who weighed in at a lean 218W, "but I was catching his punches and he wasn't hurting me." Quarry, now weighed 207. Quarry received $115,000 and Norton got $100,000. LOS ANGELES (AP) Coach John Wooden says his UCLA Bruins might be on top of the college basketball ratings but it wouldn't be an upset if they lost in the NCAA championship playoffs. "It might sound like a cliche.

but whto gel Uii akutg anyone can beat anyone," Wooden said of the NCAA semifinals and finals this weekend in San Diego. "If anyone is weak, they've fallen by UK wayside. There is hardly such a thing as an upset wbeo you to iht fiui four," Wooden said. The Bruins, after an 0-75 victory over Arizona State, to win the West Regional, were voted No. i in The Associated Press major college basketball poll as they baked towards their ninth NCAA titk 11 years.

The four teams in tne finals held four of the sue top hi thepoll. Kentucky, an upset B-JO winner wer prevjovity beaten and Indiana, woo the Mideast Regional and was voted second with Indiana, Jl-1, third Louisvilk, which woo the i i from Maryland, was fourth with Maryland, fifth, ending its season 24-5. SixUi-rantal Syracuse ufl North Carolina to win the Bast Regional. 2H 11 1 n-i M-S 4 84 1M Hi tH US B4 2 HnUHcky AfilHl SI. I.

Ci W. II. U. 13. 14.

PMTC li. KJMW 17 The falling of Indiana from the top rippled through the poll standings and saw Louisville drop a notch from third even though they defeated last week's No. 4 team, Maryland. Syracuse jumped all the way from 20th to among the leaders. Rcundice ort Top 10 are Arizona State as number seven, romped by North Carolina State, North Carolina and Marquette.

UCLA takes a 28-3 record into the semifinals, where the Bruins will fact Louisville, 27-2. Syracuse, Kentucky, 25-1. "Some thought it was an upwt when Keatntfcy defeated they have a good team and the fewest defeats. You could Kentucky, they beat Indiana. And Syracuse knocked out North Carolina, the team many felt was a dark horse to go all the way." And.

added Wooden, "Yes, vou could say UCLA, too NBA standings Nn-UVcfn fflhrn K-i 1M 41 S2 II 17 Wrt CMril Fimu, HiCMM. cm 3nU Pun i "I had picked Indiana to go to the cfcampiinlBp bit I still dMpt that vptet As 1 said, when it's toil far along then are no real nr- prfael" said, "There is a tot you could say about making any the teams the favorite. "It cvtU be LoritriDe ftoce McdHosit SMMW QWSMII in Now York.