KAMPALA, Uganda — Former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield will challenge Francois Botha for the lightly regarded WBF title in Uganda on Jan. 16.
Organizers of the fight in Kampala’s Nambole Stadium said Thursday that both fighters had signed contracts. A turnout of about 80,000 fans was predicted.
Holyfield (42-10-2) has not fought since losing a points decision to Nikolai Valuev a year ago. The 47-year-old, also a former cruiserweight champion, believes a victory could give him a shot at a more prestigious title that would allow him to achieve his goal of retiring as a heavyweight champion.
South Africa’s Botha (47-4-3) retained his WBF title by drawing with Pedro Carrion of Cuba in Germany in October.
• Mike Tyson and a photographer won’t face charges after their scuffle last month at Los Angeles International Airport, city prosecutors said.
The decision prompted authorities in Arizona to say they won’t pursue any probation violations against Tyson in a 2007 drug case.
Lowell undergoes surgery
BOSTON — Mike Lowell is expected to be ready for spring training after having surgery Wednesday on a thumb injury that derailed his trade from the Boston Red Sox to the Texas Rangers.
The operation to repair a radial collateral ligament in his right thumb that was torn late last season was done in Phoenix, the Red Sox said.
• Detroit Tigers catcher Gerald Laird and his younger brother, New York Yankees infield prospect Brandon Laird, were arrested following a brawl in the lounge area of Phoenix’s NBA arena during the Suns’ game Wednesday night with the Boston Celtics.
• Outfielder Marlon Byrd agreed to a three-year contract with the Chicago Cubs. Byrd hit .283 with 20 homers and 89 RBIs last season for the Texas Rangers.
• The Philadelphia Phillies and free-agent reliever Danys Baez reached a deal on a two-year contract. Baez, a 32-year-old right-hander, was 4-6 with a 4.02 ERA in 59 games with Baltimore last year.
Fox-Time Warner talks continue
LOS ANGELES — The Fox television network allowed its broadcast signal to be carried by Time Warner Cable for a brief extension past a midnight (EST) deadline as talks over fees continued.
Fox had threatened to pull the signal from 14 TV stations it owns, a move that would have affected more than 6 million customers of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks in markets such as New York, Los Angeles and Orlando, Fla.
Footnotes.
Travis Pastrana shattered the world record for the longest jump in a rally car, making a nearly perfect flight from a pier in Long Beach, Calif., onto a barge anchored in the harbor. His jump was measured at 269 feet, which smashed the old record by 98 feet.
• Snowboarder Kevin Pearce, a favorite to make the U.S. Olympic team, was in critical condition after sustaining a head injury during training in the halfpipe in Park City, Utah.
The Associated Press
