Ali apologizes for Frazier comments
|
Muhammad Ali has apologized for some of the things he said about Joe Frazier before their legendary fight 30 years ago.
Frazier, who for years was bitter about Ali's comments, has said recently that he wanted to put that behind him.
"In a way, Joe's right," Ali said in an interview published in The New York Times yesterday. "I said a lot of things in the heat of the moment that I shouldn't have said. Called him names I shouldn't have called him. I apologize for that. I'm sorry. It was all meant to promote the fight."
Frazier outpointed Ali in what was billed as "The Fight" on March 8, 1971, in Madison Square Garden. They fought twice more, with Ali winning both times.
Before the first fight, Ali called Frazier an "Uncle Tom" and said he was "too ugly to be the champ." Before the third fight, in Manila, he compared Frazier to a gorilla.
"I like Joe Frazier," Ali told the Times. "Me and him was a good show. It was a good traveling show."
Frazier told the Times he accepted Ali's apology.
Shelly Finkel, Tyson's adviser, said that while Tyson's opponent and the fight date are set, the site is not. He said, however, that it probably will be the MCI Center in Washington or at the USAirways Arena in Landover, Md.
Tennis
Minutes before Venus Williams was due on court to face her sister Serena in the Tennis Masters Series-Indian Wells semifinals, she informed WTA Tour officials that she would not be playing.
The reigning Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion pulled out of the eagerly-anticipated sibling clash, citing right knee tendinitis as the reason for her default.
The sisters were practicing together a couple of hours before the scheduled start of the match and observers said that Venus was seen flexing her knee during the workout.
It was to be the sixth career meeting between the sisters. Venus leads the series 4-1.
In the final, Serena Williams will face Belgian Kim Clijsters, who stunned world No. 1 Martina Hingis 6-2, 2-6, 6-1 earlier in the day.
Spokane's Jan-Michael Gambill scored one of the biggest victories of his career, with a 7-6, 6-4 upset of top-seeded Gustavo Kuerten.
Fourth-seeded Andre Agassi earned a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 victory over Nicolas Kiefer of Germany.
Football
A northern Wisconsin family with 331 season tickets to Green Bay Packer games decided to keep them all, despite the extra charge of a one-time user fee that came due.
Mike Burris of Shawano said he was traveling to Green Bay later yesterday to pay the team $463,400 - his bill for the user fee to help finance Lambeau Field's $295 million renovation and expansion.
The Packers required all season ticket-holders to pay the user fee or give up their seats. For fans holding tickets to the so-called Green package of seven games, the fee is $1,400 per ticket. Holders of the Gold ticket package to three games pay $600 per ticket.
Burris and his family own a bar and restaurant that caters to Packer fans on game days. Over the years, the bar has acquired 331 season tickets and resells them. Burris has collected about $200,000 in user fees from people who buy the tickets from him.
• Washington signed free-agent kicker Brett Conway to a three-year deal worth about $2 million.
• Former Seahawk Pete Kendall had one big reason - money - for signing with Arizona.
"They stepped up in a big way for me financially," the guard said. "That's what free agency ultimately is all about. I don't want to play cute and say the economics weren't the driving factor."
Kendall, who has started 73 consecutive games for the Seahawks, signed a five-year, $18 million contract with Arizona, with a $5 million signing bonus.
• Offensive lineman Ethan Brooks signed a three-year, $1.7 million contract with the Denver.
• Center Eric Beverly sign re-signed with the Detroit Lions, who matched an offer made to the restricted free agent last week by the Miami Dolphins.
• Miami signed free-agent cornerbacks Daryl Porter and Terry Cousin, re-signed tight end Alonzo Mayes and waived running back Jay Johnson.
• Kansas City agreed to a six-year contract with free-agent center Casey Wiegmann.
Auto racing
Lawyers for Dale Earnhardt's widow and a newspaper and Web site seeking access to the NASCAR icon's autopsy photos met without agreeing on whether they would be released.
The Orlando Sentinel has asked that an independent authority be allowed to look at the photos for an investigation of NASCAR safety. The Sentinel said it does not plan to publish the photos, but an Internet company that is also seeking access, Websitecity.com, has not ruled out displaying them.
-- Seattle Times news services