Notes on a Scorecard - Nov. 2, 1995

The postponement on Halloween of the Mike Tyson-Buster Mathis Jr. fight was more treat than trick. . . .

Mathis was looking terrible in the gym but couldn’t have been accused of excess hype when he told ESPN’s Charley Steiner, “In the last few days, I’ve been holding my own against my sparring partners.” . . .

Now the spotlight Saturday will be strictly where it should be--on the rubber match between Riddick Bowe and Evander Holyfield. . . .

Tyson, who hurt his thumb, isn’t the only famous heavyweight who postponed a fight because of an injury. . . .

The second Muhammad Ali-Sonny Liston fight originally was scheduled for Boston Garden, but Ali suffered a hernia. The bout was switched to Lewiston, Maine, where Ali’s phantom punch knocked out Liston in the first round on May 25, 1965. . . .

The Ali-George Foreman bout in Zaire was postponed when Foreman suffered a cut eye during a sparring session. Ali regained his title in the eighth round on Oct. 30, 1974 after using the rope-a-dope. . . .

About the only thing that could dampen Bowe-Holyfield III would be rain. . . .

It’s a possibility for Saturday night at Caesars Palace, where the ring in the 15,000-seat outdoor stadium will be covered by a canopy. . . .

I’m picking Bowe, who appears to be fit, by knockout in the eighth round. . . .

A title bout will be held outdoors in Southern California on Dec. 1, when Gabriel Ruelas defends his World Boxing Council super-featherweight title against Azumah Nelson, who has beaten Ruelas, in a new 5,400-seat stadium at the Fantasy Springs casino near Palm Springs. . . .

Title fights are nothing new to Daniel Zaragoza, who will be involved in a WBC super-

bantamweight championship bout for the 17th time when he tries to regain the belt from Hector Acero-Sanchez on Monday at the Forum. . . .

Promoter Peter Broudy is trying something different tonight at the Grand Olympic. Twelve bouts will be on the card and only 800 tickets, all ringside from $20 to $5, will be put on sale. . . .

Muhammad Ali will be honored at the Roy and Roxie Campanella Physical Therapy Scholarship Foundation silent auction and luncheon on Nov. 12 at the Beverly Hilton. . . .

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I can’t believe the number of people questioning John Robinson’s decision to go for one point and a tie rather than two and a win against Washington. It was a no-brainer. With its national championship hopes gone, USC’s prime goal is reaching the Rose Bowl. A tie with Washington meant nearly as much to the Trojans’ chances as a win would have. . . .

The USC-Stanford rivalry, which will be resumed Saturday at the Coliseum, is the Trojans’ longest. They lead the series, 50-20-3. . . .

Robinson will sign copies of his book, “Coach to Coach: Business Lessons From the Locker Room,” Friday from noon to 2 p.m. at the USC campus bookstore. . . .

How appropriate that Terry Donahue will get a chance to become the Pacific 10 Conference’s winningest coach ever Saturday at Tempe, Ariz., where his UCLA head coaching career began in 1976 with a 28-10 win over Arizona State, which was ranked third nationally. . . .

A.C. Green will start the season with a streak of 731 consecutive games played, third longest on the all-time NBA list. Randy Smith leads with 906, followed by Johnny Kerr with 844. . . .

Inside Sports magazine’s preseason college basketball rankings: 1. Connecticut, 2. Kansas, 3. Villanova, 4. UCLA, 5. Kentucky, 6. Memphis, 7. Massachusetts, 8. Georgetown, 9. Mississippi State. 10. Georgia Tech. . . .

Sound-alikes: Marv Levy and Robert Dole. . . .

The renewal of the $125,000 Volante Handicap Sunday at Santa Anita brings to mind the 1993 race when Jerry Bailey rode Easter Memories to a two-length win over none other than Cigar. . . .

The Kings ought to worry less about the officiating and more about their own performances. . . .

There is little reason to believe Ryne Sandberg shouldn’t be an effective ballplayer at 36 next season. . . .

Gene Mauch has retired again, this time as bench coach of the Kansas City Royals. . . .

Joe Torre is a great guy who doesn’t deserve George Steinbrenner. . . .

I miss the baseball box scores.