Tuesday, March 31, 1998 | 7:57 a.m.
When it opens a year from now, the arena at the under-construction Mandalay Bay resort on the Las Vegas Strip is certain to have a boxing presence. It has to, given the fact boxing promoter Bob Arum was not only consulted on the building's design, he impacted its size.
"It was going to be an 8,000-seat arena but I convinced them to do 12,000-plus," Arum said Monday, reflecting on a meeting with the resort's management team two months ago.
"It's going to be a great property and the arena will be beautiful," Arum said. "I'm very optimistic about boxing going in there. They say they want to do regular shows."
They also want to do what Arum called "a spectacular boxing show for their spring opening next March or April." And while he said he won't have exclusivity when it comes to promoting boxing cards at Mandalay Bay, it's obvious Arum's Las Vegas-based Top Rank Boxing already has its foot in the door.
While boxing fans may be heartened by that news, they're saddened by an announcement out of New York that the USA cable network's weekly televised boxing series will come to an end in August. "Tuesday Night Fights," as it's known, has aired more than 600 shows in its 17 years but the end is near. "We are focusing on reaching a younger demographic audience," said Kay Koplovitz, CEO at USA Networks. ... The lawsuit brought by former UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian against the NCAA, claiming it tried to drive him out of college basketball, is set to go to trial May 18 in Las Vegas. Word is the NCAA is looking to settle rather than go to court, and $2.5 million may be the settlement fee. ... Dreadful news: American Golf Corp., which operates 250 golf courses on the West Coast including two -- Las Vegas National Golf Club and Wildhorse -- here, is moving toward fivesomes instead of foursomes. It has already made the switch at 40 of its courses. ... Pro golfer Greg Norman will drive the pace car at this year's Indianapolis 500. He'll be behind the wheel of a 1998 Corvette.
While it's well and good that every high school in town will soon have its own rubberized, all-weather track, many youngsters and officials associated with the sport here in the valley are feeling slighted this year. The Clark County School District oversaw the installation of eight new tracks and the replacing of nine others, using $1.8 million in funds from a 1996 bond issue. The downside: The projects were due to be completed by March 1 yet the contractor is running late, particularly at schools like Green Valley, Cheyenne and Valley. With track and field limited to a 10-week high school season, the inconveniences have been many and repetitive for the athletes. The delays are blamed, as you might suspect, on the rainy weather although that's little consolation for the affected. ... The UNLV search committee hunting for a new coach for the Lady Rebels has narrowed its choices to three and bypassed both Misty Thomas, the program's best-ever player, and former UNLV men's and women's assistant Howie Landa. Both applied and anxiously expressed interest in taking over the team. ... Half of the college wrestling programs that existed in 1972 have been dropped, the result, for the most part, of the passage of Title IX that mandated gender equity.
Anaheim Angels batting coach Rod Carew came out of the fray roughed up a bit yet still in possession of his car after three thugs in Tempe, Ariz., tried to steal it from him at a service station over the weekend. ... Ordinarily, boxers who fight here have their contracts on file with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, and if there's a problem between the fighter and his or her manager the commission will arbitrate. Yet in the case of Mike Tyson, his contract was never filed with the NSAC and that's why his dispute with his promoter and managers is going to court in New York City. "For some reason they didn't file it with us," said NSAC executive director Marc Ratner. "So it's a civil contract and we have no arbitration rights." That mistake by Tyson's managers could cost them a fortune. ... What a shame the Las Vegas Thunder hasn't been able to sign NHL holdout Petr Nedved, as it has been trying to do for the past week. He would be worth two or three goals a game at the IHL level. ... "The youngsters are coming," was the odd quote from 17-year-old Martina Hingis at last week's tennis tournament in Key Biscayne, Fla. She wasn't including herself but was referring to the tournament final between Anna Kournikova, 16, and Venus Williams, 17.
If the American Sportfishing Association can be believed, 35 million anglers generated $108 billion in fishing-related revenue last year. ... Some feel 18-year-old Sergio Garcia of Spain has the potential to be another Tiger Woods. ... The tears were real when Incline Village resident Pat Hurst made her final putt to win her first LPGA major, the Dinah Shore, Sunday in California. ... Aside from being seven-feet tall, Olden Polynice is virtually worthless as a professional basketball player. He bounces from one bad team to another on something of a yearly basis, scoring only eight points a game while taking a beating from the opposing center. That said, last week he had the nerve to complain about his minutes, confront his coach and walk out on his current team, the Sacramento Kings. At 33, he's the perfect example of the modern era's spoiled and misguided athlete. ... They're building a new arena in Los Angeles and the NHL's Kings and NBA's Lakers are in as the primary tenants in what is expected to be a lavish, $300 million facility. So where does that leave the NBA's Clippers, currently playing just two miles away in the dated L.A. Sports Arena? Begging for dates in the new building, it turns out. Stepchild that they are, the Clips are resigned to the leftovers.
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