Plus; M�rquez rebels ready to strike, problems for Indian cyclists in Delhi and NFL star fined for a fumble
Muhammad Ali made an emotional return to Miami Beach for the reopening of the famed gymnasium that was his base during his unrivalled climb to boxing's summit, the Miami Herald reported last week.
Rarely seen in public these days, Ali's visit lasted only 20 minutes. Yet the reunion of The Greatest and his long-time cornerman Angelo Dundee at the 5th Street Gym provoked memories of the golden era of heavyweights. "I feel as juiced as I do before a title fight,'' said Dundee.
The new facility, with air con, treadmills and an aerobics studio, bears little resemblance to the sparse and shabby termite-infested sweatbox above an off-licence that the brash young boxer, then named Cassius Clay, walked into five decades ago, and which eventually produced 12 world champions under Dundee's tutelage.
Sixties icons including The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Sean Connery and Malcolm X would have to pick their way through the litter, and worse, of one of Miami's less salubrious districts and climb a rickety wooden outside staircase when they came to watch Ali at work.
"It took years of blood and sweat dripping into the floor to make the gym what it was," said Matt Baiamonte, one of the new owners. "It meant the world to have Ali and many of the other old-timers at the opening."
The original 5th Street Gym, which hosted a parade of other big-name boxers such as Sugar Ray Robinson, Sonny Liston and Rocky Marciano at one time or another, was torn down in 1993, five years before the death of owner Chris Dundee, Angelo's brother.
It was a huge slice of good fortune, the Herald reports, that the businessmen behind the gym's revival saw a "For Rent" sign on the building erected in its place as they scouted Miami Beach for a suitable venue.
Slower than ever due to the advance of Parkinson's Disease, and three hours late for the opening, Ali, 68, shuffled in quietly and was unable to acknowledge the crowd chanting his name. But he spent several minutes reminiscing with Dundee.
"He can say more with a wink than most people can with a speech," Dundee told the paper. "We talk about fun times. He laughs about it. He's a good kid. A sincere, honest human being. I ain't never had an argument with him, never had a contract."
Dundee, who turned 89 in August, intends to continue coaching up-and-coming youngsters in Miami in the search for the next champion. "You can't live off nostalgia," he said.
MEXICO: M�rquez rebels ready to strike over party fallout
The fallout from the Mexican "booze and hookers" party rumbles on, reports Milenio. Two players, Arsenal's Carlos Vela and Celtic's Efra�n Ju�rez, were banned from the team for six months for organising the event, and now a group of 13 players is threatening to boycott the side as a result.
Led by the captain, Rafael M�rquez, the 13 rebels are furious after being punished for staging the party in the team hotel after the friendly against Colombia in Monterrey last month. The players, including Manchester United's Javier Hern�ndez and Tottenham's Giovani dos Santos, were fined �2,473 each for "failing to observe good discipline or rules about receiving visitors only at certain hours and within designated areas".
The latest allegations include an interview with transvestite "Gema" on TV Notas, where she claimed a "sexual encounter" with Carlos Salcido. Gema claims to have informed the Fulham player of her gender online after the encounter, leaving Salcido "very shocked". But Salcido, who denies her allegations, is now threatening to sue.
National team director Nestor de la Torre, who announced the sanctions, was less than forthcoming about the alleged offences, denying reports that prostitutes were involved.
The players have responded by sending a letter to the federation, leaked to the press, demanding that De la Torre quits, claiming he knew about the party, did not do anything at the time but acted when it became public to save his own skin.
"No one likes Nestor de la Torre," said the veteran striker Cuauht�moc Blanco. However, the federation secretary general, Decio De Mar�a, threatening rebels with further sanctions, said: "Nestor is the director and his head is not on the table as a condition for talks."
INDIA: Kit-less cyclists still unsure of their events
As the Tour de France winner Alberto Contador reacts to doping allegations by asserting he had been the victim of "contaminated meat", Indian cyclists preparing for the Commonwealth Games are facing a host of far more elementary difficulties, with the Indo?Asian News Service reporting that many of the athletes still do not know which event they are to compete in.
Sandeep Kumar said he has been training for two events: the 40km time trial and the mass start, and that adjusting between the two "is not easy". His team-mate Bikram Singh thinks he knows his event, but has had no official confirmation: "They said they will let us know in a day or two."
The confusion over events is just one of the issues facing the riders. The squad only received their bikes a couple of weeks ago, after a year's wait, and have yet to take delivery of their competition kit. If it doesn't arrive by Tuesday, not only will they not know what event they're in, but they'll be competing in borrowed suits, helmets and shoes.
The Games' beleaguered organisers also suffered another embarrassment when, only a day after the much-reported importing of angry-looking trained langurs (the simian equivalent of bouncers) to scare off common bonnet monkeys near venues, the Hindustan Times reported that: "A long-tailed primate sneaked inside the Athletes' Village ... And was witnessed roaming about the pathways."
USA: NFL star fined for a fumble
The US media are all aflutter with talk of the Kansas City Chiefs star Shaun Smith after he was accused, for the second time in a fortnight, of groping an opponent during a match. Comcast Sportsnet quoted the San Francisco 49ers right tackle Anthony Davis as claiming: "He tried to feel me... that's weird, right?" And last week it was the Cleveland Brown's Alex Mack saying: "I'm still fired up about it [being groped]." It had looked like a clever tactic ? both Mack and Davis were penalised for retaliation ? but Smith has now been fined $10,000 by the National Football League. He said he was innocent. "I don't recall doing anything like that. I'm not known for being a dirty player."
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