Matt Skelton, who not so long ago was earning his living from kicks in the K1 rings of Japan, set something of a record last night when he knocked out holder Michael Sprott in the 12th round to become the British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion in his 13th fight.

As expected Richel Hersisia lost his World Boxing Foundation heavyweight title to Audley Harrison here on Saturday night. Not long after Hersisia had regained his feet from a fourth-round knock-out, Harrison was defending his selection of the beaten Dutchman. Harrison had a good deal of support from his co-promoter on Saturday night, Lennox Lewis.

Someone pointed out to me this week that the Independent and Independent on Sunday's racing pages never carry pictures of horses being shot, which seemed at first to be one of the more inane observations of the last 12 months. They are family newspapers, after all. The readers wouldn't like it.

FRANK WARREN confirmed last night that he will promote Mike Tyson's first fight in Britain at the MEN Arena, Manchester, on 29 January. Tyson is expected to earn $8million (pounds 5m) for the fight.

In Writing Home, his best-selling volume of diary extracts, prefaces and occasional pieces, Alan Bennett records that in September 1982 his friend, the television presenter Russell Harty, invented a new parlour game. It involved tackling the momentous question: "Whose underpants would you least like to be gagged by?"

THE ENGLAND manager, Kevin Keegan, insisted yesterday that he had no plans to make any major changes to his coaching staff in the run- up to the Euro 2000 finals. It is understood that he is not being put under pressure to do so from his employers at the Football Association.

Undisputed world champion in huge demand yearns to take time out to enjoy the moment.

LENNOX LEWIS saw nothing to concern him in Atlantic City on Saturday night when one of the prospective challengers for his world title, Michael Grant, had to pull himself off the floor twice before stopping Poland's Andrew Golota.

IT MAY seem impudent but the unavoidable question of the week is why a clapped-out old sporting nation like England is spending so much time and energy bickering over the size and shape of a pounds 475m super stadium? To put it another way, have they thought about the more practical option of keeping Wembley as it is and rebuilding the nation; or, at least, that substantial part of it that suffers from these extraordinary fits of grandeur? Maybe the detachment that comes from being merely an interested neighbour was necessary in order to see the events of last week in perspective. Even then, it was difficult to judge which was the more pathetic sight - the deluded build-up to an inevitably disappointing England display or the explosion of a crazed debate about the new stadium.

USE THE phrase "designer baby" in a story and you are guaranteed an easy headline. The image of the tiny tot with Lennox Lewis biceps or a Naomi Campbell pout plays to all our fears of science over-reaching itself, straying into areas better left to nature.

HARRY GIBBS, one of Britain's most famous referees, has died on holiday in Spain at the age of 79.

THE LIGHTS were purple and the music was loud as out came most of the 94 contestants for this year's Miss World competition to face the press.

t BOXING Intrigue turns into confusion over the number of belts Lewis holds as IBF version disappears into the night because of missing payment