Today's fight between Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield will determine the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. The two men drew when they last fought each other in March, at Madison Square Garden, New York.

THE ONLY punishment two long-retired professional fighters, Dave Smith and Richard Atkins, give and take these days is on the presently leaf-strewn fairways of Shortlands golf club in Kent. More to the point, they won't be climbing from their beds in the early hours of Sunday morning to watch Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield tussle for the undisputed heavyweight championship live on Sky television.

Trainer strives to iron out flaws in American's technique exposed by previous world heavyweight title bout with Lewis

The New York State Athletic Commission has adopted reforms bringing boxing promoters, judges and sanctioning bodies under greater scrutiny in response to the controversial draw decision in the fworld heavyweight title fight betwen Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield last March. The regulations give state officials a bigger say in selecting judges, require boxing judges to disclose personal financial information and limit promoters' contracts with fighters to a maximum of three years.

OLIVER McCALL'S career seems to be blighted. The man who retired in disarray when he challenged Lennox Lewis has his first fight in 18 months at the weekend but it lasted less than two rounds before his opponent was forced to retire. Samson Cohen fell through the ropes, hit his shoulder on a ringside table and the fight was ruled a no contest.

Single-minded triathlete on the road to gold in Sydney. By Alan Hubbard

He may not have done much for the career of Oscar Wilde, whom he accused of being a "somdomite" (sic), setting in train the sequence of events which led to Wilde's eventual downfall, but the eighth Marquis of Queensberry helped propel one James J Corbett to global fame and fortune. It was under the revolutionary Queensberry rules that the nifty Corbett (above, centre) became the first world heavyweight boxing champion, on 7 September, 1892, beating John L Sullivan (above, right) in 21 rounds at the Century Club in New Orleans. Under Queensberry's rules, boxing gloves became compulsory and rounds were restricted to three minutes with a one minute rest in between. Prior to this, free-for-all bare-knuckle fighting was the norm, and casualties were legion: Irishman Simon Byrne died after a bout which lasted three hours 16 minutes, the longest ever, while American James Elliott used to wet his hands with turpentine and go for his opponents' eyes, hoping to blind them at least temporarily. Corbett held the title for five years and went on to be a successful stage and screen actor, but his reputation as "Gentleman Jim" has received a knocking recently from biographer Patrick Myler, who accuses the champ of being arrogant, quick-tempered, racist and a womaniser, and reveals that Corbett's second wife accused him of holding a lighted cigar to her face and threatening to shoot her.

BOXING:

FRANK MALONEY has no intention of rushing Clinton Woods into a world championship challenge. Woods, currently ranked seventh in the world, beat New Zealand's Sam Leuii in six rounds to retain his Commonwealth light-heavyweight title at the Elephant and Castle Leisure Centre in London on Saturday.

LENNOX LEWIS' heavyweight title return with Evander Holyfield is scheduled for the Thomas & Mack Centre, Las Vegas, on 13 November, it was confirmed yesterday. However, the American promoter Don King still needs to guarantee a pounds 12m purse for Holyfield within a month.

HERBIE HIDE'S dream showdown with Lennox Lewis may have come an important step closer during the past week.

West Ham's voluble and sometimes volatile striker fervently believes in freedom on and off the pitch.

IF OSCAR SUAREZ feels secure then his self-confidence must match that of Naseem Hamed. But the obscure Puerto Rican trainer must fear, if only in private, for his future with Team Hamed now that the Detroit legend, Emanuel Steward, will be sharing his debut in the Prince's corner in Manchester on Saturday night.

It was clear within a moment or two of Friday's Davis Cup coverage (BBC2) that it was not going to be one of the Corporation's subtler productions. There was a blast of Fatboy Slim over the titles, a few clips of Tim and Greg grunting and grinning, and then a cut straight to Sue Barker, draped in the Union flag like a blonde Britannia. The colours were not just nailed to the mast, but to the floor and ceiling too.