Cycling: Morgan Fox, (25), will this week become the first new Irish professional cyclist since the retirement of Sean Kelly in 1994. The Athlone rider is set to sign a one year contract with the Belgian Tonnisteiner outfit on Thursday, after he impressed team management during a five week trial with the second division squad.
Fox, who was Irish national champion in 1997, has been based in Belgium for the past three years and came to Tonissteiner's attention after recording 32 top 10 placings this season. Next year he expects to ride such high profile events as the Paris-Roubaix, Tour of Flanders and Het Volk, and hopes to compete in the Tour de France within `two or three years'. Fox will end his season riding for the International Cargo Services Irish team in the Australian Sun Tour. He will spend the winter preparing for what will be the first Irish continental-based professional debut in 11 years. Laurence Roche was the last rider to successfully secure a contract, when he began his pro-career with the Carerra team in 1989.
Boxing: The former world heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson told a television interviewer he would bite Evander Holyfield again if provoked and that only jail has kept him from ruling his sport.
Tyson was promoting his October 23rd fight in Las Vegas against Orlin Norris, his first fight since being released from jail in May. "If I hadn't gone to jail and hadn't been inactive so long, I would still be the champion and no one could last more than three rounds with me," Tyson said.
Tyson said if given the same circumstances he would gnaw at a foe's ears, although he cited such details as a foe who was headbutting and a referee who allowed it.
"Referee Mills Lane was not protecting me from Holyfield's head butts. He wasn't controlling the situation appropriately. I would do it again if I see myself bloody and cut up."
Asked later if he would bite Norris, Tyson backed off and said, "I would never do it again."
Cricket: Sri Lanka were left singing in the rain yesterday when a heavy downpour handed them their first ever test series victory over Australia on the fifth day of the third and final test.
The cloudburst left sections of the outfield completely unplayable, and after light rain began to fall at the Sinhalese Sports Club, umpires were left with no option but to abandon the test - giving Sri Lanka a 1-0 series victory.
Sri Lanka finished on 61 for 4 wickets in reply to Australia's 342. Only nine hours play took place out of a possible 30 in the test.
Sri Lanka won the first test played at Kandy inside three days by six wickets, and then drew the rain-affected second test at Galle with Australia on the brink of defeat.
Australian skipper Steve Waugh tried to make the best out of the one-day world champions humiliating defeats both in the one-day series and the three-test series.
"It is good for the game when all cricket playing countries become strong," Waugh said of Sri Lanka's victory in the test series. "At the top level Sri Lanka have become a very good side."
The series win was Sri Lanka's fifth over a test-playing country. They have now beaten Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and Zimbabwe.
American Football: After winning the past two Super Bowls, the Denver Broncos are showing just how much they miss retired quarterback John Elway as they fell to 0-4 Sunday, dropping a 21-13 decision to the New York Jets.
In a rematch of last January's AFC championship game, Rick Mirer passed for a pair of touchdowns and the Jets (1-3) forced six turnovers, including five interceptions.
Brian Griese, Elway's replacement, was intercepted three times and fumbled at his own 4-yard line after he was sacked on a blitz. Bubby Brister was inserted with less than four minutes left and he was picked off twice by defensive back Marcus Coleman.
"This is a team we should have beat," Griese said. "Obviously, this team doesn't have as much confidence as it used to have."
