Off the wire

LITTLE ROCK — BOXING

Writer Bert Sugar dies

Bert Sugar, an iconic boxing writer and sports historian who was known for his trademark fedora and cigar, died Sunday of cardiac arrest. He was 75. Jennifer Frawley, Sugar’s daughter, said Sugar’s wife, Suzanne, was by his side when he died at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, N.Y. Sugar also had been battling lung cancer. “Just his intelligence and his wit and his sense of humor,” Frawley said when asked what she will remember about her father. “He was always worried about people. He was always helping people.” Sugar was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2005. According to the hall’s website, Sugar wrote more than 80 books, including The 100 Greatest Boxers Of All Time. He also appeared in a handful of films, including The Great White Hype. “Around ringside, it’s not going to be the same with Bert not there,” said Jack Hirsch, the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Sugar was born in Washington, D.C., in 1936. He graduated from Maryland and went to law school at Michigan. He passed the bar in his hometown and worked in advertising in New York City before he got into writing in the 1970s. “Bert was obviously a showman in the way he did things outwardly, very flamboyant, but in quiet moments I found him to be an extremely modest individual,” Hirsch said. Frawley said arrangements for a memorial service are still pending and anyone wishing to honor Sugar should make a donation to the boxing hall.

Zab Judah stopped Vernon Paris at 2:27 of the ninth round on Saturday night in New York in an IBF Junior Welterweight elimination fight. Judah dominated the fight with a methodical punching style. He finally finished off Paris (26-1) by getting him into a corner and unleashing about 15 unanswered punches. When the fight was stopped, Judah was winning on the judges’ scorecards by scores of 80-72 and 79-73. After finishing Paris off, Judah ran to each corner and climbed the ropes in triumph. Fighting in his native Brooklyn for the first time as a professional, Judah improved to 42-7 and recorded his 29th career knockout. Among those defeats is last July’s disappointing fifth-round knockout against Amir Khan, with whom he may get a rematch against. Khan will fight Lamont Peterson on May 19 and the winner of that light welterweight championship fight would likely battle Judah, who is a former five-time champion.

FOOTBALL

Cardinals, Gay reach deal

The Arizona Cardinals and cornerback William Gay have agreed to a two-year deal. The team announced the agreement in a release Sunday. Gay spent the previous four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who selected him in the fifth round of the 2007 draft. Last season, he started 15 games for the Steelers and finished the regular season with 56 tackles - 45 unassisted- with 2 interceptions.

The Redskins and Cowboys have sought arbitration after the NFL reduced their salary caps for the next two seasons. A provision in the new collective bargaining agreement allows the case to be heard by arbitrator Stephen Burbank, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Both teams were penalized for overloading contracts in the 2010 uncapped season despite league warnings to restrict doing so. Washington has been given a $36 million reduction over two years, while Dallas loses $10 million. Each must take at least half the reduction this year. The NFL Players Association agreed to have the 2012 salary cap set at $120.6 million rather than a lower number and for the Redskins and Cowboys to take those reductions. Otherwise, the cap would have been significantly lower.

BASKETBALL

Tarkanian still in hospital

Former UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian’s condition has improved considerably since he suffered a mild heart attack last week, family members said Sunday. His son Danny Tarkanian said his 81-year-old father has been moved from the intensive care unit to a regular room at Mountainview Hospital in Las Vegas because he’s “doing a lot better.” The former coach’s heart attack Tuesday involved a small artery, he said, and it was a minor problem that was dealt with immediately. But he said his father’s lungs had been a bigger concern, and it has since been determined he was having trouble breathing because of bronchitis. “He wasn’t getting enough air into his lungs, but they have the problem under control,” Danny Tarkanian said. “We’re hoping he’ll be out of the hospital in another day or two.” The family was relieved that Tarkanian did not have pneumonia, which could have been serious for someone his age, he said. Tarkanian coached the Runnin’ Rebels from 1973 through 1992, taking his team to back-to-back Final Fours and winning the school’s first national championship in 1990. He finished with a 509-105 record at the school.

TENNIS

Venus Williams rallies

Venus Williams erased a match point and outlasted Aleksandra Wozniak 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) in Sunday’s third round at the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Fla. Williams is playing in her first tournament since withdrawing from the U.S. Open last August after being diagnosed with a fatigue-causing autoimmune disease. The three-set victory was her second in less than 48 hours, and took nearly three hours. Wozniak served for the match at 5-4 in the final set, but dumped a forehand in the net when she had a match point. The tiebreaker swung Williams’ way when she smacked an overhead that clipped the net cord before landing softly for a winner and a 4-2 lead. On the final point, she somehow found the strength to hit a 119-mph service winner. She’ll need to recover quickly for a fourth-round match tonight against No. 15-seeded Ana Ivanovic, who beat No. 20 Daniela Hantuchova 6-2, 7-6 (2). No. 4-seeded Andy Murray, the 2009 champion, advanced in a walkover when Milos Raonic withdrew because of a sprained right ankle. Raonic said he doesn’t believe the injury is serious. Grigor Dimitrov advanced by upsetting No. 7 Tomas Berdych 6-3, 2-6, 6-4. No. 9 Janko Tipsarevic beat No. 18 Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-4, 5-7, 6-2. In other women’s play, wild card Garbine Muguruza Blanco eliminated No. 24 Flavia Pennetta 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (6). No. 7 Marion Bartoli eliminated Simona Halep 6-4, 7-6, (6). A former No. 1 and seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, Williams is ranked No. 134 and needed a wild card to enter the tournament. She’s trying to improve her ranking enough in the coming weeks to qualify for the London Olympics.

HOCKEY

Erat out with injury

Nashville Predators forward Martin Erat, who leads the team with 57 points, was scratched from Sunday night’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks with an upper body injury. Erat has 18 goals and 39 assists this season and has tied his career high in points.

The Dallas Stars have signed Reilly Smith to a three-year entry-level contract, taking the forward from college to the NHL. The contract was announced Sunday, two days after the 20-year-old Smith played in an NCAA regional semifinal loss for Miami (Ohio). Smith, a third-round pick by the Stars in the 2009 NHL draft, will join the team tonight at Calgary. Smith led Miami with 30 goals and 18 assists in 39 games this season.