” So many of these heavyweights underestimate me – they think I’m a fruitcake.”When Lewis did arrive he once again criticised O’Connell. He said: “He is a bad judge but I accept he may be a good referee and he has another chance on Saturday night to prove it.”Sharing the dais with Lewis was Jose Sulaiman, the long-suffering and serving president of the World Boxing Council, who was clearly uncomfortable with his champion’s words and came quickly to O’Connell’s defence.”Larry O’Connell is one of the most honourable and competent ring officials in the world,” he said. “Like every man he has had a bad day but he deserves this chance and I believe, I truly believe, this will be his vindication.”The criticism of the British official, who in the 1960s boxed on a regular basis as an amateur for England, puts his position as the third man in the ring in jeopardy, despite what Sulaiman has said.It would be unthinkable for a high-profile footballer to be as critical in public of a referee before an important match and Lewis can consider himself fortunate that the fight is taking place in London and not in Nevada, where officials are generally treated with a lot more respect.When O’Connell returned a drawn verdict after the first Lewis-Holyfield fight, he was subjected to excessive lengths of ridicule but he was quick to reveal that the investigation into the fight’s verdict by the Attorney General’s Office of New York told him there was no reason to appear.He said at the time: “I have been called and they have let me know that my reputation precedes me and they have no reason to speak with me.” That should have been the end, but Lewis, a man not known for his outspoken remarks, has instigated another set of accusations which have undermined O’Connell’s standing.Back on the boxing, Lewis, presented with a bucket-load of awards during the press conference by Sulaiman, peered through a gap in the trophy-laden top table and dismissed Botha’s claims to be a dangerous opponent.”He does do some funny things in the ring, he throws the elbow and tries to clap you on the ears,” he said. “But as far as him knocking me out, or hurting me, or outboxing me – no.”* Michael Nunn, the 37-year-old American who had been due to meet Britain’s Clinton Woods on Saturday’s undercard, has withdrawn after injuring his hand in sparring. The fight was to have been a final eliminator for Roy Jones’s WBC light-heavyweight title.. Kieren Fallon would have had a high old time at Newmarket this week. His sharp racing mind would soon have worked out that the ground was fastest by the rail, while his strength through the race and in the finish would have defended his position to the last.

Instead, he could only watch yesterday as both Pat Eddery and Jimmy Fortune produced fair impressions of the champion jockey, with do-or-die rides on Cephalonia and Noverre which were the difference between victory and defeat. Kieren Fallon would have had a high old time at Newmarket this week. His sharp racing mind would soon have worked out that the ground was fastest by the rail, while his strength through the race and in the finish would have defended his position to the last. Instead, he could only watch yesterday as both Pat Eddery and Jimmy Fortune produced fair impressions of the champion jockey, with do-or-die rides on Cephalonia and Noverre which were the difference between victory and defeat.
Fallon was on a racecourse for the first time since paramedics scraped him from the turf at Royal Ascot, where he had been flung by his falling mount, Alhawa.

It will be months, though, before he pulls on a set of silks. Fallon admitted that it he is unlikely to return to race-riding this year, and that even his doctors have no clear idea of how long his damaged arm and shoulder will need to recover.”I’m having physio on my hand, but I haven’t had physio on my shoulder yet,” Fallon said. “It has to stay strapped to my body for another three weeks, that can’t be moved, but I’m trying to get the power back in my hand, which is coming back slowly I don’t think I’ll be back this year. They won’t know until they take off the strapping in another three weeks.”Fallon did not need to wait long yesterday to see why Eddery, 11 times the champion jockey, is many punters’ fancy to complete his dozen this year.

Eddery kept demanding more from Cephalonia when other riders might have accepted defeat and, with the benefit of the fast stands’ rail, hauled her past Samsaam, the favourite, in the final strides. It was “Vintage Pat,” as John Dunlop, who trains both horses, put it, and the Park Hill Stakes at Doncaster is now an obvious target for this brave and willing filly.It was, in all, a day when riding skills, and in particular the ability to find the fast ground, were all important. Craig Williams, on Golden Silca, the favourite for the Falmouth Stakes, did his mount no favours by racing up the middle of the course. By contrast, Richard Hills, who seemingly had the worst draw of all in one, managed to rush Alshakr out of the stalls and on to the rail, from where she proceeded to make all.Fortune, too, more than earned his slice of the prize-money, as he persuaded Noverre to rally past Media Mogul, having been headed briefly inside the final furlong of the July Stakes.A short-head success from a 16-1 shot is not the obvious profile of a future star, but David Loder, who was winning the race for the second year running, insists that Noverre would be unlikely to win a seller with much more to spare. “That’s typical of the horse,” the trainer said, “he’s really tough but he’s never going to be a 10-length winner. He’s a good horse with an excellent temperament, and I’m sure he can go on from this.”If Noverre does prove to be one of Godolphin’s better two-year-olds, he will spend next season with Saeed bin Suroor rather than Loder, but his former trainer should at least catch sight of him on the gallops each morning following his imminent return to Newmarket from Godolphin’s French base at Evry.Loder will arrive at Stanley House Stables this autumn, and after two years in France, he will inevitably suffer a little culture shock. “From a professional point of view,” he said, “it’s definitely the right thing for me to be coming back.

From the climate and the vin ordinaire point of view, maybe it’s not so good.”. Marcus Ehning had the best of a high-class jump-off against the clock when he rode the stallion For Pleasure to win yesterday’s Preis von Europa on the second day of the Nations Cup Show here, delighting the home audience which saw German riders filling the top two places. Marcus Ehning had the best of a high-class jump-off against the clock when he rode the stallion For Pleasure to win yesterday’s Preis von Europa on the second day of the Nations Cup Show here, delighting the home audience which saw German riders filling the top two places.
Spectators also had the pleasure of watching Ehning and Markus Beerbaum, the runner-up on Lady Weingard, hold off a determined challenge from the world champion, Rodrigo Pessoa. A mere 0.37 seconds slower than the winner, the Brazilian had to be content with third place on Gandini Lianos.Though beaten into fifth, Michael Whitaker had every reason to be pleased with the two clear rounds he jumped on Anne Bedford’s Handel, the only British horse through to the 13-horse jump-off.The 11-year-old stallion has been placed consistently in grand prix classes since Whitaker teamed up with him six months ago. Though the rider is still keeping his options open, Handel looks his probable Olympic mount.Two of the British newcomers to Aachen, Andrew Davies and Carl Edwards, continued to thrive in the charged atmosphere of this famous show. Both jumped clear rounds, although neither succeeded in getting within the tight time.Davies missed the jump-off by finishing 0.2sec outside the time allowed with Captain Wellington, but this could be a blessing since the horse will be much fresher for tomorrow’s Nations Cup, the biggest test of his career.