However, cunning cannot be exchanged for years -McCall, the favourite, is only 29. "If I lose this fight, I'll quit right away," Holmes said.If Holmes wins, he will not hang around if he sees Tyson coming to get the title, but will probably use his victory to try to get a fight with George Foreman. Holmes, now 45, first won the heavyweight title from Ken Norton in 1978, and was champion for seven years.There are few boxers craftier than Holmes, who appears to have trained very hard for the shorter, stockier McCall. BOXING Rather than world heavyweight champions, the winners of the two crowns which will be fought for in Las Vegas tonight could just as well be dubbed title babysitters. Many believe the fighters who take the World Boxing Association and World Boxing Council belts will be just looking after them before they are claimed by the true champion, Mike Tyson, recently released from prison and flush from signing a six-fight, multi-million dollar deal.In the first match, Tony Tucker will fight Bruce Seldon for the WBA crown, then the former champion, Larry Holmes, will try to take Oliver McCall's WBC title.
But all things are not equal at present - just as they were not a week ago.AUSTRALIA: *M A Taylor, M J Slater, D C Boon, M E Waugh, S R Waugh, G S Blewett, I A Healy, B P Julian, P R Reiffel, S K Warne, G D McGrathWEST INDIES: *R B Richardson, S C Williams, B C Lara, J C Adams, C L Hooper, K L T Arthurton, J R Murray, W K M Benjamin, C E L Ambrose, C A Walsh, K C G Benjamin. A similarly benign pitch is expected and, all things being equal, a draw is the likeliest result. Richardson, characteristically positive, is confident they can do it again and has stepped forward to lead from the front, opening the innings for only the 10th time in his 77th Test. But his main task is to lift his players and stimulate the enthusiasm blatantly missing in Barbados.It was an enthusiasm that prevaded everything about Australia's cricket and, having siezed the early initiative, actual as well as psychological, they will not easily surrender it.It was the West Indies' batting, dismissed for under 200 in each innings for the first time in a home Test, that was principally responsible for the Barbados defeat so they should be comforted by a return to the Antigua Recreation Ground, scene of Brian Lara's record 375 against England a year ago. To a public unaccustomed to losing, it seems even more so after the failure of the young openers, Stuart Williams and Sherwin Campbell, in the first Test and the subsequent dropping of Campbell.There is no hope that Haynes will return for this series, although he might well do for the summer's tour of England, whatever the court ruling, and the West Indies must depend more on their proven resilience to protect a record of not losing a Test series since 1980.Eight times since, they have rallied after an early loss to either win or level. They have been roundly castigated, in every forum, by their furious public, made even more indignant by the sighting of several of their players cavorting in a popular Barbados nightclub in the small hours of Sunday morning, the day of their demise.Richie Richardson, returning to the captaincy after a medically advised year-long absence, has borne the brunt of the censure, so much so that Courtney Walsh, caretaker skipper in his absence, has been moved to call for an end to it.Their turmoil has been compounded on the eve of the match by news that Desmond Haynes has filed a writ against the West Indies Cricket Board of Control in the Barbados High Court claiming damages for its ruling making him ineligible for the series.Haynes, one of Test cricket's most durable and successful openers with 116 Tests, more than 7,000 runs and 18 centuries to his name, arrived back from a contract with Western Province in South Africa in early January, one match too late to meet the WICBC's selection criterion of participation in all five Red Stripe Cup matches.Although it pointed out it was a long established principle, mainly to prevent an exodus of top players to simultaneous seasons in Australia and South Africa, it seemed, at the time, a case of cutting off its nose to spite its face. CRICKET TONY COZIER reports from St John's, AntiguaAustralia and the West Indies enter the second Test here today, their fortunes having done a spectacular 360 degree somersault since the series began in Barbados eight days ago.It was Australia who were then in some disarray.They had been thoroughly thrashed 4-1 in the preceding one-day internationals, their premier strike bowler, Craig McDermott, and a worthy member of his support staff, Damien Fleming, had returned home with injuries and their much vaunted leg-spinner, Shane Warne, had been belted all around the Caribbean, not only by the main West Indies batsmen but by some of their reserves as well.In the brief interim, it is Australia who are ahead in the contest and bubbling with confidence, the West Indies who suddenly find themselves overburdened by adversity.A massive dose of complacency in the first Test in Barbados led to a humiliating defeat by 10 wickets, for the first time in 30 years within three days.
What they don't seem to appreciate is they need us just as much as the rich, because if things don't go well in the future, we'll be the ones who are still there, long after the bandwagon jumpers have gone elsewhere."To further the battle against the new sit-down rule and the fight for more space at Old Trafford for the ordinary fan, Kurt's organisation has hired the Free Trade Hall in Manchester on 24 April for a mass meeting: "All welcome," he says It will be standing room only.. We're saying to the board, here's an opportunity to rebuild Old Trafford accommodating everyone, allow both ends to be occupied by those who want to stand up and chant and encourage the team, and put the day trippers and the executives at the sides. United have the largest demand for seats, and should thus be able to charge the highest prices Next season prices are going up to reflect scarcity value. The worry is among the less well-heeled that the resistance against economic logic can conveniently end with the rebuilding."It seems from the plans issued at the EGM that the new stand is to be largely accounted for by shifting existing season ticket holders and replacing their positions with premium-priced seating," Kurt said "So they'll be no extra room for the ordinary fan. If that is true, it has come at an opportune moment: when the capacity at Old Trafford is due to be cut during building work, meaning precious few tickets for anyone except those in possession of a season ticket and corporate entertaining facilities.United have been in their current pre-eminence beyond reproach in the manner in which their merchandise machine - derided, pilloried and Hunter Daviesed though it might be - has subsidised ticket prices at Old Trafford: a season ticket for Spurs, for instance, costs twice one to watch United Milton Friedman would regard this as crazy.