BOXING

HEALTHY MORRISON SET TO RETURN TO THE RING

Former WBO heavyweight champion Tommy Morrison is staging a comeback, saying yesterday that a positive HIV test that ended his career more than a decade ago was inaccurate.

“I’m negative and I’ve always been negative and that should be the end of it,” Morrison said.

The 38-year-old will face John Castle in a four-round fight tomorrow at Mountaineer Racetrack and Gaming Resort.

“The rug was yanked out from under my feet by a misdiagnosis,” he said. “All I want to do is fight. … It’s unfinished business.”

The State Athletic Commissioner, Steve Allred, said yesterday he approved Morrison’s participation in the fight after reviewing medical records and consulting with the Association of Boxing Commissions’ medical review committee. Allred said confidentiality laws prevent him from discussing Morrison’s medical history or the records he reviewed.

Morrison won the WBO title in 1993 by outpointing George Foreman. He lost it later that year. Morrison, who was featured in the movie “Rocky V,” also served a couple of years in an Arkansas prison on drug and weapons charges.

BASEBALL

ZAMBRANO INKS ONE-YEAR DEAL WITH CUBS

Carlos Zambrano and the Chicago Cubs agreed to a $12.4 million, one-year contract yesterday, avoiding salary arbitration by striking the deal just before the scheduled hearing.

Zambrano earned $6.5 million last season while going 16–7 with a 3.41 ERA and 210 strikeouts. He asked for $15.5 million in arbitration, while the Cubs countered at $11,025,000 — more than any player has been awarded. Zambrano told WGN-TV last week that he would leave as a free agent after the season if the Cubs didn’t sign him to a long-term deal by opening day — but he backed off a few days later. He did, however, reiterate that he won’t negotiate during the season and wants to be paid on the level of left-hander Barry Zito.

SOCCER

MANCHESTER UNITED, REAL MADRID NOTCH WINS

Manchester United beat Lille 1-0 yesterday on a disputed goal in a Champions League game marred by crowd problems. Real Madrid, meanwhile, helped ease the pressure on its coach by beating Bayern Munich 3–2.

Ryan Giggs scored the winning goal for United, curling in a free kick in the 83rd minute. That prompted an angry reaction from Lille’s players, who claimed Giggs had not waited for the referee’s whistle and took the free kick too quickly.

Madrid got two first-half goals from Raul Gonzalez and another from Ruud van Nistelrooy to give the nine-time champions the edge heading into the second leg in two weeks.

Associated Press