SPORT DIGEST

The 46-year-old, who won 21 world title fights between 1978 and 1985, scored the forty-first knockout of his career with a short right to the head of the unfancied Shephard, from Richmond, Virginia, after two minutes and 41 seconds of the fourth round.

Meanwhile, Joe Bugner, the former British, European and Commonwealth heavyweight champion, will continue his latest comeback when he faces American West Turner in a 10-round bout in Perth, Australia, on February 2.

Bugner, 45, ended an eight-year absence from the ring late last year when he outpointed Vince Cervi to win the Australian title.

Ski-ing

NORWAY'S Lasse Kjus, who leads the men's world cup standings, will miss this weekend's races after suffering severe concussion in a fall at Kitzbuhel in Austria yesterday. Kjus, who will be 25 on Sunday, crashed while negotiating the last turn before the finish line in training on the icy Streif course.

The world and Olympic combined champion lost his balance, careered into a fence, and lost consciousness for a few minutes before he was taken by helicopter to the nearby hospital.

Kjus sustained bruises to his face, hips and thighs - prompting Norwegian officials to declare that he would definitely not race in back-to-back downhills tomorrow and Saturday or in Sunday's slalom. Doctors will monitor his condition throughout the night and decide today whether he will be fit enough to take part in next weekend's races in Veysonnaz, Switzerland - two more downhills and a slalom.

If Kjus misses all six races and both combineds, his considerable 366-point lead over Switzerland's Michael von Gruenigen at the top of the overall standings could be wiped out.

Meanwhile, Britain's Graham Bell was eleventh fastest in the first training run. He is hoping to improve on his best world cup finish, twelfth there two years ago and nineteenth last year.

Pools payout

Littlewoods: Treble chance - 24pts #246.25, 23 #9.75. Four draws #1. Ten homes #37.45. Five aways (paid on four correct) #83.55.

Vernons: Treble chance - 24 #73.35, 23 #3.45. Ten homes #48.90. Five aways #562.00.

Zetters: Treble chance - 24 #26.60, 23 #0.80 (two dividends only). Easy six #49. Four draws #1.60. Eight homes #8.30. Four aways (paid on one correct) #1.10. Goals galore (paid on 161 goals) #2.05. Lucky numbers 27 18 36 11 4 33.

Brittens: Treble chance - 24 #12.60 (one dividend only). Four draws #1.80. Five aways (paid on four correct) #126.25. Eight homes #57.80.

Tennis

SCOTTISH No.3 Jason Barnett, winner of last week's Irish Open indoor championships, and world-ranked teenager Jennifer Duncan, are favourites for the respective singles titles at the first Scottish ranking event of 1996, the Stirling Winter Series, which opens at the Gannochy National Tennis Centre on Saturday.

Barnett does not enter the 29-player draw until the semi-finals when he is likely to face Scottish No.10 Brian Barnet and will spend the early part of next week contesting the Reebok British Tour event in Wigan along with Ross Matheson. Seventh ranked Euan McGinn is tipped to meet the 20-year-old Aberdonian in next Sunday's final.

Duncan, the world No.976, is taking a break from the full-time circuit. This is her first tournament since the British National Championships in early November, but the 19-year old from Arbroath should be a class ahead of the rest.

Cricket

TEENAGE spin ace Ross Mitchinson could be ready to stake a claim for a full Scotland cap this year. The 18-year-old Fifeshire player is currently guesting for New Zealand club side Hawera, and Scotland coach Jim Love reckons the experience could set Mitch up to challenge the country's established spinners.

He said: ``Ross is one of our best prospects. A winter away can only do him good. When you're playing as an overseas player the pressure is on you to perform, because you're expected to.''

The Scotland B cap seems to be responding to the challenge, having taken twenty-two wickets for his Kiwi club at an average of just thirteen.

Badminton

SCOTLAND'S Anne Gibson fought through two matches of the pre-qualifying at the Chinese-Taipei Open before finally losing out to China's Terng Ru Yu 11-8, 12-10 yesterday. The London-based Scottish champion put out Anparo Lim of the Philippines 11-3, 11-4 and Charmaine Reid of Canada 12-9, 11-8.

Her rival for an Olympic place, Jo Muggeridge of England, boosted her hopes with a win in the Finnish Open, but failed to arrive in time at the Chinese-Taipei event to play in qualifying. She may face disciplinary action for assuming she would be placed in the main draw.

Meanwhile, Scottish champion Bruce Flockhart will not play in the Portuguese Open due to a neck injury.

Olympics

ELEVEN cities submitted bids to host the 2004 Summer Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said yesterday. The list is: Athens, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Istanbul, Lille, Rio de Janeiro, Rome, San Juan, Seville, Stockholm and St Petersburg.

IOC officials said technical representatives of the bidding cities would meet IOC leaders in Lausanne on January 23 to discuss bidding procedure.

A CONSORTIUM backed by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp is bidding around #1.3bn for the European rights to screen the winter and summer Olympics between 2000 and 2008.

Golf

COLIN Brooks (Glencorse), playing over his ``second home'' at Gullane, won the East of Scotland Golfers' Alliance scratch competition and handicap Berwickshire Cup over the No.2 course yesterday, with a four-under-par 67. Leading scores:

Scratch: 67 - C Brooks (Glencorse). 68 - P Terras (Goswick). 69 - G Weir (Braid Hills DR). 70 - E McIntosh (Braid Hills DR), K Lobban (Golf Repair Centre). Handicap (Berwickshire Cup): 67 - Brooks. 68 - Terras. 69 - Weir, A Wight (Glencorse, 3), P Anderson (Tantallon, 7), E Bird (Pumpherston, 9), H Cartmill (Bathgate, 6). Assistants: 70 - McIntosh. 72 - G Walker (Royal Musselburgh).

Athletics

Scottish Services 4x1!s-miles Country Relay at Rosyth - 1, Glencorse Training Regiment 32min 57sec (S Arnell, L Thomas, C Martin, C Jones); 2, RAF Leuchars 32-58 (S Quinn, W Murdy, L Scott, M Turner); 3, RAF Kinloss 37-05 (C Rudall, P Hutchison, S Matheson, C Beattie). Fastest Lap: M Turner (RAF Leuchars) 7-28.

Snooker

JOE Johnson maintained his purple patch at snooker's winter qualifying school in Blackpool with his fourth victory in a row. The revitalised former world champion is now only one win away from a trip to Malta in March for the final stages of the #330,000 European Open after whitewashing Scot Drew Henry 5-0. Other Scottish results:

J Johnson (England) beat D Henry 5-0; K Payne (England) beat B Snaddon 5-3; M Campbell beat T Jones (England) 5-1, J Prince (N Ireland) beat P McPhillips 5-0.

Football

ROGER Stanislaus has been suspended on full pay by Leyton Orient after having been charged by the Football Association with misconduct following a positive drug test.

The Endsleigh League division three club took action pending the outcome of a hearing after the 27-year-old defender became the first player found to have traces of a performance-enhancing drug in his system immediately after a game.

Stanislaus tested positive for cocaine when randomly examined following Orient's match at Barnet on November 25.

PELE said yesterday he was stepping down as a director of his former club Santos, less than a month after helping them to one of their most successful seasons of the past two decades.

Pele, who is also the Brazilian government's sports minister, said he was leaving because he did not have enough time for both jobs, but also hinted that he was upset over the departure of coach Cabralzinho last week.

Rugby

JOHN Dawes' 1971 British Lions will be on tour again this year to mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of their unique 2-1 Test triumph in New Zealand. All 34 surviving Lions - coach Carwyn James died 12 years ago - will re-assemble for four days of partying, starting in Cardiff on May 8 and ending in London, where they will attend the Middlesex sevens.

Bank of Scotland Schools Cup. National round - Eastwood District Schools 7, St Aloysians College 20.