European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 16, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday april 16, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 25 is 10-week ban end for Connors by Bob Greene a Tennis writer i love the people in new York Jimmy Connors said after winning his fourth . Open men s singles Tennis title in 1982. They May not know a whole lot about something but they enjoy Guys going out there and break ing their backs and spilling their  it was pure Connors who image is that of a Blue Collar worker in a sport considered by Many to be country club Bish. And he has been the most successful Man since Tennis became open in 1968. He has won five . Opens the Only person to win America s Premier Tennis tournament on All three surfaces on which it has been competed two Wimbledon titles and one australian open Crown. Since Rod Laver won the grand slam in 1.969, Connors is the Only Man to win three of the world s top four tournaments in his career. I play every match like it s the final of Wimbledon or the . Open Connors is fond of saying. But it was the 33-year-old left hander who refused to continue play in his semifinal match at the Lipton International players championships in february and was ultimately defaulted. For that he currently is serving a 10 week suspension imposed by the men s International professional Tennis Council and had to Shell out $25,000 in fines. It could mean the end for the popular Veteran. Connors has not won an official tournament since oct. 21, 1984, when he captured the $375,000 Seiko super Tennis class without dropping a set. And his losses have come to people like Miloslav Mecir Greg Holmes and Mike Depalmer. He has t won against the top players Ivan Lendl John Mcenroe and Mats Wilander in almost two years. And probably most revealing his Confidence has sunken so Low that he has returned to his old steel Racket a Racket that has t even been made in years. As far As i know the 10 or so i have Are the Only ones left. A couple of them go Back to my first Wimbledon singles win in 1974," he said. A big contract from Wilson had helped Connors make the move to a midsize Racket that could be sold to the Public. With it he played one of the most exciting matches of the 1984 . Open when he took Mcenroe to five sets before losing in the semifinals. It was right after that again with the midsize Connors won the Seiko in Tokyo his 105th career tournament Crown the most of any Man. It also was his last title. He fell to the czechoslovakian Mecir in the semifinals of the . Pro indoors at Philadelphia in 1985. His next tournament the . Indoors at Memphis tenn., May have signalled the beginning of the end. Connors began the tournament with his midsize Racket. After a close Victory he switched Back to the old Stee lie again narrowly winning. His next match saw him return to the midsize but then it was Back again to the t 2000, the Racket he was using when he fell to Sweden s Stefan Edberg in the semifinals and the Racket he s using to this Day. In 1985, Connors reached the semis at three Nabisco grand prix tournaments a major Factor in his retaining his no. 4 world computer ranking. But with the exception of Edberg whom he beat in the quarterfinals of the French open and in the fourth round of the . Open he had relatively easy draws. And when he did run into Lendl or Mcenroe or Kevin Curren it was Connors who failed to Advance. Connors qualified for january s Nabisco masters tournament in new York but withdrew because of the flu. Then saying he needed to play matches to get Back in shape he entered the Lipton tournament As a wild card. In the nationally televised semifinal against Lendl con nors ripped through the first set 6-1 before dropping the second by the same score. The two split the next two sets by 6-2 scores to set up the decisive fifth set. Lendl up a service break was serving at 3-2, 30-love when the czech hit a backhand Volley that landed near the Baseline. The Ball was called Good giving Lendl a 40-love Lead and sending Connors into a rage. No no no he shouted at the Linesman. You re wrong. Admit you re  then just when it appeared he was ready to resume play he turned his Wrath on Umpire Jeremy Shales. He was wrong Connors told the Umpire. The Ball was this far out he said holding his hands six inches apart. When Shales refused to overrule the line Call Connors shouted i m not playing under those conditions. Get the super visor out  under the mitc the supervisor cannot overrule a judgment Call which a line Call is. Then As the stunned crowd watched Connors refused to play As Shales began the 30-second clock and going by the rules gave Connors first a warning then a Point penalty then a game penalty for delay of game. I m not going to play under those conditions Connors repeatedly said. I m not going to play. Get the referee out Here and the  although it was against the rules Ken Farrar the mitc s chief supervisor came onto the court in an at tempt to Calm Connors and get him to continue to play. There was no judgment Call Connors told Farrar. The Ball was this far out this far out. 1 did t even play the Ball it was so far  Connors again was asked and again he refused to re sume playing. Game set and match or. Lendl by default Shales intoned. Connors with the crowd solidly in his Corner slammed his steel Racket into his bag and stormed off the court. After Lipton he reached the semifinals at la Quinta calif., losing to Sweden s Joakim Nystrom was run Crup to Lendl in the Paine Webber classic in fort Myers fla., and lost to eventual Winner Boris Becker of Germany in the semifinals of the Volvo Chicago Tennis tournament. After winning his Chicago first round match in straight sets Connors said he was not physically ready to Challenge Lendl again. I have to get in a Little better shape he said. I Don t get tired but i become  Connors will not be Able to play in a sanctioned tournament until june 9 at Queens club in London a grass court event considered a Warmup for Wimbledon. Connors sus pension is the longest handed Down by the mitc since it levied a one year ban against Guillermo Vilas of Argentina. Vilas won an Appeal but the South american once ranked in the top five in the world has never regained the touch that made him a Champion. At his age 10 weeks off the tour could prove to be the end for Connors. Rematch with Spinks on saturday Holmes Aims to reclaim if Crown Las vegas Ney. A Larry Holmes will try to duplicate a feat achieved Only by Floyd Patterson and Muhammad a when he challenges Michael Spinks saturday night for the International boxing federation heavyweight title. He will be trying to regain a piece of the heavyweight championship in a 15-round rematch against the fighter who took the title from him. Spinks won a close but unanimous 15-round decision Over Holmes last sept. 15 at Las vegas. All he did was run run run in the fight. I m not going to let Michael Spinks run said Holmes 36, who is predicting his 35th to. Spinks sees the last fight differently. Michael Spinks actually beat Larry Holmes Spinks said. Larry Holmes did t give me nothing. I took the fight from Larry Holmes. I out hustled him. You can Back me into the Corner and i la fight out of that Corner the 29-year old Spinks said. Spinks whose record is 28-0, with 19 knockouts is the first Light heavyweight Champion to become a heavyweight Cham Pion. He surprised most boxing observers by weighing 200 pounds 25 More than the Light heavyweight limit and by handling the added weight easily against Holmes. The defeat kept Holmes from Matching the 49-0 record of the late Rocky Marcia no the Only heavyweight Champion to retire undefeated. Holmes was criticized by the Media for berating Marciano s brother Peter at a news conference after his loss and for say ing Rocky could t carry my  Holmes publicly apologized to Marcia no s family but he remains bitter about Media criticism and his relationship with reporters As he prepares for the rematch is a hit or miss affair. He has attended joint pre fight news conferences at new York Beverly Hills calif., and Here and has granted some interviews but he has rejected Many requests. Yet despite his closed Mouth approach to the Media for this fight Holmes found him self apologizing to the Nevada state ath Letic commission last wednesday at a news  had outraged the commission by questioning the integrity of the commission with remarks that judges drank before fights and accepted payoffs. Maybe i talk too much maybe i got a big Mouth Holmes said. But i m sorry if i offended the  the apology was accepted. Holmes bid to match Patterson and Ali will be televised by Hob As the second in a series of eight heavyweight title bouts the purpose of which is to Crown a single Cham Pion. The if recognizes Spinks the world boxing Council considers Trevor Berbick its Champion and the Aba recognizes Tim Witherspoon As its titleholder. Patterson lost the undisputed heavy weight title when he was stopped in the third round by Ingemar Johansson on june 26,1959, and regained it with a fifth round knockout of Johansson on june 20,1960. Ali lost the undisputed title on a 15 round split decision to Spinks brother Leon on feb. 15,1978, and won the Aba title when he scored a 15-round unanimous decision Over Leon on sept. 15,1978. A photo Larry Holmes. Predicting 35th knockout promoter says Breland now ready for anybody Totowa . A you be Only seen the tip of the iceberg of Mark As a fighter say Trainer Joe Fariello. I think he s championship material says Daryl Anthony the Only fighter to beat Mark Breland who was battered into defeat in the third round when he tried again saturday. Mark Breland is ready for anybody in the world now says promoter Dan Duva. But Duva Fariello and manager Shelly Finkel Are not seeking to match Breland the 1984 olympic Champion against Don Ald Curry the undisputed welterweight Champion. Their plan Calls for Breland who had a 110-1 Amateur record and is 11-0 As a pro to Challenge for at least a piece of the welterweight title. Curry has decided to remain a welterweight for a time rather than Chal Lenge Mike Mccallum for the world Box ing association Junior middleweight title in june but he will probably be gone from the welterweight ranks next year. There s no need to Rush him Marielo said of Breland. Mark s going to be a great fighter. He s not a great fighter now but he s going to  Duva said Breland s next fight would be May 15, against an opponent to be selected in new York s Felt forum. Then Duva said Breland is scheduled to fight june 21 at Las vegas nev., or in Monte Carlo against Colin Jones a hard hooking Welsh Man who has been in against Curry and Milton Mccrory the former world boxing association welterweight Champion. The 27-year-old Anthony a St. Louis native who was 200-15 As an Amateur and is 21-2-2 As a pro knocked Breland Down and scored a 3-2 three round decision Over him in the . Amateur championships in 1981. I was 17 then Breland notes. The new yorker demonstrated his grow ing maturity As a pro saturday and Anthony acknowledged that Breland was a much different fighter from the one he beat. But Anthony claimed that his worries with a Cut Over his left Eye in the first round of the scheduled 10-round bout at ice world forced him out of his fight plan. However it is doubtful if Anthony could have dictated the fight to the 6-foot-2 Bre land who took away his opponent s Good left Jab with his own punishing left Jab