ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael noted Top Rank “scored a victory Tuesday in its legal battle with rival promoter" Golden Boy Promotions over the "promotional rights to unified bantamweight titleholder NONITO DONAIRE." Golden Boy two weeks ago signed Donaire “to an exclusive multiyear agreement, although Top Rank claimed he was still under contract” with the company. Top Rank yesterday announced that arbitrator DANIEL WEINSTEIN “had prohibited Golden Boy from promoting Donaire for the duration of Top Rank's exclusive promotional agreement.” Top Rank signed Donaire “to a three-year promotional agreement in June 2008.” The organization said that the deal “also contained a provision for a one-year extension, which it said was exercised last month” (ESPN.com, 3/29).
ON THE RIGHT TRACK: AMY MITCHELL GRIFFIN, a Univ. of Virginia graduate and former volleyball player for the Cavaliers, has pledged $5M for the construction of a new track and field facility. The Virginia Athletics Foundation, the fundraising arm of the athletics department, has launched a campaign to raise the remaining amount needed to finance the approximately $14M project. Griffin's gift is the largest commitment ever made for an Olympic sport capital project at the university (Univ. of Virginia).
NAMES: Browns Owner RANDY LERNER, who currently lives on Long Island, N.Y., “will move back to Cleveland in the fall” because his son, MAX, will “enter St. Ignatius High School as a freshman.” Lerner: “This has nothing to do with the Cleveland Browns or my role with the Browns. I couldn’t be happier with the professional management team in place” (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 3/30)…. Motocross racer JAMES STEWART was "arrested Monday on a charge of impersonating a police officer." Florida Highway Patrol troopers said that Stewart "tried to stop another vehicle using red and blue police-type lights." The vehicle "contained two off-duty highway-patrol troopers" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 3/29)....The A's and DH HIDEKI MATSUI yesterday announced that they "have already raised more than $50,000 to help with relief efforts in Japan." Matsui "separately donated $620,000 himself" (AP, 3/29)....Patriots CB DEVIN MCCOURTY "recently concluded a photo shoot to be on the cover of Eastbay" (BOSTON HERALD, 3/29).
