Role in Brawl Costs Boxer Judah $250,000

Nevada boxing regulators revoked Zab Judah’s license and fined him $250,000 on Monday, the harshest penalty yet for a melee that broke out at the International Boxing Federation welterweight title fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. on April 8 in Las Vegas.

Judah was punished for punching Mayweather in the back of the head in the bout and joining the fracas that ensued when Mayweather’s trainer and uncle, Roger Mayweather, burst into the ring.

The Nevada Athletic Commission also revoked the license of Judah’s father and trainer, Yoel Judah, and fined him $100,000 for illegally rushing into the ring and for punching Roger Mayweather.

Commissioner Joe Brown said that a factor was Judah’s history of having a six-month suspension and $75,000 fine in November 2001 for throwing a stool and putting a glove to a referee’s chin after losing a fight.

Mayweather (36-0) went on to win a unanimous decision and was declared champion. He received his guaranteed $5 million after tapes showed he stayed in a neutral corner during the brawl. Before the fine was imposed, Judah (34-4) was to get $690,000 plus a share of pay-per-view revenue. An official said the Judahs can appeal next April to have their licenses reinstated.

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TENNIS

Federer Easily Beats Chela at Rome Masters

Top-ranked Roger Federer of Switzerland defeated Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina, 6-2, 6-1, in the first round of the Rome Masters, showing off a more aggressive style than usual on clay.

Florent Serra of France beat James Blake, 6-4, 7-6 (3), and Robby Ginepri rallied past Max Mirnyi of Belarus, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.

Top-seeded Marion Bartoli of France lost to Kaia Kanepi of Estonia, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-2, in the first round of the Prague Open in the Czech Republic. Meghann Shaughnessy defeated Viktoriya Kutuzova of Ukraine, 6-2, 6-2.

This week Martina Navratilova, 49, will compete in her homeland for the first time in 20 years. Navratilova and Czech Barbora Strycova are seeded No. 1 in doubles.

Virginie Razzano of France defeated Ai Sugiyami of Japan, 6-1, 4-6, 6-2, in the first round of the German Open at Berlin.

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SOCCER

World Cup Ticketing Issue Concerns FIFA

As the June 9 game between host Germany and Costa Rica to open the World Cup draws near, FIFA President Sepp Blatter said organizers were struggling to find solutions to a ticketing problem that could lead to violence outside stadiums and thousands of empty seats inside.

German officials insist that each ticket must have the owner’s name on it and that the ticket-holder’s identity must be confirmed by identification. FIFA fears that could lead to long lines of frustrated fans waiting to get into the stadiums.

The 32-nation tournament runs through July 9.

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GOLF

Mickelson to Sit Out Byron Nelson Event

Masters champion Phil Mickelson withdrew from the Byron Nelson Championship at Irving, Texas, for personal reasons, leaving the tournament without the top two players in the world.

Tiger Woods had planned to play in the Byron Nelson Championship but pulled out after his father, Earl, died Wednesday.

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HOCKEY

Jonsson’s Goals Help Sweden Get Past Italy

Olympic champion Sweden beat Italy, 4-0, behind two goals by Kenny Jonsson to qualify for the second round of the world championship at Riga, Latvia.

Russia beat Belarus, 3-2, with two third-period goals; Switzerland beat Ukraine, 2-1, and Slovakia beat Kazakhstan, 6-0.

Montreal captain Saku Koivu had surgery on his left eye to repair a retina torn by an errant stick during Game 3 of the Canadiens’ playoff series against Carolina. Doctors expect him to regain vision in the eye.... Forward Jaromir Jagr of the New York Rangers had surgery on his dislocated left shoulder.

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BASKETBALL

Romar Selected to Coach U.S. Under-18 Team

USA Basketball has selected Washington Coach Lorenzo Romar to lead the men’s under-18 team in the qualification tournament for the 2007 FIBA world championships from June 28 to July 2 at San Antonio.

Indiana would not have to pay any penalty to new Coach Kelvin Sampson if the school were to fire him because of NCAA sanctions stemming from recruiting violations while he was at Oklahoma.

The Indianapolis Star reported about the final contract on its website Monday, saying it obtained the contract through a public records request.

Key reserve Cherelle George won’t return to the Purdue women’s basketball team, part of the fallout from the university’s 10-week internal investigation into NCAA violations.

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MISCELLANY

Lawsuit Over ‘12th Man’ Nickname Is Settled

Texas A&M; and the Seattle Seahawk officials said they had reached a deal settling the university’s lawsuit over the “12th Man” nickname for their fans.

As part of the agreement, the Seahawks acknowledge Texas A&M;’s ownership rights of the phrase, but the NFL team may continue using it under license.

Former Southwest Conference football rivals Arkansas and Texas will play each other again, agreeing to a home-and-home series in 2008 and 2009.

NFL Network has acquired the rights to the Insight Bowl, which will be in December at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Ariz., and match teams from the Big 12 and Big Ten. Previously, the game was televised by ESPN.

Work on a shooting range for the 2008 Beijing Olympics was suspended after the discovery of imperial-era tombs on the site, a Beijing newspaper reported.

The late Archie Moore, the light-heavyweight champion from 1952 to 1961, headlines the list of 2006 inductees for the California Boxing Hall of Fame.

The ceremony will take place Aug. 19 at Sportsmen’s Lodge in Studio City.