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CNN Saturday Morning News
Preview of This Weekend's Sporting Events
Aired June 08, 2002 - 08:55 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, you name the sport, it's happening this weekend.
STEVE OVERMYER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And how.
PHILLIPS: Steve Overmyer joining us to talk about them all.
OVERMYER: And it's all happening on one day. I mean it's rare you have all of these on one day. It's also my little girl's dance recital today. So there's all...
PHILLIPS: Hey, that's a sporting event.
OVERMYER: Absolutely.
PHILLIPS: We can throw it in.
OVERMYER: You can throw that in there. It's one of -- I mean can't you?
You know, a big weekend for sports -- horse racing, boxing, soccer, a little French Open, a little bit of everything going on.
First up, the Belmont stakes. War Emblem going for the Triple Crown. Yes, the 3-year-old colt will have to sail past 10 other contenders and win.
And, of course, the heavyweight title fight between Mike Tyson and Lennox Lewis getting under way tonight. The two will be squaring off in Memphis.
Joining us now for a preview of these events and others taking place this weekend, Chris Cotter of Sports Talk 790, "The Zone."
Chris, thanks a bunch for joining us.
CHRIS COTTER, SPORTS TALK 790, "THE ZONE": Hey, it's no problem.
OVERMYER: Open up with Lewis and Tyson. That one is on. Is this the Super Bowl of boxing?
COTTER: Well, I mean I think it's really, really big in the fact that you have the two biggest names in the heavyweight ranks right now going at it. And the thing about it is is Tyson really hasn't faced anybody in a long time. He hasn't beaten anybody of repute in a long time. And what you have a problem with in the heavyweight ranks is you just don't have a whole lot of recognition, a whole lot of marquis match up.
So you get Tyson, even though he may be an underdog, even though Lennox Lewis might be the better boxer, you still have the two marquis names in the heavyweight division right now going at it.
OVERMYER: You wonder if this is all hype, but, I mean they've gone through a great deal of effort to keep these two boxers separated. Is it going to be like two caged animals when they go in the ring?
COTTER: Well, I think to some extent it will be simply because Mike Tyson really does not like Lennox Lewis. And Tyson throughout his history has been a guy who, he will train hard when he wants to. When he doesn't want to, he won't. So I think he really, his dislike for Lennox Lewis has caused him to really go in there.
He did weigh in a little overweight, but not too much.
OVERMYER: Right.
COTTER: I think he's in pretty good shape, although, I will tell you this, I think if the fight goes four, five, six rounds and starts to go more than three rounds and Tyson realizes that he can't hurt Lennox Lewis, who knows what'll happen? Like we saw in the Holyfield fight with the biting and in the previous Lennox Lewis fight when he pretty much gave in.
OVERMYER: Absolutely, because boxer Oscar de la Hoya says that Mike Tyson really isn't a good boxer anymore. He's just a circus act. Is that true? I mean, do people just tune in to see if Mike Tyson is going to bite somebody?
COTTER: I don't think he's nearly the boxer he once was. I don't know if he's a circus act, but I think he has, he has one act, basically, and that is to go out in the first round with a big upper cut and try and hurt somebody. If he knows he can't hurt somebody, then that's going to be it for him. Then he panics, as he did in the Holyfield fight and as he may panic tonight against Lennox Lewis.
OVERMYER: All right, now, to the Belmont. How good of a chance does War Emblem have of bringing home the Triple Crown?
COTTER: I think the best chance. I think War Emblem does have an outstanding chance. I think there probably only a couple of horses that can beat War Emblem and it's a big deal. The Belmont usually loses a lot of its luster.
OVERMYER: Because of this?
COTTER: Because of the fact that you get a -- the Kentucky Derby is the first and you always have a chance in the Preakness to have the Kentucky Derby winner advance and win the second of the three. But oftentimes by the time you get to the Belmont, the third in the Triple Crown, you know that you're not going to have a Triple Crown winner so it loses a lot.
OVERMYER: This has to be one of the most impressive achievements in sports with the accomplishment of winning a Triple Crown, doesn't it?
COTTER: Well, I think it is, and especially this year when you talk about a horse like War Emblem, who was purchased so...
OVERMYER: Right. Twenty to one odds.
COTTER: Right. Twenty to one odds at the start of the Kentucky Derby. Purchased so inexpensively, really, comparatively by -- and Bob Baffert almost stumbling across this horse and now he may win his first Triple Crown, even given a couple of opportunities in the late '90s to do it, couldn't get it done. He may get his first one today.
OVERMYER: All right, now, jockeys won't admit this, but do you feel that maybe some of these jockeys are going to do whatever it takes to prevent him? They're going to box him in, they're going to bump him a little bit to prevent War Emblem from taking home the Crown?
COTTER: Well, a lot of people look at jockeys and maybe question whether they're real athletes or not. But certainly jockeys know a lot of the tricks of the trade. They've done, raced in a lot of races so they know every little thing that they can do coming down the stretch to affect a race.
OVERMYER: All right, and finally, another big one today will obviously be the French Open, Serena Williams versus Venus Williams. Come Monday they're going to be ranked numbers one and two in the world and they're going to be facing each other today, obviously, for the French Open title. Actually, here in about a couple of minutes coming to wait. Wait a minute, it's Serena's turn to win now, isn't it?
COTTER: Well, Serena won the first between the two sisters.
OVERMYER: They don't set these up?
COTTER: No. At least not that we know right now.
OVERMYER: No.
COTTER: Serena won the first and then Venus has won four since.
OVERMYER: Right.
COTTER: So, yes, I think in the overall scheme of things -- well, actually, the Williams family, everything is coming together because obviously the ultimate goal is to have one of them be ranked number one, one of them be ranked number two. As you said, regardless of what happens here at the French Open final, they will be ranked number one, two, the first time ever sisters have been that way.
OVERMYER: Right. COTTER: And this could be the start of a real dominance in women's tennis. I mean it could be the Williams sisters one and two, regardless of which one, for 10, 15 years down the road.
OVERMYER: I mean they're already dominating. I mean you open up any magazine, you see the Williams sisters. You see Anna Kournikova and it makes you wonder, is women's tennis becoming more popular than men's tennis?
COTTER: Well, let's see, who's playing in the men's finals?
OVERMYER: Jack...
COTTER: A couple of Spaniards, right?
OVERMYER: Exactly. A couple of Spaniards.
COTTER: I mean that's pretty much the way it is. And in the women's finals, even though you have Martina Hingis now maybe having to retire because of injury, you still have the marquis names. You have, there's a lot more drama and a lot more interest.
On the men's side, you know, even the greatest American star, Pete Sampras, I mean a lack of personality.
OVERMYER: And he's gone.
COTTER: A lack of intrigue with sports fans and now he's gone. So you're looking for, there's a void there. You're looking for someone to take the place.
OVERMYER: Chris, I appreciate it. Thank you very much for giving us your insights.
COTTER: It's my pleasure. Any time.
OVERMYER: All right, that's going to do it from the world of sports. What do you say? A big enough day for you?
PHILLIPS: All right. Yes, I want to see the two sisters go at it. I want to see the sister act. I'm tuned into that.
OVERMYER: You like the celebrity match, right?
PHILLIPS: Yes, exactly. I've got to find out who the Spaniards are. Chris, you've got to help me out.
All right, guys, thank you so much.
OVERMYER: Sure.
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