Dokes Sentenced to Lengthy Prison Term for Assault

Former heavyweight champion Michael Dokes was sent to prison Monday for a night of terror in which he beat and sexually assaulted his live-in girlfriend in 1998.

A tearful Dokes, 41, apologized for his actions, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a Las Vegas judge from giving him up to 10 years in prison for an attack that left the victim’s face so beaten that an arresting officer said he couldn’t recognize her from a driver’s license photo.

District Judge John McGroarty imposed a sentence that will keep Dokes in prison for a minimum of four years and two months.

Dokes pleaded guilty earlier to charges of attempted murder, second-degree kidnapping and battery with intent to commit sexual assault for the August 1998 attack in which the victim was held against her will for six hours in their home.

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Orlin Norris, the boxer who was punched after the bell by Mike Tyson during an Oct. 23 fight, sued Tyson, charging that he broke an oral agreement for a rematch. Norris is asking that Showtime cable television be required to withhold $2 million of Tyson’s purse from his fight this Saturday with Britain’s Julius Francis at Manchester, England. . . . Joseph A. Hayden Jr., the court-appointed monitor for the troubled International Boxing Federation, has resigned after less than two weeks, saying his marriage to a federal judge could raise conflict-of-interest questions. Newark, N.J., lawyer William W. Robertson was appointed to replace Hayden.

Baseball

Left-handed pitcher Andy Pettitte, 27, and the New York Yankees have agreed to a three-year, $25.5-million contract with a team option for a fourth in 2003 that would make the deal worth $35 million over four years. . . . Former journeyman outfielder Elliott Maddox, 51, faces grand theft charges for exaggerating a knee injury to collect workers compensation from Florida’s Division of Children and Families. . . . Knuckleballer and former Dodger Tom Candiotti agreed to a minor league contract with the Angels. The Angels also agreed to a minor league contract with right-hander Steve Mintz. . . . The Mets raised the price of the best box seats at Shea Stadium $12 this year to $57, $2 more than the price of the best box seats at Yankee Stadium.

Miscellany

Defending champion and fourth-ranked Serena Williams has committed to play in the WTA event at Indian Wells that begins March 8. The tournament features 19 of the top 20 women on the tour. . . . Gary Stevens, the Hall of Fame jockey who retired a month ago because of arthritic knees, said he has become a jockeys’ agent. Stevens will book mounts for Luis Jauregui, a Seattle rider who is hoping to make a successful switch to Southern California, and Royston Ffrench, an English jockey who has spent recent winters at Santa Anita. . . . Golfers Greg Norman and Karrie Webb and swimmer Kieren Perkins were among 10,000 chosen as torchbearers in the Summer Olympic flame’s 100-day, 16,600-mile journey to Sydney, Australia. . . . Magic Johnson had 15 points and 12 assists as his Magic M7 defeated Stockholm’s Alvik, 120-96, in Sweden. . . . Penn State football Coach Joe Paterno, 73, signed a five-year contract extension through 2004. . . . Jenson Button, 20, became the fifth youngest driver in Formula One history when he was named to replace Alex Zanardi at Williams BMW. . . . Wayne State’s hockey team will forfeit six victories this season because Dave Peca, younger brother of the Buffalo Sabres’ Michael Peca, once was paid $70 to play eight games in the Ontario Hockey League. . . . Rivaldo, star forward of Brazil’s national team, overwhelmingly was voted FIFA player of the year, defeating England’s David Beckham.