Rematch

In the wake of WWE's Over the Limit pay-per-view, a new Intercontinental champion has been crowned, four other champions continue to hold onto their titles and John Laurinaitis remains employed. Sunday night's show delivered an evening of quality entertainment and good in-ring performances. On a non-major PPV event, WWE delivered a product that surpassed the expectations of many. Here's a match-by-match look at the show: Battle Royale This last-minute addition to the card was a means of crowning a No. 1 contender for one of the midcard titles.

When Denison pays a visit to Mustang Stadium in Owings Mills Wednesday night for an NCAA tournament quarterfinal, Stevenson won't be unfamiliar with the Big Red. That's because the two teams tangled on April 7 with the Mustangs emerging with a 12-9 victory. That contest should help Stevenson reacquaint itself with Denison. “I think we've just got to know what they're about,” coach Paul Cantabene said Monday of the Big Red. “They're a very talented team with a lot of older kids playing for them, especially on the offensive end. They're a dangerous team.

T he rematch of Maryland vs. Duke was always going to be big. Now it's a Hollywood blockbuster. Playing Wednesday at Comcast Center: "Maryland-Duke II: Revenge of the Red-Hot Turtles." I see Harrison Ford as the explosive Gary Williams. Diego Luna as the mercurial Greivis Vasquez. Fred Armisen from "Saturday Night Live" could play the evil Coach K and pick any five young guys to play the Blue Devils starters - at least that's how Terps Nation would cast it. Then grab your $12 tub of popcorn and trash-can sized Pepsi, sit back and enjoy.

There will be no strangers in the quarterfinal round of the MIAA A Conference lacrosse playoffs set to begin this afternoon.  Both games -- McDonogh at Boys' Latin (4 p.m.) and Severn at Gilman (4:30 p.m.) -- are rematches from regular-season finales played Tuesday. The No. 4 Lakers got a goal from Greg Pyke midway through the fourth quarter to get past No. 5 McDonogh, 8-7, on Tuesday to earn the home-field advantage. Ironically, the teams met in the quarterfinals last year with Boys' Latin traveling to McDonogh and coming away with a win by the same 8-7 count.  On Tuesday, No. 3 Gilman came away with a sound 18-10 win over Severn.

Just when you thought Sugar Ray Leonard was gone, someone is trying to bring him back.Los Angeles-area promoter Dan Goossen wants a rematch between Leonard and World Boxing Council junior-middleweight champion Terry Norris."

Bob Lee Sr., president of the International Boxing Federation, has officially notified the manager of junior-middleweight champion Gianfranco Rosi that Rosi must give mandatory challenger Vincent Pettway of Baltimore a rematch within 90 days of their last fight.The rematch was ordered by the IBF executive council after Rosi's fight with Pettway in Las Vegas March 4 was stopped by ring physician Flip Homansky early in the sixth round after an accidental head butt opened a 13-stitch gash over the champion's left eye.Rosi of Italy was leading on all three judges' cards, but under IBF regulations, a fight must go at least six full rounds before it can be decided by a butt.

NEW YORK -- Mike Tyson made enough below-the-belt references to homosexuality yesterday that Donovan "Razor" Ruddock, the target of the remarks, said the former heavyweight champion was "trying to get up the nerve to come out of the closet."Tyson, in a teleconference hookup from Las Vegas to hype their June 28 rematch, almost knocked Ruddock off his seat in a New York studio and shocked even the most veteran ring observers with blatant homosexual remarks such as:* "I know you're really a transvestite and really like me."

The Hit Man wants revenge.Trouble is, he has outlasted just about everyone he can exact revenge from. Everyone except Iran Barkley, whom Hearns meets tomorrow night in Las Vegas in a rematch of their spectacular 1988 fight, won by Barkley on a shocking third-round knockout."

Negotiations have reached the serious stage between boxing promoter Don King and Italian representatives of Gianfranco Rosi to stage a title rematch in Italy with International Boxing Federation junior middleweight champion Vincent Pettway, of Baltimore.Pettway, who celebrated his 29th birthday yesterday, scored a fourth-round knockout of Rosi in Las Vegas on Sept. 17.Last week, after attending the annual World Boxing Council convention in Seville, King flew to Perugia, Italy, to meet with Rosi's financial adviser, Alvaro Chabolotti, his manager, Silverio Gresta, and representatives of Italian cable television.

WASHINGTON -- Former heavyweight king Evander Holyfield, a sculptured body-builder, has long been characterized as an inflated light-heavyweight.But it was the growing girth of Riddick Bowe, the Brooklyn heavyweight who captured Holyfield's undisputed title last November, that drew more concern yesterday as the two sized up each other for their Nov. 6 rematch in Las Vegas.For his successful title challenge last November, a brutally-waged 12-rounder that was voted the "fight of the year," Bowe scaled 235, or 30 pounds heavier than Holyfield.

No one would ever accuse Stevenson of ducking a challenge. That's why senior goalkeeper Ian Bolland and junior attackman Tyler Reid were eager to take part in Saturday's Capital Athletic Conference Tournament final pitting the second-seeded Mustangs against top-seeded Salisbury. “I've played them almost three times every year, and each time is an exciting time,” Bolland said after Stevenson outlasted third-seeded St. Mary's, 10-8, in Wednesday night's semifinal at Mustang Stadium in Owings Mills.

Once considered an afterthought, Goucher's second Landmark Conference Tournament championship and automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament was waylaid by Scranton's 12-8 upset of the Gophers in the Landmark final last spring. Since that May 7 loss, Goucher (13-1 overall and 4-0 in the league) has been eagerly awaiting a shot at the Royals (8-4, 2-2), who will visit Gopher Stadium in Towson this Saturday. “I think there's been a lot of talk about last year,” coach Kyle Hannan admitted Wednesday.

As if the rivalry between Baltimore and Pittsburgh needed to be ratcheted up a few notches, the NFL is ratcheting away -- months before football season even starts. The football league has just released an intense, movie-style trailer for the November rematch between the Steelers and the Ravens as if the game is the season's cinematic blockbuster. Like any trailer worth its salt, the short film starts with the rating: "The following preview has been approved for all football fans by the national football league," is how it begins.

Here they go again. More often than not, the road to the Major Indoor Soccer League championship is traveled by the sport's two titans, the Blast and the Milwaukee Wave, and Friday night at 1st Mariner Arena they collide again in the first of two meetings to determine the 2012 titlist. These two franchises have long sported the teams that competitors hope to emulate, but what makes them so special? "They're just two quality organizations from top to bottom," Blast coach Danny Kelly said.

Max Ferdinand, Machel Millwood and Pat Healey each scored two goals Monday night as the Blast finished a two-game sweep of the host Rochester Lancers with a 14-8 win in the Major Indoor Soccer League's Eastern Division Finals. The Blast advance to the championship series, where they will face the Milwaukee Wave in a rematch of last year's final, which the Wave won, 16-7, in a one-game playoff at 1st Mariner Arena . The venue will host Game 1 of this year's final at 7:35 p.m. Friday; Game 2 will be 4 p.m. Sunday in Milwaukee.

The third quarter has been the separating factor for the No. 1 Aberdeen girls basketball team all season, and it made the difference Thursday night as the Eagles avenged last year's state title loss. The Eagles scored 12 straight points early in the second half to turn a nine-point game into an 80-50 romp over defending champion Frederick in a state Class 3A semifinal at UMBC's RAC Arena. The victory avenged last year's 76-71 loss to the Cadets in the final. That's something the Eagles (26-1)

NEW YORK -- Rock Newman mapped out plans yesterday for Riddick Bowe's next two defenses of his International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Association titles and announced that Bowe's anticipated rematch with former champion Evander Holyfield has been put on hold until Sept. 10.Newman, not to be upstaged by rival Don King, who was holding a cross-town news conference to promote the Lennox Lewis-Tony Tucker heavyweight match in Las Vegas on May 8 for the World Boxing Council title, said the Holyfield bout at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas would be delayed to avoid possible conflicts with the NBA Finals in June and the baseball All-Star Game in July.

PHILADELPHIA -- Don King, conducting business as usual while awaiting his trial on a charge of insurance fraud, was in his familiar salesman's role. He appeared in high-octane form yesterday, selling his multi-championship pay-per-view fight show at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas Sept. 17.King chose "unfinished business" as his punch line to dramatize the super-welterweight rematch between World Boxing Council champion Julio Cesar Chavez and a rejuvenated Meldrick Taylor.Their first encounter four years ago ended in heated debate over the referee's action.

Soccer Barreiro, Bulls taken in MLS Supplemental Draft Former area soccer standouts Christian Barreiro (Calvert Hall) and Andrew Bulls (McDonogh, UMBC) were selected in the Major League Soccer Supplemental Draft on Tuesday. Barreiro, a midfielder-forward, was chosen in the third round by the New York/New Jersey Red Bulls, while Bulls, a midfielder, was taken in the fourth round by the Columbus Crew. Both players were members of the Baltimore Bays 90s team that won the Under-16 USYSA national championship in 2006, the U-18 U.S. Development Academy national championship in 2008 and the U-19 USYSA national championshp in 2009.

Milford Mill guard Tyson Smith didn't need any extra motivation Friday night facing his former team. The senior transfer is staying entirely focused on helping the No. 5 Millers win a third consecutive state championship. Smith made a crucial layup and three free throws in the final two minutes, helping the Milford Mill escape with a 63-56 victory over host Owings Mills in a rematch of last year's Baltimore County championship game. The Millers improved to 2-0 on the season after knocking off No. 14 Calvert Hall on Tuesday.