Sports briefs for March 26, 2004

Friday, March 26, 2004 | 10:38 a.m.

Promoter Kushner in hot water with feds

Boxing promoter Cedric Kushner, who once handled the fights of ex-heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman, was sued Thursday in New York by federal securities regulators for certifying a false company financial statement.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission alleged that Kushner, 55, signed off on an annual report for Cedric Kushner Promotions Inc. that contained forged auditor reports and "substantial errors."

Kushner signed without reading the document, which had been vetted for him by a subordinate, according to the SEC's civil lawsuit filed in a New York federal court. Top executives must certify the accuracy of financial statements to the SEC.

The lawsuit also accuses the company's principal financial officer, James DiLorenzo, 39, of signing off on the inaccurate financial statement. The SEC alleged that Steven Angel, 27, a company director and former executive vice president, approved the document for Kushner's signature and either knew or was "reckless in not knowing" the statement was false.

"We deny the allegations in their entirety and intend to defend against them vigorously," said Michael H. Ference, a lawyer who said he represents all the defendants.

Kushner's New York City-based company has presented more than 300 world championship bouts on six continents in the past 20 years.

Ex-Rebel leads TPC

Former UNLV player Adam Scott shot a 7-under-par 65 to hold a one-stroke lead over Duffy Waldorf after the first round of the Tournament Players Championship at Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

UNLV on streak

The UNLV men's team opened play in the Boise State Invitational with a 7-0 victory against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, the fourth consecutive victory fo rthe Rebels (8-4).

Turco gets four games

The NHL suspended Dallas Stars goaltender Marty Turco four games without pay for hitting Edmonton's Ryan Smyth in themouth with his stick in a game Wednesday. The league also suspended Columbus forward Jody Shelley three games for fighting.

Man U to tour Asia

Manchester United will tour Asia before the start of England's 2005-06 soccer season. The venues and specific dates for four matches in late July and early August have not yet been confirmed.

Record at NCAA meet

Auburn's Fred Bousquet broke the world record in the 50-meter freestyle at the NCAA men's swimming and diving championships in East Meadow, N.Y.