Closing arguments expected in Strip fight bribery trial

Jace Radke

Monday, Nov. 8, 2004 | 9:46 a.m.

Closing arguments were expected to begin today in a sports bribery case involving an allegedly fixed fight at Paris Las Vegas in August 2000.

The trial enters its fourth week today, and by this afternoon jurors were expected to be deliberating over whether boxer Thomas Williams and his promoter, Robert "Bobby" Mitchell, conspired to fix a bout, and whether Williams took a dive against Richard Melito Jr. on Aug. 12, 2000.

According to an August 2001 indictment, Mitchell and others arranged for some of Melito's fights to be fixed, including the fight with Williams in Las Vegas on a Don King-promoted card.

Among the witnesses who testified was convicted fight-fixer Richard Mittleman.

Mittleman, 61, of Oak Park, Ill., is cooperating with federal prosecutors and has pleaded guilty to helping to fix the Melito fight, as well as a Williams fight in Denmark in March 2000 against Brian Nielson.

In addition, Mittleman admitted to attempting to bribe an assistant U.S. attorney and a federal judge to try to get the indictment against Williams dropped.

"Mitchell did not want a real fight," Mittleman said during his testimony about the Williams-Melito bout. "He wanted someone who would lay down for Melito."

Mitchell and Williams are charged with sports bribery and conspiracy to commit sports bribery. Both have pleaded not guilty. Sports bribery carries a possible sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Others who testified in the case included former heavyweight champion Tim Witherspoon and international boxing announcer Col. Bob Sheridan, who called the 1975 "Thrilla in Manila" between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.