DULY NOTED

Tuesday, June 6, 2006 | 7:15 a.m.

BOXING SCALES A NEW LOW

I'm not a ringside doctor, nor do I play one on TV. But forgive me for being skeptical when boxing do-gooders tell a gullible public that the reason all these super and junior weight classes exist within the sport is to protect the fighters.

The real reason all these super and junior weight classes exist is so promoters can extort more money from the ticket-buying public with more "world championship" fights, most of which don't merit that description.

Diego Corrales had every right to pull out of his semi-anticipated third fight with Jose Luis Castillo on Saturday night after Castillo again failed to make weight. There was a contract and by coming in 4 1/2 pounds overweight, Castillo broke it. End of story.

So don't muddle the story with this bogus safety dance.

In 1990, Buster Douglas weighed 246 pounds for his heavyweight title defense against Evander Holyfield, who weighed 208.

That's a 38-pound difference. Yet nobody suggested Holyfield should pull out of the fight because he might get hurt.

In fact, he hurt Douglas, knocking out his blubbery foe in the third round.

At the weigh-in, after Douglas nearly tipped the scales over, there was a mad rush to the betting window. Fight fans tripped over one another to get a wager down on Holyfield.

Now, we're told that a fighter who trained hard, as Corrales reportedly did, is at a competitive disadvantage over an opponent who trained by eating cheesecake, as Castillo reportedly did?

If that was really the case, I'd just throw away my membership card to 24-Hour Fitness, have another doughnut and become heavyweight champion.

NCAA MILESTONE BRUIN

In this space I recently updated the progress of Las Vegas gym dandies Tasha and Jordan Schwikert, who led UCLA to the 2005 NCAA championship and expect to reprise those roles next season after recovering from shoulder injuries.

If they do, they could also make history.

The Bruins' next national title will be their 100th and a milestone in NCAA history. UCLA has the winningest college athletic program of all-time with 99 national titles, ahead of Pac-10 rivals Stanford (92) and Southern Cal (84), Oklahoma State (47) and Arkansas (44).

Breaking it down, on the men's side the Bruins have won 19 titles in volleyball, 16 in tennis, 11 in basketball, eight in track and field, eight in water polo, four in soccer, two in gymnastics and one each in golf and swimming. On the women's side, UCLA has 10 championships in softball, five in gymnastics, four in water polo, three in volleyball, three in outdoor track and field, two in indoor track and two in golf.

It's going to be a while before UNLV catches up. The Rebels have two NCAA team championships, in men's basketball (1990) and men's golf (1998).

HOME ON ANOTHER RANGE

A couple of years ago, when he was in town for one of the big rodeos, I remember thinking that even though he was commissioner of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, Steve Hatchell didn't look very comfortable in a cowboy hat and Tony Lamas.

Now I know why. A football helmet is more his style.

Hatchell, who resigned as PRCA commissioner a couple of years ago, has resurfaced as president of the National Football Foundation, which oversees the College Football Hall of Fame.

For those scoring at home, Hatchell is not wearing a hat in his photo on the NFF Web site. Nor does there appear to be anything on his shoes.

Former NASCAR star Rusty Wallace:

"He needs somebody to kick his (backside). I don't like it when somebody disrespects the sport, and that's what he's doing right now."

on Las Vegan Kyle Busch, and his run-in with Casey Mears at the Coca-Cola 600

SIGN LANGUAGE AT WORLD CUP

Star midfielder Robert Pires, who played for France when its World Cup runneth over (the rest of the field) in 1998, was left off this year's team after falling out of favor with coach Raymond Domenech - not because Pires is a step slow or hasn't been playing well, but because the coach does not trust players born under the sign of Scorpio.

Well, I still haven't heard it all. But I'm getting closer.