Boxing -- Ray Mercer Acquitted Of Bribery

NEW YORK - Ray Mercer, the heavyweight contender accused of making a $100,000 mid-fight offer for an underdog opponent to take a dive, has been acquitted on a charge of sports bribery.

The jury, which deliberated for just five hours, returned its verdict after a two-week trial in Manhattan's state Supreme Court.

Mercer, 31, said he hoped to resume his career soon.

Mercer was accused of offering a payoff to Jesse Ferguson during their Feb. 6, 1993, fight. Prosecutors said Mercer, overweight and undertrained, wanted Ferguson to take a dive so he could get a shot at then-champion Riddick Bowe's title and a $1.5 million payday.

Notes

-- Roberto Duran took another step in his latest comeback by stopping Terry Thomas in the fourth round in Bay St. Louis, Miss.

Duran, 42, raised his record to 93-9 with 63 knockouts. The Panamanian is the No. 7 middleweight in the latest WBC rankings. Duran has won seven straight fights in the past nine months. Duran is preparing for an anticipated June bout with Vinny Pazienza, No. 6 in the WBC rankings.

-- Miguel Angel Gonzalez (31-0) of Mexico retained his WBC lightweight title, stopping Jean-Baptiste Mendy (48-5) of France in the fifth round in Levallois, France.