Alex Stewart

George Foreman not only needed the greatest fight of his comeback but perhaps something from his youth in order to pull out a narrow decision over Alex Stewart on Saturday night in a wildly cheered heavyweight fight at the Thomas & Mack Center. Foreman, a heavy favorite, was badly battered in the late rounds by the unexpectedly tough Stewart, and in the final rounds the 43-year-old Texan's head and face were grotesquely swollen.

By Sunday, Alex Stewart will either be a 29-year-old heavyweight in line for a title shot or a former contender with a reputation of not winning the big one. Stewart will mark his birthday by fighting a rematch with Evander Holyfield tonight at the Convention Center. "It's very rare to get a second chance," Stewart said. Actually, it's a last chance for Stewart, who was knocked out of the championship picture by Holyfield on Nov. 4, 1989.

Evander Holyfield will risk what is shaping up as boxing's richest fight, his match against Tyson, when he enters the ring against undefeated Alex Stewart tonight. The bout at the Trump Plaza Hotel is a matchup of unbeaten heavyweights, but the word on the boardwalk is that one of them, Stewart, has fought 24 journeymen and is in over his head against Holyfield, perceived as the only credible opponent for Tyson, the undisputed heavyweight champion.

Alex Stewart stopped Paul Poirier at 1:04 of the third round of a scheduled 10-round heavyweight bout at Catskill, N.Y. Stewart, coming off a controversial majority-decision loss to George Foreman on April 11, sent Poirier through the ropes late in the second round and ended the bout with a barrage of punches.

Mexico's Julio Cesar Chavez, widely regarded as pound-for-pound the best boxer in the world, will defend his two junior welterweight titles Saturday but former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson is stealing most of the attention. Many boxing fans will be focusing on finding out just how far Tyson has come since James (Buster) Douglas knocked him out last February to win the heavyweight crown.

Alex Stewart stopped Paul Poirier at 1:04 of the third round of a scheduled 10-round heavyweight bout at Catskill, N.Y. Stewart, coming off a controversial majority-decision loss to George Foreman on April 11, sent Poirier through the ropes late in the second round and ended the bout with a barrage of punches.

Alex Stewart underwent surgery to repair tendons in his left hand, which he injured during his eight-round loss to Evander Holyfield in their heavyweight bout Nov. 4 at Atlantic City, N.J. Stewart, who lost for the first time in 25 fights, tore tendons over the knuckles of the middle and little fingers.

By Sunday, Alex Stewart will either be a 29-year-old heavyweight in line for a title shot or a former contender with a reputation of not winning the big one. Stewart will mark his birthday by fighting a rematch with Evander Holyfield tonight at the Convention Center. "It's very rare to get a second chance," Stewart said. Actually, it's a last chance for Stewart, who was knocked out of the championship picture by Holyfield on Nov. 4, 1989.

George Foreman not only needed the greatest fight of his comeback but perhaps something from his youth in order to pull out a narrow decision over Alex Stewart on Saturday night in a wildly cheered heavyweight fight at the Thomas & Mack Center. Foreman, a heavy favorite, was badly battered in the late rounds by the unexpectedly tough Stewart, and in the final rounds the 43-year-old Texan's head and face were grotesquely swollen.

George Foreman will fight Alex Stewart tonight in the first boxing card at Nevada Las Vegas' Thomas & Mack Center. About 12,000 are expected for the HBO telecast in the 19,000-seat arena. Foreman will earn $5 million, Stewart $250,000. Foreman, 43, has a 70-3 record with 66 knockouts and is 25-1 since he began his comeback in 1987 after a 10-year retirement. His only defeat during his second career was a decision to Holyfield a year ago.

The primal force, the fighting machine that was Mike Tyson in his pre-Buster Douglas period, reappeared in all its fury at the Atlantic City Convention Hall Saturday night. Against a very good heavyweight, Alex Stewart, who made heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield fight for his life here 13 months ago, Tyson scored a knockout at 2:27 of the first round. Fighting before 17,211, Tyson heavily reinforced his argument that Holyfield should be required to fight him, not George Foreman.

Mexico's Julio Cesar Chavez, widely regarded as pound-for-pound the best boxer in the world, will defend his two junior welterweight titles Saturday but former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson is stealing most of the attention. Many boxing fans will be focusing on finding out just how far Tyson has come since James (Buster) Douglas knocked him out last February to win the heavyweight crown.

Dallas Cowboy rookie defensive end Alex Stewart, acquired from the Minnesota Vikings in last month's trade for Herschel Walker, was released Thursday. Stewart, who attended Cal State Fullerton, was cut from the Cowboys six-man development squad in part because the team suspected he was using steroids, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported in Friday's editions.

George Foreman will fight Alex Stewart tonight in the first boxing card at Nevada Las Vegas' Thomas & Mack Center. About 12,000 are expected for the HBO telecast in the 19,000-seat arena. Foreman will earn $5 million, Stewart $250,000. Foreman, 43, has a 70-3 record with 66 knockouts and is 25-1 since he began his comeback in 1987 after a 10-year retirement. His only defeat during his second career was a decision to Holyfield a year ago.

When Alex Stewart returns to the ring tonight for the first time since his gallant eight-round KO loss to Evander Holyfield in November, he will have a surgically repaired left hand and some newfound confidence won in the heat of battle. What he will not have is Eddie Futch in his corner. Futch, the 77-year-old trainer who has prepped such greats as Joe Frazier, Larry Holmes and Alexis Arguello, was added to Stewart's corner -- at the fighter's request -- just before the Holyfield fight.

Alex Stewart, a former Cal State Fullerton defensive end who was released in November by the Dallas Cowboys, has signed two one-year contracts with the Houston Oilers, his agent, Jim Spellman, said Tuesday. According to Spellman, Stewart, who was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the eighth round of the 1989 draft and sent to Dallas in the Herschel Walker, will receive about $400,000 with incentives for two years.