Ernie Chavez

Ernie Chavez couldn't knock out Hedgemon Robertson. It proved too difficult just trying to catch up with him. As it turned out, Chavez, a welterweight from Santa Ana, chased Robertson, from Lakewood, right out of the ring in the main event Monday night at the Irvine Marriott. After Chavez scored a unanimous, 10-round decision, Robertson announced his retirement. Really, for 10 rounds, Robertson seemed ready to quit fighting.

Name: William Sandoval Age: 16 School: Verbum Dei Goal: College. Work in job where he helps people. William is earning straight A's with a no-frills class load: Algebra II, Spanish II, biology, American literature, U.S. history and religion. That puts him right on schedule. William, who lives in South Gate, says he's already been thinking for several years about college and a better life after graduation. Why did he start so early? "First of all, I see myself as Hispanic.

Pablo Ramos tried to show off a little Monday night, but all it did was set off Ben Lopez. Lopez of Upland landed a short but powerful left to the chin of Ramos at 1:33 of the third round to end the super featherweight bout in front of 1,142 at the Irvine Marriott. Both fighters attacked, and Lopez had the better of the first two rounds, but Ramos offered some additional incentive.

Deciding that his boxing style and lifestyle were no longer suited to the amateur ranks, 19-year-old heavyweight Javier Mora of Westminster announced Monday he is turning professional. Mora, who reached the consolation semifinals of the 2000 Olympic trials, will make his pro debut Aug. 17 at the Arrowhead Pond in a four-round undercard bout against Tom Allen of Phoenix. "My dream was to win a gold medal, but I still can achieve another dream--the world heavyweight title," Mora said Monday.

Tyson-Ruddock, the heavyweight title fight Don King couldn't sell to Las Vegas, is a smash in Canada so far. When John Giovenco, president of the Las Vegas Hilton, decided that Mike Tyson had gotten too good for his own good, he passed on Tyson-Ruddock, figuring he wouldn't sell enough tickets to retrieve the $3-million site fee. Donovan (Razor) Ruddock is a capable young heavyweight whose family moved from Jamaica to Toronto when he was 11.

Sorry, Al Davis, but your charm has worn off. . . . The nerve of the man to expect the city of Oakland--recovering from an earthquake, beset by unemployment, unable to educate its children properly--to pay a ransom to get his football team back. . . . This is about ego. Al really isn't money-crazy. He lives well below his means. But now he may be trying to score victories off the field to compensate for the lack of them on the field. . . .

A California Athletic Commission official said Friday that a state audit of Forum boxing financial records will be held in the wake of a Times story about an alleged cash-kickback operation. "We are absolutely going to look at Forum (financial) records," said Richard DeCuir, new chief executive officer for the commission in Sacramento.

In a bizarre, or perhaps apropos sequence of events, Tony Lopez had two chances to lose his International Boxing Federation junior lightweight title: at the weigh-in and in the ring. He escaped the first but couldn't the second, losing his 130-pound championship by a unanimous decision to South African Brian Mitchell. On the undercard, former World Boxing Assn. welterweight champion Mark Breland was knocked out in the sixth round by Mexican veteran Jorge Vaca and announced his retirement.