http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-boxing2feb02,1,2688099.story?coll=la-home-sports Boxing Probe Details Alleged Fight-Fixing U.S. officials describe series of thrown matches that can move the victor toward the big money. Suspicions were raised about one fighter knocked out in 18 seconds by Eric ‘Butterbean’ Esch, above. (AP) By Michael J. Goodman and William C. Rempel, Times Staff Writers LAS VEGAS — Seven professional boxers and a manager have told the FBI they agreed to throw fights for as much as $10,000 cash apiece to pad the victory records of two heavyweights being groomed for "big money" matches, according to prosecution documents filed in a federal sports bribery case. The prosecutors also say that another manager, nationally prominent boxing agent Robert Mittleman, bribed an American fighter with $10,000 cash and a Lincoln Navigator SUV to lose a March 21, 2000, bout in Denmark against Brian Nielsen, a former Olympic bronze medalist whom Mittleman represented. The affidavit and related court documents contain a litany of confessed misconduct among boxers, providing rare details of fixed fights in a sport long shadowed by suspicions of corruption. "It's clear what happened here wasn't unique," said one federal law enforcement source. "It's fair to say this case reads like an indictment of all professional boxing." . . .
