People: Romney throws more than hat in the ring

Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and five-time heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield squared off in the ring Friday at a charity fight night event in Salt Lake City.

Romney, 68, and Holyfield, 52, sparred, if you could call it that, for just two short rounds before Romney ran away from the boxer and threw in the towel, giving up a round early in the lighthearted fight that came amid several other fights by professional boxers and an auction.

The two barely threw any punches and largely just danced around, occasionally lightly jabbing each other in the midsection in what was much more of a comedic event than an actual bout.

The black-tie affair raised money for the Utah-based organization CharityVision, which helps doctors in developing countries perform surgeries to restore vision in people with curable blindness.

Romney’s son Josh Romney, who lives in Utah, serves as a volunteer president for CharityVision.

Romney recently built a home in the Salt Lake City area and registered as a Utah voter.

Cosby wants focus on his message

Bill Cosby said young people should separate what he has to say about their future from sexual assault allegations lodged against him.

The actor and comedian was in Alabama to speak with high school students as part of a nonprofit foundation’s campaign to improve education in the south-central part of the state. In a taped interview with ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Cosby was asked how he would respond if a youngster pressed him about accusations that he drugged and sexually assaulted a number of women over a period of decades.

“I think many of them say, ‘Well, you’re a hypocrite. You say one thing, you say the other,’ ” he replied. “My point is, ‘OK, listen to me carefully. I’m telling you where the road is out. You want to go here, or you want to be concerned about who is giving you the message?’ ”

Cosby, 77, who has never been criminally charged, didn’t address assault claims made by more than 25 women and has largely maintained his silence since the allegations resurfaced starting last year. He faces two pending suits.

The birthday bunch

Actor Peter Gerety is 75. Actor Bill Paxton is 60. Actor-comedian Bob Saget is 59. Singer Enya is 54. Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) is 50. Singer Jordan Knight is 45.