Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

LV fighter has unwanted first

The case is closed. Frans Botha has become the first reigning world champion to be stripped of his title by a court of law.

The appeal process on Botha's behalf ground to a halt this week when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit refused to hear the case. That exhausted any legal recourse the Las Vegas-based heavyweight had of hanging on to his IBF championship.

"It's insane," complained his manager, Sterling McPherson. "What this means now is that every fighter in the world who doesn't like a decision handed down by one of the sanctioning bodies will take them to court. That's not good for this business."

The IBF had ruled in February Botha would be fined $50,000 but not stripped of his title after he tested positive for steroids following his title-fight victory over Axel Schulz Dec. 9 in Germany. Schulz sued even though the IBF also ruled he would be given an immediate rematch. And Michael Moorer sued, claiming the IBF had promised him a shot at whoever won the fight in December.

The courts ruled against Botha every step of the way. Now Schulz and Moorer are scheduled to fight for the vacant title June 22 in Berlin with Cedric Kushner and Dino Duva promoting and ABC televising.

(Inexplicably, in the most recent IBF rankings, neither Schulz nor Moorer is in the top 10. Botha is ranked No. 1. The meaninglessness of the rankings is apparent when someone named Vaughn Bean is No. 5.)

"Kushner and Duva aren't righteous people," McPherson said. "They're evil. The game is going to take a lot of hits with those guys doing business together."

Sour grapes? Perhaps. But McPherson expects to have the last laugh, whenever that may be.

"Neither Moorer nor Schulz wants to fight Botha and neither one can beat him," he said. "Botha may suffer here for a while, but eventually he'll win that title back."

Around the ring

* ALADDIN CARD: Saturday's Nugget Promotions card at the Aladdin has undergone some changes at the top, as advertised headliner James Crayton is off the card and local welterweight Ross Thompson has stepped into the top spot. Crayton, a lightweight who was to have faced Mike Dallas, instead took a late offer for a Monday fight in Phoenix against Javier Leon. Crayton lost a 10-round decision to the 46-11 Leon and dropped to 19-4. "I didn't mind him taking the fight, but he should have never lost to that guy," promoter Al Rodrigues said. Stepping into the breach to headline at the Aladdin will be the 18-2-1 Thompson against the 30-8-1 Paco Cuesta. "I've got to get back on track," said Thompson, who is coming off a February loss to James Page at Arizona Charlie's. He's hoping for an NABF title fight later this year, which might lead to something bigger. "I'm going to have to do this the hard way," Thompson said. "I need a big breakthrough fight, somebody in the top 10." He's able to laugh about it, yet Thompson isn't really amused that he has lost his only two national TV fights (to Page, and, in February of 1995, to Adrian Stone in Atlantic City). "Those are my two worst fights," he said. "The people who saw those still haven't seen the real Ross." Also scheduled on the 7 p.m. card: Mark Connolly, 7-0-1, vs. Louis Monaco, 2-2-1, four rounds, heavyweights; Ramon LeDon, 4-0-1, vs. Javier Lizarraga, 6-3, four rounds, lightweights; Rene Valdez, 2-0, vs. Frederico Aldana, 1-1, four rounds, welterweights; Jermaine Thompson, 2-0, vs. Tim Tiller, record uncertain, four rounds, welterweights; Patrick Freeman, 3-3-1, vs. Tony White, 2-0, four rounds, heavyweights; and Ray McElroy vs. an opponent yet to be determined, eight rounds, super middleweights.

* JULY 13 TURMOIL: Promoter Don King has started to panic about his loosely-planned July 13 card at the MGM that was to feature Mike Tyson vs. Bruce Seldon. "We are in dire straits right now," he told the Associated Press Wednesday. "We are in a disaster zone." Aside from Tyson's legal troubles disrupting his plans, King is also having to deal with Lennox Lewis having obtained a court order that puts him first in line when Tyson defends his WBC belt. Lewis is scheduled to fight Ray Mercer in New York May 10. If Tyson cannot fight in July, King said he would scrap the entire show.

* FIXED FIGHT: The manager of former WBO junior welterweight champ Sammy Fuentes believes his man threw his March 9 title fight with Giovanni Parisi in Milan, Italy. Charlie Gergen told the boxing periodical Flash that he was offered a $100,000 bribe before the fight but turned it down. However, he believes Fuentes accepted it. "I did not think he would do this, but after one round I knew (he had)," Gergen said. "In the eighth round he tells the referee he doesn't want to fight anymore. His mother, who was there, was happy and smiling. I have never seen a mother celebrate when her son lost. He let his country, himself and me down." Gergen added that those offering the bribe told him they were doing it because "boxing is dead in Italy and we cannot lose this fight." Parisi is Italian. Fuentes is a veteran who has fought several times in Las Vegas.

* QUICK HITS: Citing the after effects of a recent fight in Ireland, Las Vegas resident and IBF bantamweight champ Wayne McCullough has dropped off the June 7 mega-card at Caesars Palace. He was to have fought Luigi Camputaro and Top Rank retains the contract on that bout, although it won't be held beneath the Oscar De La Hoya vs. Julio Cesar Chavez main event at Caesars. It's also possible McCullough will permanently scrap the fight with Camputaro and relinquish his 118-pound title to move up to a more comfortable 122. WBO junior bantamweight champ Johnny Tapia will fill in June 7 against Enrique Orozco. ... IBF super middleweight champ Roy Jones had minor surgery on his right knee Monday, but he's expected to fight in Las Vegas June 15 against fringe contender Eric Lucas. Jones had been practicing with the Florida Beachdogs of the United States Basketball League, and that apparently exacerbated his deteriorating knee condition. Jones vs. Lucas remains in the discussion stage but is said to be headed here. ... Former heavyweight champ Larry Holmes told a teleconference audience he was disappointed he couldn't talk fellow relic George Foreman into one last fight for each. "I was even willing to give him the lion's share (of the money) because he has the popularity," Holmes said. Holmes said he would fight once more and then retire. "I haven't done bad for a guy whose father picked cotton in Georgia," Holmes said of his multi-millionaire status.

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