Thursday, April 2, 1998 | 7:08 a.m.
DEAN JUIPE is a Las Vegas SUN sportswriter. His office phone number is 259-4084. He can be reached on the Internet at [email protected]
He's now into his fourth year as a world champion, a lengthy run that's unsurpassed since the creation of the super middleweight division 14 years ago.
It's a streak that's not apt to end Friday when he makes his seventh title defense, and, as far as Frankie Liles is concerned, it's a streak that won't be interrupted anytime soon.
"I'm going to be here for a while," he said of wearing the WBA belt and slowly but surely making his presence felt in a division that could use a little star power. "One thing I've shown is that I work hard and don't take anyone lightly."
If he was given to underestimating an opponent, Liles could do it with Andrei Schkalikov. That's who he'll face on a Showtime-televised card from Bayamon, Puerto Rico, that also includes another potentially one-sided defense, Felix Trinidad vs. Mahenge Zulu.
Liles, who trains in Las Vegas, is 31-1 with 19 knockouts and is six years removed from his lone professional loss, to Tim Littles in 1992. Liles, who was also 285-14 as an amateur, avenged that loss to Littles two years ago.
Schkalikov, of Russia, is 29-3-1 with 13 KOs and is the European champion at 168 pounds. Yet he has only a single victory over a recognizable opponent -- Mauro Galvano, last March -- and his losses include one to Lionel Ortiz back in 1993 in Laughlin.
"I once worked his corner (in 1995, in South Africa) and I don't remember much about him -- that's how impressive he was," deadpanned Kenny Adams, Liles' trainer, of Schkalikov. "He was short and stubby and he had a little power, but Frank will keep him at bay and the fight shouldn't last that long."
Aside from saying "it's going to end quickly," Liles balked at making a specific prediction.
"What do I think?" he said, repeating a question he was asked. "I think this is a guy who is trying to take something from me, but I'm not going to let him. I'll break his face."
Liles, 33, has not fought since July and he's badly in need of a high-profile fight. The last "name" opponent he faced was Michael Nunn in 1994, and Liles won that fight by decision.
Subsequent defenses have come against marginal talents like Frederic Seillier, Mauricio Amaral, Segundo Mercado and, most recently, Zafarou Ballogou.
"Frank won't say it, but we'd like to see him fight Roy Jones," said Adams. "We could go to 175 or maybe meet Jones at something like 172. Jones is talking a lot of trash these days for a guy who lost to Frank in the amateurs."
Liles wouldn't be drawn into the conversation on Jones as, he said, it would detract from his concentration on the 29-year-old Schkalikov.
"I give the man more credit than some people, I guess," he said. "He is the European champion and that has to mean something."
Nonetheless, he's picturing an impressive win.
"I'm good at visualizing," he said. "I've already fought this fight many times in my mind. I feel I'm a great strategist in the ring and I'm confident there'll be a moment in the fight when I'll connect and make all this hard training I've been going through worthwhile."
Trinidad too
In the co-main event on the Puerto Rico card, Trinidad figures to have an easy time with the completely unsung Zulu. The latter, fighting primarily in France and Italy, is 17-2-1 with only seven KOs.
Trinidad, the IBF welterweight champion since 1993, is 32-0 with 28 KOs.
A much bigger fight, Trinidad vs. Oscar De La Hoya, is in the works and could be headed for Las Vegas later in the year.
"I think the chances of that fight happening are very, very good," promoter Bob Arum said this week. "Trinidad claims he doesn't have a contract with (promoter) Don King and if that's the case I'll deal directly with him. If he's wrong and King is involved, I don't have any problems dealing with him when I have the attraction."
Trinidad would argue that he's the attraction, as he belittled De La Hoya during a conference call.
"I'm the best welterweight in the world," he said. "When De La Hoya fights me, he will lose. He doesn't deserve the reputation he has."
Trinidad, sounding like King does have him under contract, maintains he's ready and willing to fight not only De La Hoya but a third legitimate welterweight champion, Ike Quartey.
"Don King has to get the big fights made for me," he said. "He has not been able to until now (but) I have every expectation that this year the big fights will become a reality. I want people to know I haven't been able to face the big-name opponents because they're afraid of me. They haven't wanted to fight me."
Trinidad definitely has a spot on the short list of opponents for De La Hoya.
"We've got three guys on our hit list," Arum said. "There's Trinidad, there's Julio Cesar Chavez and there's Yory Boy Campas. Our goal is to fight all three, in no particular order."
Around the ring
It's a girl! That was the good news from Las Vegan Wayne McCullough, who called to say his wife, Cheryl, had delivered a baby girl Monday. Wynona Leigh and her mother are doing fine. Wayne, meanwhile, had to break training for a couple of days as he prepares for an April 17 bout in Connecticut with Luigi Camputaro. ... Las Vegas heavyweight Cliff Couser is profiled in the current edition of City Life and said Wednesday he is about to sign with promoter Don King. As a result of that move, he dropped out of a fight that had been scheduled for Tuesday in San Diego. ... WBO super bantamweight champ Kennedy McKinney has accepted a June 6 fight in England with mandatory challenger Richie Wenton. ... Retirements: Greg Haugen, at 37 years old and coming off a Friday loss to Paul Nave in San Rafael, Calif., quits with a 37-8-2 mark; Thulane Malinga, 42, after losing his WBC super middleweight title to Richie Woodhall Friday in England, steps aside at 41-11. ... Negotiations have begun for a mandatory defense by WBC heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis vs. Zeljko Mavrovic. They'll meet this summer in London.
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