Thursday, April 16, 1998 | 7:47 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]
Both father and son agree: Father does know best.
As a result, rising star Floyd Mayweather Jr. of Las Vegas is listening to the advice directed his way by his new trainer, Floyd Mayweather Sr.
"I've changed," Floyd Jr. said Wednesday before working out at the Ringside Gym in preparation for his Saturday fight in Los Angeles against Gustavo Cuello. "Any advantage I can take, I'll take it."
For example, Floyd Jr. is now willing and anxious to watch tape of his opponent, something he had refused to do before his father was released from a Michigan prison and moved here to train his son last month.
"It was my dad's idea," he said of broadening his preparation.
His dad is a former professional fighter who once took on Sugar Ray Leonard.
"I've already made a big difference with him," Floyd Sr. said. "He's becoming more professional. I've got him more focused."
Floyd Jr., 15-0 with 13 knockouts, takes on Cuello, 20-7 with 11 KOs, in a 10-round bout at 130 pounds on an L.A. card that will be televised by the Spanish-speaking network Univision. Another Las Vegan, 16-0 featherweight Augie Sanchez, is on the same card.
"Floyd's been looking better than ever," his father said. "In fact, I'd say he's real sharp."
Fittingly, his son agrees.
"I'm feeling real good, I'm happy and I'm in love with life," he said. "Things are going well and I'm getting good work. I'll be ready for (Genaro) Hernandez in September."
That's when Hernandez, the WBC champion, is expected to defend his title against Mayweather. Hernandez has an interim defense scheduled May 16 in Indio, Calif., against Carlos Gerena.
Is the 20-year-old Mayweather ready for such a challenge?
"I will be," he said. "I don't need a lot of fights. Hernandez is a great champion and a nice guy, but I feel I'll show I'm the better fighter."
Weekend cards
There are cards in town both Friday (at The Orleans) and Saturday (at Arizona Charlie's).
The Orleans' card will headline local lightweight James Crayton, 26-8, against a late-arriving opponent with an uncertain record, Margarito Navarro of Mexico. Also scheduled: Juan C. Martinez, 4-8, vs. Sergio Sanchez, 8-6, four rounds, featherweights; Jude Agu, 3-2, vs. Reggie Roberts, pro debut, four rounds, light heavyweights; Ivan Cazares, 8-0, vs. Angel Mata, 1-1, four rounds, super bantamweights; and a women's bout. First bell is 7 p.m.
The Charlie's card has cruiserweights Rudy Nix, 17-3-1, and Cesar Rendon, 9-8-1, on top in a 10-round bout. Also scheduled: Derrick James, 15-3, vs. an opponent yet to be determined, eight rounds, light heavyweights; and four women's bouts. First bell is an earlier than usual 5 p.m.
No Hopkins
While Showtime announced last Thursday that IBF middleweight champ Bernard Hopkins would co-headline a May 30 card at the Las Vegas Hilton, the fighter's promoter said this week Hopkins would not appear on the card.
"We made a deal with (promoter) Don King but the contract we received doesn't accurately reflect that deal," said Hopkins' representative, Dan Goossen. "If Don can't stand behind all facets of the agreement, this will go to purse bid."
The point of debate isn't monetary, it's the date of the fight. Goossen wants Hopkins to fight no later than May 16 so that he can headline an America Presents card in June. If Hopkins is fighting May 30, in all probability he wouldn't be able to fight again within the month.
His next opponent, regardless of the date, is mandatory challenger Robert Allen.
"We'd rather promote that fight ourselves," Goossen said. "We've got three (TV) dates in June and we'd like to have Bernard headlining one."
No word from Showtime on a replacement bout for the Hilton card but the co-main event, WBA junior middleweight champion Laurent Boudouani vs. Guillermo Jones, appears set. No ticket sales yet, however, which indicates some lingering uncertainty.
Jones vs. Hill
HBO has light heavyweights Roy Jones and Virgil Hill tangling April 25 in Biloxi, Miss., and each was involved in a Wednesday conference call. Unfortunately, neither had much to say although Hill vehemently defended his age, his ability and his desire.
"This is not my last fight," the 34-year-old Hill said. "I'm nowhere near retiring. That thought hasn't even entered my mind.
"I feel the same as I've always felt. I've pretty much maintained the skills I had."
Hill, 44-2, is coming off a loss to Dariusz Michaelczewski last June in Germany.
"I fought one of my poorest fights that night," he said. "I lost the fight."
A two-time former world champion, Hill said a foot injury prevented him from being at his best against Michaelczewski. He'll have to be at his very best, however, to handle the 35-1 Jones.
"I know he's a good fighter but I don't know if he's a great fighter," Hill said of Jones, a former champion at 160, 168 and 175 pounds. Jones, in fact, took this bout after passing up a $6 million payday to face former heavyweight champion Buster Douglas.
"I always have aspirations to do things people don't think I can do," Jones said by way of answering why he passed on Douglas. The implication: He may yet fight as a heavyweight.
Amateur results
The Orleans hosted regional Golden Gloves competition last weekend and the winners advance to Biloxi, Miss., May 4-10. The regionals included state champions from Nevada, Oregon, Arizona and Washington.
Nevada produced one regional champion, 132-pounder Daniel Felix, a former Junior Olympian who is 17 years old.
The other champions: Federico Flores, 106, Arizona; Josh Dahl, 112, Washington; Homero Sierra, 119, Arizona; Ajil Booker, 125, Arizona; Ramon Olivas, 139, Arizona; Reggie Davis, 147, Oregon; Bryon Tyson, 156, Washington; Andre Haynes, 165, Oregon; Mike Kirkman, 178, Washington; Sam Fleezer, heavyweight, Oregon; and Kelly Lawson, super heavyweight, Washington.
"We made $1580 one night and $1465 the other," said coordinator Faye Miller. "That's better than we ever did at (the Golden Gloves Gym)."
Around the ring
Mike Tyson had been training intermittently at the Ringside Gym in Las Vegas but he has since moved his camp to Los Angeles "for a few weeks," a spokesman said. ... Super bantamweight Wayne McCullough of Las Vegas goes Friday in Uncasville, Conn., with Guillermo Noriega in as the new opponent. He's 19-5, while McCullough is 20-1 and fighting for the first time in 15 months. ... Among the many local fighters looking for regular ring action is Miguel Jimenez, a super middleweight with an 11-0 record who was told -- apparently erroneously -- that he would be on Friday's Orleans card. He's a former Olympic silver medalist who's 27 years old and is coming off a broken hand in his most recent fight, last October. ... The brother of heavyweight champ Evander Holyfield, James, will be sentenced Friday in Atlanta on charges of rape and child molestation. ... Light heavyweight contender Eddy Smulders of England was caught with a truckload of stolen cigarettes valued at $1.5 million, Professional Boxing Update reported. ... An amateur boxing card pitting Nevada vs. California will be held May 2 at Rancho High School. Twenty-five bouts are scheduled and admission is free. First bell is 10 a.m. ... Saturday on HBO from England, Naseem Hamed takes on Wilfredo Vazquez and he's a 6-to-1 favorite according to Las Vegas oddsmaker Herb Lambeck. "Hamed inside the distance," is Lambeck's predicted outcome of a fight that is the second in a series of six on HBO that will pay the Englishman $12 million.
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