Columnist Dean Juipe: Olympic gold medalist Reid building toward a title shot

Dean Juipe

Thursday, May 7, 1998 | 1:44 a.m.

DEAN JUIPEis a Las Vegas Sun sportswriter. His office phone number is 259-4084. He can be reached on the Internet at juipe@lasvegassun.com

He's patiently impatient, aware that championship opportunities will be there for him yet able to resist the temptation of saying he's ready for them today.

David Reid is in an ideal situation. He has money in the bank and the chance to become a boxing superstar.

"It can be scary though," he said Wednesday by phone from Atlantic City, where he'll face Nick Rupa in a bout to be televised Saturday by HBO. "Winning is the name of the game and I know I'm not supposed to lose, at least not to guys like Rupa."

Reid, America's only gold medalist in the 1996 Olympics, is 8-0 as a professional and has multi-million dollar deals intact with promoter Mat Tinley and HBO. Those connections assure him visibility and a shot at unlimited success.

Yet he has to pace himself, fight and defeat the Nick Rupas of the world and build the kind of quality experience it takes to be ready for a world champion.

"It's a whole lot of pressure on me," Reid said. "But the way I handle it is to block out everything except what's right in front of me.

"That's how I did it at the Olympic Games. I won the preliminaries, the quarterfinals, the semifinals and then the championship -- taking it one step at a time."

He'd like to take a small step for himself and blast Rupa out before reaching the end of their scheduled 10-round fight at 154 pounds.

"He's a competent fighter who wants to win," Reid said of Rupa, who is 29-5-1 and best remembered by Las Vegans for a hard-fought loss to then-champion Terry Norris here last year. "But I feel like I shouldn't be losing to anyone who isn't a champion, especially Rupa."

At their final prefight press conference earlier in the day, Reid and Rupa were civil toward each other yet faced a moment of tension when it came time for the obligatory face-to-face showdown for photographers.

"I raised my fist up to his chin and he said 'That's the last time you'll do that,'" Reid said. "I just laughed at him, but I could tell he was serious."

Nonetheless, Reid expects to knock out Rupa and end a brief two-fight streak of having his bouts go to decision.

"Oh yeah, I'm looking to knock him out big time," Reid said. "If there's an opening, I'm going for the kill. I want the world to see just how good I am."

Reid, 24, is a native of Philadelphia who was a three-time national amateur champion prior to his Olympic success, which was accentuated by the fact he was the only American boxer to earn a gold in Atlanta.

"There's a lot of attention on me," Reid said. "But I'm very satisfied with the way things are going. I'm fighting decent guys, not bums, and I think people respect that."

His bout with Rupa is the semi-main event on a card that also includes IBF lightweight champ Shane Mosley, 26-0, against former champion John John Molina, 45-4.

Charlie's card

Arizona Charlie's has a seven-bout card scheduled for Friday and it is using Max Gomez in the main event for the second time in five months. Gomez, 18-9-1, handled Maneul Arellano in December at the hotel and this week he's in with Juan Luis Torres. The latter is 20-17. There were still some gaps in the undercard schedule Wednesday yet here's what is known: Yakini McKinney, 7-4, vs. Jesus Lopez, 2-0, six rounds, junior middleweights; Joseph Ojomoh, 2-2-2, vs. Alphonso Davis, 2-4-1, four rounds, cruiserweights; Memo Moreno, 2-2-1, vs. Roger Medal, 4-0, four rounds, junior lightweights; Willie Stewart, 2-0, vs. an opponent yet to be determined, four rounds, middleweights; and women's bouts featuring Brenda Burnside and Valerie Troike, each against opponents yet to be determined. First bell is 7 p.m.

Amateur results

Fittingly, the team championship came down to the final bout and Jason Ingwaldson emerged as the winner, leading a team of amateurs representing Nevada to a 7-6 victory over London. The competition was held Sunday at Cashman Field. Ingwaldson, ranked No. 1 in the United States, decisioned Ian Eldridge with the team title on the line. The other six Nevada winners: Jaime Moreno, 99 pounds; Eddie Lopez, 108; Alex Mercado, 100; Mando Figueroia, 125; Ken Ortega, 132; and Adam Chavarin, 190.

Around the ring

Bam Promotions has its May 15 card at The Orleans in order and will headline with light heavyweights David Boone, 12-5, and Armando Campas, 16-13-5. Light heavyweights are also in the semi-main event, as Las Vegan Miguel Jimenez, 11-0, takes on Zaire Patterson, 3-4. Five other bouts are scheduled with a 7 p.m. starting time. ... South African Jan Bergman, who occasionally trains in Las Vegas, suffered a damaging loss in England when he dropped a decision to Junior Witter. Bergman, a junior welterweight whose only previous loss was to then-champion Kostya Tszyu, fell to 35-2. Witter is 8-0. ... Roberto Duran, 47, was added to the June 6 pay-per-view card in New York that has Evander Holyfield and Henry Akinwande headlining. Duran, who has made $50 million in his career, will receive $200,000 for taking on WBA junior middleweight champ William Joppy. ... Heavyweight Andrew Golota, 28-3, doesn't figure to be severely tested by Midwestern journeyman Jack Basting, 21-12, Friday in Atlantic City on a USSB (satellite) card.