Columnist Dean Juipe: Vargas sees next bout as prelude to Trinidad

Dean Juipe

Thursday, Aug. 3, 2000 | 9:46 a.m.

Dean Juipe's boxing notebook appears Thursday. His sports column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Reach him at juipe@lasvegassun.com or 259-4084.

Fernando Vargas has a fight later this month in Las Vegas, and a much, much bigger one that will be here Dec. 2.

That second fight -- vs. Felix Trinidad -- is very much overshadowing this first one, with mandatory challenger Ross Thompson.

Vargas, the 22-year-old International Boxing Federation junior middleweight champion who is 19-0 with 17 knockouts, will face Thompson Aug. 26 at Mandalay Bay. Thompson, a former Las Vegas resident, is 24-3-1 with 16 KOs.

Vargas vs. Trinidad has yet to be formally announced, but the date is set and the site will be Mandalay Bay or one of its sister properties.

"It's in the hands of the attorneys right now, but I believe the fight will happen," said Main Events promoter Gary Shaw, who handles Vargas. The only real holdup in confirming the fight may be the matter of protocol and Vargas defeating Thompson.

"It's hard to get up for fights like this, I'll be honest with you," Vargas said of having to meet Thompson, whose connection to promoter Don King greased his path to the No. 1 challenger's position. "But I want to go out there and take care of business and get ready for Trinidad.

"I'm training hard. I want to look great."

He usually does.

Vargas claimed the IBF championship Dec. 12, 1998, by knocking out Yory Boy Campas and has successfully defended the title four times. His most recent win, by decision over fellow slugger Ike Quartey, solidified his position as one of the sport's legitimate stars.

He's already looking ahead to the fight with Trinidad, the World Boxing Association champion at 154 pounds who is 38-0 and coming off a win over the pedestrian Mamadou Thiam.

"He looked great," Vargas said of Trinidad's July 22 showing in Miami with Thiam. "But I got a little nervous a couple of times when he got hit.

"I saw a couple of things I can capitalize on and I'll definitely be ready for that fight. We have a game plan to beat Trinidad."

Vargas sees no reason why the fight with Trinidad won't go his way.

"I'm an intelligent fighter," he said during a conference call this week. "I'm quick. I'm fast on my feet. I'm a counterpuncher.

"Let's say we get into a war. Who has the best chin? I think it's me."

As for his experience level and the fact he's five years younger than Trinidad, Vargas doesn't believe it's an issue.

"I've been comfortable and able to perform at this magnitude," he said. "I've had those type of fights."

He hopes to walk through Thompson and come out unscathed.

"He's a better fighter than Mamadou," Vargas said, using Trinidad's most recent opponent for comparison. "I'm going to beat this guy. I've seen two of his fights and I definitely think I've got what it takes to get him out of there."

Tickets for the upcoming fight are on sale and are priced from $25 to $250. Also on the card is a fight between Vernon Forrest, 31-0, and Raul Frank, 23-3-1, with the vacant IBF welterweight title at stake.

But they're fighting Saturday in Philadelphia on a fight card that will be rebroadcast Sunday night on the Fox Sports Net.

Couser, the Mike Tyson look-alike, is 19-5-2 with eight knockouts.

Gonzalez, the former Cuban amateur star, is 31-5 with 27 KOs.

They're scheduled for 10 rounds.

"I feel great and I can't wait to get in there," Couser said before departing for Philly. "I plan on shutting him down quick. I want to have a smart, aggressive fight and I've been working on quick punches, one right behind the other, that are designed to cut him and break him down."

Gonzalez will hold a substantial height advantage and will have a few pounds on Couser as well.

"I'm not worried about that," Couser claimed, although he admitted he hasn't been able to find comparable sparring partners. "Gonzalez throws lazy jabs, lazy everything. I've seen a few of his fights and he can be hurt by overhand rights.

"He's had his time and his fame. He's shown what he could have done and proved what he couldn't do.

"I see the fight going to me because I'll be aggressive and he'll be doing what he always tries to do when he's in trouble, and that's keep on holding until the referee breaks it up."

"I definitely feel like I have a lot to prove, even to myself," he said this week. "I know I'm a great fighter and I intend to prove it."

Ruiz, 36-3, is leery of Holyfield in spite of the former champion's age (37) and mileage (19 world title fights).

"There's going to be criticism no matter what happens," he said. "But I can't look at it that way because I know Holyfield is coming to fight. It's going to be a fight that will go back and forth. Holyfield has a lot of heart. One thing for sure is that neither of us is going to back down."

The undercard for the Holyfield vs. Ruiz show has filled out and not only includes a previously announced title defense by WBA welterweight champ James Page against Andrew Lewis, but six other bouts. The lineup: Daniel Seda, 14-0, vs. Oscar Leon, 19-1, 12 rounds, featherweights; Rich Melito, 23-1, vs. Thomas Williams, 25-9, 10 rounds, heavyweights; Kofi Jantuah, 15-0, vs. Jeffrey Hill, 18-2, 10 rounds, welterweights; Carlos Quintana, 8-0, vs. Miguel Angel Avila, 8-4-4, 10 rounds, welterweights; Sergui Petrovich, 9-0, vs. Wesley Martin, 12-25-8, six rounds, heavyweights; and Christy Martin, 39-2-2, vs. Diana Lewis, 9-1-1, in a 10-round women's bout.

Leeonzer Barber, 21-3, has been named as the opponent for local cruiserweight Arthur Williams for an Aug. 10 fight in Biloxi, Miss. ... Top Rank will host an Aug. 27 fight at the Plaza hotel-casino downtown, with featherweights Juan Manuel Marquez and Victor Polo in the main event. Marquez is 31-2, Polo 28-2-2. ... Local junior welterweight Vince Phillips, 40-5-1, has taken an Aug. 31 fight in Tunica, Miss., with Pedro Saiz, 24-6-3. ... Local junior lightweight Steve Forbes will meet David Santos for the vacant USBA title Aug. 18 in Concho, Okla. ... Bob Arum's hearing before the NSAC pertaining to his admitted payoffs to the International Boxing Federation has been set for Aug. 16 in the commission offices on East Washington. ... At its meeting today, the NSAC is expected to allow "time served" on Oliver McCall's indefinite suspension and relicense the fo rmer heavyweight champion. He was suspended three years ago for a mental breakdown suffered during a fight with Lennox Lewi! s. ... The commission will also begin requiring uniformed police at amateur cards in the state, the result of a melee that broke out two weeks ago at Nevada Partners.