Adams might fight Tapia — but only at 122 pounds

Dean Juipe

Thursday, Oct. 19, 2000 | 10:36 a.m.

In pursuit of a world championship, Johnny Tapia's wife and manager, Teresa, has been calling Bones Adams to gauge his interest in a fight that would be held in February or March of next year.

For the Las Vegas-based Adams, the World Boxing Association super bantamweight champion, it would be his first fight since a TKO-6 victory August 15 in Madison, Wisconsin, over Andres Fernandez.

Adams is still recovering from a broken right hand suffered in that same fight.

For Tapia, it would be a relatively quick return to the ring after suffering a decision loss to Paulie Ayala two weeks ago at the MGM.

"Teresa's been calling me up and everything," Adams said Wednesday before departing for Detroit, where he intends to take in Friday's Mike Tyson vs. Andrew Golota fight as well as Saturday's fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Emanuel Burton.

"Hopefully we can make the fight," Adams said of meeting Tapia. "It's what we're working on but he has to make 122 (pounds) or there's no fight."

Tapia coerced Ayala into fighting at 124 pounds under the premise he couldn't make Ayala's natural 118. Adams said he would fight only at 122.

"He can make it," Adams said wryly. "He's the one who wants my title and he's the one coming after me, so apparently he knows he can get to 122.

"He wants a title and he feels he needs a title. Why else would they be calling me?"

Tapia is 48-2-2.

Adams is 40-3-3 with 19 knockouts and gained the WBA belt with a decision win over Nestor Garza last March at Mandalay Bay. That victory, a mild upset, solidified Adams' position as one of the top fighters in the lighter weight classes.

But the 26-year-old Adams, who began fighting professionally when he was 15, has been pestered by injuries throughout his career.

"Everything looks good," he said of his right hand, which, contrary to published reports elsewhere, was never surgically repaired. "I didn't have surgery because the doctors thought it could heal naturally.

"It's feeling great."

He said he anticipates sparring in December and would be ready to fight by February or March.

In the interim, he has "just been goofing off and spending time with my (two) kids," he said. "We've been having a pretty good time."

As an aside, with Adams incapacitated the WBA has designated a Nov. 23 fight in Nagoya, Japan, between No. 1 contender Antonio Cermeno and Kozo Ishii as one of those dreaded "interim" championships. That winner will be in line to fight Adams upon his return, although these negotiations and a possible fight with Tapia could obviously interrupt the WBA's time line and its promise of an immediate title fight for the Cermeno-Ishii victor.