Columnist Dean Juipe: ‘Heads’ up! Lewis is ‘a rising star’

Dean Juipe

Thursday, April 26, 2001 | 9:28 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.

Top Rank has the promotional rights to new World Boxing Association welterweight champ Andrew "Six Heads" Lewis and promoter Bob Arum has already declared his intentions.

He wants to arrange a bout with World Boxing Council champ Shane Mosley.

"Everything we're doing from now on is designed to get that fight either later this year or early next year," Arum said. "The guy out there recognized as the premier welterweight is Sugar Shane Mosley, and our plan is to have Six Heads recognized as the one guy who will be able to beat him.

"Six Heads has all the tools to beat Mosley. He's a true rising star."

Lewis, 20-0-1 with 19 knockouts and coming off a February TKO-7 victory at the MGM in Las Vegas over James Page for the WBA title, is fighting Saturday in New York City, albeit against an opponent of a far lesser caliber than Mosley or even Page. He'll be in with Larry Marks, a journeyman of sorts who has a victory over ex-champ Charles Murray but who also has a loss to the very suspect Michael Covington.

In a conference call to promote the Lewis vs. Marks fight, the champion left little doubt he intends to punish Marks, who is 21-3 with 12 KOs.

"He's been talking a lot of crap about me," Lewis said. "He's got a big mouth. He says I can't box.

"But I'm cool. He's a good fighter and I don't underestimate him, but he's not in my category.

"I'm going to take him out. He can't last.

"I'm a hungry fighter and I know what I've got to do."

Lewis, a southpaw, will be showcased on the HBO-televised card and Arum would also like him to have a spot on a Mosley card that's tentative for July 21.

"Maybe we could share that card," Arum said, "and build that into a big confrontation between the two of them.

"It would be good for boxing."

Lewis has been training in the Poconos in Pennsylvania and sparring with Ray Oliviera and Tony Marshall.

"I feel great," he said. "I'm in the best shape of my life."

No betting line up in Las Vegas on that fight with Marks, but independent oddsmaker Herb Lambeck says Lewis is a 100-1 favorite.

Not only was Juuko on his way out of the picture in the competitive 130-pound division, the man he was supposed to fight -- International Boxing Federation champ Steve Forbes of Las Vegas -- was nowhere to be found.

Forbes had withdrawn from the fight with Juuko late last Thursday.

"This postponement put him back a bit," Goossen said Wednesday, referring to Forbes. Adding that "Stevie is living the life of a monk right now," Goossen said no revised plans have been made in regards to Forbes' next fight.

"We'll have to wait and see how long it is before his back is OK," Goossen said, referring to the ailment that has put Forbes on the disabled list.

Goossen had hoped to salvage something by having Juuko fight Zepeda, but it backfired when Zepeda put Juuko down in the second round, down twice in the third and down again in the fifth before the fight was stopped by referee Robert Byrd at the 48-second mark.

"We're trying to make Steve Forbes a star," Goossen said. "The best way to do that is to make fights for him where the media and the fans know who the opponent is.

"Obviously Justin was at the latter stages of his career when we signed him, but we thought he could fight Forbes and give a good account of himself.

"I wasn't really surprised with what I saw (in the Juuko-Zepeda fight). Juuko and Zepeda are on the same level."

Juuko drops to 35-5-1 and Zepeda improves to 27-5-2, although Goossen said the latter gained no leverage toward a fight with Forbes. "He doesn't achieve the goal we want," Goossen said of putting Zepeda in with Forbes.

So who does Forbes fight?

"Roberto Garcia and those type of guys," Goossen said, referring to an ex-champion who has already turned down one fight with Forbes. "We've got to find someone who will fight Stevie who will raise Stevie's profile."

Goossen's America Presents promotional firm has a five-year deal with Forbes.

"We're not trying to recapture any titles," said trainer Lou Duva. "It's not a question of going after any championships.

"I hope everything works out well ... but where is it going to lead to?"

Whitaker, 37, has not fought since losing to Felix Trinidad in February of 1999. That loss dropped his record to 40-3-1 with 17 KOs and also put his personal life on a downward trend that Duva feels Whitaker needs to address.

He would like to see Whitaker come to work for Duva Boxing as a speaker for youth groups.

In Bojorquez, Whitaker gets an opponent who is 14-2-5 with 10 knockouts and who is coming off a technical draw with Agustin Caballero March 5 in Ontario, Calif. Duva finds him a suitable test for a fight to be televised from Caesars Tahoe by ESPN2.

"If we put Pete in with a stiff, what would it prove?" he said.

Whitaker once held world titles at 135, 140 and 147 pounds and holds victories over a number of prominent fighters, including Jose Luis Ramirez, Azumah Nelson, Julio Cesar Chavez and Buddy McGirt. He also lost to Oscar De La Hoya two years before losing to Trinidad.

"I never retired," Whitaker said. "I just took a little vacation. I know I still have the ability and the skill."

Medina, 30, is 58-11 in a career that dates from 1985. He rose to IBF champion in 1991 when he defeated Troy Dorsey and held that belt for two years before losing to Tom Johnson. Two years after that he beat Alejandro Gonzalez for the WBC championship before losing to Luisito Espinosa. But Medina regained the IBF belt in 1998 by beating Hector Lizarraga before losing to Naseem Hamed. He has also fought Frankie Toledo, who recently took the IBF title from Mbulelo Botile.

Through it all, or maybe because of it all, Medina is ranked No. 1 by the IBF and will eventually get a second fight with Toledo, who he conquered last May at the Orleans.

Medina should have a fairly easy time with Juarez, who is 23-9-2 with nine KOs.

In the semi-main event, Rito Ruvalcaba, 27-3 but coming off a one-round loss to WBA middleweight champ William Joppy, takes on Lalo Gutierrez, 30-9-2.

Also scheduled: Dustin Kim, 16-1, vs. Adarryl Johnson, 13-8-2, eight rounds, featherweights; Francisco Corrales, 2-1, vs. Ruben Navarro, 0-1-2, four rounds, junior welterweights; Ishe Smith, 2-0, vs. Jimmy Blou, 0-3-1, four rounds, welterweights; Eddie Salas, 1-0, vs. Aaron Gilson, pro debut, four rounds, middleweights; and Adriano Dos Santos, 2-5-1, vs. Almazbek Raimkulov, pro debut, four rounds, lightweights. First bell is 7 p.m.

"I think the only other fight out there (for me) is the Jones fight," Calzaghe said this week during a conference call.

Saturday, from Wales, Calzaghe will face Mario Veit in a fight that matches men with identical records of 30-0. But while Calzaghe can claim wins over respectable fighters such as Chris Eubank, Bronco McKart, Robin Reid, Omar Sheika and Richie Woodhall, Veit has never faced anyone of even above-average ability and his most recent opponent was the deservedly unsung Carl Cockerham.

"All Veit has done is beaten up journeymen," Calzaghe said. "He has been protected by his management in order to earn a ranking. This is a step up in class for him and he hasn't fought anybody near the caliber of me, so we'll see how he's going to cope.

"When he gets in the ring with me, he is in for a big shock.

"He's going to get knocked out."

Calzaghe has KO'd 25 previous opponents and is one of the few notable fighters in the fairly weak 168-pound division.

"The division is good but is lacking big names," he admitted. "All I can do is keep fighting and show the world who the best super middleweight is.

"One of my strong points is that I'm still a hungry fighter. I still have a couple of goals to accomplish."

Jorge Luis Gonzalez refuses to quit and the Las Vegas-based heavyweight finds himself fighting Joe Meci Friday in Buffalo. Ex-heavyweight champ Razor Ruddock is on the same card. ... Highly regarded Sandy Johnson has returned to the Nevada State Athletic Commission as a management assistant after a brief absence. ... KTNV (Channel 13) sports reporter Mario Diaz has added to his duties by accepting a role (along with Max Kellerman) on an ESPN2 boxing series that will debut May 8 with the Paul Spadafora vs. Joel Perez fight from Pittsburgh. ... Assuming undefeated junior lightweights Joel Casamayor and Acelina Freitas win their companion main events May 5 in Mississippi, they'll fight July 14 at a site to be determined although promoter Dan Goossen said the showdown appears to be earmarked for Miami.

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