Sanchez eager to return to the ring

Dean Juipe

Friday, Jan. 5, 2001 | 9:06 a.m.

Boxing extracts a physical toll on its participants, and many a good fighter has come out of a tough fight and never been the same.

It's a truism of sorts. A veiled reality.

Take not one but two or three too many blows to the head and your career goes on the decline.

For those who have followed Las Vegas resident Augie Sanchez through the amateurs and into the pros, the most apropos question of the day is this: How much, if any, was he negatively impacted by his fourth-round knockout loss to Naseem Hamed last August? After all, it may have been a short fight but it was a ferocious one, and one that ended with Sanchez carried out of the ring on a stretcher, attached to oxygen and headed for a hospital.

Sanchez will fight for the first time since that loss, as he faces former world champion Luisito Espinosa Saturday night in the semi-main event of an America Presents boxing card at Texas Station. World Boxing Association junior lightweight champ Joel Casamayor takes on ex-champ Roberto Garcia in the main event of the Showtime-televised card.

"I'm not seeing any negative effects," Sanchez's trainer, Pat Barry, said of his fighter (and son-in-law). "It was a hard fight with Hamed but it's not like Augie took a sustained beating."

Nonetheless, if there are any negative repercussions they'll be obvious in a 10-round featherweight fight that is close enough on paper to have prevented the casino from posting a betting line.

"The loser of this fight will have to re-evaluate his career," promoter Dan Goossen said. "But the winner can look forward to a title shot."

By all accounts, Sanchez -- even with his loss to Hamed -- may be the fresher of the two. He's 26-2 with 23 knockouts and still only 23 years old.

Espinosa, conversely, is almost certainly past his prime at the age of 33 and his record of 45-9 with 24 KOs includes losses in two of his three most recent fights.

But for those who hinted that Espinosa is in the role of "opponent" for this fight, he says it's news to him.

"Is that what they think?" he said through an interpreter, when informed of the suspicions about him. "If so, so be it. I decline to comment further except to say I'll prove them wrong in the ring."

Epinosa, of the Philippines, has a wealth of experience against major-league competition in a pro career that dates from 1984. Twice he rose to world-championship status, first as a bantamweight in 1989 and later as a featherweight in 1995.

He has participated in 14 world-title fights. Sanchez has appeared in one.

"It was a good experience for me," Sanchez said of having met his match with Hamed. "Hopefully in a few years, when I get some more experience, I can have a rematch with him."

Big fights will be out of the question for Sanchez if he doesn't get past Espinosa.

"I kind of understand what Goossen was saying," Barry said. "As far as marketability, the loser of the fight might be in trouble. But I don't think it automatically has to be the end of the road for either man."

Barry is taking a respectful view toward Espinosa. Not knowing whether to be overconfident or wary of the ex-champion, he has chosen to play it close to the vest.

"It's difficult to say how much he has left," he said of Espinosa. "I guess we'll know the answer to that by Saturday night. But we trained for this fight as if he still has the complete package.

"If it's any less, all the better for us."

In Saturday's main event, Casamayor will be looking to add to his 24-0 record at the expense of Garcia, who is 33-2. The Texas Station sports book has Casamayor a solid favorite at a minus 700, with Garcia a plus 1100.

"This is a tougher fight than 11 to 1," Casamayor's manager, Luis DeCubas said. "Garcia has already beaten two of my fighters (Ramon Ledon and John John Molina), so I have a healthy respect for him."

Now trained by Joe Goossen, Casamayor is angling for even bigger fights in 2001 as he labors in the sport's most talented division.

"I handed Joe a diamond and he made it shine," DeCubas said of Goossen's involvement with Casamayor. "I think he's made him into one of the three best fighters in the world in any division."

Also scheduled on Saturday's card: Justin Juuko, 34-4-1, vs. Nestor Lopez, 19-7-2, eight rounds, junior lightweights; Joel Salas, 3-1, vs. Fernando Yugado, 3-3, four rounds, welterweights; and Anicet Amossou, pro debut, vs. Filiberto Larrinaga, 1-2, four rounds, middleweights.

Texas Station also has a Sunday afternoon card with James Leija, 41-5-2, meeting Freddie Ladd, 44-5, in a 10-round main event at 140 pounds. Leija is a minus 950 betting favorite, with Ladd a plus 650.

Also scheduled on Sunday's card: Israel Vazquez, 28-2-1, vs. Don Don Concepcion, 19-5-1, 12 rounds for the vacant NABF super bantamweight title; LeChaunce Shepherd, 2-0, vs. Randy Olonzo, 0-0-1, four rounds, junior welterweights; Teaunce Shepherd, pro debut, vs. Carlos Alvarado, 1-2, four rounds, featherweights; Artyom Simonyan, 1-0, vs. Alejandro Lopez, 0-3-3, four rounds, super bantamweights; Don Futrell, 15-3-1, vs. Rolando Reyes, 7-0-1, eight rounds, lightweights; and a women's bout between Freeda Foreman, 3-0, and Yolanda Blackmer, 1-2.