Columnist Dean Juipe: Mayweather, Corrales to settle differences

Dean Juipe

Thursday, Jan. 11, 2001 | 10:11 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.

It's a rivalry that has simmered since each man turned pro in 1996 and moved to Las Vegas.

Fighting at a common weight, sharing a promoter and with overlapping gym time, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Diego Corrales have always had more than a few common denominators.

For those who knew them both, it was always inevitable that they would eventually fight. The fact that they almost fought outside of the ring (last November at Mandalay Bay) only hastened actually getting them into a contractual agreement that is leading to a Jan. 20 showdown at the MGM Grand Garden.

"A lot of things were said," Corrales remarked of his relationship with Mayweather. "There were always little comments throughout the (Top Rank) office that he made about me.

"It was him picking at me, mostly. A constant nagging that kind of went on. Now it's come to a head.

"I definitely have a true resentment toward him."

Mayweather routinely down plays the rivalry, yet said during a conference call to promote the fight that he does take offense to one of Corrales' training tactics.

"Fighters speak their piece and go about their business," he said. "But if he's got my picture up in the gym and it says he wants to 'kill me,' then we have a problem."

Corrales is training at the Prince Ranch north of Las Vegas and Mayweather is training in Phoenix. They'll be back in town next week for a fight of some consequence that will be televised by HBO.

"This is a very, very competitive fight," promoter Bob Arum said of his dueling 130-pounders. "It's two young fighters at the top of their careers meeting each other.

"The winner has a long-term (six-fight) contract with HBO. The loser still has a big future and has been promised another gig on HBO."

Arum likens Mayweather vs. Corrales to a fight almost 20 years ago between Sugar Ray Leonard and Tommy Hearns. That bout, held before 25,000 fans Sept. 16, 1981 at Caesars Palace, featured a slick boxer (Leonard) against an equally athletic man with a 4-inch height advantage. Leonard eventually won by 14th-round TKO.

In its current application, Mayweather is the slick boxer and Corrales has the 4-inch height advantage.

"All the physical things are on my side," Corrales said. "If I fall short in any area, Floyd will definitely capitalize and he'll win. So I have to keep my head together and use my assets."

Corrales, 23, is a 6-footer with a record of 33-0 and 27 knockouts.

Mayweather, also 23, is 24-0 with 18 KOs. He's a minus 190 betting favorite, with Corrales a plus 150.

"I prefer to be the underdog," Corrales said. "It's fun. It's fine with me."

Mayweather thinks he will be the favorite against every man he faces throughout his career.

"I feel Diego Corrales is one of the best fighters out there, and to be known in 50 years as one of the greatest fighters of all time I have to get past this man," he said. "Me and him is a big, big fight. I need fights like this because I feel I'm the best out there, pound for pound."

He says he weighs 133 now for a bout contracted at 130, and that he's also running "seven or eight miles a day up and down" a nearby mountain.

"I'm running like never before," he said. "I'm real hungry."

Corrales puts his present weight at 137, adding that "I'm taking my time." The weight issue figures to be a nuisance if not a problem for him, given that he had relinquished his International Boxing Federation junior lightweight championship on the premise that he was done fighting at 130.

Mayweather's World Boxing Council junior lightweight title will be at stake for the fight at the MGM.

"I'm going to be smart and do the right things in the ring," he said. "I'm going to use my craftiness."

Corrales will rely on his physical gifts.

"We're two great athletes, both of the same caliber," he said. "Floyd is an extremely fast guy, and size and strength is my advantage. I'll be well-prepared and focused on the task at hand."

It's an assignment each man has had five years to contemplate.

The Hard Rock has moved its scheduled Jan. 19 card to Jan. 24 and will present heavyweights King Ipitan (19-2-1) and Jameel McCline (23-2-3) in its 10-round main event. Also scheduled on the all-heavyweight show: Talmadge Griffis, 15-1-2, vs. Sherman Williams, 18-5-1; Chester Hughes, 7-0, vs. Jeremiah Johnson, 6-0-1; Mark Tullius, 0-1, vs. Jay Ratajczyk, pro debut; Todd Diggs, 2-1-3, vs. Antuan Shazell, 8-1; and Keith Govan, 6-2, vs. Stacy Frazier, 6-1. ... The Hard Rock/Kushner Promotions "Thunderbox" idea apparently is dead, at least here. ... Top Rank has moved a Jan. 21 card from Las Vegas to Reno.

By turning down a fight last week at Texas Station, Derrell Coley apparently also lost out on the opportunity to fight David Reid. The initial idea was to have Coley headline last Sunday's card at Texas Station, then meet Reid this spring. Those plans are off. ... First, heavyweight Michael Grant was pulled from a televised Saturday fight in Tunica, Miss. Now, the entire card has been canceled. ... The International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, N.Y., will induct 16 new members in June. Seven of the inductees, including middleweight Laszlo Papp, lightweight Ismael Laguna, featherweight Sugar Ramos, trainer George Benton, historian Ralph Citro, cartoonist Bill Gallo and promoter Don Chargin are still alive. Light heavyweight Willie Pastrano tops the list of those who will be posthumously inducted.