Columnist Dean Juipe: Mosley needs to upgrade his opposition

Dean Juipe

Monday, July 16, 2001 | 10:51 a.m.

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

Five years ago in a nationally televised fight from an Indian casino in Connecticut, Skip Kelp had Adrian Stone down twice within 10 rounds en route to taking a hotly contested decision win.

Saturday at Caesars Palace, Stone will fight welterweight champion Shane Mosley and Kelp -- now the head coach of the UNLV club boxing team -- will, if he's so inclined, have to pay to see the bout.

It's an irony that's not lost on him.

"I can't lie and tell you I haven't thought about it," Kelp said Sunday. "Friends have said to me, 'Oh man, you must be dying right now' and I am.

"That could be me in there with Sugar Shane."

Kelp retired with a 24-4 record and says the fight with Stone "was the defining moment of my career."

Stone, who is 30-3-2 and has no chance whatsoever of beating Mosley, is merely a fortunate man who will be paid a princely fee for taking a beating. Kelp gives him a chance of keeping the fight competitive, but, we agree, it's Mosley who will dictate the action.

"Stone's one of those fighters who's good at everything he does, but Mosley is exceptional and his hand speed is phenomenal," Kelp said. "He's only going to struggle if he's not at the top of his game."

For this (and a potentially good fight between heavyweights Michael Grant and Jameel McCline), fans not privy to the HBO telecast are being asked to shell out $50 to $300.

It seems a little steep in light of the betting line at Caesars that has Mosley at a minus 1700 and Stone at a plus 1100. Those are numbers usually reserved for a one-sided blowout.

So here's my complaint: Mosley needs to step up the level of his opposition.

A personable young man of 29, Mosley has fought a number of high-profile opponents and beaten all of them -- including Oscar De La Hoya -- in building a record of 37-0 with 34 knockouts. Through no fault of his own, he is stuck in a division that presently is far from spectacular and he hasn't had a significant test in more than a year.

But there are two other welterweights who deserve a fight with him and who could give him something of a tussle, including Andrew "Six Heads" Lewis and Vernon Forrest. These are the fights the fans want to see and they're the ones that might be worth the asking price.

But Mosley vs. Stone? It's another "biding my time" fight for Mosley and it follows similar fights with Shannan Taylor and Antonio Diaz.

And it's a bone for Stone, who has never beaten anyone of consequence and whose last three fights have been against the obscure and forgotten Joe Townsley, Derek Roche and Geoff McCreesh.

At a time when Mosley should be pursuing absolute greatness and capitalizing on what few quality opponents are available, he's coasting. You'll see some things written about him this week, including an upcoming feature from me, yet there's no disguising the fact he's cruising.

"If Stone wins, I'm coming back," Kelp good-naturedly exclaimed, confident his fistic career is actually over.

Stone's will be over by Saturday, too.