Crayton’s prayers answered

Dean Juipe

Thursday, May 31, 2001 | 10:40 a.m.

Two men, one bit of news, two entirely different reactions.

That was the case Wednesday just moments before a scheduled press conference was set to begin at the Paris Las Vegas and the word came down that main-event participant Dario Esalas had missed his flight from Colombia and was off Friday night's card.

In his place, the Top Rank promotional firm inserted James Crayton -- who had been set to fight in the primary undercard bout -- into a 10-round fight at the "off weight" of 137 pounds with two-time former world champion Stevie Johnston.

Crayton's smile couldn't have been any wider.

But Johnston took the news hard, dejectedly looking down and walking away, muttering to himself.

"Yeah, I was disappointed," Johnston said later. "I wanted to fight the guy from Colombia. He's more aggressive than Crayton, but it's still going to be a good fight."

Esalas, 23-0, had been expected to provide Johnston with a legitimate test in a nationally televised fight that had the TV executives at ESPN enthused. But the age-old excuse, "visa problems," prevented him from boarding a flight from South America and thrust Crayton into the main event.

"I'm blessed," Crayton said. "Just last night I was at home and praying and feeling I'd love to fight Stevie Johnston. We were supposed to have fought (in 1999) when he was still the champion, but due to lies and politics it fell through.

"But, looking at the bright side, that fight has come back to me now. The Lord works in mysterious ways."

Crayton, 32-14-2 with 19 knockouts, said readiness will make him a threat to win.

"I'm coming out of a great training camp," he said. "Stevie's totally different than the guy I was supposed to fight -- Ahmed Santos -- because he has the better overall package and experience.

"So it changes my approach a little, because Santos is more methodical and I would have tried to knock him out.

"With Stevie, I'll box him for a couple of rounds and try to out-work him. He's got a good chin, so I'm not going to say I'm going to knock him out, but maybe I can stay busier than him for 10 rounds."

Crayton, 31, of Las Vegas, is hoping to right his career after losing four of his six most recent fights. "I'm not taking any backward steps this year," he claimed, adding that he has been in the gym for two months and had just sparred seven rounds that morning.

Johnston, 28, of Denver, is 31-2-1 with 15 KOs and remains the No. 1 contender for the World Boxing Council at 135 pounds and is awaiting a third fight with current champion Jose Luis Castillo. The latter is making a voluntary defense against easy target Sungho Yuh June 15 in Mexico, but he has to face Johnston by the end of the year.

"I want one more fight with him," Johnston said, having lost to Castillo by decision in their first fight and having accepted a draw in the rematch, both last year. "The first time I underestimated him. The second time I felt I out-boxed him and won, and that he should have been disqualified for so many low blows."

That disputed decision in the latter fight left Johnston "thinking about quitting." But he has since regrouped and fought earlier this month in West Wendover, defeating Pedro Garcia by decision over eight rounds.

From 1997 until his first fight with Castillo, Johnston more or less ruled the lightweight division and won nine of his 10 world-title fights, splitting a pair of decisions with Cesar Bazan along the way.

Now he's looking to stay busy, beat Castillo in their third fight, and have a championship to offer when the parade of celebrated 130-pound champions makes their inevitable move to 135. While the common opinion is that the junior lightweights will beat the lightweights once they get there, Johnston isn't so sure.

"There's a better class of fighters at 135," he said. "And that five pounds they'll have to add makes a big difference."

Nonetheless, he welcomes the day when junior lightweights such as Floyd Mayweather Jr., Joel Casamayor, Acelina Freitas and Diego Corrales move up.

"I'll be sitting there waiting," Johnston said. "There'll be a lot of money involved and some big paydays. The way I look at it, those guys just don't know how tough it's going to be at 135."

Also scheduled for the 5 p.m. card in the hotel's Les Theatre Des Arts: Ahmed Santos, 27-4-4, vs. (late sub) Kinito Drake, 14-1, 10 rounds, junior welterweights; William Abelyan, 15-4-1, vs. Marcos Badillo, 14-16-1, six rounds, featherweights; Larry Mosley, 7-0, vs. Jaime Morales, 6-5-4, six rounds, welterweights; Jose Aguiniga, 4-0, vs. TBA, four rounds, super bantamweights; and Mohamad Abdulaev, 2-0, vs. Daniel Felix, 5-0, four rounds, welterweights.

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