Columnist Dean Juipe: Kiwanuka aims to put name back in mix

Dean Juipe

Thursday, April 25, 2002 | 8:58 a.m.

Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at juipe@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4084.

It's never too late to salvage your career, as Joseph Kiwanuka will attempt to do Saturday in Anaheim, Calif.

Kiwanuka, 30, is a long-time Las Vegas resident who once flirted with the upper echelon of the super middleweight division. Now he's fighting as a light heavyweight and will take on Julio Gonzalez in a 10-round bout that will have the loser spiralling out of championship contention.

Kiwanuka is 27-4-2 with 20 knockouts yet it has to be noted that he was once 19-0-2.

Gonzalez is 28-1 with 18 KOs and has fought once since losing a lopsided title fight to Roy Jones Jr. last summer.

"This is a big fight," Kiwanuka admitted after a workout at Tocco's Gym. "But I believe I'm better than this guy. He's going to be surprised."

There's no doubt that Gonzalez and the fans he'll attract are expecting him to win. But Kiwanuka and his agent, former world champion Cornelius Boza-Edwards, believe an upset may be in the works.

"Joseph is in excellent shape and he's very confident," Boza-Edwards said. "I've heard him say, 'Don't worry, I'm going to knock this guy out' and that's the first time I've heard him boast about drilling somebody."

Kiwanuka may have fallen from public view, but a win over Gonzalez would undoubtedly rekindle his championship hopes.

"People used to see me on TV, then I seemed to disappear," he admitted. "The fans might be wondering where I am, so this is an important fight for me.

"But I'm always training and I'm ready. (Gonzalez) might think I'll be flat because I haven't fought in a long time, but I'm a good fighter."

Kiwanuka once held the North American Boxing Federation title at 168 pounds, but losing four times pushed him toward obscurity. Twice he was beaten by Thomas Tate, then he lost to Demetrius Davis and finally he was beaten by Vinny Pazienza in a nationally televised fight in 1999.

In the latter bout, Kiwanuka was fairly lifeless and landed only 97 punches in a lackluster effort.

He has not fought in almost a calendar year.

"Joseph may not be a household name, but he's been around and people in the sport know he's dangerous," Boza-Edwards said. "It's been devastating trying to get him fights, and I just couldn't come up with anything for him for a long time.

"If he does what he says he's going to do and wins by knockout, it'll be one of those things where he'll be right back in the title picture."

Gonzalez, of course, will be trying to do the same thing. But he'll need a sharp performance to offset the lingering impression that most fans have of him, which is being repeatedly knocked down by Jones in a one-sided fight last July in Los Angeles.

Gonzalez was down three times in that fight and lost a decision by double digits on all cards.

"I don't worry about him," Kiwanuka said. "I know he's tough but I know the way he fights and I know what I have to do. He goes down a lot, so I don't expect the fight to go the distance.

"For the fans who still want to see what I can do, I predict I'll win by knockout."

Friday's card is set with a 6:30 p.m. opening bell and includes these bouts: Omran Awaldi, 7-0, vs. Jacklord Jacobs, 5-3, eight rounds, heavyweights; Vatche Wartanean, 2-1-1, vs. Chris McDonagh, 4-0, four rounds, junior welterweights; Luis Galvan, 0-2, vs. Azencion Arias, pro debut, four rounds, bantamweights; Carlos Alvarado, 2-3, vs. Mickey Bowden, 4-1, four rounds, junior lightweights; Thomas Eynon, 1-2, vs. Roman Greenberg, 2-1, four rounds, heavyweights; and Felix Cora Jr., pro debut, vs. TBA, four rounds, cruiserweights. Tickets are $20 and $30.

Saturday's card gets under way at 3 p.m. and has 16 bouts between representatives of the Finchley & District Boxing Club of London and North Las Vegas' Nevada Partners. Tickets are $10.

Hercules Kyvelos, 21-0 and currently sparring with undisputed 140-pound champ Kostya Tszyu, has the primary undercard bout on Tszyu's May 18 show at Mandalay Bay. Kyvelos will meet one-time contender Oba Carr, who is 54-5-1. Tszyu takes on Ben Tackie in the main event. ... Jameel McCline, a heavyweight who moved to prominence with a pair of wins in Las Vegas, takes on Shannon Briggs in New York, Saturday on HBO.

Jeremy Williams, 37-4, knocked out David Bostice, 27-6-1, at the tail end of the first round in their heavyweight main event last Sunday at the Flamingo in Laughlin. In the primary undercard bout, Sherman Williams improved to 20-6-1 with a majority decision win over fellow Las Vegas heavyweight Samson Po'uha, 20-5-1. ... Ron Gerrard's Saturday radio show on KCEP (FM 88.1) can now be heard at noon. ... Promoter Bob Arum is looking at an August date in Los Angeles for the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Jose Luis Castillo rematch, which looks to be a go.