New company, fresh faces

Dean Juipe

Thursday, Aug. 22, 2002 | 8:55 a.m.

Platinum Promotions debuts in Las Vegas with a Saturday card at Sam's Town, with a greater goal of providing monthly shows that will feature Hispanic fighters.

The firm, run by Thell Torrence and Greg Gulli and using Tony Mora as matchmaker, is in pursuit of fighters of some repute that it can market and employ on a regular basis.

And that's perfect as far as Jaime Ocegueda is concerned.

"If anyone wants to give me a chance, they'll see I'm the type of fighter who will work like a horse," he said this week at Nevada Partners. "I'm humble and I let my actions speak louder than words, but I can also draw a crowd and be a part of some pretty exciting fights."

Ocegueda may very well be what Platinum is looking for, and vice versa.

"I'm training hard and doing my part," he said. "I don't drink, smoke, I've never done drugs or been involved in a gang and I've never been to jail.

"I'm clean. And I'm just looking for someone to give me an opportunity."

Ocegueda, a junior welterweight, is headlining the first Platinum show in an eight-round bout with late sub Jose Armondo Santa Cruz. Five other bouts are scheduled on a card that has undergone considerable shuffling even this week.

In Ocegueda's case, this is something of a last hurrah.

"I moved to Las Vegas to retire," he admitted. "Now I've been approached about being something of a 'house fighter' and that sounds good. I can walk to Sam's Town from where I live."

He's 33 and has a record of 21-3-4 with 10 knockouts. A native of Mexico who was raised in California, Ocegueda is also a housekeeper at the Bellagio and a man whose extended family includes eight children.

"Here's how serious I am about this: I get up at 4 o'clock in the morning and run six miles; I work from 9 to 5 five days a week; I go to the gym and train from 5:30 to 8:30; then I go home and have dinner and go to sleep," he said. "I'm always thinking positive and I'm very hyped and confident. People say 'Aren't you afraid?' or 'Aren't you too old?' but I don't see it that way.

"I'm slipping punches better than I ever have and using more body work than before. I'm disciplined."

He has had his disappointments in boxing, however.

"Boxing's been good to me overall, but there were also times when I put a lot of things on hold because of it," Ocegueda said. "There've been a lot of hassles. I've been deceived and I've been lied to.

"I've lost a lot of money and things that I was once looking forward to. I once thought, 'If the people I know in boxing are treating me like this, what can I expect from the rest of the world?' "

While he feels he only needs two or three fights to be ready for the top-of-the-line contenders at 140 pounds, Ocegueda keeps his goals within reason.

"I'd like to challenge those guys because I know I can beat them," he said. "But I'm not really in this for the money.

"If I had a little money maybe I could get a nice house, but I'd give the rest to the church."

He said his brother, Julio, has been a constant source of financial and moral support, and that his faith in God is a significant factor.

"For a guy my age, I feel strong," Ocegueda said. "The fact that I can run and still improve in the ring tells me I'm not too old.

"I've been boxing since I was 7 and been a pro since I was 18. I've decided I can't worry about anything else except being the best I can be, and if everything falls into place it'll be because it's God's will.

"If things go as well as they could, it'll be 'OK, Lord, here we go.' "

His opponent Saturday, Santa Cruz, is 8-0. That fight, plus a companion eight-round cruiserweight bout between former International Boxing Federation champion Arthur Williams (35-7-1) and Don Normand (25-14), tops a card that begins at 7 p.m.