Columnist Dean Juipe: UNLV boxers to mix it up with nation’s best

Dean Juipe

Thursday, Feb. 7, 2002 | 10:04 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.

UNLV's club boxing team gets both a financial and a physical boost this week with a silent auction that will raise money for the program and a 12-bout card that will see nine of the Rebels in action.

Tonight in the Islander Ballroom within the Mandalay Bay casino resort, a dinner honoring the late Dr. Elias Ghanem will be linked to a silent auction that will benefit the UNLV boxing program. Cocktails are at 6 p.m., dinner is at 7 and interested guests seeking reservations can call 650-8733 for more information.

Friday in the South Pacific Ballroom at Mandalay Bay, UNLV will host a fight card that includes representatives from six others schools including Michigan, Penn State, Lock Haven, Nevada-Reno, California and the Air Force Academy.

While six fighters with collegiate national championships will be participating, one fight has emerged as the unquestioned main event. In it, UNLV's Xenon Mallari -- the reigning national champion at 106 pounds -- will step up to 112 pounds and face the two-time defending national champion, Lawrence Tam of Reno.

The decision to match Mallari with Tam came with reservations, said UNLV coach Skip Kelp. But, he added, many of his fighters will be facing tough tests against formidable opposition.

"I didn't want to match our guys as tough as I did," Kelp said. "We've got three guys fighting defending national champions, so I'm just looking for us to be competitive.

"Because we haven't fought in quite a while, we're going into this sort of blind. I mean, I know where my guys are in terms of conditioning and ability, but most of the opponents we'll be facing have a little more experience."

The complete card includes: Lyle Nixon, UNLV, vs. John Stout, Lock Haven, 132 pounds; Jose Gonzales, UNLV, vs. Justin Galli, UNR, 139; Louis O'Hiaeri, UNLV, vs. Jamaal Cherry, California, heavyweights; Bob Jaggers, UNLV, vs. Jim Neely, Penn State, 175; David Wengell, UNLV, vs. Alex Komlov, Penn State, 156; Lyndon Manlapau, UNLV, vs. Adam Roberts, Air Force, 119; Mike Langager, UNLV, vs. Randy Dalbey, Penn State, 132; Jason Johnson, UNLV, vs. Abu Ramin, California, 156; Luke Runion, Penn State, vs. Gaidi Faraj, California, heavyweights; Justin Persons, UNR, vs. Kash Afshor, California, 165; Chuck Massachio, Lock Haven, vs. Dustin Brown, Air Force, 195; and Mallari vs. Tam.

Collegiate rules call for three 2-minute rounds, with the participants protected by headgear. Five ringside judges score the bout on a 20-point system.

Admission to the fight card is $25 and $10 and the first bell is 7 p.m.

Forbes, 20-1, has not fought since Sept. 29 in Miami when he took a decision win over mandatory challenger John Brown.

He was upset when his promotional firm, America Presents, failed to have him on its recent card at the Cox Pavilion that featured fellow junior lightweight champs Acelino Freitas and Joel Casamayor.

"My relationship with them is getting a lot better than it was," Forbes said this week before working out at Nevada Partners. "I call them or they call me about twice a week, and I think they're trying to do some things for me.

"Maybe they're trying to make up for some of the things in the past."

America Presents secured a broadcasting gig for Forbes last Thursday in Minnesota on a card that was available to fans with Direct TV. Now it has promised him a March 22 fight on ESPN2, which America Presents' Fred Sternberg confirmed Wednesday.

While the opponent is uncertain at this time, it appears as if it may be former champion Robert Garcia. He's 32-3 and in something of a decline, although he continues to seek stellar money for his fights.

The fight's site is also still unresolved, although Sternberg said an East Coast location was likely.

"I'm going to fight somebody that day, even if it's my little sister," Forbes said of the March date. "I'm ready to fight right now, and I'll really be ready by then."

Heavyweight contender Vitali Klitschko has a Friday fight in Germany that will be picked up by ESPN2. He's fighting Vaughn Bean, who is 42-2 with 32 knockouts without seemingly ever having beaten a quality foe. Nonetheless, the 6-foot-8 Klitschko (who is 30-1 with 29 KOs) told his publicist he's not taking Bean lightly. "All my fights are important now and I must win them all," Klitschko said. "This is a fight where I have everything to gain by winning and everything to lose by losing. There is no way I can underestimate him." Bean's previous losses came in instances where he stepped up in competition and lost to both Michael Moorer and Evander Holyfield. ... A training camp injury to Marco Antonio Barrera has put his March 2 fight with Erik Morales at the MGM Grand Garden in jeopardy, although as of Wednesday the fight was still on.

The Feb. 16 card at the Las Vegas Hilton has taken shape and offers these fights, all of which feature heavyweights except where noted: Ed Mahone, 22-3-2, vs. Greg Pickrom, 12-5-1, 10 rounds; Derrick Jefferson, 24-3-1, vs. Phil Jackson, 43-10, 10 rounds; David Defiagbon, 16-0, vs. Jimmy Joseph, 14-2-1, six rounds; Billy Zumbrun, 7-3-1, vs. Barry Lineberger, 3-0, six rounds; Alvin Manley, 2-0, vs. Jeff Ford, 4-3, six rounds; Isreal Escandon, 10-0, vs. Larry Banks, 6-10, four rounds, middleweights; and a women's bout between Vaia Zaganas, 2-1, vs. Deidree Hamaguichi, 0-1-1. ... The next card at the Orleans is Feb. 22.