Columnist Dean Juipe: Mayweather looks for an Oscar-worthy showing

Dean Juipe

Thursday, Feb. 14, 2002 | 10:58 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.

With Erik Morales' fight with Marco Antonio Barrera postponed from March 2 to June 22, trainer Floyd Mayweather can put in a little extra time with an even better known client, Oscar De La Hoya.

De La Hoya, 34-2, faces fellow junior middleweight champion Fernando Vargas, 22-1, May 4 at Mandalay Bay.

Mayweather will meet De La Hoya for a training camp that opens March 1, although they've already spoken about preliminary preparations.

"We've talked," Mayweather said this week. "He's doing calisthenics now and I've told him the things I want him to work on. Once camp opens, we'll have a solid two months."

Mayweather takes a disciplinarian's approach to training, although he insists that meets with De La Hoya's approval.

"They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, but you can if the dog wants to," he said. "I don't even worry about Oscar. He's such a good student that if you ask him to jump, the only thing he asks is 'How high?' "

After they meet in Big Bear, Calif., Mayweather will turn De La Hoya into something of a sprinter.

"I'm going to have him run 10 110-yard dashes, jogging back to the starting line after each one," he said. "That'll enhance his speed and his endurance should be great.

"But I don't want to burn him out too early, because he's really only a welterweight."

De La Hoya vs. Vargas will be a big fight but Mayweather predicts his man will waltz through his younger rival.

"I think it is going to be easy," he said. "I'm not underestimating Vargas, but Oscar's going to be up on his toes and popping him with jabs and uppercuts and busting him up.

"Then, when I tell him to step in and take care of business, he's going to do what I tell him to do and end it."

Mayweather is among those who feel Vargas will never be the same after a grueling loss to Felix Trinidad. "He got hurt by Trinidad," the trainer said. "And he's going to get hurt by Oscar, too."

As for the possibility that De La Hoya will come into the bout overly anxious and mistakenly try to trade with Vargas early, Mayweather said it won't happen.

"I've got Oscar under control, believe me," he said. "He'll be calm and he'll listen to me. He's going to box Vargas and he's going to win.

"In all honesty, Oscar is getting better with each fight and he'll continue to win if he listens to me. Wisdom comes with time, you know."

April 20 at the MGM, Floyd Mayweather Jr. will take on WBC lightweight champion Jose Luis Castillo in a bout that fell into place this week. Also on the card is a companion lightweight fight between Alejandro Gonzalez and ex-champ Stevie Johnston. The plan from Mayweather's point of view is obvious: beat Castillo and then face the Gonzalez vs. Johnston winner in his first title defense.

Also announced this week is a March 10 nationally televised fight at the Green Valley Ranch between heavyweights Tim Witherspoon, 52-11-1 with 36 knockouts, and Ahmad Abdin, 30-2-4 with 14 KOs. Witherspoon, 44, is a former heavyweight champ who is coming off a KO-1 victory over Ed White Jan. 18 in Raleigh, N.C.

Other results: Lydon Manlapau, UNLV, 5-0 win over Darren Smith, Air Force, 119 pounds; John Stout, Lock Haven, 5-0 win over Lyle Nixon, UNLV, 132 pounds; Jose Gonzalez, UNLV, 5-0 win over Theron Tingstad, Michigan, 139 pounds; Louis O'Hiaeri, UNLV, 4-1 win over Jamaal Cherry, California, heavyweights; Bob Jaggers, UNLV, 4-1 win over Jim Neely, Penn State, 175 pounds; Alex Komlov, Penn State, 5-0 win over David Wengell, UNLV, 156 pounds; Randy Dalbey, Penn State, 5-0 win over Mike Langager, UNLV, 132 pounds; Jason Johnson, UNLV, 5-0 win over Abu Ramin, California, 156 pounds; Luke Runion, Penn State, 5-0 win over Gaidi Faraj, California, heavyweights; Justin Person, UNR, 5-0 win over Kash Afshor, California, 165 pounds; and Chuck Massachio, Lock Haven, 5-0 win over Dustin Brown, Air Force, 195 pounds.