Former world champ Griffin wins mismatch at the Stardust

Dean Juipe

Monday, Feb. 18, 2002 | 9:17 a.m.

Years from now if fate allows, George Klinesmith can tell his grandchildren about the night he fought a former world champion in a main event of a boxing card in Las Vegas.

Provided he doesn't go into the details, it will make for a pleasant tale.

In reality, Klinesmith's Sunday night light heavyweight fight with Montell Griffin at the Stardust was a mismatch of epic proportions. The completely one-sided bout was over in 89 seconds, with Klinesmith unable to land a single punch and Griffin dropping him twice before referee Tony Weeks intervened.

"I can't do nothing but take care of my business," Griffin said afterward, as if he wanted to disavow anything to do with the selection of Klinesmith as his opponent.

"It was quick, it was a win and I guess that's all good."

Klinesmith, from the Ohio farm town of Stuebenville, was pensive if not apologetic after regaining his bearings in the dressing room.

"I'm a slow starter and he caught me with a nice shot," he said. "I saw that the referee was going to count me out, so I jumped up as quickly as I could. Then I went down again, although I know I could have continued.

"Once I get past the first couple of rounds, I get better. But the early rounds are a weakness for me."

The loss dropped Klinesmith to 11-5-1 and sent him back to Ohio with $4,500 for his efforts.

Griffin, now of Las Vegas, is 42-3 with 29 knockouts and will fight again March 30 at the same airplane hangar-like site.

"I don't know who he'll be fighting yet, but it won't be this guy or his cousin," promoter Johnny McClain said of Griffin's immediate future. "We'll find somebody who's a little better."

Griffin, looking fit and muscular, put Klinesmith down with a right hand and compounded the damage with a second right that hit Klinesmith on the top of his head as he neared the canvas. Although Klinesmith did bounce back up as he said, Griffin was right back on top of him and finished him off with another solid right to end a scheduled 10-round fight at 1:29 of the first.

"He looked kind of soft around the stomach," Griffin said, although he was targeting Klinesmith's head.

The victory, before a rather small crowd, allowed Griffin to collect $7,500 and restate his claim that he expects to be a factor in the 175-pound division again. He was the World Boxing Council champion for five months in 1997 before gradually slipping from public attention.

"I'm not going to lose to nobody," he said. "I'm in the best shape of my life. Everything is coming easy to me now."

Well, his latest victory certainly did.

Other results: Charles Whitaker, 19-11-1, won by 10 points on each of the judges' cards as he routed Gustavo Soto, 7-12-1, in an eight-round junior middleweight fight; Roberto Santa Cruz, 5-2, won by unanimous decision over Ricardo Barragan, 6-1-1, in a six-round lightweight bout; Dewey Cooper, 2-0-1, and Alex Conte Larteuer, 0-1-1, fought to a four-round draw in a cruiserweight pairing; and Jessica Rakoczy, 9-0, was an easy decision winner over Layla McCarter, 9-6-3, in a women's six-round fight at 135 pounds.