Columnist Dean Juipe: Botha hopes to parlay Klitschko bout into big bucks

Dean Juipe

Thursday, Feb. 28, 2002 | 10:28 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.

While acquiring his promoter's license in Nevada required Sterling McPherson to cut his managerial ties to former heavyweight champ Frans Botha, he still worked behind the scenes to get the South African a fight with Wladimir Klitschko in Germany.

That bout, scheduled for March 16 in Stuttgart, provides Botha with yet another splendid opportunity to fully resurrect his career.

"The road back to paradise is always difficult, but Botha's got his chance now," McPherson said this week. "Honestly, if he makes up his mind he can go over there and beat Klitschko. We know, realistically, that it can happen because Ross Puritty did it."

Klitschko is 37-1 but that unexpected loss to an American journeyman still haunts him.

Botha, who held the IBF championship in 1995 after defeating Axel Schulz in Germany, is 44-3-1.

"At this stage of Botha's career, why dink around with fights with guys like Jameel McCline, Shannon Briggs or David Tua?" McPherson said. "I would have preferred that Botha had another fight or two last year, but it didn't transpire that way and so we're going forward."

Local fans may recall Botha wailing on David Bostice for 10 rounds in a summer fight held downtown, and Botha has not fought since.

"He could have fought once a month for $25,000 a fight, but he told me, 'Man, I want a big fight,' " McPherson said. "This fight came along because he's a white heavyweight with a good name, and people know he'll come to fight.

"This won't be one of those easy nights that the German fans have come to expect when one of the Klitschkos is in the ring."

Perhaps best known for giving Mike Tyson all he could handle before being stopped in the fifth round of a 1999 fight at the MGM in Las Vegas, Botha, 34, is currently training in Big Bear, Calif. He leaves for Germany on March 10.

"If he goes over there and knocks Klitschko out, we've got a whole new ball game," McPherson said. "Even if he wins by decision, we'll have something to work with and it'll be worth millions of dollars."

McPherson obviously feels his man can do it.

"I'm not saying Klitschko hasn't improved since Puritty beat him, but he's still got that loss on his record," he said. "Anybody in this game is vulnerable, Klitschko included.

"My feeling is 'What the hell?' Botha's not getting any younger and this fantastic opportunity has presented itself. Botha has fought everyone in the division who means anything and he always gives a good account of himself.

"He can beat this guy."

Juan Carlos Gomez, 28, who has held the WBC cruiserweight title for four years and through 10 defenses, has relinquished his belt and will fight exclusively as a heavyweight. He's 33-0 with 28 KOs and stopped Al Cole as a heavyweight last August in Las Vegas. ... Overlooked result: Rafael Marquez, 27-3, stopped ex-champ Mark Johnson, 40-3, in the eighth round of their bantamweight fight last Saturday at Mandalay Bay; it was part of the Paulie Ayala vs. Bones Adams card. ... Ayala may have said he's interested in fighting the Barrera vs. Morales winner, but promoter Bob Arum is attempting to match him with former world champ Wayne McCullough for a bout this summer.