Columnist Dean Juipe: Coming back for Moorer

Dean Juipe

Thursday, Jan. 31, 2002 | 10:20 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 never being warmly received by the public, Michael Moorer was one of the finest fighters of the 1990s.

A light heavyweight champion who developed into a two-time heavyweight champion, Moorer took part in no less than four major fights before stepping away from the limelight following a 1997 loss to Evander Holyfield.

But now Moorer, at the age of 34, is back as an active fighter and is headlining a Feb. 16 card in Connecticut that will be televised by the Showtime cable network.

"I needed a break," he said of a layoff that came to an end when he accepted three fights last year. "I've rededicated myself to what I love to do, and that's to fight."

Moorer won all three of those 2001 fights and is 42-4-1 with 34 knockouts. His upcoming opponent is the familiar journeyman Robert Davis, who is 26-3 with 15 KOs.

"My goal is to rededicate myself for another four or five years," Moorer said. "If I can do that, I can become the heavyweight champion again."

Moorer initially won the World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation heavyweight titles with an April 22, 1994 majority decision victory over Holyfield in Las Vegas.

But that fall Moorer was the victim in one of the most stunning fights in history, as 45-year-old George Foreman -- trailing on the judges' cards -- flattened Moorer in the 10th round of a fight at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Moorer rebounded to win the IBF version of the title June 22, 1996 in Germany when he took a decision over Axel Schulz. But he relinquished that title and dropped from public view after a Nov. 8, 1997 rematch with Holyfield at Caesars Palace that ringside doctor Flip Homansky recommended be stopped in the eighth round.

"I needed a break," Moorer said of why he slipped into retirement. "I was tired of the same thing after 22 years. I needed to enjoy life."

If he actually makes good on his goal, life is apt to never have been better.

James Pollins put on his first card last month at the Stardust, while Johnny McClain put on his first local show a couple of weeks ago at the Venetian.

But McClain has since parted ways with the Venetian and is taking his next card, scheduled for Feb. 17, to the Stardust.

Pollins does not have a card scheduled at the Stardust and has been out of town tending to his ailing father. He was not available for comment Wednesday, but he has said his goal was to promote monthly cards at the Strip site.

"I'm not concerned with James Pollins," McClain said. "I'm trying to get whatever dates I can and I plan on doing quality shows. I'm just scratching the surface."

McClain is miffed with Pollins because the latter charged him $600 to use a ring mat at his Venetian show, a sum McClain called "robbery." In addition, Pollins was quoted in a Sun story the day after McClain's Venetian card and forebodingly warned McClain that sometimes you don't always get a "second chance."

"It's quite ironic," McClain said, "that my second chance is going to come at his home."

McClain's next card will headline former light heavyweight champ Montell Griffin and he said that cards in March and June at the Stardust will follow. The Stardust could, of course, utilize both Pollins and McClain and become a central location for regular fight cards.

As for McClain breaking ties with the Venetian, he said it was unavoidable.

"The Venetian doesn't really want to do boxing," he said. "I thought the show we had was a success and that it brought some people into the casino, but they didn't want to do anything for me.

"I just decided to say thanks for the opportunity and leave it at that."

Jones is very highly regarded and owns a 45-1 record that includes 37 KOs. But his downfall is a tendency to carry inferior opponents into the late rounds.

He gets a similar opponent, Australia's Glen Kelly, in a Saturday fight from Miami on HBO.

"I've got to reach down and find things to push me," Jones said during a conference call. "I'm not as hungry as I used to be. I (once) had a point to prove (but) now I'm just trying to maintain."

Kelly, 28-0-1 with 15 knockouts, does not figure to provide Jones with a stringent test. In his two previous U.S. fights he defeated Jones' aging sparring partner, Billy Lewis.

Jones says he's marginally inspired, not because of anything Kelly will bring to the fight but by the release of his new rap CD and a public appearance this week to promote it.

"If it wasn't for this performance, I don't think I'd have prepared as hard for this fight as I did," he said, as if he didn't want to look bad in the ring and lessen his record's sales potential.

Hopkins is 40-2-1 while Daniels, his IBF mandatory challenger, is 47-3-1.

Daniels is a southpaw but is 31 years old and has been inactive of late.

"This is what I think of you," Hopkins said to Daniels as he presented a plate of marshmallows to the challenger at Wednesday's press conference. "You're soft."

Hopkins, despite legal distractions and the fight's remote site, is expected to be too strong for his challenger and a knockout victory is anticipated.

"Vernon did a number on me, didn't he?" Mosley admitted. "I definitely want a rematch."

That rematch is probable although not apt to be immediate. Forrest, the new WBC welterweight champion, looks to be targeting his IBF successor -- either Cory Spinks or Michele Piccirillo, who fight March 30 with the vacant IBF title at stake -- for his next fight, or at least his next significant fight.

Forrest, 34-0, received $1.2 million for the fight with Mosley, which he won by 10, 8 and 5 points on the judges' cards. Mosley, 38-1, took home $2.3 million but may have been distracted by news that his girlfriend was pregnant with their second child, as well as the fact his contract with promoter Cedric Kushner has expired.

Local heavyweight Charles Shufford, who pulled out of a card earlier this month with a shoulder injury, expects to be ready to fight again by March and is pursuing a fight with ex-champ Oliver McCall. ... Another local heavyweight, Cliff Couser, is becoming quite the world traveler, having fought in Uzbekistan last fall and now taking a Feb. 16 bout in the Ukraine. ... Greg Pickrom, 12-5-1, has replaced Jimmy Joseph in the main event and will meet fellow heavyweight Ed Mahone, 22-3-2, Feb. 16 at the Las Vegas Hilton. Joseph slides down into an undercard bout with Derrick Jefferson, who has some explaining to do to the athletic commission after getting arrested before a fight in Reno last month. "I'm going to have a long talk with him," Ratner said of Jefferson.