Columnist Dean Juipe: Morales shaping up for Barrera bout at MGM Grand

Dean Juipe

Thursday, June 13, 2002 | 8:31 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.

World Boxing Council featherweight champion Erik Morales has never been in better shape and is prepared to deliver the fight of his life June 22, said his manager, Fernando Beltran.

Beltran was in Las Vegas Wednesday attending to details concerning Morales' fight next week with Marco Antonio Barrera at the MGM Grand Garden. He said he looks for his man to be at his absolute best.

"Physically and psychologically, Erik is very strong," Beltran said. "Honestly, you're going to see the best Erik Morales there has ever been and maybe the best you'll ever see.

"His motivation ... the fact that he had his best (training) camp ever ... the great work his sparring partners gave him ... all of these things are working in his favor.

"Everything is very nice, and, knock on wood, hopefully will stay that way for the fight."

Morales, 40-0, owns a disputed win over Barrera from a Feb. 19, 2000, fight in Las Vegas. Barrera is 53-3.

Morales, 25, will have a different look in his corner as Floyd Mayweather was dismissed as trainer early in camp and was replaced by the fighter's father, Jose, and Al Stankie.

Top Rank reports that some 12,000 of the Grand Garden's 14,700 tickets have already been sold.

Barrera, 28, will arrive here Tuesday night from his camp in Big Bear, Calif.

Morales is due to arrive in Las Vegas on Monday night after an open workout in Los Angeles. He has been training in Mexico City.

"He's hungry," Beltran said of the champion, who is a slight betting underdog.

Gym owner and promoter James Pollins has canceled plans for a June 29 card at the Stardust. ... One of Pollins' fighters, undefeated super middleweight Willie Stewart, has filed for arbitration with the Nevada State Athletic Commission in an attempt to get out of his contract with manager Luis Tapia. ... Dr. Robert Voy of Las Vegas took in last Saturday's Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson fight in Memphis and served in a consultant's role for the Tennessee commission. ... If you thought Tyson was tranquil both in the fight and afterward as the result of being on pharmaceutical drugs, you weren't alone. Results of his post-fight drug test have yet to be revealed and perhaps never will, but consider that NSAC executive director Marc Ratner says Tyson "never has failed a drug test here nor had anything, from steroids to marijuana, revealed by his urine."

Former IBF cruiserweight champion Arthur Williams of Las Vegas won his Friday fight in Southaven, Miss., although his opponent changed shortly before the bout. Williams, 35-7-1, stopped late replacement Darryl Hollowell, 11-11, in the second round. ... On that same Johnny McClain-promoted card, Las Vegas super middleweight Laila Ali improved to 11-0 by taking a six-round decision over another late sub, Shirvell Williams, 3-4. ... Also on that card, ex-super bantamweight champion Kennedy McKinney, who once lived here, fought as a lightweight and upped his record to 36-5-1 with a decision win over Joseph Figuerroa, who reportedly is 9-43-4. ... IBF mandatory heavyweight challenger Chris Byrd fought Saturday in Mt. Pleasant, Mich., and went to 35-2 with a TKO-3 win over Jeff Pegues, 18-10. ... Last Friday's Top Rank card at the Eldorado hotel in Reno saw flyw eight Jose Lopez advance to 25-7-1 with a decision win over Alejandro Moreno, 18-9-1, in the main event.

Las Vegas junior lightweight Mark Burse, 10-4-1, didn't get much in the way of advance notice but will fight Carlos Hernandez, 36-3-1, Saturday in Beaumont, Texas. ... Ruben Sanchez-Leon, 25-12-1, has been signed to face veteran flyweight Melchor Cob-Castro, 65-8-4, as part of Top Rank's June 21 card at the Orleans. ... Despite his approaching 41st birthday, former Las Vegan and junior welterweight world champion Frankie Randall continues fighting. He took a six-round decision over Alberto Mercedes last Friday in suburban Chicago. ... Heavyweight prospect Joe Mesi added to his credentials with a televised TKO-5 victory over Talmadge Griffis last Friday in Scottsdale, Ariz. Mesi is 23-0 and Griffis drops to 21-3-3. ... The Orleans has a Friday card that features junior middleweights Luis Augusto Dos-Santos, 17-6, and Sam Garr, 30-5, in the 12-round main eve nt. The remainder of the card was still in question as of Wednesday. First bell is 7 p.m."