Columnist Dean Juipe: Cotto in crossroads bout with Juuko

Dean Juipe

Thursday, June 20, 2002 | 8:53 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.

If Miguel Cotto has what it takes to fulfill his promoter's prediction of greatness and worldwide acclaim, he's going to have to beat Justin Juuko on Saturday.

But Juuko, a 12-year resident of Las Vegas, has his own aspirations and says the scene is perfectly set for an upset when he faces Cotto as part of the Marco Antonio Barrera vs. Erik Morales card at the MGM Grand.

"I saw his last fight and he's a good, solid fighter," Juuko said Wednesday, referring to Cotto. "But I've been in this business a long time and I don't think he realizes the position he's in is going to be very difficult for him.

"I need to win for the future of my career, and I've never put that pressure on myself before. I have to put everything on the line.

"It's make or break for me."

Juuko, 29, is 36-6-1 with 26 knockouts and says it's a plus to be fighting at 135 pounds after struggling many times to reach 130.

Cotto, 21, is 9-0 with seven KOs and has the complete support of his promoter, Bob Arum.

"We believe Cotto will be one of the greatest fighters in the world in a very few years," he said. "He's a future superstar.

"But this is the type of fight you see every so often in boxing. It's a crossroads fight, an experienced veteran against a young man considered a top prospect. The question always comes up: Are you sure you aren't rushing the prospect too quickly?"

Juuko thinks they are.

"It's a good position for me to be in, because all the emphasis is on Cotto," he said. "I'm going to be a very big test for him and I don't know that he knows it.

"I don't think he realizes how tough it can be when all the eyes are going to be on him."

Juuko says he has seven solid weeks of training in preparation for a fight that's scheduled for 10 rounds.

"You know me, I've never had much backing but I'm always willing to take a tough fight," he said. "This time, everything is good and I can't complain. I don't feel that I'm done and I feel as if I should win this fight."

Juuko has been close to breaking through and making a significant name for himself in the past, and fighting Cotto gives him another chance at worldwide exposure.

"I've been right to that point," he said, placing his fingers an inch apart. "I came to America by myself and hustled my way and fought guys when I probably shouldn't have, just to keep it going. I was very ambitious.

"But the time has come to lay it all on the line. I'm going to give this fight everything I've got."

Also scheduled on the MGM card: Fernando Montiel, 23-0-1, vs. Pedro Alcazar, 25-0-2, 12 rounds, junior bantamweights; Ruben Lopez, 8-4-1, vs. Jose Aguiniga, 13-0, eight rounds, super bantamweights; and Luis Arceo, 9-0, vs. an opponent yet to be determined, six rounds, lightweights.

Former super bantamweight champion Wayne McCullough of Las Vegas is back in town after an unhappy experience in his native Ireland. After signing with promoter Frank Warren and given a June 8 fight, McCullough not only trained for the bout but went to Great Britain fully expecting to add to his 24-3 record. But four days prior to the fight his request for a license from the British Board of Boxing Control was effectively denied due to the panel's inaction on the matter. "They knew and just dragged it out," McCullough complained. Asked how he stood with Warren, McCullough said his contract has an expiration date and that "trying to reach Frank is like trying to reach the Queen of England." ... Duva Boxing has a July 13 card at the Aladdin featuring heavyweights Monte Barrett and Vaughn Bean.

The Aladdin will also have an Aug. 17 card promoted by Johnny McClain and featuring his wife, Laila Ali, in a pay-per-view bout with Susie Taylor. "I'm going to put the work into it," McClain said of drumming up interest in the fight and marketing it for $25 on pay-per-view. "We'll be creative and hold some press conferences in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago and Vegas." He said local cruiserweight Arthur Williams would also be on the card and he hoped to announce the addition of a "big name" later. ... McClain on his June 7 card in Southaven, Mississippi: "We drew 4,000 but there were only 300 tickets sold two days before the fight," he said. "It worked out fine but you can imagine how I was feeling there for a while." ... Gabe and Rafael Ruelas are coming back to fight and will take part in a June 28 card in Indianapolis.

Local junior lightweight Mark Burse fell to 10-5-1 last Friday in Beaumont, Texas, but apparently gave heavily favored Carlos Hernandez, 37-3-1, a good fight. The bout went the 10-round distance and Burse lost by 4, 2 and 2 points on the judges' cards. ... Las Vegas-based middleweight Julio Garcia upped his record to 22-1-2 and put his loss to Tito Mendoza further behind him by beating Kirino Garcia, 32-23-1, last Saturday in a televised fight from Miami. Julio Garcia, 27, won the 10-round fight by split decision, as it was scored 118-110 and 117-111 for him and, inexplicably, 118-111 by one judge for Kirino Garcia. "I'm ready for the next level," Julio said afterward. ... Local super middleweight Willie Stewart, 18-0, has taken a July 13 fight in Phoenix with Rodney Toney, 21-4-4.