Columnist Dean Juipe: Acevado accepts bout with Phillips

Dean Juipe

Thursday, March 21, 2002 | 10:14 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.

The money wasn't quite what Nick Acevedo had in mind, but the chance to fight Vince Phillips made accepting the bout worthwhile.

Acevedo, 27, is a welterweight with a 15-0 record that includes nine knockouts. March 29 at the Paris Las Vegas, he'll face Phillips, a former world champion, in a 10-round fight that Acevedo sees as a changing of the guard.

Phillips, 38, is 43-6-1 with 32 KOs but is apt to step into the ring as an underdog.

"Not to take anything away from Vince, because he was a good champion and a warrior, but times change," Acevedo said from Phoenix, where he has been working with Hector Camacho Jr. "It's out with the old and in with the new."

Acevedo comes from a family of New York fighters and is one of three brothers to have earned New York Golden Gloves championships. A fourth brother is poised to do the same next month.

Promoted by Cedric Kushner, Acevedo has returned to 147 pounds after flirting with 154. It may be to his advantage to get Phillips at 147, as the latter has often said 140 is his best fighting weight.

"I'm not going to say Vince is washed up," Acevedo said. "But he's not what he used to be and I don't see him as being as strong as some of the guys I've faced.

"But he's been in there with everybody and most of the times he comes through. I'm not counting him out."

Their fight will top a seven-bout card to be televised by ESPN2 and will present Acevedo with an opportunity to make a national name for himself.

"Once I get past Vince Phillips, I'd definitely like to be considered for a title shot," Acevedo said. "But I'm only taking this one fight at a time. Sometimes if you look too far ahead, you fall short."

While not disclosing his purse for this fight, he added that he initially didn't feel what he was being offered was enough.

"I've learned to look at boxing as a business," he said. "I used to look at it as a sport, but not anymore. So when they asked me if I wanted to fight Vince Phillips, I said 'Yes, but what will it pay?' "

After a little haggling, Acevedo relented.

"The offer didn't go up but I came to realize that a win over Phillips would look good on my resume," he said. "That's why I took it."

Angel Vazquez is out and Johnny Tapia will, instead, fight IBF featherweight champ Manuel Medina as part of an April 27 card in New York City. Medina is 60-11 and returned to championship status by beating Frankie Toledo at the Orleans in his most recent fight. Tapia is 51-2-2. ... Local featherweight Augie Sanchez has delayed his retirement plans and is back in training, a family member confirmed. Sanchez was the victim of a brutal first-round knockout at the hands of John Michael Johnson in his most recent outing, Dec. 7 in Indio, Calif., and will be required to undergo special testing at UCLA if he's to be relicensed in Nevada.

Fres Oquendo will defend his NABF heavyweight title against David Tua April 13 in Chester, Va. Oquendo is 22-0 with 13 KOs and Tua is 39-3 with 34 KOs. ... Acelina Freitas will make the first defense of his WBA junior lightweight title June 1 at a site to be determined against Nigeria's Daniel Attah, who is 22-0-1 but with only eight KOs. Freitas is 31-0 with 29. ... America Presents, which is promoting two cards in Phoenix this week, has financial problems and may need an influx of money to stay afloat. Publicist Fred Sternberg has already left the Denver-based company. ... The Golden Gloves Gym will host the state amateur tournament Saturday (6 p.m.) and Sunday (2 p.m.) and admission is $5 each day. Champions will be crowned in 12 weight classes, with the winners advancing to regional competition April 27-28 at the Orleans. It's out with the old and in w ith the new."