Columnist Dean Juipe: Gainer hopes win proves he’s a late bloomer

Dean Juipe

Thursday, April 10, 2003 | 9:57 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.

Derrick Gainer is a world champion, yet hardly a household name. He has a visibility, if not a credibility, problem.

But Gainer also has the featured spot beneath Saturday's main event between Marco Antonio Barrera and Kevin Kelley at the MGM. In a companion bout on the pay-per-view telecast, he'll defend his World Boxing Association featherweight title against Colombia's Oscar Leon.

Gainer is hoping to look sharp and perhaps induce Barrera into a future fight.

"This is what I've been waiting for all my career," he said. "Eventually I'm going to move up (to 130 pounds), but I'm trying to solidify my name at featherweight first."

Gainer, 30, is burdened by the five losses on his record, yet could be a late bloomer without a great deal of mileage. Overall, he's 38-5 with 24 KOs and has fought only four rounds since February 2001.

He earned the WBA championship three years ago with a KO-11 victory against Freddie Norwood, and he previously split two fights with Kelley. But he hasn't fought since a two-round technical draw with Daniel Seda in August, and his previous fight was limited to two rounds as well.

Leon is 23-2 with 16 KOs and, like Gainer, a southpaw.

The sports book at the MGM has Gainer at a minus 700 and Leon at a plus 500.

"(Barrera) is the guy Derrick eventually wants to meet," said Gainer's manager, Lou DiBella. "I think he's one of the most improved fighters in boxing and I don't think there's one guy at 126 pounds he can't beat.

"I think he beats Barrera and (Erik) Morales and that's the problem. Style- wise, they don't want to fight him."

DiBella said Gainer is aware of what's at stake in this fight with Leon.

"He's going to be put in front of the boxing public," he said. "He needs a victory with an exclamation point."

Gainer said he'll try to comply, but has some concern that Leon will be reluctant to mix it up. Leon got this fight by beating John Michael Johnson -- after Johnson had destroyed Augie Sanchez -- but he also lost by knockout to Seda and is best known for being slick and elusive.

"I'm afraid he may stay away once he feels my power," Gainer said. "But I'm ready for that. I'm going to bulldog my way through him.

"This fight is about making a statement."

At 32, this former world champion isn't ready to retire. Yet calls for his retirement were constant in Great Britain following the loss to Harrison by one-sided decision.

"It got way out of control," he said Wednesday of reports on his condition following the fight. "It was outrageous."

Among the printed reports that irked McCullough was one that claimed he had undergone brain surgery after the fight. "I didn't even have a brain scan," he said.

But he did spend three days in the hospital, due mostly to a swollen ear.

"Why should I retire?" McCullough said. "I've never taken a beating and against Harrison I was right there trying until the very end."

McCullough lost that fight by 12, 11 and 10 points on the judges' cards, but he said the outcome was a result of Harrison's surprising power.

"I've fought (Naseem) Hamed and (Erik) Morales and Harrison was 100 times sharper than they were," McCullough said. "It was unbelievable. I couldn't move him. He came into the ring at something around 147 pounds and he just wouldn't budge."

The Las Vegas-based firm is seeking $185,987, $90,000 of which was money awarded by an arbitrator to Brewster last month. Top Rank claims the arbitrator, Deborah Rothman, "exceeded her authority" in ruling for Brewster and asks that her ruling be vacated.

Brewster, of Los Angeles, and Top Rank entered into a contractual agreement in 1997. But on the same day that Top Rank paid him a $15,000 performance bonus after he won his ninth fight, Brewster filed for personal bankruptcy.

Brewster then lost fights to Cliff Etienne and Charles Shufford, which allowed Top Rank to break its contract with him.

But Brewster's attorney, Gary Kohn, was able to rework the contract with Top Rank and the fighter received a $90,000 fee to extend the relationship. Top Rank then claims that Brewster violated his contract by signing a contract with Don King Productions.

Brewster filed for arbitration and was awarded the $90,000 sum. Top Rank seeks the return of that money and assorted legal fees, bringing the total to $185,987.