Columnist Dean Juipe: Mayorga says it wasn’t a lucky strike

Dean Juipe

Thursday, July 3, 2003 | 9:45 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.

Insisting that he will make it look easy, Ricardo Mayorga is certain that he will once again handle Vernon Forrest when they meet July 12 at the Orleans Arena.

Mayorga, a somewhat delightful if occasionally abrasive Nicaraguan, holds both the World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association championships at 147 pounds. He won the latter title by stopping Forrest at 2:06 of third round of a fight Jan. 25 in Temecula, Calif.

"I can put $100,000 on the table to anyone (willing to bet) who thinks I won't knock him out," Mayorga said Wednesday during a conference call. "I'm going to knock out Forrest in two rounds.

"I'm doing everything I need to do to take care of business."

Mayorga surprised Forrest in their first fight and then surprised fans and TV viewers alike by lighting up a cigarette while still in the ring. He frequently makes reference to his smoking and drinking habits, while portraying himself as exactly the type of fighter the fans want to see.

"I'm what they're waiting for," he said. "I'm a fighter."

He says Forrest is a reluctant fighter at best, and the fact that Forrest failed to attend the promotion's initial press conference and failed to participate in the conference call are indicative of his attitude.

"He doesn't want to fight me," Mayorga said. "He's scared of me. When someone's scared, he's scared to talk to reporters.

"It's going to make me feel bad when I knock him out. I'm going to say 'I'm sorry' for having to do it."

Mayorga is 25-3-1 and Forrest is 35-1.

"I just roll with the punches," said Mayorga's trainer, Hector Perez. "Ricardo likes to play around. But I've never had any problem with him or with the relationship we have."

Perez portrays Mayorga as a generous man who is eager to spread his wealth among his Nicaraguan countrymen. For example, he said Mayorga wants to pay for an electricity deprived village near his home to get lights.

Mayorga said he was also building a drag strip, so countrymen could race in safety and not in city streets.

He's also an insomniac of sorts, although one fit enough to make 147 pounds with so little trouble that he has been known to eat while standing on the official weigh-in scales.

He said he'll discard Forrest with ease, given that he felt the determining punch in their first fight wasn't his best shot.

"Wait till I hit him a clean shot," he said. "I'm going to whip him like he deserves to be whipped. Not even his dog or his spouse is going to recognize him when he gets home."

Two judges had the abbreviated fight scored even, and the third had Adams ahead by two points even though Sepeda had landed more punches and seemed to be controlling the scheduled 10-round bout.

Adams, who turns 29 Sunday, is a former WBA super bantamweight champion who was coming off three successive losses. He's now 41-6-4.

Sepeda, 30, is 15-6-3.

Sepeda's cut was near his left eye and his cornermen did an adequate job of keeping it contained. But Adams' cut was on his forehead and bled incessantly from the moment it opened.