Thursday, June 12, 2003 | 8:43 a.m.
Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at [email protected] or (702) 259-4084.
Language can certainly be a career barrier, as Las Vegas resident Muhammad Abdullaev discovered last week during a fight in Connecticut.
Abdullaev, a native of Uzbekistan who speaks Russian, was fighting Emanuel Cottey at the Indian resort in Uncasville when he was suddenly knocked down in the ninth round. It was a flash knockdown of sorts, as Abdullaev was clearly ahead in the fight and in no apparent trouble even as he was on the canvas.
But because he wasn't looking to his corner for assistance and doesn't know English, he misunderstood the referee and saw himself counted out in a stunning upset that resulted in his first professional loss.
An Olympic gold medalist, Abdullaev not only saw his record drop to 11-1 but lost out on a contract with promoter Lou DiBella that was at least somewhat contingent on his winning the fight with Cottey.
Is it any surprise that trainer Kenny Adams isn't too happy?
"It's laziness on their part," he said of three Uzbekistan fighters he has trained here for more than a year. "They were taking English lessons for a while from a lady, but they weren't really trying to learn and they quit.
"I told them, 'Hey, guys, if you want to make more money in this sport and be more marketable, I'm telling you that you need to learn English.' I told them it was an absolute fact, period.
"Now this happens. It's a lesson, a great lesson. Maybe it'll make them better all the way around."
Abdullaev apparently was as shocked as Adams when he lost.
"He got caught with a hook, then a right, then another hook," Adams recalled. "He fell into the ropes and was a little wobbly, and then he took a knee.
"He was looking straight at the referee and the referee said '6, 7' and so on, but Muhammad thought the count had just started and thought he still had a few seconds to get up.
"When the referee got to 10 and waved the fight off, he jumped up and said 'No, no, what?' but that was it. It was too late. There was nothing I could do."
Abdullaev and his cohorts have since returned to Uzbekistan for a brief rest.
"The IBF says you can't have a fight within 90 days of a title fight, so I've just got to wait," Forbes said by phone from Oregon. "That's good news, so I'm willing to do it."
Forbes, 23-1, is always a fighter looking for work but says the fact that he has already fought twice this year makes it easier to wait for Hernandez.
"I've been training and I feel pretty good," he said. "It's not too bad that I'm not fighting (Friday)."
Forbes last fought April 26 at the Stratosphere, taking a decision win against Silverio Ortiz.
Hernandez is 39-3-1 and was knocked down in the opening round of a recent nontitle fight.
"He definitely comes to fight and is a tough guy, but I don't think he's at my skill level," Forbes said of the champion.
The undercard includes: Danell Nicholson, 41-4, vs. Ken Murphy, 21-10-1, eight rounds, heavyweights; Malcolm Tann, 6-0, vs. Jason Curry, 12-2, six rounds, heavyweights; Adam Gonzalez, 10-7, vs. Mark Burse, 11-6-1, six rounds, lightweights; Yamplier Azcuy, 2-0, vs. Salvador Farnetti, 1-3-2, four rounds, heavyweights; and Layla McCarter, 14-9-4, vs. Claudia Valenciana, 4-0, six rounds, women, junior welterweights. First bell is 7 p.m.
"It was spectacular, more fantastic than I thought it would be," Las Vegas resident Mike McCallum said after returning home from his induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, N.Y., last weekend. "Everything was beautiful, but the parade they held was really special. It definitely made all the years of work I put into the sport worthwhile." ... While a Kostya Tszyu vs. Cory Spinks fight had been on the drawing board as reported here last week, those plans fell through and Tszyu will, instead, grant Sharmba Mitchell a rematch Sept. 27 in Moscow. ... Guilty Boxing will skip its monthly show at the Orleans, which had been scheduled for Friday, as it awaits the Nevada State Athletic Commission's decision on mandatory MRI and MRA testing for fighters. The NSAC is apt to resolve that issue today at what is expected to be a lively meeting.
Unhappy with the outcome of an April 12 fight in Las Vegas, the World Boxing Association has ordered an immediate rematch between featherweight champ Derrick Gainer and Oscar Leon. Gainer won that fight by split decision, but Leon complained that both of the knockdowns he suffered were the result of low blows. "I told the referee (Kenny Bayless) and he just ignored me," Leon said to the WBA, which, in turn, determined that the "result of the fight was unfair." Asked his opinion of the matter, executive director Marc Ratner of the NSAC supported Bayless and said he didn't believe the scoring was in error. ... Bones Adams' opponent July 1 in Niles, Ohio, will be Manuel Sepeda. He's 15-6-2, while Adams is 41-6-3. ... Former cruiserweight champ Arthur Williams of Las Vegas has a nationally televised fight Friday in Detroit with Rydell Booker. Williams is 37-8- 1 and Booker is 19-0.
Imamu Mayfield and Taurus Sykes fought to a 10-round draw in the heavyweight main event Saturday at the Flamingo in Laughlin. ... On that same card, local heavyweight Todd Diggs suffered a discouraging and strange loss to Willie Chapman. Told beforehand and during instructions by referee Jay Nady that the fight would be four rounds, the participants had to adjust when Nady informed them after the third round that the fight was actually scheduled for six. "He said, 'I'm sorry, but you guys are fighting six rounds,' " Diggs said. Out of gas and having suffered a busted eardrum, Diggs wilted and lost by decision. "These things are starting to take their toll," he added. "I'm 32 and starting to feel old." ... Barry's Boxing will host an amateur card June 28 at its gym at 2763 S. Highland Ave.
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