Columnist Dean Juipe: Adams takes training sessions overseas

Dean Juipe

Thursday, March 13, 2003 | 9:14 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.

Kenny Adams is accruing some serious frequent-flyer miles.

Since November the Las Vegas-based trainer has been to Uzbekistan and Australia, and Wednesday he left with Cory Spinks for Italy. At 62 years old, it seems as if he's hardly ever home, although it's a sacrifice he's willing to make.

"My wife's used to me being gone and she knows my love for boxing," Adams said. "For me, traveling is something I have to deal with. The type of opportunities I'm getting don't come along very often."

Beyond working with Spinks, Adams is tied to three European prospects: junior welterweight Mohamad Abdulaev; junior middleweight Kuvanych Toygonbavev; and heavyweight Rusian Chagaev. Although each of those fighters is living in Las Vegas, Adams accompanied them back to Uzbekistan for a training period that ran from Nov. 18 through Jan. 10.

"If you're not there with them, there's only so much they can do," Adams said of keeping close tabs on the fighters. "We've got to keep their careers going, so this is something I've got to do.

"I love being a winner, and a big part of that is always having my fighters completely ready."

A former U.S. Olympic head coach, Adams has a military background and an association with a long list of past and present world champions.

"I'm back in a teaching thing for a while with these guys," he said, "but it's a challenge I've accepted and enjoyed."

Asked how he occupied his time in Uzbekistan when he wasn't in the gym, Adams said he made the best of it.

"Some of the movies on Russian TV I could understand, and I was invited over to (the fighters') manager's house to eat a number of times," he said. "I also wrote long-hand copy for an instructional video I'm working on, so it wasn't all just idle time."

Dominick Guinn, 20-0, meets Charles Hatcher, 14-3, in the heavyweight main event of a Cedric Kushner-promoted card just announced for April 12 at Caesars Tahoe. ... Sterling McPherson has a May 17 card targeted for the new arena at the Orleans in which heavyweights Frans Botha, 44-4-2, and Georgi Kandelaki, 23-0, are paired in a 10-round bout. "I've been discussing this with the Orleans for three months and it's up to them if they want it," McPherson said Wednesday. "If they don't, I've got another site." He's also looking for a "long-term" relationship with the Orleans, and says that he's close to securing a four-fight deal for shows downtown beneath the Fremont Street Experience canopy. "I've been talking with the mayor and we're definitely going to do something downtown," he said, mentioning dates in May through November.