Columnist Dean Juipe: Harmon hopes to knock off touted German

Dean Juipe

Thursday, March 20, 2003 | 9:38 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.

It's a difficult task, going to Germany to face a fighter who is 47-0.

But Derrick Harmon and trainer Steve Rowlands will leave Las Vegas on Friday, bound for Hamburg and feeling as if they can surprise light heavyweight Dariusz Michalczewski when they fight at the 14,500-seat Color Line Arena March 29.

"We know they're trying to get Michalczewski to 50-0, but all good things must come to an end," Rowlands said. "He's had a very tough career and has had some brutal fights.

"We've got a Plan A, Plan B and Plan C, and I give Derrick a chance. He seems a lot fresher than Michalczewski."

Harmon, 23-3 with 11 KOs, is facing a man with 40 knockouts and one who has beaten such reputable ex-champions as Virgil Hill, Montell Griffin and Graciano Rocchigiani. But Michalczewski is 34 and coming off a tough 10th-round KO of Richard Hall last September.

"Michalczewski doesn't bend or clutch, he doesn't throw many body shots or hooks or uppercuts," Rowlands said. "But what he has is a great 1-2 that's strong enough to get him through almost any situation. He's open down the middle, except you just can't stand there with him."

Harmon, coming off a KO-2 victory against Tim Littles in November, isn't being overlooked or seen as a sacrificial lamb, said Michalczewski's manager, Fritz Sdunek.

"We don't take him lightly," he said. "He is little known in Germany but he fought against top opposition in the U.S. and he looked good against Roy Jones. He landed a lot of punches against Jones."

Harmon lost that '01 fight to Jones and one last year to Griffin, yet is athletic and left-handed.

"We know everything's against us and that they're going to try to do everything they can to have Michalczewski win," Rowlands said. "But I think he's ready to be taken.

"Hall gave Michalczewski trouble because he was brave, but Derrick is smart. If he fights smart and keeps landing his left, we think we can out-point him."