Steele, Cannery team up for fight night

Dean Juipe

Wednesday, May 7, 2003 | 9:38 a.m.

Just like the old "loser leaves town" sagas of pro wrestling, Baira Kim is in need of a victory.

Kim is a native of Mongolia who trains in Korea, and he's fighting in tonight's main event of the inaugural boxing card at the Cannery in North Las Vegas. But as his handlers told promoter Richard Steele, Kim won't be here long if he can't deliver the goods.

"If he wins, he can stay in the United States," Steele said Tuesday. "They sent him over here to test him and they want to have him fight here again next month, but he has to win this fight or they're going to send him back home."

Kim is 12-1 with 11 knockouts and is matched against Mexico's Eduardo Cota in an eight-round main event at 140 pounds. Cota is 10-3 with one KO.

"He's a trial horse," Steele said of Cota. "He needs a win to go on, too, so I think we'll have an exciting fight."

Steele anticipates a capacity crowd of 1,500 and says 100 of those fans will be Koreans coming from Los Angeles on buses to see Kim.

Four other fights are scheduled, including: Roberto Tamayo, 5-1, vs. Ramaz Paliani, 4-0, eight rounds, lightweights; Joaquin Zamora, 1-1, vs. Pablo Vallin, pro debut, four rounds, middleweights; Julio Luma, pro debut, vs. Eric Trujillo, 0-1, four rounds, junior welterweights; and Blanca Luna, 2-1, vs. Jackie Nava, 3-0, four rounds, women, lightweights.

First bell is 6 p.m. and Steele is hoping for continued success at the Cannery.

"It's something this part of town has needed for a long time," he said of a regular boxing card in North Las Vegas. "It also gives us a chance to give some kids some fights that they can't get anywhere else in the city."