Thursday, Oct. 23, 2003 | 10:29 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.
Civility was in relatively short supply as the participants in a massive Dec. 13 card in Atlantic City assembled for a New York news conference late last week.
In particular, Bernard Hopkins and William Joppy traded death threats while Cory Spinks and Ricardo Mayorga exchanged insults.
Only John Ruiz and Hasim Rahman came across as respectful toward one another, and even their mutual admiration was tempered by Rahman's insistence that he was going to win their fight.
Hopkins and Joppy will fight for Hopkins' undisputed middleweight titles.
Spinks and Mayorga will put their titles on the line and determine an undisputed welterweight champion.
And Ruiz and Rahman square off for the right to become the World Boxing Association's mandatory heavyweight challenger.
Other fights featuring Zab Judah, Rosendo Alvarez, Luis Perez and Wayne Braithwaite are scheduled on the mammoth, Don King-promoted card.
"Ya'll want to see the Executioner executed?" Joppy said, referring to Hopkins by his nickname. "He's the Executioner, so he knows all about this. He's sitting on death row."
Joppy and Hopkins have been mainstays in the division for years but missed fighting each other when Joppy lost to Felix Trinidad in the middleweight tournament that determined an undisputed champion two years ago. Hopkins, in turn, defeated Trinidad to claim the belts.
"I can't sit around and wallow in despair," Joppy said. "I had an opportunity to be the undisputed champion and I fell short. That's life.
"My hat's off to (Hopkins) because he's the undisputed champion. But he hasn't been doing anything, just fighting mandatories.
"I know that I'm going into this fight as the underdog on the strength of how the middleweight tournament went. That's cool. I've been the underdog all my life.
"Me against the world, that's what I'm used to."
Hopkins heard what Joppy had to say, then not only dismissed his challenger as second rate but predicted he would win within five rounds.
"Joppy said what he had to say," Hopkins said. "He just signed his own death warrant. He can sit here and say this and that, but if anyone (wants to) bet, raise your hand.
"If you think he has a chance not only to breathe but to go past five rounds, then bet on it.
"I've got $50,000 right here if you want to put your money on it.
"He can sit there and talk all he wants. You all know me. You don't have to love me (but) the bottom line is that you cannot challenge my athleticism.
"I want his life, and you can quote me on that."
Hopkins is 42-2-1 and Joppy is 34-2-1.
Spinks is 31-2 and Mayorga is 26-3-1.
Spinks referred to Mayorga as a "faggot" and a "bum," which drew a quick response.
"This idiot here signed a contract to fight me," Mayorga said. "Whenever you want and whatever time you want, we can do it right here, you faggot. Do you know what a faggot is? Do you want me to show you?"
"Signing that contract was the biggest error you've made in your life. You're a clown. You're going to feel my power. I'm going to retire you from boxing. As soon as I hit him flush, that's the last thing he's ever going to remember.
"I'm going to bust you up."
Mayorga went so far as to deride the man Spinks defeated for his IBF title, Italy's Michele Piccirillo.
"What you did was win a world title against another deadbeat," he said. "Against an Italian. When have you ever heard of a good Italian world champion?
"And you call me a faggot? Do you know what a faggot is? Want me to show you?"
Only Ruiz, 38-5-1, and Rahman, 35-4-1, came across as polite during the session.
"I'm glad to be back and it's something I'm looking forward to," Ruiz said of his first fight since losing to Roy Jones Jr. in March. "The last few fights have been a lot of trouble for me. To fight a great fighter like Rahman, it's going to be a pleasure to be in there."
Ruiz, who lives in Las Vegas, is a late replacement for David Tua, who dropped out to concentrate on solving his legal problems with manager Kevin Barry.
Ruiz is training in Chelsea, Mass., while Rahman is training in Las Vegas with Roger Mayweather.
"I like you, Ruiz, (but) I feel I'm the stronger fighter and I feel like I'm going to win this fight in explosive fashion," Rahman said. "If I don't, then I don't need to be in boxing."
archive
