Columnist Dean Juipe: It’s Vitali’s turn to defend the family tree

Dean Juipe

Thursday, April 22, 2004 | 9:46 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.

One down, one to go?

That's what boxing fans are asking themselves as the second of the Klitschko brothers, Vitali, fights Corrie Sanders on Saturday in Los Angeles.

Sanders already owns a win against Wladimir Klitschko, who saw his star tarnished perhaps beyond repair two weeks ago when he lost again, this time against Lamon Brewster, in Las Vegas.

Now it's Sanders vs. Vitali Klitschko and more than family pride is at stake as the two heavyweights fight for the vacant and prestigious World Boxing Council championship.

HBO will televise.

"The pressure is on Vitali," Sanders said in quotes relayed by a publicist from his LA training camp. "You saw what happened to his brother.

"It could happen to him."

It could, but bettors remain skeptical. After taking the fight off its board for a few days -- as detailed in Monday's Sun -- the Palms had it back up Wednesday and was offering Sanders at a plus 280. Klitschko is a minus 360.

"It's going to be a stoppage or a knockout, that's my prediction," Sanders said. "I cannot see it going 12 rounds.

"Obviously, I think I will be on the winning side."

Sanders, 38, is 39-2 with 29 knockouts.

Klitschko, 32, is 33-2 with 33 KOs.

Both men are tall, with Klitschko at 6-foot-7 and Sanders at 6-foot-4, and they have comparable reaches at 78 and 77 inches, respectively. The official weigh-in is scheduled for today.

"I always thought Vitali was a good fighter, but I never thought he was as good as he turned out to be," said trainer Emanuel Steward, who has been handling each of the Klitschko brothers this year. "I'm so amazed by his intensity."

Sanders' response: "So what?"

"Who cares what Emanuel Steward does?" he added. "The sad thing with Wladimir is that (Steward) did not help him. You cannot change a fighter in six or eight weeks."

Sanders expects Vitali Klitschko to be both wary and aggressive early in the bout.

"I think we'll see a quick start," he said. "I believe Vitali expects it."

Sanders, who hasn't fought in a year (or since defeating Wladimir Klitschko), gained a minor belt in that win but surrendered it to go after the WBC title.

He passed up a fight with Brewster -- "the money wasn't right" -- and was rewarded when this one came along.

"I was a nobody, so it was something special to me," he said of holding the lightly regarded World Boxing Organization title for a while. "But the WBO has political problems."

An accomplished (left-handed) golfer as well, Sanders seems to have a realistic view of his immediate future.

"As long as I keep winning, I'll probably stay in the ring," he said when asked if he might be considering a shot at a pro golf tour instead.

"Obviously, age is not on my side and it's a tough sport, so everything in boxing depends on winning."

"He was winning round after round until he got hit with an open hand and thumbed in the (right) eye," Tapia said. "Whitaker has a tendency to throw sloppy punches and that's how he hurt Friday."

Whitaker, 27-3-2, gained the victory when Ahunanya couldn't continue.

"He had a bruised eye and he said 'It's killing me,' " Tapia said. "The pain was so bad we had to stop the fight. He was blind in the eye."

Ahunanya remained blinded for several hours and through a trip to the hospital that included an MRI.

"He's OK now but he couldn't see for eight hours," Tapia said. "No excuses, but he didn't deserve to lose that fight."

Tapia has proposed a rematch with Whitaker but has a backup plan in mind as well, as he would like to match Ahunanya with DaVarryl Williamson , who is 20-2 and is coming off a decision win against Elieser Castillo on that same Tampa card.

Another fighter handled by Goossen, heavyweight James Toney, has filed for bankruptcy. ... One week after signing undisputed junior middleweight champion Winky Wright to a promotional agreement, Lou DiBella willingly opted out of the contract to allow Wright to sign with Don King instead.

The Plaza has landed a June 4 Top Rank card. ... The Silverton will have its first-ever card June 26. ... A new boxing reality show with Oscar De La Hoya involved on the periphery is coming off the drawing board and will have a May 7 casting call in Las Vegas; more details as they're provided. ... Lovemore N'Dou, 38-6-1, replaces Juan Valenzuela as Miguel Cotto's opponent May 8 at the MGM.

Promoter Greg Gulli of Las Vegas is ecstatic with the cooperation he has received from the Reno Hilton and a new series of monthly cards he will put on there, starting with one Saturday that features welterweights Jose Luis Cruz Felix, 31-0, and Lino Perez, 16-2, in the main event. "The main thing is that the Hilton really wants this to work," Gulli said Wednesday after applying to the Nevada State Athletic Commission for one date per month through September. ... Betting lines from the sports book at the Palms for upcoming fights in Las Vegas: Manny Pacquiao minus 155, Juan Manuel Marquez plus 135 (May 8 at the MGM); Roy Jones minus 550, Antonio Tarver plus 375 (May 15 at Mandalay Bay); and Bernard Hopkins minus 220, Oscar De La Hoya plus 180 (tentative for Sept. 18 at the MGM).