Columnist Dean Juipe: Unbeaten young guns set for Houston showdown

Dean Juipe

Thursday, July 8, 2004 | 8:59 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 rare to see two young, undefeated fighters square off, yet that will be the case July 17 in Houston when the Showtime cable network televises a 12-round featherweight fight between Rocky Juarez and Zahir Raheem.

Juarez, an Olympic silver medalist in 2000, is 20-0 with 14 knockouts.

Raheem, a member of the 1996 U.S. Olympic team, is 25-0 with 15 KOs.

They not only share Olympic backgrounds but each has a decision win against Joe Morales as his biggest victory to date.

"I don't take anything away from Rocky, but clearly, honestly, I believe I will beat him," Raheem said in quotes relayed by a publicist from the fighters' training camps. "I don't think it's going to go the distance."

Raheem, whose pro career appeared to get off to a slow start, has accelerated his pace in the past year and has four consecutive knockout victories to his credit. But Juarez, the better known of the two fighters, still feels Raheem has limited abilities.

"I'm used to fighting opponents with his style from my amateur days," Juarez said. "He feels the same way I do (but) I'll come out on top."

Juarez will have the "home" advantage of fighting in Houston but will give up height, reach and, perhaps, hand speed advantages to Raheem.

"He's a good fighter, but I'm better," Raheem said. "He can only fight standing still, flat-footed. His style comes a dime a dozen; it's very common.

"I'm up for the fight. I will beat him decisively."

"It was in the last 10 seconds of the fight," she said Wednesday from her native Hamilton, Ontario. "I'd hurt it a long time ago, then I suddenly felt something pop and after the fight it blew up."

Despite needing crutches, Rakoczy didn't realize the foot was actually broken for a few days and she spent part of Wednesday at a specialist who would determine whether surgery would be necessary.

"I'm hoping I'll only be out four or six weeks," she said. "I want to get back to Vegas as soon as possible."

Also scheduled: Gilbert Sanchez-Leon, 12-1, vs. John Nolasco, 12-3, six rounds, featherweights; Omar Salado, 8-0, vs. Javier Lagos, 12-3, six rounds, flyweights; Olawale Afolabi, 7-2, vs. Semou Diouf, 1-0, six rounds, cruiserweights; Nelson Estupian, 7-0, vs. an opponent yet to be determined; six rounds, welterweights; Rudy Cruz Jr., 0-1-1, vs. Bill Coleman, 2-0, four rounds, junior lightweights; and Jose Megallon, pro debut, vs. Shane Langford, 1-5, four rounds, featherweights.

Fighting in companion main events in Struthers, Ohio, last Friday, featherweight Steve Luevano upped his record to 24-0 by stopping veteran Freddy Neal in the ninth round, and super middleweight Kelly Pavlik raised his mark to 21-0 by outlasting Pedro Ortega.

Dunkin said he is pleased with each's man progress yet disturbed by the hand problems they both have.

"Kelly did OK but he hurt his (right) hand again ... he stung it and it concerns me," Dunkin said this week.

Dunkin intends to bring Pavlik to Las Vegas to train, adding that "it's time for him to make a move" in the rankings. Pavlik had been fighting as a middleweight but Dunkin said he would fight at 168 pounds from here on.

"He needs a little bit more (seasoning)," Dunkin said, "and in Las Vegas maybe he can pick up some different things that will help."

He thinks Luevano is the more developed of the two and compares him to a man he managed who became a world champion, Diego Corrales.

"He looks to be the real thing," Dunkin said of Luevano. "But the same thing happened to him that happened to Kelly -- he hurt his hand in the third round, and he's a little banged up.

"But I liken him to Corrales, who was 27-0 before he fought (Roberto) Garcia for the (IBF) title (in 1999). Luevano's on that same pace and he only needs two or three good fights to be completely ready."