Columnist Dean Juipe: Flip-flop has Goossen in other corner

Dean Juipe

Thursday, March 4, 2004 | 9:43 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.

Joe Goossen helped Joel Casamayor defeat Diego Corrales, and now he's trying to help Corrales defeat Casamayor.

That odd role reversal was brought about when both fighters dumped their trainers following their Oct. 6 fight in Las Vegas, which Casamayor won by sixth-round stoppage. Casamayor cut his ties with Goossen and Corrales dumped Kenny Adams; Corrales then hired Goossen and Casamayor hooked up with Buddy McGirt.

Casamayor and Corrales are scheduled for 12 rounds at 130 pounds Saturday at the Foxwoods resort in Mashantucket, Conn., with Showtime televising.

"We have gotten by the bizarreness," Goossen said of the awkward situation he faced by coming to work for Corrales. "It entailed a feeling-out process."

His next step in camp was to let Corrales know what Casamayor did to beat him the first time.

"I was kind of shocked (Corrales) didn't bring more power to the ring with him (in the first fight)," Goossen said. "I have relayed my thoughts about that to him.

"Casamayor did a good job, too, of countering what we thought were Diego's strengths."

Given Goossen's assessment and likely advice, look for Corrales to attempt to exert himself in the rematch.

"I have basically been a forward puncher my entire career," he said of his 37-2 record and 31 knockouts. "The styles in this fight are not going to change much. Casamayor has been a nice, good, clean boxer his whole career (and) I'm too dangerous for any fighter to come forward against."

Casamayor, 30-1 with 19 KOs, said during conference calls with each of the fighters and their trainers that he expects to defeat Corrales again -- and then be done with him.

"After this fight there won't be any excuses," he said, referring to Corrales complaining that an ill-fitting mouthpiece was at least partially at fault for his earlier failure. "That's the reason I wanted to do this fight one more time, because I do not want to leave anybody in doubt anymore."

"The first time was a dream come true, but I didn't realize how much the title belt meant to me until I lost it," the Las Vegas resident said. "Winning it a second time adds validity to my title.

"You don't win the world heavyweight championship by accident."

But you can win it without really knowing it, which was the case when Ruiz gained a decision victory against Hasim Rahman Dec. 13 in New York. That bout -- which Ruiz won by 8, 2 and 1 points on the judges' cards -- was designated as the WBA's "interim" championship in the event Jones elected to forgo his heavyweight title to defend his World Boxing Council light heavyweight crown.

Ruiz, 39-6-1, fights Fres Oquendo April 17 in New York.

"It takes hard work, sacrifices and a great team in your corner," Ruiz said of becoming a repeat champion. "I'm happy the 'interim' is gone and I'm the WBA champion again."

"Things weren't good in there," said Thompson's manager, Cameron Dunkin. "It was weird. Somewhere in his mind, Anthony believed he was going to lose and I knew it in the locker room when he wasn't talking.

"It was spooky in there."

Thompson, who came into the bout 14-0 and regarded as a future world champion, told Dunkin that he felt he had compromised his (Jewish) religious beliefs in the days that immediately preceded the fight, which was part of the Erik Morales vs. Jesus Chavez undercard at the MGM. Yet Dunkin still expected Thompson to handle Brewer, a journeyman of sorts with a 16-8 record.

But Brewer used a series of punches culminated by a right uppercut to send Thompson to the canvas and finish the bout.

Dunkin is looking to get Thompson back in action as soon as possible, likely on a May 8 card that headlines Floyd Mayweather Jr.

Louisville, Ky., remains in contention to land the bout, but Arum is also looking elsewhere.

He is also considering Juan Lazcano (and maybe Omar Weis) in the event Mayweather (and HBO) insist on holding the fight at Madison Square Garden, as was initially planned.

Mayweather gets $3.25 million for the bout no matter who he fights.

Junior middleweight Julio Garcia of Las Vegas has a nationally televised fight Friday in San Diego, with veteran Verno Phillips. Garcia is 25-2-2 and Phillips is 36-8-1. ... Two fights announced for Las Vegas in the past week: Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Manny Pacquaio May 22 at the Orleans, and Corrie Sanders vs. Vitali Klitschko April 24 at the MGM. The latter will have the vacant WBC heavyweight championship at stake, while the former has Marquez putting up his WBA and IBF featherweight titles against a man coming off an impressive win against Marco Antonio Barrera.