Columnist Jeff Haney: Farewell tour continues for Chavez in L.A.

Thursday, May 26, 2005 | 9:34 a.m.

Jeff Haney's sports betting column appears Wednesday. Reach him at (702) 259-4041 or haney@lasvegassun.com.

Pop music has Cher.

Classic rock has the Who and the Eagles.

And professional boxing has its own version of the neverending farewell tour: the one currently being conducted by Julio Cesar Chavez, the ageless Mexican folk hero who fights Ivan Robinson in a 10-round super lightweight bout Saturday at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Given his 113 professional fights -- including 37 title bouts -- encompassing 607 total rounds over 25 years, it seemed appropriate that promoter Bob Arum would title Saturday's fight card, simply, "Adios."

Yet after a recent workout session at the Top Rank Gym in Las Vegas, J.C. Superstar did not sound like a man who's ready to say hasta la vista to all that.

"I'll have to wait to see how I feel," said Chavez, whose age is officially listed at 42. "I want to see how I look in the fight, then, after the fight, we'll see."

Chavez (106-5-2, 88 knockouts), a former world champion at super featherweight, lightweight and super lightweight who once made 25 consecutive successful title defenses, did acknowledge that he's likely finished fighting at the sport's elite level. Now, he's devoted to putting on shows for his fans, he said.

"I won't be fighting in any more world championship fights," Chavez said. "Just farewell fights. These are for all the Latino people who bought my pay-per-views all those years."

Chavez has fought only four times in the past five years, including a victory against old nemesis Frankie Randall last May in Mexico City, a show billed "Farewell, Mexico ... Thanks."

Though he first made his name fighting in Mexico, Chavez, a Culiacan native, fought many of his biggest bouts in the United States.

Among them were memorable title fights in Las Vegas against Roger Mayweather, Meldrick Taylor and Oscar De La Hoya, and at the Alamodome in San Antonio against Pernell Whitaker.

"A lot of people said, why not do one more for us?" Chavez said. "You did a farewell in Mexico, but (much of) your career was in the U.S. Why not give us one?"

Chavez is a 4-1 favorite against Robinson (31-9-2, 12 KOs), probably with good reason, as reports from his hometown of Philadelphia say Robinson, 34, has lost much of the power and stamina he used to possess in his legs.

By contrast, Chavez appeared strong, fit and well-conditioned in his workout at the Top Rank Gym.

Chavez said kicking his booze habit and embracing a healthier lifestyle have contributed to his good form.

"I was very surprised myself with how well I feel," said Chavez, who claimed he hasn't touched a drop of alcohol since last year. "Even when I was fighting for world championships it was hard for me to make this weight (140 pounds). Now I'm having no problems."

Another reason for taking the L.A. fight, Chavez said, was to show support for his son, 19-year-old lightweight Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., who fights in a preliminary match on the card.

Chavez Jr. (18-0 with 13 KOs) said when he spars with his father, the elder Chavez wins. And no, Chavez Jr. said, he doesn't let his old man win.

"He hits me good," Chavez Jr. said. "He's still a tough guy."

Saturday's card (Showtime Pay Per View) also includes an IBF bantamweight title fight between Rafael Marquez (33-3, 30 KOs) and Chapo Vargas (37-10-3, 12 KOs), and a 12-round super featherweight eliminator between Carlos "Famoso" Hernandez (41-4-1, 24 KOs) and Jesus Chavez (40-3, 28 KOs). More than 11,000 tickets have been sold, Top Rank reported.

Tszyu-Hatton

IBF 140-pound champion Kostya Tszyu (31-1, 25 KOs, 1 ND) will take on unbeaten hometown favorite Ricky Hatton (38-0, 28 KOs) in the challenger's back yard next Saturday, June 4, at MEN Arena in Manchester, England.

The attractive matchup figures to have ramifications in the 140-pound division -- which is loaded with talented fighters such as Floyd Mayweather Jr., Arturo Gatti and Vivian Harris -- as well as in boxing's mythical pound-for-pound rankings.

Showtime will televise the fight (9 p.m. PDT, tape delay), which is scheduled to begin at 2 a.m. local time in England.

"I think (the home ring) could be an advantage, but only a very slight one," Hatton said on a conference call this week. "I think Kostya Tszyu is so effective that if anybody can deal with going into somebody's back yard in a hostile atmosphere, I think he can.

"My crowd is a little bit different. ... The atmosphere at a Ricky Hatton fight tends to be more what you would relate to as a soccer match. It can be very vocal, very loud and very passionate. So it may give me an advantage because I think no matter how experienced you are, I think you have to be a very tough man for it not to affect you."

Gold Coast card

William "The Conqueror" Abelyan, of Henderson by way of Armenia, is scheduled to meet Phillip Payne of St. Louis in a 10-round super bantamweight bout in the main event of a card Friday night at the Gold Coast.

Abelyan (24-5-1, 13 KOs), a 26-year-old southpaw, has won 14 of his past 15 fights with the lone defeat coming to WBO champ Scott Harrison in Renfrew, Scotland, last June. Payne has a record of 15-13-1.

The seven-fight card presented by Guilty Boxing starts at 7 p.m.

'The Contender'

The final four participants of the NBC reality show "The Contender," which concluded its first season with a sold-out show Tuesday at Caesars Palace, will return to the ring Tuesday, July 5, at a venue in Las Vegas to be determined.

Middleweights Jesse Brinkley, Alfonso Gomez, Peter Manfredo Jr. and series champion Sergio Mora are scheduled to fight on the July 5 card, with the matchups to be announced.

Mora won the program's $1 million top prize by defeating Manfredo in an exciting seven-rounder on Tuesday at Caesars' events center.