Thursday, March 13, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
Here's an upcoming fight with an outrageous storyline, one that sells tickets by itself.
Former two-time world champion Donald Curry, who has moved to Las Vegas in an effort to revitalize his career, will be featured in the main event of an April 9 card at the Aladdin. His opponent is a young man he once trained, Emmett Linton.
That's not a bad hook but here's the real catch: Curry and Linton are not only estranged, when they parted ways they took their disagreement outside and had a street fight a couple of years ago in Texas.
"I knew him well enough that I felt comfortable challenging him to a street fight," Curry said this week. "There was something personal between us that day, and there still is today."
Granted, this is only one side of the story, but Curry said he won the bare-knuckle brawl.
"I guess he felt I was a chump then and I guess he still does now," Curry said. "But I won that fight and I'll win again when we fight in the ring."
The 35-year-old Curry is 34-5 with 35 knockouts. He ended a five-year retirement last month in Winnipeg, Manitoba, handling journeyman Gary Jones in two rounds.
Linton, 26, is 22-2 with 11 KOs.
Looking to re-establish himself, Curry finds Linton an ideal target.
"It's a mental fight," he said. "It's just exactly what I need. Anyone else, I might not be as focused.
"I have other agendas beyond this fight, and this should help me achieve them."
Curry is a former undisputed welterweight champion, Linton an ex-amateur star who turned pro in 1991.
"We put together a lot of fights, hundreds of them, but this is strictly a case where onetime friends went bad," said Top Rank matchmaker Bruce Trampler, who knows a marketable fight when he sees one.
Around the ring
* MARQUEZ REWARDED: With Terry Norris having relinquished the IBF portion of his junior middleweight titles -- he still has the WBC version -- the vacant championship will be contested by Raul Marquez and Anthony Stephens. They'll meet April 12 at the Tropicana in an afternoon show to be televised by ABC. "That's what we all expected would happen," Marquez said this week, referring to Norris stepping aside. "He's got a big fight coming (vs. Felix Trinidad) and I was up as the mandatory. He wasn't going to risk fighting me first." Marquez, 25-0 with 18 knockouts, has patiently waited his turn for a title fight. Stephens, more of a journeyman type, is 28-7-2 with 16 KOs. "He fought Trinidad and knocked him down, but everyone drops Trinidad," Marquez said of Stephens. "He'll be up for it. It's as big a fight for him as it is for me." Marquez has opened camp in Las Vegas and adds that he's already in shape. He's also more than content at having his title fight on national television, as opposed to being on the Oscar De La Hoya vs. Pernell Whitaker undercard. The latter fight will be held later in the day on April 12. "It's ABC, it'll be prime time in the East and I'm the main event," Marquez said. "Lots more people will get a chance to see me than if I was on Oscar's undercard."
* CHAVEZ FIRM: There had been some doubt about Julio Cesar Chavez keeping his spot on the March 29 card at the Las Vegas Hilton, but he appeared last Saturday at a press conference in Mexico City and scuttled those concerns. "Last year was torturous for me," Chavez said. "It was a very depressing year. People said I was finished in boxing. I thought I was finished morally, but not physically. Morally, I was very depressed. But, thanks to God, all my problems are now behind me." Chavez, 97-2-1, will face Tony Martin, 34-5-1, at the Hilton. Martin is back on the card after saying last week he was off it. The opponent didn't seem to matter to Chavez, who predicted "By September, I will be a world champion again." He's back with promoter Don King, although, technically, he never left, King having "loaned" Chavez to Top Rank last year. The problems he referred to in Mexico City centered on spousal-abuse charges as well as income-tax difficulties. In the ring, he was soundly beaten by De La Hoya before coming back to handle Joey Gamache.
* QUICK HITS: Top Rank has picked up former light heavyweight star Donnie Lalonde and will have him on the Curry-Linton undercard April 9. ... Local cruiserweight Brian LaSpada accepted a late call to fight Edgarton Marcus Tuesday night in Phoenix and came away with a seventh-round TKO victory. "That's a helluva win for Brian," said his promoter, Al Rodrigues. "Marcus came out like a tiger but Brian's jabs tamed him. The last 30 punches of the fight were all from Brian, and Marcus finally turned his back and went to his corner." It was only the second loss in 17 fights for Marcus, while LaSpada improved to 28-4-2. He still has the NABF title, although his rematch with mandatory challenger Dale Brown remains on hold. "They're not coming to the table," Rodrigues said of Brown's management. "I don't think they really want to fight." ... Rodrigues, who has changed his firm's name from Nugget Promotions to Power Punch Promotions, said he may have a card April 23 at the Tropicana. ... A second world title fight has been added to the April 18 card at the Las Vegas Hilton that headlines the Marco Antonio Barrera vs. Junior Jones rematch. In the primary undercard bout, WBA welterweight champ Ike Quartey defends his title against Ralph Jones. Quartey, 33-0 with 28 KOs, is 27 years old and has made five successful title defenses of the belt he won from Crisanto Espana in 1994. Jones, 27, is 29-1 with 21 KOs and has built a decent reputation fighting at the ESPN and USA level. He has won seven straight by knockout. ... The Nevada state Golden Gloves championships will be held March 21-22 at the Golden Gloves Gym. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children for each session, with a 7 p.m. starting time both nights.
Donald Curry
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