Thursday, June 4, 1998 | 10:53 a.m.
DEAN JUIPE is a Las Vegas Sun sportswriter. His office phone number is 259-4084. He can be reached on the Internet at [email protected]
The decision has been made, although it hasn't been circulated.
But here's the reality of the situation: The United States is unlikely to send its usual 12-man team to the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. In fact, no country aside from Cuba will send a complete team to participate in boxing.
"It's a mess," said Dr. Robert Voy, the Las Vegas physician who serves as Deputy Chairman of the U.S. Olympic Medical Committee as well as Vice President of USA Boxing. "It hasn't been talked about but it's done. Our national champions will have to compete against other national champions from the Americas to earn a spot on the Olympic team."
This move to consolidate nations into continental teams comes as a result of the International Olympic Committee's attempt to reduce the number of participants in Sydney. With the proliferation of nations in recent years, it felt the Olympic Games were becoming too unwieldy.
Yet the tradeoff is fewer Americans in Olympic boxing and therefore lower TV ratings. In addition, the impact on this country's amateur boxing program figures to be significant.
"It hurts a lot," said Kenny Adams, coach of the 1988 U.S. Olympic team. "I knew they were talking about doing this but I'm sorry it's actually happening. For sure it hurts our amateur program in the long run, if for no other reason than a lot of kids will turn pro early rather than wait for a shot at making the Olympics like they once did."
In previous Olympics, the U.S. team was determined by East and West trials, with the winners moving to the Olympic Trials and, if need be, to a box-off with a worthy challenger. For the 2000 team, that Olympic Trials or box-off winner will have to defeat the other national champions from North America before earning the right to advance to Sydney.
"We're hoping we can get eight or 10 winners," Voy said. "But I know a lot of my colleagues think we'll be lucky to get any more than six because we probably won't do well at the lower weights and at heavyweight you never know."
Cuba was excluded from continental or hemispheric competition because it has the strongest amateur program in the world. As a result, the IOC gave it an exemption at least for the 2000 Games, meaning the Olympic boxing competition will take place between six teams: Cuba, plus one from each continent.
Holyfield vs. Akinwande
Reiterating his desire to unify the heavyweight championships, WBA-IBF champ Evander Holyfield said this week he expects to stay in the sport until the year 2000. "I'll be undisputed champ by then," he said, indicating a fight with WBC champ Lennox Lewis could still be two years away.
On Holyfield's immediate table is Henry Akinwande, Saturday in New York's Madison Square Garden.
"It'll be a good fight," Holyfield said at the final prefight press conference. "It's my job to go out and give the very best I can and make it as quick as possible. I have what it takes to be victorious."
The greater question is whether Akinwande has what it takes.
"It's funny that the press is writing bad things about me," he said. "I come from a place (Nigeria) where people have nothing and yet I have learned how to fight for everything. I've made a good living proving people wrong in this sport."
Akinwande is 33-1-1 but the defeat was an embarrassing disqualification against Lewis last July at Lake Tahoe. Holyfield is 35-3 and a 7-to-1 betting favorite for this one.
The card, which includes the WBA middleweight championship between William Joppy (25-1-1) and Roberto Duran (102-13) plus IBF bantamweight champ Johnny Tapia (43-0-2) in a nontitle bout with Carlos Hernandez (14-3), is available on pay per view. It can also be seen locally on closed circuit at four locations: The Orleans ($30); the Tropicana ($35); the Stratosphere ($35); and the Showboat ($35).
Around the ring
Although he was scheduled to fight last Friday at White Plains, N.Y., Las Vegas super middleweight Joseph Kiwanuka had his match with Eric Lucas called off when the latter came down with an injury. ... Junior lightweight Diego Corrales, who trains here, took out Eduardo Contreras in two rounds last Saturday in Los Angeles. "It was nothing but a workout," trainer Kenny Adams said as Corrales improved to 19-0. ... Scott Woodworth, who manages both Orlin and Terry Norris, said Orlin will take a July 18 fight in London with WBO heavyweight champ Herbie Hide. He also said Terry's fight with WBC junior middleweight champ Keith Mullings was on and could be held as early as July 18 in either New York or Las Vegas, using the date that had been set for Naseem Hamed vs. Kennedy McKinney, which was postponed last Friday and moved to Oct. 31 due to Hamed's hand injury. ... Arizona Charlie's is hosting a six-bout card Saturday although five of the matches feature women. In the main event, Juan Lazcano, 14-1-1 and coming off a win over local lightweight James Crayton, takes on Golden Johnson. The latter is 12-1-2 and has won eight straight. Also scheduled: Suzanne Riccio-Major, 5-4-1, vs. an opponent yet to be determined, eight rounds, bantamweights; Trina Ortegon, 2-1, vs. Bethany Payne, 1-5, six rounds, middleweights; Copitzi Mendivil, 4-2, vs. Sandy Meredith, 1-0, four rounds, bantamweights; Sandy Yard, 2-1-1, vs. Gloria Ramirez, 3-7-1, four rounds, junior lightweights; and Rosa Maria Angulo, 0-1, vs. Angelo Rodriguez, 1-0, four rounds, super bantamweights.
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