Columnist Dean Juipe: Young fighter carries on without Futch

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]

It was like having the rug pulled out from under him.

Brandon Mitchem moved to Las Vegas late last year to train under Eddie Futch, only to have the legendary octogenarian retire earlier this year. Futch said he regretted leaving Mitchem but at 86 years old he felt the time had come to get out of the game.

Mitchem admits Futch's decision came as a jolt.

"It was a difficult adjustment at first," he said this week. "Eddie was great for me. He brought something different, something extra.

"He gave me a lot of knowledge, plus he could always pull out one of his old stories that really were fun to hear."

Mitchem, who turns 21 on July 3, has fought three times this year with his father, Randy, and Stacey McKinley serving as trainers. He's 12-1-1 heading into a Friday fight at The Orleans with Tucson's David Lopez.

A draw in his most recent bout, with the 2-0-1 Carlos Bojorquez March 28 at the Tropicana, left Mitchem reassessing his career.

"That fight was a setback," he admitted. "I think the problem was my weight. I fought that night at 154 (pounds) but my body's not ready for that.

"Now I'm back to welterweight (147), where I should be."

He also suffered a loss, last October, to a man who's headlining Friday's card, Fidel Hernandez of Phoenix. That bout, in Phoenix, was stopped in the sixth and final round.

"I feel I got taken that night," Mitchem said. "The fight was brutal, a war, but there were no knockdowns. But with one minute to go, the referee stopped the fight for a moment and I said 'I'm alright.' Then he called it off for no reason.

"I don't know if I was winning that fight but I know I could have beaten him."

Yet here's Hernandez headlining and Mitchem resigned to a spot on the undercard in his newly adopted hometown.

"That loss hurt me mentally for a while," Mitchem said. "But I realize now I was getting into some bad habits in the ring back then, trying to bang with everybody.

"I was stubborn and wanted to fight in the middle of the ring. But my style is to box, so that's what I'm working on."

Toward that goal, he has been sparring with former world champion Terry Norris at the Golden Gloves Gym.

"Maybe I needed that loss and that draw," Mitchem said. "They hurt my record and put me a little behind where I should be, but I think everything will work out."

Experience has taught him he's a junior middleweight who needs to stick and move, and that's how he'll approach the 4-6 Lopez for their eight-round bout. It's a fresh look for Mitchem, who was 192-18 as an amateur and a quarterfinalist in the 1996 Olympic Boxing Trials.

"I always knew I was going to be a pro," he said of his still-developing career. "But it was a little scary at first. The eight-ounce gloves felt different at first and I also remember wondering 'Where's my headgear?' as I was getting ready for my first pro fight."

He laughs, in retrospect, at his naivete. It's the laugh of a young man who remains hopeful in spite of a series of difficult adjustments, having lost his headgear, his revered trainer and his perfect record before his 21st birthday.

Doc's honored

Speaking of birthdays, the day before Doc Broadus turns 79 he'll be inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in Los Angeles. The ceremony is set for Oct. 17.

"I couldn't ask for a better birthday present," Broadus said. "I'm the happiest man you'll ever see. I couldn't ask for anything else. If someone came up to me and handed me a million dollars, I couldn't be happier than I am today."

Broadus, a respected and extremely active trainer of amateur fighters, was informed over the weekend of his selection into the Hall. He said he didn't realize he was even up for consideration.

"I hadn't thought about it," he said. "They notified me by mail and if I'd have been standing up when I opened the package that they'd sent me, I would have fallen down. It came as a complete shock."

Yet Broadus is deserving, having tutored scores of youngsters including several who went on to great success as professionals. Among those in the latter group are Thomas Hearns, Ray Leonard, Bob Foster, Michael Dokes, Tony Tubbs and Greg Page. He also retains a strong friendship with George Foreman and regularly accompanies the former heavyweight champion into the ring.

"I've been successful at what I've done," Broadus said. "And I've had a lot of kids become successful. I've always enjoyed what I've done but that's because I love kids."

He still works, helping distribute 2,000 free meals every week for a Housing & Urban Development-sponsored program called "Start Smart" in North Las Vegas.

A permanent resident of Las Vegas since 1980, Broadus also retains an interest in local politics and said he will announce himself as a candidate for City Council next month. The election is in November.

Weekend cards

Fight cards are scheduled for both Friday and Saturday in Las Vegas, with Bam Promotions at The Orleans and Forum Boxing of Los Angeles at the Tropicana.

Friday's Orleans card has Fidel Hernandez, 14-1, taking on Aaron Mitchell, 12-1-1, in an eight-round main event at 154 pounds. Hernandez, 20, has won his last seven fights, including three straight by TKO and one over veteran Martin Quiroz. Mitchell, 28, is coming off a draw with Lloyd Joseph last September in New Jersey.

Eight bouts are scheduled with a 7:30 p.m. opening bell.

The following night at the Tropicana will see Juan Manuel Marquez, 24-1, in a 12-round featherweight main event against Juan Gerardo Cabrera, 31-3. Marquez, 25, is undefeated since losing his pro debut and has risen to No. 2 in the WBC rankings. Cabrera, 23, was a TKO-2 loser to Naseem Hamed last year but has bounced back to fight often and be victorious, having won seven straight.

There is also at least one other fight scheduled, a 10-round featherweight bout between Guty Espadas, 24-2, and Jesse Magana, 19-7-2. No other undercard details available as of Wednesday. First bell is 7 p.m.

Around the ring

Las Vegas heavyweight Cliff Couser raised his record to 15-3 with a TKO-4 victory over Lorenzo Boyd last Thursday in Kansas City. Boyd, 21-34, was down four times before finally being counted out. "He had an awkward style and was sort of slick, but I kept knocking him down," Couser said. "He was down once in each round before the referee stopped it." ... Fellow Las Vegan Limmie Young, a light heavyweight, improved to 5-0 with a victory on that same Kansas City card. ... A third Las Vegan scheduled to fight that night, lightweight David Sample, pulled out. ... Another Las Vegan, cruiserweight Tiwon Taylor, also pulled out of a fight scheduled for Friday in Baton Rouge. ... The Mirage will host a kick-boxing card August 7 that has ex-boxers Rick Roufus and Lavelle Robinson scheduled.

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