Columnist Dean Juipe: Randall hoping for February date with De La Hoya

Dean Juipe's boxing notebook appears Thursdays. His page 1 column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Reach him at [email protected] or 259-4084.

There are contingencies, yet Oscar De La Hoya is scheduled to fight Feb. 20 on HBO. The probable site is New York's Madison Square Garden. And the probable opponent is Frankie Randall.

That's just fine with Randall, who's fighting Saturday in Mesquite and gearing up for a one-last-hurrah type bout with the Golden Boy.

"They have their plans for me," Randall said before working out Tuesday evening at the Top Rank Gym. "I've been told I'm on for the February fight with Oscar and I've got a signed contract. If everything goes as planned, it looks like that fight's a go."

But those plans depend on the following: De La Hoya has to defeat Ike Quartey Nov. 21; Randall has to defeat journeyman Juan Soberanes at Mesquite's CasaBlanca resort; and Top Rank promoter Bob Arum has to confirm Randall for the February date, a decision he has not yet made official as he is also considering Oba Carr for the assignment.

"If need be, I'd fight Carr for the right to fight Oscar," Randall said. "That was talked about for a while but I heard rumors he didn't want to fight me. I think he's in line for Oscar but it's somewhere down the road."

Randall vs. Carr was once discussed for the Nov. 21 De La Hoya undercard, yet it seems unlikely now. The best bet: Arum selects Randall for the February date because he's more marketable than Carr.

Randall, 37, remains fairly well known as the result of having been the first man to beat Julio Cesar Chavez. They actually split a pair of 1994 bouts in Las Vegas, Randall winning the initial fight by decision and losing the rematch by a controversial technical decision after eight rounds.

Randall rebounded to win the WBA junior welterweight title, although he later lost it to Khalid Rahilou.

Earlier this year he moved to Las Vegas and signed a four-fight deal with Top Rank, and this fight in Mesquite is bout No. 2 of the contract.

Given what he has to lose, Randall is approaching the fight with caution.

"I don't want to take too many chances getting cut or anything like that," he said. "I'm a veteran at this, so I know what to do. With the type of money fight that's ahead of me, I don't need to be taking risks."

Randall is 54-5-1 with 41 knockouts in a pro career that dates from 1983.

Soberanes is 44-19-2 and is scheduled for 10 rounds with Randall at 140 pounds.

"I'm not taking him lightly," Randall said. "I've heard he's kind of slow and that he comes forward and backward, so that's good for me. But I'll play it safe."

Randall passed a series of tests mandated by the Nevada State Athletic Commission this week, and he has been running five miles at 7 a.m. in recent days. "My condition's not the best it could be, but I only had two weeks to really prepare for this fight," he said. "I feel good and there could be good things ahead.

"I'm still a nationally known fighter who's easy to promote. On top of that, I'm sure I can beat Oscar."

Around the ring

Arizona Charlie's has its monthly card scheduled for Saturday with the first bell at 7 p.m. Headlining in a 10-round super bantamweight bout are Max Gomez, 20-9-1, and Martin Gonzalez, 16-10. Manuel Lopez, 15-0, will take part in an eight-round middleweight fight, although his opponent had not yet been identified Wednesday. In a six-round welterweight bout, Blaise Soares, 9-0, will meet Patrick Reeder, 7-5-2. Three other women's bouts are scheduled. ... Tony Trudnich's first card at The Orleans, Oct. 30, will headline lightweights Javier Valdez and Chris Linson. ... Mike Tyson has been training in Phoenix the past two weeks after spending an equal length of time at the Golden Gloves Gym in Las Vegas. "Everybody was so relaxed," gym operator Faye Miller said of Tyson's stay at the Golden Gloves. "He didn't have that big entourage around him and what a difference that makes. One day he even came in by himself." Tyson is working out in Phoenix at the Madison Square Garden Gym. A wire-service report indicated he has also spent time at a topless bar and a mall on the Arizona State University campus in nearby Tempe. ... Boulder Station is close to securing a Nov. 20 card that will headline former WBC lightweight champ Stevie Johnston.

James Leija is out as Gabe Ruelas' opponent Oct. 24 in Atlantic City, the result of an unspecified injury. John Brown, 18-5 and who recently went 12 rounds with Angel Manfredy, replaces Leija in the HBO fight. ... Manfredy vs. Floyd Mayweather is on the Top Rank schedule for Dec. 19, site TBA. ... The WBA defied a New Jersey court order and allowed last Saturday's fight in France between James Page and Andre Pestriaev to be for its vacant welterweight title. Page won by TKO-3. ... On that same card, Sharmba Mitchell upset Khalid Rahilou and won a decision by 6, 9 and 13 points on the judges' cards to take the WBA junior welterweight title. Mitchell, 28, had Rahilou down four times in the first seven rounds. ... Virgil Hill, twice a light heavyweight champion, is coming back as a cruiserweight and will take on Jimmy Hayes Nov. 7 in North Dakota. ... Lots of talk about an Evander Holyfield vs. Lennox Lewis fight in recent days but take it with a grain of salt until the Nevada State Athletic Commission resolves Tyson's future Monday. Holyfield would much rather fight Tyson in 1999 than Lewis. ... Local junior welterweight James Crayton goes Friday in Miami against up-and-coming prospect Ahmed Santos.

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