Columnist Dean Juipe: Holyfield expects easy bout

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's a fight that didn't appeal to boxing's high rollers. The casino industry that bankrolls the sport's major fights in Las Vegas and Atlantic City had no interest in Evander Holyfield's mandatory IBF title defense against Vaughn Bean.

As a result, the bout will be held Saturday in Holyfield's hometown of Atlanta, with the champion reduced to promoter in an effort to boost ticket sales.

Holyfield, who was paid $11 million (in 1996) and $30 million (in 1997) for his two fights with Mike Tyson, will receive between $3.5 million and $5 million for what figures to be an easy defense against Bean in the 75,000-seat Georgia Dome.

"It didn't bother me," Holyfield said during a conference call Wednesday, referring to being slighted in Nevada and New Jersey. "When there weren't too many people interested in having it, I said 'let's hold it in Atlanta.' If the fight doesn't do well, I don't get paid well."

Some 24,000 tickets are reportedly sold for a fight that will also be telecast on a delayed basis by the Showtime cable network. The fight will be presented live in Las Vegas at four closed-circuit sites: Boulder Station, The Beach, the Stratosphere and the Tropicana, with all seats at each location $20.

Something Holyfield could have said -- "I'm looking at it as just another fight" -- is actually something Bean said during a conference call last week.

"He doesn't intimidate me," Bean added. "I'm not scared of anyone."

Bean is a very deceiving 31-1 in that he has faced only four opponents with a winning record. Of those four -- Warren Williams (10-8-1), Maurice Harris (11-9-2), Isaac Brown (12-10) and Michael Moorer (38-1) -- only one, Moorer, is recognized as a top-notch heavyweight.

Bean lost that March 29, 1997, fight at the Las Vegas Hilton by majority decision, as he and Moorer waltzed through 12 monotonous rounds that were scored 114-114, 116-113 and 115-113 -- the latter two for the then-IBF champion.

"The title was within our grasp and we should have taken it that night," said Bean's manager, Butch Lewis. "(Bean) just didn't do enough."

He hasn't done anything since, either, yet Lewis' influence with IBF president Bob Lee was sufficient to get his man moved back into the mandatory challenger's position for Holyfield.

While Holyfield's actual purse will be determined by the gate receipts, Bean is receiving a fixed $1.8 million.

"I have a job to do," Holyfield said. "I have a game plan. He's kind of awkward but he has good movement.

"But after 27 years in the game, not too many things can surprise me."

Holyfield is a minus 1000 betting favorite in the sports book at Caesars Palace. Bean is a plus 800 underdog.

Holyfield, 35-3, was forced into the fight with Bean to retain his IBF championship, and he also has a mandatory coming due with the WBA's No. 1 contender, Henry Akinwande, in another fight that may have to hit the road.

"Evander takes everything in stride," said his trainer, Don Turner. "There won't be any setbacks."

T&M notes

There are seven fights on the Oscar De La Hoya vs. Julio Cesar Chavez undercard Friday night at the Thomas & Mack Center. Also scheduled: Yory Boy Campas, 71-2, vs. Larry Barnes, 44-2, 12 rounds, junior middleweights; Antonio Diaz, 22-2, vs. Hector Quiroz, 25-2-1, 12 rounds, junior welterweights; Rodolfo Gomez, 25-10, vs. Miguel Angel Ruiz, 19-4-1, six rounds, junior welterweights; Butterbean Esch, 39-1-1, vs. Troy Roberts, 14-6, four rounds, heavyweights; Cory Spinks, 10-0, vs. Lupe Suazo, 4-1, six rounds, junior welterweights; Augie Sanchez, 16-1, vs. Francisco Maldonado, 3-2-1, six rounds, featherweights; and a women's bout between Mia St. John , 7-0, and B.J. Felter, 0-2. ... First bell is 4:30 p.m. and the De La Hoya fight is scheduled to go off by 8:30 p.m. ... Three of the fights are scheduled to be televised live by ESPN, with Esch vs. Roberts serving as that main event. "Things are going well," Esch said, although he spent much of the year recovering from surgery for a torn biceps muscle. "This is one of the biggest cards there can be, so what could be better than having a spot on it?" Asked if he remains content with four-round fights, Esch said "I could go eight or 10 rounds but it wouldn't be as exciting." He also said he intends to fight "a couple more years" and that "I'm still enjoying myself, considering I could be working in a mobile-home factory." ... ESPN2 will televise today's 2 p.m. weigh-in live from outside Caesars Palace near Las Vegas Blvd. It's open to the public. ... Chavez spent his Wednesday afternoon donating memorabilia to the All Star Cafe and signing autographs in front of the Tropicana hotel. ... The main event survived one last-ditch attempt Wednesday by promoter Don King to stop the fight on the grounds he has a valid contract with Chavez. A Broward County (Fla.) judge had ruled against King's claim last month and the 4th District Court of Appeals concurred. ... Seven local sites are carrying the fight card on closed-circuit, including the Tropicana, the Gold Coast, the Plaza, the Showboat, the Stratosphere, The Orleans and The Beach (in Spanish). Admission is $30 with the exception of the Trop, where it's $35.

Charlie's card

It's hard to see the attraction of the main event, but Arizona Charlie's has its monthly card set for Saturday at 7 p.m. Headlining are junior bantamweights Chuckie Gutierrez and Julio Luna in a bout scheduled for 12 rounds. Gutierrez, 15-9, has lost two straight and four of his last five. Luna, 13-9-2, has won only two of his six most recent fights. Also scheduled: Sione Asipeli, 10-1-2, vs. A.J. Moore, 4-8, six rounds, cruiserweights; Blaise Soares, 8-0, vs. Marcos Rodriguez, 4-4, six rounds, welterweights; Willie Stewart, 3-0, vs. Jesse Lopez, 2-1, six rounds, middleweights; Reggie Roberts, 3-0, vs. Richard Terrazas, 0-1, four rounds, light heavyweights; and a women's bout between Brenda Burnside, 4-4-1, and Copitzi Mendivil, 6-4-1.

Around the ring

Rising junior lightweight Diego Corrales, who trains here, picked up a win last Saturday in Indio, Calif., as did another semi-regular Las Vegan, junior welterweight Ray Lovato. The latter defeated still another Las Vegan, Leroy Owens. ... HBO's Lou DiBella on the positive qualities of Las Vegan Wayne McCullough, who will take on featherweight sensation Naseem Hamed Oct. 31 in Atlantic City: "McCullough's a very tough guy and I expect a good fight between two very good TV fighters. Wayne's never in an easy fight and he's the underdog here, but he's been the underdog before. He has the guts to bang with anybody, although he's not the devastating puncher Hamed is." The fight -- along with its excellent companion feature, Vuyani Bungu vs. Danny Romero for Bungu's IBF super bantamweight title -- is slated for the Atlantic City Convention Center and should be formally announced shortly. ... USBA heavyweight champ Hasim Rahman has withdrawn from his Sept. 26 fight with David Tua and a legal skirmish may follow. Rahman apparently has signed contracts with two promoters. ... HBO has announced an Oct. 24 card in Atlantic City that features David Reid, Gabe Ruelas and Robert Garcia in separate events. ... At a luncheon in Las Vegas today, the World Boxing Council will honor Nevada governor Bob Miller as its Man of the Year and Nevada State Athletic Commission chairman Dr. Elias Ghanem with a Lifetime Achievement award.

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