Columnist Dean Juipe: Marquez has long-range sights on Oscar

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]

He needs one, two, maybe even three victories in a row to add to his stature and secure his position in a hotly contested derby.

Raul Marquez is a year away from a possible fight with Oscar De La Hoya, but there are some contingencies. He must keep winning and those victories are going to have to come against very difficult opposition.

First up for Marquez is a Friday fight on ESPN from Ledyard, Conn., with noted tough guy Shibata Flores. A victory there -- and maybe one to follow -- and Marquez likely advances to a title fight with either IBF champ Yory Boy Campas or WBC ruler Keith Mullings.

By then, or shortly thereafter, De La Hoya will be up to 154 pounds and will be ready for one of the reigning junior middleweight champions.

Marquez, an ex-champion after losing to Campas last December, hopes it's him.

"I need to win the title back and get in the running for De La Hoya," Marquez said before departing Las Vegas, where he trains, for Connecticut. "I've heard my name mentioned as a possible opponent for him and that's something every fighter wants."

Marquez, 27, has not fought since losing to Campas. He was banged up in that fight and it was decided his face needed some time to heal.

"I'm ready to fight again," he said.

The southpaw drew a difficult assignment in Flores, who's 36-6 with 21 knockouts. Marquez is 28-1 with 20 KOs.

"He's no bum, that's for sure," Marquez said. "He's a tough guy who knows what he's doing. But that's the kind of opponent I want.

"I have to prove I'm still there and that I'm back in the picture."

If he gets past Flores, Marquez will target a rematch with Campas.

"They've talked to me about Mullings, but I want Campas because he owes me a rematch," Marquez said. "I even told him that, or reminded him of it and put him on the spot, when I saw him (last week). He said he'd consider it after his mandatory (with Fernando Vargas in December)."

Also on Friday's card is another fight with possible significance relating to De La Hoya: Terry Norris vs. Dana Rosenblatt. Norris, 47-7, was once in line to fight De La Hoya, and he's a possible opponent for Mullings on the Nov. 21 card in Las Vegas that will headline De La Hoya vs. Ike Quartey.

Rosenblatt is 32-1.

Lewis vs. Mavrovic

The name Zeljko Mavrovic means almost nothing to American sports fans, and even hardcore boxing fans may have difficultly putting the name with a face. But Saturday at Montville, Conn., the undefeated Croatian gets the chance of a lifetime when he takes on World Boxing Council heavyweight king Lennox Lewis.

Mavrovic is 27-0 with 22 knockouts but has not faced anyone tougher than Kimmuel Odum, James Pritchard or Mark Wills. Nonetheless, he rose to the No. 1 ranking in the WBC and Lewis is obliged to fight him or relinquish his title.

"Mavrovic has one of the least impressive records I've ever seen," said Lewis' trainer, Emanuel Steward. "There are no important names on it."

Lewis, meanwhile, is 33-1 with 27 KOs and has beaten the likes of Razor Ruddock, Tony Tucker, Frank Bruno, Tommy Morrison, Ray Mercer, Oliver McCall, Henry Akinwande, Andrew Golota and Shannon Briggs.

At Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Lewis is a minus 1200 favorite. Mavrovic is a plus 900 underdog.

"I'm motivated, I'm looking forward to it," Lewis said. "Mavrovic has a European style, but I've fought a lot of Europeans, especially as an amateur.

"The thing is, he's never seen anyone like me."

A win Saturday and Lewis will renew his quest for a fight with IBF and WBA champion Evander Holyfield. Lewis was among the many unimpressed with Holyfield's victory last week in Atlanta over Vaughn Bean.

"He's on his way out," Lewis said. "He's very beatable."

Hilton showdown

The next fight in Las Vegas will be a good one, with local challenger Floyd Mayweather taking on WBC junior lightweight champ Genaro Hernandez Oct. 3 at the Las Vegas Hilton.

"I know it won't be easy," Mayweather said. "But I believe in myself. I'm a lucky kid and I've been blessed."

Mayweather, 21, is 17-0 with 13 KOs. Hernandez, 32, is 38-1-1 with 17 KOs.

"It's going to be a good fight," Hernandez agreed. "Mayweather hasn't had a lot of professional experience but he fought a lot in the amateurs, so he's seen a lot."

Hernandez will be paid $600,000 for the fight, while Mayweather will receive $150,000.

"If he stands there and fights me on the inside, it'll be a short fight," Mayweather said. "It's not that I'm cocky about that, it's that I'm confident."

That confidence extends to his father and trainer, Floyd Sr.

"We've got youth, power, speed -- everything it takes to be a great champion," he said. "I feel we'll prevail."

Not so fast says Rudy Hernandez, Genaro's brother and trainer.

"Genaro's been around for a while," Rudy said. "With all due respect to the Mayweather family, we're going to defend what belongs to Genaro."

Around the ring

Roger Mayweather, Floyd's uncle, has taken a Nov. 13 fight in Morton, Minn., with Patrick Boyd. ... Local cruiserweight Arthur Williams has his fight with IBF champ Imamu Mayfield secured. They'll go Oct. 30 in Biloxi, Miss. ... Freddie Norwood of Las Vegas won his Tuesday fight in Tokyo with Koji Matsumoto but was stripped of his WBA featherweight title when he failed to make weight. Norwood, 30-0-1, stopped Matsumoto in the 10th round. Before the fight, however, he lost his WBA belt when he weighed in at 127 1/2 pounds despite a 126-pound limit. ... Local featherweight Augie Sanchez is on the Oct. 3 card at the Hilton and he'll try again to impress Top Rank matchmaker Bruce Trampler. "Let's just say he has a lot to work on," Trampler said after Sanchez struggled to a decision win over Francisco Maldonado last week on the De La Hoya vs. Julio Cesar Chavez undercard. "We'd like to see more improvement then," Trampler said of Sanchez's Oct. 3 date. ... Chavez is lobbying for a shot at one of the reigning junior welterweight champions, although it seems unlikely he can get down to 140 pounds. ... HBO will replay Chavez vs. De La Hoya on Oct. 3 prior to the Mayweather vs. Hernandez fight at the Hilton. ... De La Hoya and Quartey met Wednesday in Los Angeles to promote their Nov. 21 fight in Las Vegas. "Chavez was an exciting fight but this one is going to be a war," De La Hoya said. "I need big fights like this to motivate me, to really get me going." Quartey seemed pleased to have the fight, saying "I've wanted it for a long time. I consider Oscar to be the best fighter in the world." Tickets are on sale via the Thomas & Mack Center and Caesars Palace, and range from $50 to $800. ... On the other side of the country, in New York, Naseem Hamed and Las Vegas resident Wayne McCullough finalized a deal to fight Oct. 31 in Atlantic City. "I am going to do a demolition job on him," Hamed said, predicting a knockout within five rounds. "I'll be ready," McCullough countered. "I have a good chin and can throw punches. I'll be standing at the end." ... Las Vegan Sterling McPherson, who assists Frank Warren in managing Hamed, said they had "a handshake deal" with the MGM in Las Vegas for a $1.8 million site fee to promote Hamed vs. McCullough, but the MGM backed out "because they thought they might get a Tyson fight for Nov. 7 or 14." ... Caesars Tahoe has Marco Antonio Barrera, 45-2, taking on Pedro Javier Torres, 30-12-7, Saturday. Tony Lopez, 49-7-1, fights Jaime Ocegueda, 20-2-4, in a co-feature.

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