Columnist Dean Juipe: 'Hard-luck' McClain hopes to reverse fortune

Dean Juipe's boxing notebook appears Thursday. His sports column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Reach him at 259-4084 or juipe@ lasvegassun.com

When John McClain first began fighting in Las Vegas it was 1990 and he was best known as a homegrown talent who had pried himself away from gangs and potential scrapes with the law.

Always friendly and sociable, McClain didn't try to hide from his past. He was happy to have escaped the temptations of mischief and was hoping professional boxing would lead to a better life.

It has.

Now 31 and residing in Hollywood, Calif., McClain faces the most significant fight of his career Sunday when he takes on the undefeated Ramon Garbey in Miami. The nationally televised bout (on FSN) has serious implications for each of the cruiserweights.

For the Cuban-born and bred Garbey, it's critical to protect his unbeaten 13-0 record.

For the Las Vegas-born and bred McClain, it's a chance to not only build on his 23-6-2 record but, perhaps, establish himself as a viable contender for a major title. He has twice held the minor World Boxing Union championship.

"The WBU did nothing for me and I told them what they could do with it," McClain said from his California home. "If anything, being the WBU champion hurt me with the better organizations. It knocked me out of their ratings and led to me being almost forgotten."

McClain has also been hurt by fights that were scheduled yet didn't come off, like one earlier this year in Houston with James Toney (on the doomed George Foreman vs. Larry Holmes card) and one last year in Montreal with NABF champ Dale Brown.

"Johnny's a hard-luck fighter," said his manager, Arnie Rosenthal, from his New York office. "Most of the losses he's had came against huge heavyweights, plus he's had fights fall through that would have put him in the title picture. He's also been unlucky with fluke injuries, like getting hit by a car."

McClain has three pins in a leg from the latter mishap.

But not all of his luck has been bad. Quite the contrary, in fact, as McClain is a budding celebrity of sorts who has two TV commercials (for Coca-Cola and Oldsmobile) running in Southern California, plus has made a guest appearance on a network sitcom.

Going by the name Johnny McClain, he hopes to see more TV and film work come his way.

"You can't fight forever, but there are guys who can act forever," he said."I've been going to acting class three nights a week for a year and a half. It's something I'd always wanted to do and a few things have already come my way.

"I have a theatrical agent and a commercial agent."

But will he still need a boxing agent or manager after Sunday's fight? McClain, and Rosenthal, think so.

"I've seen Garbey and he doesn't look like much of a fighter," McClain said. "I give him credit for being undefeated and strong, but in terms of skill level I surpassed him a long time ago."

Rosenthal added that "I saw Garbey's (Jan. 8) fight (in Las Vegas) with Leeonzer Barber and I wasn't overly impressed. I think Johnny's chances against him are very good to excellent. People don't realize what a tremendous punch he has."

McClain has 16 wins by knockout yet admits he isn't always willing to stand still and mix it up.

"You know me," he said. "I'm thinking safety first. I'll use my speed and smarts and skills to frustrate my opponent."

This is a fight he took with only three-week's notice, yet it's one he couldn't resist.

"I know boxing fans get tired of hearing this from fighters, but I really feel I've never been given a good opportunity," he said. "The only fights I've had on TV were against guys who outweighed me by 50 pounds. I'm tired of fighting bigger guys and feeling that I can't get a break."

McClain's walking-around weight is 185, although he has fought several times in the bizarre "super cruiserweight" division. The contract weight for his fight with Garbey is 195.

* ORLEANS CARD: It only seems as if Manuel Medina is Methuselah.

While the IBF featherweight champion from Mexico has been fighting professionally since 1985 and has 65 bouts under his belt, he's still only 28 years old. Friday at The Orleans he'll participate in his 13th legitimate world-title fight when he takes on mandatory challenger Victor Polo of Colombia.

Medina is 7-5 in his previous title fights and has on three occasions been a world champion. He defeated Hector Lizarraga a year ago for the IBF belt he presently holds and his overall record is 55-10 with 25 knockouts.

Despite his current standing, Medina has lost five of his last 11 fights. Polo is 22-1-2 with 20 knockouts but has never fought outside of Colombia.

* QUICK HITS: Nevada Partners will sponsor a Las Vegas vs. London amateur boxing card May 2 at the Palace Station Hotel and Casino. ... IBF flyweight champ Mark Johnson has formally abdicated his title and will, instead, go after the IBF junior bantamweight title April 24 in Washington. Johnson, 36-1, will take on Ratanachnai Vorapin, 35-3, with the vacant title at stake on a card that includes two other world-title fights. ... Main Events claims it offered heavyweight Shannon Briggs "nearly $1 million" to fight rising star Michael Grant June 19 on HBO, but that Briggs turned it down. "I'm tired of chasing Shannon," Grant said, still looking for an opponent for a card targeted for the East Coast. ...

The Indian reservation at Indio, Calif., has an HBO card Saturday that offers IBF lightweight champ Shane Mosley, 31-0, against journeyman John Brown, 19-5, as its main event. But far more people are interested in the chief undercard bout, as Angel Manfredy, 26-3-1, and Ivan Robinson, 27-2, are scheduled for 10 rounds at 135 pounds and the winner may get Mosley later this year. "Angel seems to be a big puncher, but I have more experience and I've fought tougher fighters," Robinson said. "I have the quicker hands; I'm the quicker guy." ...

Despite the fact each is coming off a devastating loss, brothers Gabe and Rafael Ruelas are back in the gym in Van Nuys, Calif., and talking about comebacks at the age of 28. Gabe was whacked out by Mosley's Saturday opponent, Brown, while Rafael was taken apart by Kostya Tszyu. "I'm giving myself one more chance," Gabe said, while Rafael said "If I don't get good results, then I'll just step back out of it." The Ruelas brothers fought frequently in Las Vegas. ... Another fighter with comeback aspirations that could be shortcircuited is former heavyweight champ Oliver McCall, who is due to be released from a Virginia prison next month. "I honestly believe that he is willing and able to get back on his feet and come back as a tough competitor," said promoter Don King. ...

For those who missed the result, local super middleweight Joseph Kiwanuka looked far too lethargic and dropped a 10-round decision to Vinny Pazienza last Friday in Ledyard, Conn. Kiwanuka, 26-4-2, landed only 97 punches (or 20 percent of what he threw) while Pazienza connected on 170 punches (or 30 percent). Pazienza, 45-7, was covered with blood from a first-round head butt, yet Kiwanuka was not aggressive enough to take advantage.

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