Unbeatable or Untried? Nunn Fights Boston for the Answer

The punctuation would seem obvious. Any fighter who is 16-0 ought to have an exclamation mark after his record.

In the case of Michael Nunn, however, a question mark might be more appropriate.

Despite a perfect record that includes 11 knockouts, plus a 168-8 record as an amateur and a berth on the 1984 U.S. Olympic boxing team as an alternate, Nunn cannot seem to dance away from the questions that shadow him.

Does he have a knockout punch? What will happen when he moves up in class? Can he beat a Top 10 fighter?

At least one, and perhaps all, of the questions should be answered tonight at the Showboat Hotel in Las Vegas when Nunn fights a 10-round main event against Charlie Boston (12-2, six knockouts), the No. 8 man in the World Boxing Assn. middleweight rankings.

Boston had risen as high as fifth before losing to another Top 10 fighter two months ago in Atlantic City, N.J. Boston, 24, from Trenton, N.J., lost a split decision to Doug DeWitt in a fight so close two judges ruled it a draw, scoring the fight by rounds. On the basis of a backup scoring system using points, Boston was declared the loser by a single point.

Ken Bogner, Boston’s co-manager, doesn’t expect to see another loss tonight.

“Nunn is a good boxer,” Bogner said, “but he doesn’t impress me as being somebody who wants to get in there and mix it up. He’s cautious. Still, he’s unbeaten, so whatever he does, he’s doing it right.

“Both fighters are left-handed, so it’s going to be hard for them because they’re both used to fighting right-handers. The thing about my fighter is that he’s elusive. He slips and slides so much that you may hit him once, but you’re not going to hit him again.”

Both fighters figure to get hit quite a bit tonight. Both men are good boxers who pepper their opponents with combinations. The bout doesn’t figure, though, to end early because neither man has spent more than a few seconds of his brief career on the canvas.

Boston’s only knockdown came in the opening round of the DeWitt fight, but Boston came back to make it a close match. Nunn’s only knockdown also came in the first round when Carl Jones put him to the canvas in March. Nunn, despite taking a solid left to the chin, got right back up and dominated the fight.

Nunn, 22, who fights out of the Ten Goose Boxing Club of North Hollywood, has not only dominated every fight he’s had, but practically every round. He’s only lost a few rounds in his career.

Nunn is in the first year of a two-year contract with promoter Bob Arum. The Arum timetable includes a title shot within a year. Before that can happen, Nunn must prove he belongs among the elite of a division loaded with talent. His first step toward convincing people of that could occur tonight when he steps into the ring against Boston.

“The media has questions and they want answers,” Nunn’s manager Dan Goossen said. “So do some boxing fans. I already know what Nunn can do, but people want to see. They feel he hasn’t fought against tough enough opposition. Charlie Boston is definitely the type of fighter that Michael will have to use all of his skills to beat. And when he does that, people will sit back and agree with us about Michael’s talent.

“He’s doing the offensive things he can do and will do. I’m expecting him to look devastating against Boston. That’s not to say he’s going to go in there and take a lot of punches. He’s not there to be a punching bag. He’s smart and he has a great chin.”

Nunn’s dancing and moving tactics have been favorably compared to those utilized by three-time heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali early in his career.

Nunn has ably demonstrated that he can float like a butterfly. The question remaining is: Can he sting like a bee?