BRIEFLY : Duarte May Get Shot at WBA Champion

Frankie Duarte may get a chance to realize a lifelong dream in front of the people who have watched him fight all his life.

Negotiations are under way for Duarte to fight World Boxing Assn. bantamweight champion Bernardo Pinango of Panama on Dec. 3 in Los Angeles, according to Dan Goossen, Duarte’s manager. According to another source, the fight would be held at the Forum.

The matter under debate now is the size of the prizes. Bantamweight fights, even title fights, have never been big money makers. The hope is that Duarte, fighting for the championship in his hometown, will be an exception.

Duarte (40-6-1, 30 knockouts) lives in Venice but fights out of the Ten Goose Boxing Club of North Hollywood. The 31-year-old fighter won the North American Boxing Federation bantamweight championship last month, his first title since he began fighting professionally in 1973.

No Team Close to Canyon Streak

If Canyon High loses to Hart on Friday night, it will be a while before any Southern Section school catches the Cowboy football team in the consecutive-win category.

Canyon has won 38 straight. Closest is Charter Oak of Covina with 13 in a row, followed by Muir of Pasadena with 10. Canyon last lost in 1983, Charter Oak in 1984.

When it comes to losses, Silver Valley of Yermo is the clear winner. Silver Valley has not only lost 39 in a row, but the school has never won a game on the varsity level. The closest it has come was a 12-12 tie with the California School for the Deaf in Riverside.

A poor second in the futility department is Cantwell High of Montebello with 19 losses in a row.