Boxing / Richard Hoffer : King-Lewis Collaboration Falls Into Disunity

Dynamic Duo, the unlikely collaboration of promoters Don King and Butch Lewis, is dissolving in a pool of litigation. Lewis is suing his partner for an unpartner-like $30 million.

But who thought it would end otherwise? At that, who thought it would last this long?

The two were odd bedfellows from the get-go. Lewis was only in the heavyweight unification series because he controls Michael Spinks, the International Boxing Federation champion. As Spinks had to be included in the scheduled eight-fight HBO series, so, too, did Lewis have to be accommodated.

The inevitable rift, which by now has degenerated into squabbling over money and the ingenious accounting of same, actually began in November, the night young Mike Tyson won his way into the tournament by beating World Boxing Council champion Trevor Berbick. Lewis, whose fighter must meet the winner of the Tyson-James (Bonecrusher) Smith bout, got on the horn with the handlers of Gerry Cooney the same night.

Possibly the intimidating presence of Tyson caused Lewis to think of a quick and big payday outside the tournament. Lewis trumpeted a March 9 date between Spinks and Cooney. HBO, a major sponsor of the unification series, was horrified and secured an injunction.

Many promoters, however, saw the Spinks-Cooney prospect as nothing more than a smoke screen. A March 9 promotion, which would have to be a cable and closed-circuit card to raise the kind of money required by either Cooney or Spinks, falls between the March 7 Tyson-Smith fight and the April 6 fight between Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard.

There is no exhibitor in the world who would pay the $100,000 required by, say, the Sports Arena who would book such a fight on closed circuit in between two relatively sure-fire attractions. Never mind the riskiness of any enterprise involving the oft-injured and unpredictable Cooney, or even that the fight might end with an injunction right at the bell.

How about the idea that there are few fight fans who can afford three such megabouts in succession? It just wouldn’t, couldn’t happen.

So, the destiny of this noble enterprise is dimmed somewhat, although it still limps ahead, at least to March 7 for the next leg of the tournament. Beyond that is anybody’s guess. In the meantime, former partners King and Lewis are don’t-invite-’ems.

Boxing Notes The folks at the Spruce Goose have, as they say, taken boxing under their wing. The Long Beach attraction, which has reduced winter hours and is thus available for nighttime events, was happy with the first show promoted there by Don Fraser and has ordered up the full complement of six for the season. Tonight, John Montes headlines the card in a super-lightweight bout with Frankie Davis. . . . Fraser is billing himself as the king of suburban boxing, and no wonder. He not only handles the Spruce Goose shows but also is committed to 12 others at the Irvine Marriott for the year. First of those is Jan. 26, featuring former super-bantamweight champion Jaime Garza against Darryl Thigpen. Garza, who has fought there twice in his comeback, drew a gate of nearly $37,000 there last year. None of Fraser’s gates have dipped below $20,000.

Boxing, which used to be almost entirely urban, is not just thriving in Gold Coast suburbs; the Valley is hot, too. On Feb. 6 at the Country Club in Reseda, undefeated middleweight Michael Nunn, now of the Valley, will headline against undefeated Willie Harris of Philadelphia. Harris has fought just once after a layoff of a year and a half. The card, which will be televised live by ESPN, also features the pro debut of local star Alex Garcia, the amateurs’ top-ranking super-heavyweight until he turned pro last week. He will fight Lionel Washington. Dino Garza, Jaime’s brother, has a featherweight match, and in a separate featherweight bout, Floyd Patterson’s son may make his West Coast debut. Tracy Patterson is 15-0. Floyd, former heavyweight champion, will be in his son’s corner. . . . One suburban failure appears to be at the Universal Sheraton, where Harry Kabakoff has folded his tent after only a couple of shows. Kabakoff is hoping to promote all-Mexican cards at the Sports Arena, beginning Feb. 6.

Dan Goossen, who heads the Ten Goose stable in Reseda, is aware that his budding empire can crash down upon him in the space of three weeks. In addition to risking Nunn in a tough bout, he has Frankie Duarte, whose comeback has flourished under Ten Goose, getting an improbable title shot at the Forum, Feb. 3, with WBA champion Bernardo Pinango. And then stablemate Walter Sims will be fighting Yogi Buchanan for the Stroh’s lightweight tournament title, and the $50,000 first prize, Jan. 22. . . . Manager Mercer Smith says Olympic gold medal winner Henry Tillman, so far the only one from the 1984 crowd to lose in a title bid, has “learned a lot from that (Bert Cooper) fight. He’s learned he’s got to listen to the corner and not try and out-punch a puncher.” We’ll find out Feb. 14, when Tillman, the last man to beat Mike Tyson, fights fellow Olympian Evander Holyfield for the WBC cruiserweight title in Reno. This will be the first showdown between members of the Olympic team.

Another Olympian in the news: Super-heavyweight gold medalist Tyrell Biggs, the WBA’s top-ranked heavyweight, has added a tree, a parking meter and a light pole to his list of victims. Tuesday he ran his 1986 Mercedes up a sidewalk in Laguna Beach, doing more damage to municipal property than to himself. Police said no drugs or alcohol were involved. But watch out for a car with the vanity plates BAD JAB. . . . Still another ’84 grad: Willie deWit, Olympic silver medalist, will make his network TV debut Feb. 14 when he fights Bert Cooper. DeWit is selling ‘em out in Regina, Saskatchewan, his hometown. . . . And another: The team’s most stylish boxer, Mark Breland, will fight Harold Volbrecht Feb. 6 in Atlantic City for the vacant WBA welterweight title. The welterweight title had been a world title until Britain’s Lloyd Honeyghan was stripped of the WBA portion when he refused to fight Volbrecht, a white South African, because of apartheid politics there. Honeyghan nevertheless holds the WBC and IBF portions, gained from his upset of Donald Curry, and will defend them Feb. 22 against Johnny Bumphus.

Last Olympian: Local Paul Gonzales hasn’t fought since last summer at Lake Tahoe. And, despite a hand injury, he has been ready and desperate to fight for a while. There is little interest from the networks. Word is that the Gonzales fight, shown on CBS, was out-pointed in the Nielsen ratings by a fight involving Buddy McGirt on NBC. CBS might not show its wonder boy again until he gets a title fight. Under the category of Livingstone I presume, file the name of Ras-I-Halujah Bramble. The former lightweight champion, dunked by Edwin Rosario before a big-bucks showdown with WBC champion Hector Camacho could happen, is trying the game with a new handle. He’ll start with Cornelius Boza-Edwards, possibly Feb. 1, in a record-hyphen fight. . . . Camacho, meanwhile, does not like life at lightweight, now that Bramble is gone. Faced with the prospect of fighting Rosario, whom he had narrowly defeated in a very tough fight, Camacho has decided to move up a division. He reportedly has turned down a $1-million offer from Don King to fight Rosario and unify the title in March. Camacho apparently believes that if he moves up, he will not only be rid of Rosario but also of King. He thinks he’ll automatically be let out of a $2-million, five-fight contract with King. He’d better get a good lawyer.