Carlos Zarate Returns to Forum for Another Title Fight

Donald Trump said the other day that ringside seats for his June 27 Mike Tyson-Michael Spinks fight in Atlantic City will be an all-time high, $1,500 apiece. The cheapest seats will also be an all-time high, $100.

Though it won’t feature a heavyweight title fight, Monday’s Forum card, which includes two of boxing’s little warriors, Carlos Zarate and Azumah Nelson, will cost $110 for a ringside seat. That’s more than it cost for the Muhammad Ali--Ken Norton bout at the Forum 15 years ago.

Zarate might be called the Forum’s boxing meal ticket. The 36-year-old Mexican, who seeks the World Boxing Council’s super-bantamweight crown against Daniel Zaragoza, has drawn crowds of more than 9,000 five times since 1976. When he took the WBC bantamweight crown from Rodolfo Martinez in May, 1976, 16,074 were present.

Monday, for their double title bout card, Forum officials expect about 8,000. The card will also be televised live on Prime Ticket and SelecTV, beginning at 7 p.m. In the second title bout, Nelson defends his WBC featherweight championship against Azabache Martinez.

Monday’s appearance will be Zarate’s 14th of a comeback that began in early 1986. Zarate retired in 1979, after losing the WBC bantamweight title to Lupe Pintor, and was inactive from 1980 to 1986.

But he wasn’t really retired, he said the other day.

“I was in the gym regularly all those years, staying in shape,” he said. “I’ve had 13 fights since I started my comeback and I have not disgraced the name of Carlos Zarate. I’m proud of that.”

Zarate and Zaragoza, 28, are boxing for the championship vacated by Australian Jeff Fenech, who moved up to the featherweight division after beating Zarate on a technical decision (accidental head butt) in Sydney last October. Until then, Zarate was 12 for 12 on his comeback, with 8 knockouts. In 1978, Zarate was No. 1 on boxing’s all-time knockout percentage list, 49 wins, 48 by knockout, or 98%. A decade later, he’s 59-3, and has been taken the distance only twice in an 11-year career.

Zarate has never fit the mold of a boxing champion--he’s quiet, impassive, not given to lavish dress or conversation. He doesn’t even make predictions.

When asked to do so Thursday, he said: “I will let the fight take its turn and whatever happens, I’ll be ready.”

Zarate’s opponent, Zaragoza, is 32-4 with 15 knockouts. He’s been the North American Boxing Federation’s super-bantamweight champion since 1986.

Nelson, 29, is 26-1 with 19 knockouts. Martinez, 22, is 46-3-2 with 29 knockouts and is the WBC’s second-ranked featherweight. He’s won seven straight since a 1985 decision loss to Roger Mayweather. He was stopped by Julio Cesar Chavez in 1984 in his first attempt to win the super-featherweight title.

Nelson and Martinez are fighting for the super-featherweight championship recently vacated by Chavez.

Preliminary bouts are scheduled to start at about 6:30 p.m., with the Zarate-Zaragoza fight set for 7:15.

Also on Monday night, Tommy Perez of Santa Ana meets Sammy Ray Taylor of San Diego in a welterweight main event at the Irvine Marriott. The bouts begin at 7:30 p.m.