Nunn, Tate Agree to Title Fight

It took nearly four years of fighting in the ring, more than four weeks of haggling behind the scenes and negotiations that rivaled some of those conducted by Henry Kissinger.

But finally, Michael Nunn has his world title shot.

International Boxing Federation champion Frank Tate will defend against Nunn in a 15-round match July 28 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

It will be a battle of the unbeatens. Nunn, who fights out of the Ten Goose Boxing Club of North Hollywood, is 29-0 with 19 knockouts. Tate, a Houston resident, is 22-0 with 13 knockouts.

“I knew sooner or later I would get a shot,” Nunn said. “They kept me hungry and I’m going to punish them for that, for making me wait.”

The “them” he refers to are Tate and his handlers. Nunn, who turned pro in 1984, has wanted to fight Tate for about a year. Certainly he has been eager, beating Darnell Knox last October to win the North American Boxing Federation middleweight title.

But the Tate camp seemed in no hurry to work things out, even when promoter Bob Arum reportedly offered Tate more than $300,000 to fight Nunn.

The fight became a reality only after IBF officials sent Tate a letter two months ago ordering him to fight Nunn, the No. 1 contender, or risk losing his title.

Even then, negotiations dragged. Tate’s manager, Stan Hoffman, was in New York; Nunn’s manager, Dan Goossen, in North Hollywood.

And Bob Halloran, president of Caesars World Sports, played the role of negotiator, shuttling back and forth to try to put a deal together.

Would it be Las Vegas? Or Atlantic City? Or Lake Tahoe? Or Houston? Would Tate have another title defense first?

On Thursday, all the questions were answered. Both fighters will have tuneup fights, Nunn’s on May 31 at the Reseda Country Club against an as-yet-undetermined opponent.

Now there is a new question: Can Nunn, the boxer, beat Tate, the puncher?

History offers a mixed answer. The two met twice in 1983 when both were amateurs and split, Tate winning the first time, 3-2, Nunn in the rematch, 5-0.

“He can’t match my speed and I think I’m a better puncher, a more consistent puncher,” Nunn said. “I’m not going to run from him. I have no reason to run.”