Nunn, on Way Up Ladder, Has to Climb Past Roldan

Sugar Ray Leonard, at a session with boxing writers, was asked about a private conversation he’d had with Michael Nunn earlier this week.

“I like Michael Nunn,” Leonard said. “I like what he brings to boxing--a little class. Boxing needs more Michael Nunns.”

Possible translation: Ray wants to fight Nunn, beat him up and make a lot of money. A Leonard-Nunn fight, if it ever happens, is well down the boulevard. Nunntheless, Leonard will be in attendance tonight at the Las Vegas Hilton when Nunn, winner of all 31 of his pro fights, defends his International Boxing Federation middleweight championship against a rugged Argentine, Juan Domingo Roldan (67-3-2).

Leonard, of course, has an appointment of his own. He will fight Donny Lalonde at Caesars Palace Monday night.

The Nunn-Roldan fight is just one-third of a tripleheader tonight at the Hilton. In the other bouts:

--Another of boxing’s developing stars, and no relation to the fight site, Canadian light-middleweight Matthew Hilton (29-0) defends his IBF junior-middleweight championship against Robert Hines of Philadelphia (23-1-1).

--Thomas Hearns of Detroit (45-3), in his first appearance since he was upset by Iran Barkley last June, fights James Kinchen of San Diego (43-4-2), the North American Boxing Federation super middleweight champion.

Nunn has become the headliner of tonight’s show, and was a surprisingly big 9-1 favorite Thursday. If the quick, fast-handed North Hollywood boxer dispatches Roldan, as most expect, he will have positioned himself to proceed in one of two directions:

--A big payday bout with Leonard.

--Unification of the middleweight championship.

But first comes the troublesome, free-swinging Roldan. He’s the only man who ever knocked Marvin Hagler down, even though he lost. He’s a brawling, head-first charger. When Roldan fights, you need a well-conditioned referee.

A modern-day Gene Fullmer, he is crude, tough and, at 31, still a formidable opponent.

He tried to get under Nunn’s skin at a press conference earlier this week.

“I hope Michael Nunn will fight a man’s fight, and not run,” Roldan said through an interpreter, with Nunn sitting a few feet away. “If he fights like a man, there will be a new champion.”

Nunn is not impressed with Roldan’s style.

“If he fights me like he fought Hearns and Hagler, he’ll be all done in 2 rounds,” Nunn said. “That style of his will make me look great. If the fight goes 12 rounds, he’ll be so beat up he’ll never fight again.”

Nunn, dismissed early in his career as a runner, converted almost everyone with a dazzling show against Frank Tate for the IBF title July 28. He turned what was supposed to be a competitive bout into a runaway, stopping Tate in 9 rounds.

And Nunn, the guy who was supposed to be a pitty-pat puncher, knocked Tate down with a body blow.

Nunn went into the mine for this one. He trained for 6 weeks at Pine Valley, Calif., in the mountains east of San Diego.

“For Tate, I was in the greatest shape of my life,” Nunn said. “But I’m in better shape now.”

He pointed to his legs, and said: “These wheels are ready for 12 rounds.”

Roldan’s rough style?

“A man is only as rough as you let him be,” he said. “If he butts me, I’ll butt him right back. If he throws me down, I’ll throw him down. I will allow no man to throw me around. I will be the dictator from Round 1 to the finish.”

When last seen in Las Vegas, a year ago, Roldan was lying face-down on the canvas, victim of a fourth-round knockout by Hearns.

Roldan had Hearns in all kinds of difficulty before the end, however. Roldan had Hearns hurt and at least briefly holding on in the first, third and fourth rounds before Hearns unloaded a right.

As for the future in the event of a victory by Nunn tonight, Dan Goossen, Nunn’s manager, said unification of the middleweight championship was the probable course heading.

“A Leonard fight would be great, sure, but Ray is an unpredictable kind of guy and we can’t build our plans waiting for that,” Goossen said.

Barkley, who took the World Boxing Council crown from Hearns, will fight Roberto Duran in January. Sumbu Kalambay, the World Boxing Assn. champion, meets Doug DeWitt in Monte Carlo Tuesday.

Matthew Hilton, like Nunn, may be on the threshold of some 7-figure paydays.

A win over Hines would most likely put him on a path to the unification of the junior middleweight championship, which could mean title bouts with Donald Curry and Julian Jackson.

Or, Hilton may have to move up. The muscular athlete has some difficulty making 154. But, if he moves up, it could mean . . . who knows? Maybe Nunn? Maybe Leonard?

Hines is the IBF’s No. 1 contender, a slugger who has knocked out 16 of his 25 foes. He has also knocked out 4 of his last 5.

Hilton is such a heavy favorite, though, that hotel oddsmakers took the fight off the board.

For Hearns, 30, tonight looms as a career turner.

If he should lose to Kinchen, the big paydays are over and so might be one of the headliner careers of the 1980s.

The one-time Motor City Cobra has not looked sharp in his last two bouts. A year ago, he was hurt by Roldan repeatedly before he knocked him out. Then came the stunning knockout by Barkley last June 6.

Manny Steward, Hearns’ manager, said this week that should Hearns lose, the long chase for rematches with Leonard and Hagler would be over.

“If Tommy loses, that’s it,” he said. “He’s been boxing for 11 years, he’s got money in the bank. He wouldn’t want to come back after another loss, in a comeback kind of situation. So this is a big one for Tommy.”

Five years ago, Hearns would have been 10-1 over Kinchen, who 14 months ago lost a decision to someone named Larry Musgrove at Reseda. On Thursday, Hearns was a 4-1 favorite.