South African May Fight at Forum : Bout Would Match Mitchell Against Lopez of Glendale

The same week the World Boxing Council suspended a West German promoter for staging a West Berlin bout in which a South African boxer was a participant, the Forum revealed plans to hold a June championship bout involving another South African fighter.

Forum matchmaker Tony Curtis said he wants to match Brian Mitchell of South Africa, the World Boxing Assn. junior-lightweight champion, against Hector Lopez of Glendale in June.

WBC president Jose Sulaiman reacted last week to a West Berlin bout between Thulane Malinga of South Africa and West German Graciano Rocchigiani for the International Boxing Federation super-middleweight championship.

Sulaiman demanded the IBF cut boxing ties to South Africa, and said he may ask WBC champions who also hold IBF titles, such as Mike Tyson, to choose between the two or be stripped of their WBC championships.

Mitchell, who is white, has held the WBA’s junior-lightweight (130 pounds) championship since 1986. Lopez, 21, is a Mexican citizen who has lived in Glendale most of his life. Competing for Mexico, he won a silver medal at the 1984 Olympics while still a junior at Glendale Hoover High School.

He’s rated fourth among WBA featherweights and, No. 1 by the WBC.

“Jose Sulaiman’s opinions on South African boxers have no affect on our plans,” Curtis said.

“Brian Mitchell is an individual who has a right to make a living. It’s not like we’re going over there. He’s coming here. I would never send a fighter to South Africa, but I would never stop him from coming here.”

Curtis, who is black, explained that negotiations were still under way for Mitchell-Lopez. He said Lopez would earn between $20,000 and $30,000 and that Mitchell would make about $80,000.

Last week, in announcing its suspension of the West German promoter, Sulaiman called the IBF’s sanctioning of the bout “an insult to the most elementary principles of dignity and equality.”

If the Forum boxing staff goes ahead with a Mitchell-Lopez bout, it would seem to be putting itself on a collision course with the Mexico City-based WBC and Sulaiman. The WBC has sanctioned numerous title fights at the Forum.