Don King Keeps After Douglas

Is it any surprise that Don King is once again using charges of racism to try to pressure Buster Douglas into returning to the fold?

King has tried this gambit before, and always found it effective. It worked with Larry Holmes, Greg Page, Mitch Green, Mike Tyson and even Butch Lewis, so why shouldn’t it work with Douglas? King has virtually moved into Douglas’ hometown of Columbus, Ohio, -- he is currently living at the Radisson Hotel and is talking publicly about buying a home in the city -- and over the past week has managed to stir up racial tension in town, using the facilities of an all-black radio station, WCKX, as his personal soap box. In another of his tried-and-true scams, King also has made a stab at converting Douglas’ father, Billy, to his cause by throwing a 50th birthday party for him and giving the old man -- who is somewhat estranged from his son -- a “gift” of $10,000.

Not surprisingly, King has found support from some members of the city’s black community, although not from the president of the Columbus City Council, Jerry Hammond, who is black. But King has lured NAACP Director Benjamin Hooks to Columbus to take up the cause.

“It hasn’t worked, because what Don King doesn’t realize, or won’t acknowledge, is that James Douglas is a highly intelligent, honest individual who sees right through him,” manager John Johnson said.

“But then, how would Don King know that when he has never even sat down and talked to James Douglas? And he never will, because James wants nothing to do with Don King.”

Johnson said that despite pressure from King and the various interests who want to force Douglas into a rematch with Mike Tyson, the new heavyweight champ intends to stick to his personal timetable -- no first defense until September, and preferably against No. 1 contender Evander Holyfield. But if that can’t be done, Douglas may fight George Foreman, or Francesco Damiani, or the winner of next week’s Michael Dokes-Razor Ruddock fight, or ... anyone he damn well pleases.

“Don’t forget, we are the people who went to Tokyo and kicked Mike Tyson’s (butt),” Johnson said. “If I were Don King, and a lot of other people, I would be giving us some respect. But they are still not doing that. They continue to underestimate us.”

The feud between middleweight champion Michael Nunn and his manager, Dan Goossen, is more heated than early reports seemed to indicate. Nunn, who is scheduled to fight welterweight champ Marlon Starling April 14 in Las Vegas, walked out of his Pine Valley, Calif., training camp over the weekend in a continuing contract dispute with Goossen and Co., also known as Ten Goose Boxing.

According to Goossen, the latest rift is a mystery, especially since Nunn announced March 16 that he had agreed to a two-year contract extension with Goossen. To hear Papa Goose tell it, Nunn’s walkout came as a total surprise.

But other sources say there was a full-scale blowup Saturday night, pitting Nunn and his entourage, mostly family members and friends from his hometown of Davenport, Iowa, against Dan and Joe Goossen, who is Nunn’s trainer. At one point, the dispute turned physical, with Dan Goossen nearly coming to blows with Nunn’s uncle, Marshall Jackson, and Joe Goossen putting Nunn’s friend and “adviser,” Danny Dothard, into a headlock. Luckily, Nunn -- who has a history of street-fight KOs that is more impressive than his ring record -- was in another room and not involved.

Nunn is said to be working out in Los Angeles and being trained by Cassius “Bo” Green. He is taking much of his career direction from Dothard, Jackson and Ron May, a Davenport attorney. Nunn says he will go through with the Starling fight -- he is being paid $1.15 million -- and will reopen contract discussions with the Goossens afterward. But everyone concerned would be surprised if the Nunn-Goossen association continues past Nov. 1, when the current deal runs out.

Now for some news on a fighter who is not looking for scapegoats, who is not splitting with his manager or firing his trainer. You know -- the kind they don’t make anymore.

The fighter, of course, is Buddy McGirt, the former IBF junior welterweight champion who was numbered among the world’s best boxers 18 months ago but today is nearly forgotten when it comes to making title matches. McGirt (47-2-1, 37 KOs), now a welterweight, fights Tommy Ayers Saturday afternoon on CBS. Name another fighter who lost a title -- he was beaten on a 12th-round TKO by Meldrick Taylor in September, 1988 -- won all nine of his fights since, and still hasn’t had a whiff of another title shot?

Nevertheless, McGirt blames no one but himself for his subpar showing against Taylor. He has not blamed his long-time manager, Al Certo, nor his promoter, Madison Square Garden, for his inability to get another shot.

“You can’t get upset over something you can’t control,” McGirt said. “It was my own fault. I shouldn’t have fought (Taylor), I was sick that day. All I could blame is myself. I know that I screwed up. Those things happen. You make your bed hard, you got to sleep in it.”

The only one McGirt holds any animosity for is Taylor, who he says never treated him with any respect. As a result, McGirt did not watch Taylor’s recent fight with Julio Cesar Chavez; he watched a detective show on TV instead. “I didn’t give a damn about the fight,” McGirt said. “Taylor’s got a nasty attitude and a big mouth. He walks around like the world owes him something. The world don’t owe him spit. But I owe him something.”

McGirt hopes a win over Ayers (38-2, 32 KOs) will earn him a shot at either Starling, Mark Breland or Simon Brown.