West German, Injured Hand Concern Bray

Maybe John Bray, who will make his Goodwill Games boxing debut Monday night at the Seattle Center Coliseum, figures what he doesn’t know can’t hurt him.

His opponent?

“I just found out today,” Bray said Friday evening. “I’m fighting the West German.”

This particular West German, Bray said, was “a banger, a helluva fighter.” He had gone five rounds with Felix Savon of Cuba, three-time world champion, and was still standing when the bout ended.

“This guy is no slouch, that’s for sure,” said Bray, a Van Nuys-based heavyweight. “This guy is top-notch, probably the best fighter I’ll have ever been in the ring with.”

His name?

Bray didn’t know.

For the record, it’s Bert Teuchert, a 23-year-old from Freiburg who lists his occupations as soldier and bricklayer.

All of which is of little significance to Bray, who has more important things to worry about--such as having to box Teuchert with one hand.

Bray has pulled and torn ligaments in the small finger on his right hand. He suffered the injury earlier this month while training with the U. S. team at Ft. Huachuca, Ariz. Team doctors have recommended surgery after the Goodwill Games.

There was even some question as to whether Bray should be held out of this week’s competition.

“I was still able to do well sparring,” Bray said, “but the right hand is not going to be thrown as much as before. I don’t want to break this hand.

“An injury like that can be career-ending. The Goodwill Games is one thing, but my career is another.”

Bray’s hands will be wrapped a special way in order to help prevent further damage. The rest of the protection he will need to provide himself.

“I’m going to be a little more technical about this,” Bray said. “I’ve been working angling myself off so that I’m not so squared off and such a big target. And I’ve been working on my (left) jab. My jab is going to make me Goodwill Games champion.”

He has his work cut out. Bray’s opponents are older, more experienced and, even more troublesome, mostly European.

That last fact alone could be intimidating. Bray’s record against European boxers is similar to Pat Paulsen’s in presidential campaigns.

“Their style gets me sometimes,” Bray said.

Bray’s record against Europeans has not been kept, but he is sure that it “is not very impressive.”

“Being inexperienced internationally has made me kind of choke in a couple of situations, I’ll admit that,” Bray said. “But that’s something that is going to fade away with time. Win or lose here, it’s a learning process. It’s just another steppingstone to the Olympics.

“The important thing is that in ’92 I’m there with my hands raised and a gold medal wrapped around my neck.”

In Teuchert, Bray faces a fighter who would rather brawl than box. In the past, Bray has appeared tentative when faced by such an attack. He says he won’t be backpedaling this time.

In June, after a lackluster decision over James Johnson at the Goodwill Games boxoff in Las Vegas, Bray was stung by criticism from Pat Nappi, coach of the U. S. squad.

Nappi lauded Bray’s potential but said Bray needed greater motivation. He also suggested that Bray, who had been training at the Ten Goose Boxing Club in Van Nuys with pro heavyweight Alex Garcia and others, stop sparring with professionals.

As a result, Nappi said, Bray’s tendency was to sit back and take too many punches.

In response, Bray severed all professional ties.

“I’ve broken from Lou Duva’s camp. I’ve broken away from Ten Goose’s camp,” Bray said. “We all remain friends, but I think (Nappi) was right. As long as I’m an amateur, I’m going to work with amateurs.”

As for his reputation of starting tentatively, Bray deflects such verbal shots.

“People don’t realize that the hard part about being a fighter is not the training and winning and all that,” he said.

“The hard part is walking down that aisle and stepping into that ring. If someone criticizes me after doing that about 20 times, then I’ll listen to them.”