Shields Hopes to Land Nunn in Comeback : Boxing: North Hollywood resident desires to meet up with the IBF middleweight champion down the road.

Imagine this: A guy takes piles and piles of money out of your pockets and there is no way you can get the cash back. Your best friend then gains for you a measure of retribution by knocking the daylights out of the man.

Now, be honest. Wouldn’t that make you feel just a little bit better about the loss of your money?

Of course it would.

But brothers Dan and Joe Goossen of the Ten Goose Boxing Club in Van Nuys say no, it would not do a thing for them. Even though someone did , in essence, take stacks of money from them. And even though one of their best friends is a man who could very well bounce a fist or two off the forehead of the man who did the taking and also is very willing to provide this service.

Randy Shields, the former welterweight contender considered to be one of the best in the division during the late 1970s and early ‘80s, has begun a boxing comeback. He also is a very close friend of the Goossens and is being managed by Dan and trained by Joe.

Michael Nunn, the International Boxing Federation middleweight champion, used to be managed by Dan Goossen and trained by Joe Goossen at their Van Nuys gym, first as a rank amateur and then as a professional in the world of million-dollar paydays. Then, without giving a reason, Nunn left, taking with him his formidable talents--not to mention what would have amounted to at least a 20% cut of his purses for the Goossens.

“I haven’t told anybody this. Not Joe or Dan or anybody. But I want to fight Michael Nunn,” said Shields, who is back in training for November fight at the Country Club in Reseda. Last week, in his first fight in nearly eight years, Shields scored a unanimous 10-round decision over a tough Stewart Baynes.

Shields, 34, of North Hollywood, has left the welterweight (147 pounds) division. He fought last week at 154 pounds, just six below the middleweight limit. And that, he said, has caused him to focus his sights on Nunn.

“I know I need a few more fights and a few more pounds, but I really want to fight him,” said Shields, who piled up an impressive 41-9-1 record in his first boxing career.

“And it’s not because of the Goossens and the problems they’ve had with him. I’d just like to fight the guy, because he’s there. He’s approachable. I won’t wait for guys like Tommy Hearns or Sugar Ray Leonard because you never know anymore if and when they’re going to fight. But Nunn is active.

“I have never mentioned this to Joe or Dan, but I’m sure they would like the idea. I know I’ve got some work to do to get ready for a fight like that, but in the back of my mind, he’s the guy I want.”

And so would the Goossens. But not for the obvious reason.

“I hope Randy would be able to do such a thing, but only for the money a fight like that would bring him,” said Dan Goossen, president of the Ten Goose Club. “I would not in any way think of it as revenge.

“But, it would also be strange to see. Strange, with a smile.”

Big-money fights against Hearns or Leonard, or even the still-active Roberto Duran, also might be in the picture for Shields. One of the obstacles to fighting either Hearns or Leonard would be the memories of those two fighters.

Shields pounded Leonard and won an easy decision when they met as amateurs. When they fought as professionals in 1978, Leonard won a controversial, 10-round decision in his hometown of Baltimore. And in 1981, Shields was en route to a stunning upset of the highly touted Hearns, leading on all three scorecards in the 10th round before a pair of nasty cuts over his eyes forced doctors to stop the fight in the 12th, giving Hearns a TKO win.

“Another reason I’d like Nunn,” Shields said, “is that I would get his title. And if I want to lure either Leonard or Hearns into a rematch, I think I’ll need a title first.”

Not so, said Dan Goossen.

“I don’t think Randy needs a title to lure one of those guys into a fight,” Goossen said. “I think the name Randy Shields and his background in the ring are all the public needs. George Foreman doesn’t have a title and he’s on the verge of a championship fight. When you have a name, you don’t need a title.”

All of this talk has Joe Goossen backpedaling a bit. He and Nunn were very close before the split. He knows more about Nunn’s fighting style and ring habits than anyone. And he has been Shields’ best friend since high school.

“Randy never told me about any of this,” Goossen said. “He wants to fight Mike Nunn? Well, why not? If he wants to do it, I’ll certainly help him. But really, it’s just speculation. And for me to talk about it, well, let’s just see what happens over the next few months. Randy has a fight in November, and that’s all I’m thinking about now.

“But to see Randy and Mike Nunn in the same ring? That would be very strange.”