BOXING / EARL GUSTKEY : A Big Enough Paycheck Can Soothe Pain

It’s always amazing how quickly money can heal any wound, especially in the murky commerce of boxing--where injustices can be simply made to disappear with a check.

A little more than a year ago, Mike Tyson was supposed to fight one Donovan (Razor) Ruddock, a Jamaican-Canadian heavyweight, in Edmonton, Canada. Ruddock’s handlers were elated. They believed then and now, as do many others in boxing, that Ruddock is the world’s best heavyweight.

Tyson-Ruddock never happened. Tyson got sick. At least, that’s what his promoter, Don King, said. So the fight was called off, not postponed. King, who had already signed for a Tyson fight in Tokyo, matched him there with Buster Douglas.

Naturally, Ruddock’s promoter, Murad Muhammad, was furious. He called King and Tyson every name he could think of. Then he sued them.

“Tyson wasn’t sick, he backed out on us because Razor scared him,” Muhammad said. “At the press conference in Edmonton when we announced the fight, Razor held his fists under Mike’s chin, but didn’t say anything. Mike kind of blinked, then walked away. We never saw him again. “See, Tyson is a street bully, and street bullies never want to fight the quiet guys, the guys who never say anything.”

Tonight, both Tyson and Ruddock are appearing on a King card at the Atlantic City Convention Hall. And guess what? Today, Muhammad thinks Don King is a wonderful guy.

Further, Muhammad thinks it’s terrible that two of boxing’s world governing bodies, the International Boxing Federation and the World Boxing Assn., are permitting new champion Evander Holyfield to fight George Foreman instead of Tyson. . . . And what a fine thing it is for America that we have Jose Sulaiman and his World Boxing Council to fight injustice for us. Muhammad said King has promised Ruddock a shot at the WBC heavyweight title, if Sulaiman strips Holyfield of that portion of the championship. Tyson and Ruddock, then, would fight for the vacant WBC crown.

“Think for a minute what’s happening to Mike Tyson today,” Muhammad said. “Here’s a guy who defended the heavyweight championship 10 times . . . 10 times! How many guys in history have done that? And now they’re telling him he can’t get a title shot?

“Come on, that’s a crime. They’re going to let Foreman fight Holyfield for the title, but not Mike? That’s a crime. We offered Foreman $6 million to fight Razor, and he wouldn’t take it.

“I think there’s a 90% chance Sulaiman will strip Holyfield. And this time he’s right. For the first time in my life, I’m rooting for King and Sulaiman.”

Muhammad has a point about the unfairness of Tyson having to wait for more than a year for an opportunity to win back the championship. But it apparently hasn’t occurred to Muhammad that if boxing were governed by a national commission, Ruddock might be the heavyweight champion of the world. Such a commission might long ago have ordered, in fairness, that Tyson defend against Ruddock and not against, say, Carl Williams or Douglas.

Despite his upset of Tyson in Tokyo, Buster Douglas never really deserved that opportunity.

So, today a war of nerves is under way. Holyfield’s promoter, Dan Duva, has talked to some congressional heavyweights about holding hearings on pro boxing.

Stay tuned.

Speaking of crime in boxing, it seems police in San Diego are cracking down on ring-card bearers. They’re the young women who inform audiences of the upcoming round by holding up big cards displaying the round number. Few notice, however, because the women are all but undressed.

During promoter Bobby DePhilippis’ recent show at the Mission Valley Marriott in San Diego, four policemen showed up and arrested not only DePhilippis, but his four ring-card women, too. All five were written up for indecent exposure.

“It’s ridiculous,” DePhilippis said. “We’re going to court with our lawyer. Have you ever been to one of the Goossens’ (Ten Goose Boxing) shows in Reseda? The Goossen girls hardly wear anything, yet we get busted.”

Dan Goossen, who with his family promotes fight shows at the Reseda Country Club, acknowledged that his ring-card women were scantily clad until a couple of years ago.

“One night, my Mom (Ann Goossen) said to me: ‘OK, this is a family show, so let’s get some clothes on those girls.’

“Don’t the San Diego police have anything better to do than go to the fights and look at ring-card girls? Isn’t there any street crime down there?”

Boxing Notes

For the record: Evander Holyfield was not the most recent 1984 U.S. Olympic boxing team member to win a world pro title. He was the first, when he won the WBA and IBF cruiserweight titles in 1986. So, make it most recent major pro title.

If Vinny Pazienza retires after his loss to Loreto Garza last Saturday, he will be missed by many of his numerous fans in New England. But few in boxing will miss Angelo Pazienza, the fighter’s father/manager. At ringside in Sacramento, from the opening bell through the middle rounds, Angelo repeatedly called referee Larry Rozadilla uncomplimentary names in a foghorn voice. He gave up midway through the bout when it was apparent that his overmatched son would lose. Rozadilla deducted two points from Vinny for deliberate fouls, finally disqualifying him in the 11th round.

Dan Goossen said his all-heavyweight card Tuesday night at the Reseda Country Club will be the first in California in 33 years. . . . Former heavyweight Lou Nova sends along a clipping from before the 1941 Joe Louis-Nova fight at Yankee Stadium. The reporter referred to the steep ticket prices--$30 ringside, $5.75-$16.50 mezzanine, $3.50 upper deck.

Variety reports that HBO has outbid Showtime for delayed telecast rights to the April 19 Holyfield-George Foreman pay-per-view fight. HBO, Variety said, won with an $11-million bid for two bouts, Holyfield-Foreman and the winner vs. Mike Tyson. . . . Tyson, after a workout Wednesday: “Being champion is a frame of mind, the belts are only symbols. I am the champion . . . “ And Tyson, on those who quit: “Buster Douglas won’t be remembered as the guy who beat me, he’ll be remembered as the guy who quit against Holyfield, in a championship fight. Look at Roberto Duran--all those great victories, but people will remember him as the guy who quit (against Sugar Ray Leonard) in New Orleans.”