Reputed Ex-Gang Member Sues Ten Goose Boxing Club

A man claiming to be a former street-gang member filed suit Friday against the owners of the Ten Goose Boxing Club in Van Nuys, claiming they should not have allowed him to get into the ring with a one-time national amateur heavyweight champion.

In his Los Angeles Superior Court action, Jimel (Sampson) Barnes says he suffered physical and emotional injury stemming from an informal sparring session last February against John Bray of Van Nuys. Bray, who was 19 and weighed 190 pounds at the time, is named as a defendant along with brothers Joe and Dan Goossen.

Barnes, a 6-foot-2, 250-pound sometime-security guard from Los Angeles, is seeking undisclosed damages.

Dan Goossen, the boxing club’s president, said Friday he had not seen the suit and would not comment.

Barnes’ attorney, Larry Lewellyn, said his client had called the Goossens a number of times last year for a boxing tryout. He was rebuffed each time until Lakers owner Jerry Buss mentioned to the Goossens that he knew of a man who went by the name “Sampson” who might have some talent, Lewellyn said.

In a story in The Times last March, Dan Goossen recalled a conversation with a man--identified by Joe Goossen and Bray as Sampson--who said he wanted to be a boxer. In his phone conversations with Sampson before the sparring match, Dan Goossen said that Sampson admitted to having no boxing experience.

The Goossens, who have trained and managed numerous fighters, including International Boxing Federation middleweight champion Michael Nunn, agreed to a tryout at their Van Nuys gym and put Barnes in the ring with Bray. Both men wore protective headgear during the session, according to Bray.

But Barnes--who outweighed Bray by 60 pounds--lasted just 20 seconds before being knocked to the canvas by a series of punches, according to Bray.

Barnes, in his early 30s, did not suffer severe injuries and continues to work as a security guard, Lewellyn said.