BOXING / EARL GUSTKEY : Argument Concerning Glove Safety Is Renewed

The decades-old safety argument over heavy boxing gloves vs. light gloves was revived after junior-bantamweight Kid Akeem Anifowoshe suffered a serious head injury in Texas during a bout in which six-ounce gloves were used.

Anifowoshe slipped into a coma after losing a tough fight to Robert Quiroga Saturday in San Antonio. Anifowoshe was in critical condition when first hospitalized but has made steady progress and was listed as fair Friday.

Anifowoshe, a 21-year-old Nigerian, underwent brain surgery after losing a 12-round decision.

In the aftermath, trainers for both fighters blamed the six-ounce gloves for Anifowoshe’s injury. But Texas officials said neither fighter’s camp objected to their use before the fight.

Texas, like California, has a rule prohibiting the use of the small gloves. In California, State Athletic Commission rules call for eight-ounce gloves for bouts up to welterweight, 10-ounce gloves for those over welterweight.

It turns out the International Boxing Federation insisted on the use of the smaller gloves. For all IBF championship fights from featherweight down to flyweight, six-ounce gloves are used.

“Our rule calls for eights, but in a case where both camps agree to sixes, we waive our rule,” said Lee Yeakel, chairman of the Texas Commission of Licensing and Regulation.

“What we have is a rule on glove weights, not a statute. If one camp had objected to the sixes, we would have had to make a decision. But there was no objection to the little gloves before the fight. And no one so far has made a link between the six-ounce gloves and Kid Akeem’s injury.

“I think you could make a case that sixes tend to cause cuts more than eights, but as far as I know, no one has shown that sixes are more likely to cause serious injury.”

The IBF is reviewing its insistance on six-ounce gloves. “Our medical commission is going over the whole subject of sixes,” said Bob Lee, Jr., of the IBF. “Nothing could have prevented what happened. The gloves didn’t play a part in it. In boxing, these things sometimes happen.”

One arguing for lighter gloves can maintain that a boxer is better able to protect himself from injury, particularly in later rounds when even lighter gloves can become heavier with accumulated water, sweat and blood.

Or it also seems that a lighter glove, with less padding between the outside of the glove and the fist, delivers a slightly harder impact than a heavier glove.

In any event, the Kid Akeem case is yet another argument for the creation of a national boxing commission, one that would unify the myriad boxing rules of all the states and the sport’s half-dozen or so governing bodies.

The USA Amateur Boxing Federation doesn’t much care if its boxers spar with pros, but the California Athletic Commission does. The commission staff is investigating a sparring session between pro champion Julio Cesar Chavez and Oscar de la Hoya of East Los Angeles, a national amateur champion.

It seems the two sparred recently at a Huntington Park restaurant, where a $2 admission was charged.

Jim Fox, executive director of the USA Amateur Boxing Federation in Colorado Springs, said pro-amateur sparring sessions are a violation of USA/ABF rules, but the rule is not enforced.

“It happens all the time,” Fox said. “When you have pros and amateurs training in the same gyms, it’s inevitable. If we blew a whistle every time that happened, we’d wear out our whistles.”

The Athletic Commission, however, is blowing three whistles. Not only did De la Hoya violate a commission rule, so did Chavez. Section 18643(a) of the commission rule book states: “No professional boxer shall spar for training purposes with any person not licensed as a professional boxer.”

Further, Jack’s Restaurant of Huntington Park has been informed it was a party to an Athletic Commission violation and may be subject to a misdemeanor fine of $1,000.

Boxing historians are scouring old files this week, looking for a quicker fight than the one in Brisbane, Australia, Wednesday.

In a junior-middleweight bout scheduled for four rounds, Paul Rees stopped Charlie Hansen five seconds into the first round. The two exchanged one flurry, when Hansen complained suddenly of double vision. At that point, the referee raised Rees’ hand.

A ringside physician later said Hansen’s injury was a scratched eyeball, not thought to be serious.

Boxing Notes

Alex Wallau, ABC’s boxing coordinator, doesn’t go along with the theory presently making the rounds that former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson has lost it. “When he fought (Razor) Ruddock, he took on a guy everyone agreed was at least the third-best heavyweight in the world and he beat him up,” Wallau said. “I thought it was the best win of Tyson’s career. To me, he’s still the best heavyweight in the world.” ABC will preview the June 28 Tyson-Ruddock II fight on “Wide World of Sports” today. . . . One of boxing’s governing bodies, something called the International Boxing Council, sent out a notice this week indicating that it had withdrawn recognition of the “Tyson vs. Ruddick” fight. Apparently, the group decided to withdraw recognition because it couldn’t spell Ruddock.

There were 37 applicants for the California Athletic Commission executive officer’s post, vacant when Ken Gray retires July 19. The leading candidates reportedly are Steve English, Don Muse, Rudy Ortega and Raoul Silva. . . . The commission, under heat recently for bending over backward to please world governing bodies, wouldn’t back down when the World Boxing Council at the last minute demanded a day-of-the-fight (June 1) weigh-in for the Terry Norris-Donald Curry fight in Palm Springs. Said Dale Ashley, assistant chief inspector: “I told the WBC guy: ‘You can hold a weigh-in any time you want, but the official weigh-in will be at 6 p.m. the day before the fight.’ ” . . . WBC junior middleweight champion Norris, with his recent victories over Curry and Sugar Ray Leonard, will meet Brett Lally on Aug. 17, possibly in San Diego.

Pepe Reilly of Glendale, national champion amateur welterweight who has 1992 Olympic team hopes, tested positive for steroid use at the last National Championships and was placed on a nine-month suspension. He has appealed his case. . . . Official Nevada Athletic Commission figures indicate that the Forum took a big loss on its June 3 Virgil Hill-Thomas Hearns show at Caesars Palace. The pay-per-view numbers aren’t in yet, but they aren’t expected to be big enough to offset the disappointing paid attendance of 6,202 (in a 15,300-seat stadium) and gross live receipts of $998,600. Some are pegging the Forum’s loss at $2 million, but the figure could go higher. Hearns was paid $3.5 million, Hill $1.3 million. Nevertheless, staffers say, the Forum boxing staff will proceed with plans for another pay-for-view show in a few months.

Edwin Rosario’s upset TKO victory over junior welterweight champion Loreto Garza in Sacramento last week drew 6,228 to Arco Arena. Gross receipts came to $228,000. And if you think Garza is disappointed, consider his promoter, Don Chargin. Garza blew a big-money title bout against Julio Cesar Chavez when Rosario stopped him in three rounds. Chargin moves on to a July 12 show at Stateline, Nev., where his other Sacramento fighter, Tony Lopez, will face Lupe Gutierrez on a pay-for-view show at Caesars Tahoe. Lopez, by the way, is working with Evander Holyfield’s strength coach, Chaz Jordan. Former super-bantamweight champion Paul Banke has split with his manager, Bob Richardson, and is living and training in San Bernardino. Banke, who lost his title and took a severe beating in the process against Pedro Decima last November at the Forum, hopes to fight again later this summer.

On the Forum’s July 1 card, flyweight Celio Espino (18-0) and heavyweight Dave Dixon (9-1) will make their debuts as 10-round fighters. . . . Grand opening for the Alhambra Youth Boxing Club, 200 S. Raymond Ave., Alhambra, is set for 1 p.m. next Saturday. . . . July 27 on HBO: Pernell Whitaker vs. Poli Diaz, and Michael Moorer vs. Alex Stewart.