Norris, Lally Pull Some Punches at Tepid Pre-Bout Conference

The Terry Norris-Brett Lally fight, set for Aug. 17 at the Sports Arena, is billed as “San Diego’s biggest summer knockout.”

At worst, it has to be more exciting than Wednesday’s press conference on the fight.

Unlike most boxing press conferences, there were no shouting matches between the fighters or promoters.

No, this press conference, with promoter Dan Goossen as host, simply was a quiet introduction of the undercard fighters and everyone associated with bringing the first world title fight to San Diego.

It was almost an hour old before Norris and Lally spoke.

Lally, 28, thanked Norris for the opportunity to fight for the World Boxing Council Super Welterweight title. Norris, 24, thanked Lally, from Westland, Mich., for taking the fight and told reporters how happy he was to be defending his title in his adopted hometown of San Diego.

It wasn’t until the conference ended and one-on-one interviews began that Norris and Lally gave a sense of what their fight might be like.

“He’s a great boxer,” Lally said of Norris. “He’s the ultimate. I can box, but Terry is a boxing technician. I can’t let him box me. I’ll take it to him. I’m definitely going to have to get off first.”

Norris (28-3 with 15 knockouts) said he was more concerned with Lally’s tactics than his punching power.

“I’d rate him a seven on punching,” said Norris, who will be making the third defense of his WBC title. “But he’s not a (John) Mugabi, Julian Jackson or even Donald Curry. (Lally) is a real wild, aggressive fighter. If it gets sloppy, Terry can rumble. Terry can do whatever it takes to win.”

But Abel Sanchez, Norris’ trainer, doesn’t want his fighter to get sloppy.

“We can’t fight this guy like we fought Donald Curry or Sugar Ray Leonard,” Sanchez said. “We have to fight him more on the outside. The way he comes in with his head is too dangerous for us. He’s a wrestler, a mauler.”

Brad Lally, Brett’s brother and trainer, wouldn’t go that far, but he acknowledged his brother was not a pretty fighter.

“He’s almost like a miniature Mike Tyson,” Brad Lally said. “This will almost be like Jake La Motta-Sugar Ray Robinson. Brett’s going to have to take a little bit of punishment on the way in.”

Lally (29-5 with 18 knockouts) is ranked third by the WBC, but his chances don’t sound good. He was knocked out 18 months ago by Donald Curry, the man Norris put into retirement last month with a eighth-round knockout.

But Brad Lally argued that Curry did not see the real Brett Lally that night.

“Brett was tight for that fight,” Brad Lally said. “He had to lose weight right before it. And he made a couple bad decisions.”

Brad Lally said Norris definitely was vulnerable.

“He doesn’t like to get hit with hooks to the body and punches to the belly-button,” he said. “And he can be taken out with one punch, Julian Jackson proved that.”

Boxing Notes

Ticket prices for the seven-bout card will be $300, $150, $100, $50, $40 and $25. Goossen, who is co-promoting with Scott Woodworth of Arena Boxing Enterprises Inc., said 2,000 of the 7,000 seats would be available for $25. Ringside seats will be $300, $150 and $100. Goossen said most of the $300 seats, which include the first four rows, were gone.

Heavyweight Orlin Norris (29-3), Terry’s brother, featherweight Rafael Ruelas (27-0) and junior lightweight Gabriel Ruelas will highlight three 10-round undercard bouts. There also will be three four-round matches.