Avendano Meets Banks at Forum

Kelcie Banks and Fidel Avendano meet tonight for the Forum’s lightweight boxing tournament championship, with $65,000 going to the winner.

Since 1983, the winners of four of the Forum’s 20 boxing tournaments have moved on quickly to world championship bouts, and three have won world titles: Lindell Holmes (super-middleweight), J.B. Williamson (light-heavyweight) and Paul Banke (super-bantamweight).

Banks, from Las Vegas, is 18-1-1 as a pro since his upset loss at the 1988 Olympics. A favorite for a gold medal in Seoul, Banks was knocked out in his first bout with one first-round punch by Rogelio Tuur of The Netherlands.

Avendano (31-1), from Acapulco, won three consecutive bouts by knockout entering the tournament and reached tonight’s final with decisions over Bryant Paden and Luis Mora. Banks, too, has earned decision victories--over Marco Antonio and Tim Brooks--to reach the final.