Clark Earns Berth to Amateur Nationals

Despite some strong objections from former world heavyweight champion Michael Dokes, San Diego’s Ivan Clark will be going to Colorado Springs, Colo.

Clark looked awkward at times, but he was effective enough to win a close decision over Nevada’s Niguel Hewitt in the United States Boxing Assn. regional championships in front of 400 Sunday afternoon at the Scottish Rite Temple.

The victory sends Clark (44-7) to the amateur nationals Feb. 24-30 in Colorado Springs.

Dokes, who has been working with many of the Nevada boxers, sat ringside and cheered Hewitt throughout the fight. When the decision was announced, Dokes loudly voiced his displeasure with Clark’s victory in the 165-pound match.

Naturally, Clark agreed with the judges’ opinion.

“I think I edged it out with the body shots,” he said. “Each fight I get better and better. It wasn’t pretty, but it was good enough to sway the judges.”

Hewitt caught Clark’s attention with a sharp combination midway through the opening round. But Clark rallied late in the round with a flurry of body shots.

“He had the guy right where he wanted him a couple times, but he didn’t let it go,” said Hank Pniak, Clark’s trainer. “He also smothered a lot of his jabs by coming in too close.”

Maurice Betts, Clark’s coach, blamed most of Clark’s tentativeness on ring rust. Clark has had only two fights since November.

“It’s been extremely hard to get him fights, but he’s progressing well,” Betts said. “You see a little more each fight. There’s no doubt in my mind, we have the potential to come back here with a national championship.”

John Bray, the nation’s top-ranked amateur heavyweight, showed Rowdy Houston, a corporal in the Marine Corps at Camp Pendleton, he has more than just potential. Bray, of Van Nuys, knocked Houston around the ring before Houston’s corner put an end to the slaughter before the bell to open the second round.

“He’s awkward and strong and he had a lot of heart, but I have more experience,” said Bray, 21, who raised his amateur record to 105-11 with 60 knockouts. “And I couldn’t have been in better shape.

“I wanted to take him out because sometimes fighters like that can make you look bad. You have to keep your focus. If you don’t, you start fighting his fight.”

Bray also felt he needed to make a statement to the U.S. Olympic Boxing Committee, which he has criticized for playing favorites. Bray has been upset that he had to qualify for the nationals while other top-ranked fighters were given byes to Colorado Springs.

“They thought they could keep me down,” Bray said. “But all it’s going to do is put flame on the fire. I want to prove to them I’m the best heavyweight in the nation and the world. And I will do that.”

Robert Allen, a lance corporal in the Marine Corps, displayed Olympic potential for the second-consecutive day with an easy victory over Nashun Lomax of Nevada in the 156-pound division. Allen’s vicious body attack caused Lomax’s corner to stop the fight after two rounds.

Other fighters who advanced to Colorado Springs were: Joey Smith (106) and Christopher Conlan (super-heavyweight) of Nevada; Robert Garcia (125), Leo Delara (132), Joseph Pommier (147), and Montill Griffin (178) from the Southern California region; and Ricardo Ponce (139), a lance corporal in the Marine Corps.