BOXING / EARL GUSTKEY : Post-Fight Purse Inflation to Punch Taylor

Richard DeCuir, chief executive officer for the California Athletic Commission, has turned the case of Meldrick Taylor’s “$1,000” purse over to the state Franchise Tax Board.

Presumably, that means the state will chase down Taylor and try to extract a state income tax obligation of about $10,000.

Background: Taylor fought and defeated journeyman Ernie Chavez in Sacramento on Sept. 13. State-approved contracts for the fight show that Taylor, one of boxing’s major attractions, was paid a $1,000 purse. Chavez was paid $17,500.

Later, Taylor’s promoter, Dan Duva, acknowledged to DeCuir that Taylor’s purse that day had been $100,000, not $1,000.

Commission staff member Rob Lynch approved not only that contract, but also paper on the companion main event that day, Brian Mitchell vs. Tony Lopez. A South African world champion, Mitchell also was down for a $1,000 purse.

DeCuir said he has advised Duva that Taylor not only has a substantial state income tax obligation from that fight, but must make a $3,000 contribution to California’s boxer pension plan, as well.

“Actually, Taylor is under no obligation to pay anything until the tax deadline, April 15,” Franchise Tax Board spokesman John Frank said.

“If no tax on his income is paid by then, he’d be assessed a minimum 25% penalty.”

As for Mitchell, the state will probably have more difficulty retrieving a tax payment. No one seems to know what Mitchell’s purse actually was. All that’s known is that it certainly wasn’t $1,000. It was probably at least as much as Taylor’s.

After the fight, on his way home to South Africa, Mitchell announced his retirement.

Evander Holyfield subjected himself to considerable criticism for choosing to defend his heavyweight championship June 19 against 42-year-old Larry Holmes, and much of it is justified.

Holyfield, since taking the title from Buster Douglas, will have defended it three times, against George Foreman, Bert Cooper and Holmes, opponents whose average age is 36.

But those doing the criticizing, were they appointed Holyfield’s manager, would do exactly the same. Remember, the primary job of a fight manager is to schedule matches providing maximum return at minimum risk.

After fighting Holmes--an opponent Holyfield will be heavily favored to defeat--and earning $18 million, Holyfield will be in position to earn even more by fighting Riddick Bowe, in what would figure as a very tough bout.

Holyfield-Holmes will cost $39.95 on pay per view.

Many don’t like the trend of fighters making comebacks. But promoters do, because the public loves it, apparently. USA Network recently did a phone poll on what heavyweight fights boxing fans most wanted to see.

Of nearly 8,000 calls, 54% voted for Foreman-Holmes. Next were Holyfield-Bowe, 30%, followed by Holyfield-Holmes, 16%.

This trend also explains why has-beens Greg Haugen and Ray Mancini are being paid $500,000 each to fight in Reno April 3. And on pay per view.

Petersen Communications of Hollywood has had an excellent boxing film locked up in a vault for 20 years, a film that’s about to have a second run.

It’s “The Fighters,” starring Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. When Jerry Perenchio and Jack Kent Cooke promoted Ali-Frazier I, it redefined the term “big fight.”

In 1971, Frazier (26-0) was the undefeated heavyweight champion, and Ali (31-0) was trying to regain the title that had been taken away from him by boxing’s various governing bodies during his refusal to be drafted during the Vietnam war.

Perenchio produced a documentary about the fight, a dramatic 15-round decision for Frazier.

The 105-minute film made a brief 1972 run in theaters and was also shown on ABC in 1975. Now, Petersen Communications, which is trying to sell it to HBO or ESPN, also wants to test in the home video market.

Mancini, on the Haugen fight: “Let’s face it, two fights in seven years and then coming back ain’t the smartest thing in the world. But I go with what I know. And I know I can beat this guy.”

Haugen: “This ain’t bowling. You don’t take a few years off and just step back into the ring. Not against a guy like me.”

Boxing Notes

USA Boxing, the governing body for amateur boxing in the United States, is unhappy with the boxing venue for the Barcelona Olympics. It’s a 5,600-seat arena, with only 2,600 seats being made available to the public. Paul Konnor, USA Boxing official from Milwaukee, recently toured the Barcelona facilities and reports the boxing arena is even smaller than the one used by South Korea at the Seoul Olympics. “When I saw it, I felt like I was in a junior high gym,” Konnor said.

Whatever became of Hector Camacho? One source reports that Camacho demanded nearly $4 million to fight Julio Cesar Chavez, Meldrick Taylor or Pernell Whitaker. No way, he was told. Now, with Taylor recently signing to fight Terry Norris on May 9, Camacho may be a man without a fight in his future. Don King recently “announced” that Camacho had agreed to terms for a fight with Chavez but failed to point out Chavez is not available to fight anyone. He is still tied up in arbitration over a 1990 contract he signed with King’s rival promoter, Bob Arum. A panel of three independent lawyers heard the King-Chavez-Arum case in Washington in February. “We’re seeking two things,” said Arum’s attorney, Michael Heitner. “We want confirmation that the Arum contract with Chavez is valid, and we want damages from lost profits due to the breached contract.” Why Chavez ever walked out on Arum is still a mystery. He signed for a minimum $15 million over 18 months and received a $300,000 signing bonus.

Former light-heavyweight champion Virgil Hill fought and won on the recent Azumah Nelson-Jeff Fenech card in Melbourne. He is a close friend of Fenech and trained with him for a month in Sydney. Hill’s manager, Gary Martinson, is trying to arrange an April TV bout in Hill’s home state, North Dakota. . . . San Fernando heavyweight Alex Garcia scored a sixth-round TKO over Bobby Crabtree in Bakersfield on Wednesday. Garcia’s new manager is Norm Kaplan, who wants him to fight every three weeks. But Garcia suffered a cut in Bakersfield and will be sidelined for about eight weeks.