SAN DIEGO BOXING NOTEBOOK : Break Gives Allen Enough Time to Pick Up Pieces

It takes a lot to get Robert Allen down, but Raul Marquez did the trick last June in the first round of the Olympic Trials in Worcester, Mass. He stopped Allen, a Marine at Camp Pendleton, in the second round. It was Allen’s first loss in 10 fights.

That was Allen’s last fight. It also was the last time he stepped into a boxing ring . . . until Thursday.

Allen, 23, stayed away from boxing for three months, contemplating his future while recovering from the loss to Marquez.

But three weeks ago, Allen, a junior middleweight, began working out at the new Irish Spud Murphy’s Gym with his new trainer Murphy Griffith, Emile Griffith’s uncle and the former handler of world champions Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini and Brian Mitchell. Allen had been trained by Jim Connolly.

Allen said the time off and switch in trainers turned his career around.

“I’ve learned more from Murphy in a month than I’ve ever learned,” Allen said. “I’ve never had a feeling like this. We’re going to go places. I know it.”

Griffith, 71, has not changed Allen’s aggressive style, but he has tempered it.

“He’s teaching me the basics, better balance and footwork,” Allen said. “The little things. I already know how to punch and box.”

San Diego junior middleweight Paul Vaden was Allen’s first sparring partner Thursday.

“The difference I see is patience,” said Vaden, Allen’s friend. “He’s with a good trainer. Everything Murphy is telling Robert to do, he’s doing.”

The new and improved Allen will begin his professional career in late December or early January. His military commitment officially ends Dec. 15, but Allen already has received a 45-day terminal leave from the Marines, which essentially gives him an early release.

Allen said his promoter, Cedric Kushner, is attempting arrange his professional debut in Las Vegas or San Diego. Allen, managed by Jimmy Troy, said he almost turned over his career to Joe Sayatovich, Terry Norris’ manager. But Allen said something simply didn’t feel right with Sayatovich.

“He’s got some of the best advice you’d ever hear,” Allen said. “He said things that were definitely correct. I just have to set my own course. I’m Robert Allen, I’m not Terry Norris.”

Sayatovich said he was impressed with Allen.

“He’s a good kid,” Sayatovich said. “I wish him a lot of luck. He’s got all the tools to be a world champion.”

Allen hopes that day isn’t too far off.

“In a year to a year and a half, I’d like to be in the mix, in the top 10,” Allen said. “It’s short to me. It may seem long to my management, but right now I think I can give any junior middleweight in the world a fight. That includes Terry Norris. I might not beat Terry Norris, but he’d know that he was in a fight.”

San Diego cruiserweight Orlin Norris’ title fight with World Boxing Assn. champion Bobby Czyz fell through, so New York promoter Lou Falcigno and local promoter Scott Woodworth are trying to arrange a bout with World Boxing Council champion Anaclet Wamba of France.

Woodworth said a Wamba-Norris fight probably would take place in Europe in early 1993. Norris is ranked No. 1 by the WBC, WBA and the International Boxing Federation.

Jimmy Binns, the WBA’s attorney, and Woodworth are working on a Jesus Salud-Wilfredo Vazquez bout for Vazquez’s WBA junior featherweight title. Woodworth said the site likely would be San Diego in early January, hopefully on national television.

Why would Vazquez, from Puerto Rico, want to risk his title in San Diego?

“It’s an opportunity for (Vazquez) to get decent money and national television exposure,” Woodworth said.

Salud (42-5, 22 knockouts), who is ranked seventh by the WBA and second by the WBC, will fight Houston’s Jesus Poll (24-7-3) on Nov. 11 at the Sports Arena on the main event of a card that will televised on ESPN at 6 p.m.

Also on the card are Westminster heavyweight Ernie Magdaleno (14-0, six knockouts), Vaden (12-0), San Diego lightweight Todd McPhee (11-0, 7 knockouts) and San Diego welterweight Larry Dixon, who will make his professional debut.

A junior lightweight bout between Frank Pena (13-0-1, 7 knockouts) of Aurora, Colo., and Sammy Miller (9-2, 5 knockouts) of Las Vegas will be the featured undercard bout.