Haugen Forced to Fight Way Back to Top : Boxing: After losing a couple of big bouts, the Washington state boxer must go back to his roots to start a comeback.

When Greg Haugen steps into the ring Thursday night at the Irvine Marriott ballroom, he need not worry about getting hit by a Julio Cesar Chavez right hand or a beer bottle thrown by a rabid Chavez fan.

Haugen will find journeyman Ray Garcia’s chin and the cozy Marriott ballroom, filled with yuppies, more to his liking.

However Haugen will find that his paycheck, of about $5,000, a little less to his liking. Some $1.2 million less.

Just 14 months ago, Haugen fought Chavez for the world junior welterweight title in front of 125,000 fans in Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium. Thursday night’s crowd figures to number about 1,200.

“I like the small shows better,” Haugen said from Las Vegas last week. “I grew up on them in Washington (state). I don’t need to fight in huge stadiums. You have to start somewhere.”

At 33, Haugen, a three-time world champion, is essentially starting over. Although the World Boxing Council and the International Boxing Federation rank him ninth, Haugen realizes his fifth-round knockout to Chavez has sent his career into a tailspin.

“I had a bad night with Chavez,” Haugen said, “But I’ve always fought my best with my back to the wall.”

Dan Goossen, Haugen’s promoter of three years, said his fighter’s back is definitely against the wall.

“Greg can’t afford another loss,” Goossen said. “He’s in line for another big payday because his name is so big. He’s one of the few characters left who can draw fans. He’ll have another chance to win a title, but only if he keeps winning.”

In other words, a Garcia upset Thursday would be devastating. Garcia (8-6 with three knockouts) is not exactly Chavez, or for that matter, Vinny Pazienza, Ray Mancini or Hector “Macho” Camacho, all of whom have been Haugen victims.

But after what happened against Chavez, Haugen no longer takes anything or anyone for granted.

He has come to understand that he not only must be in excellent physical condition, but perfect mental condition too--something that wasn’t the case against Chavez.

“Mentally I wasn’t there,” he said. “I believe I had the style to come in and win the fight, but I never game myself the chance.”

At the time, Haugen says his mind was on his nasty divorce that being dragged through the courts.

“The mental state I was in, I couldn’t have beaten my little son,” he said. “I was in outer space. I got hit with an early shot to the head, and that’s not me.”

And now that Chavez has looked extremely vulnerable in his last two fights--a controversial draw to Pernell Whitaker and a 12-round decision loss to Frankie Randall--Haugen is left to wonder what might have been.

“It makes me wonder every day,” he said. “There are a lot of things I know could have worked against (Chavez) that I never got to try. Chavez is a tough guy to fight, but everybody’s beatable. Tyson proved that.”

But Haugen also wonders what might have happened to him had he defeated Chavez that night in Mexico City.

“It’d have been tough as hell getting out of that ring alive,” he said. “If I’d have won that I don’t know if I’d be even be here now. I didn’t even realize how many people were in there until the lights were out. I was getting with everything, beer, beer bottles. Those people were mad.”

The crowd figures to be more subdued Thursday, though the yuppies have been known to boo if they feel someone is not earning their money. Goossen said the ballroom crowd shouldn’t have to worry about that.

“All of us can associate with the guts of a Greg Haugen,” he said. “Someone that doesn’t take the opportunity to see him is missing something. If it’s not sold out, I’d be very surprised. The don’t know what they’re missing.”

Haugen said he definitely won’t cheat anyone.

“People don’t have to worry about me not coming to fight,” he said. “I don’t do a lot of dancing. I come right at you and don’t do much fooling around.”

He says he’s kind of a throwback to the Jack Dempsey-style fighter--blood and guts. About the only thing that contradicts the stereotype is his BMW.

“I’m a blue-collar guy,” he said. “I just drive the BMW because it’s comfortable.”

For that, Haugen doesn’t have to apologize to the Marriott crowd. Most of them drive BMWs too.

But if were up to Haugen, he just as soon say goodby to the yuppies and the ballrooms and head back to the Arenas.

“There’s things out there now,” he said. “The Chavez loss opened the division up again. I don’t have any problem thinking that I can still win a title.”