Kelley Still Talks a Good Game

At first glance, Saturday’s featherweight match between Marco Antonio Barrera and Kevin Kelley at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena is a mismatch.

At second and third glance too.

Barerra may not hold a title, but at 56-3 with 39 knockouts, his still memorable victory over Naseem Hamed, a win in his rematch with Erik Morales and clear domination of Johnny Tapia in his last fight, Barrera is generally recognized as the dominant featherweight in the world.

It doesn’t take the money-motivated stamp of a sanctioning organization to determine that. He has never shown much interest in winning one of the major titles because of the sanctioning fees and mandatory defenses that go along with it. He has been content with his own title: King of the featherweights.

Kelley, on the other hand, six years older than Barrera at 35, clearly seems past his prime. He had a 54-5 record with two draws and 36 knockouts and was World Boxing Council featherweight champion from 1993 to ’95. But his last three victories were against lightly regarded Johnny Gutierrez, Humberto Soto and Raul Franco. His last meaningful fight was against Morales in 2000, and that one ended badly for Kelley, a TKO in the seventh round. Kelley also has lost to Derrick Gainer, who is fighting on Saturday’s undercard, by a unanimous decision in 1998. And Kelley lost to Hamed in 1997 on a fourth-round knockout.

But listen to Kelley talk and he might convince you he has a chance. Actually, if you listen to him long enough, you’ll be tempted to head down to the sports book and place a bet on him.

“I haven’t had this kind of hunger in years,” he said. “Motivation has brought me to another level. Barrera takes a good shot and throws a good shot. And he has great defensive skills. But this is not about what he does. It’s about what I do.”

Kelley’s advanced ring age? No problem.

“If anything, I’m more experienced, “ he said. “I’m more seasoned now. If you watch tapes of me, you’ll get the old Kevin, not the new Kevin. I threw out what didn’t work. And I’ll be bringing something [Saturday].

“This is like Kobe Bryant versus Michael Jordan. Barrera, like Kobe, is a little younger. I’m more like a Michael Jordan.”

Hold it. Now the spinmeister is spinning out of control. This is undoubtedly the first time the names Michael Jordan and Kevin Kelley have appeared in the same sentence.

“There is no such thing as an upset,” Kelley said. “The only upset would be if you tell a fighter before the fight that he has to lose. Any man who puts the gloves on and trains the proper things can win.”

Indeed, the boxing landscape is strewn with the battered figures of recent fighters who figured to dominate their opponents, from Shane Mosley’s upset by Vernon Forrest, to Forrest’s upset by Ricardo Mayorga, to, just recently, Wladimir Klitschko’s upset by Corrie Sanders.

It’s not surprising Kelley talks a good game. He was unofficially retired for a year and a half after the Morales match as he pursued his gift for gab as a boxing commentator. He has appeared before the cameras of HBO, TVKO, CBS, ESPN, ESPN2, USA and MSG.

That would appear to be where his future lies, so why step back into the ring?

“For a while, I didn’t have any desire to fight,” Kelley said. “I’d be fighting guys and I’d wonder, why am I even here?”

“But then, I went to the Hall of Fame weekend and talked to a lot of old-timers. I don’t want to wind up like them, casualties of war. But I saw those Hall of Fame rings, and I began to wonder, did I do enough to make the Hall of Fame? Folks said, yes, but I’m not sure. I’ve never reached my full potential, but I feel I can still do it.”

Kelley’s best hope for an upset would be if Barrera looks past him toward a rubber match with Morales, who beat Barrera in their classic first meeting in 2000. But Barrera insists he is taking Kelley, the hyperbole notwithstanding, seriously.

“I have to respect Kelley,” Barrera said. “He may be able to look or even find Marco Antonio Barrera in his good moment. I am not overconfident nor have I overlooked his abilities. I believe that experience helps you more than the age factor [hurts you]. Kevin Kelley is a great threat.”

Sounds as if Barrera has been listening to Kelley.

Golden Touch

While his career remains in high gear, with a match against Yory Boy Campas on May 3 and a rematch against Mosley on Sept. 13, Oscar De La Hoya continues to move forward outside the ring with Golden Boy Promotions.

De La Hoya’s promotional organization will stage its second show at the Olympic Auditorium on Thursday, part of the HBO Latino series, with a six-round card headed by an International Boxing Assn. Continental Americas super flyweight title match between champion Jose Navarro (16-0, seven knockouts) and challenger Jorge Luis Gonzalez (15-2, six). In the semi-main event, lightweights Mike Anchondo (20-0, 16) and Roque Cassiani (21-11, 15) are scheduled for 10 rounds.

Golden Boy has also announced the signing of its first champion, Oscar Larios, the WBC super bantamweight titleholder.

Quick Jab

In the semi-main event of Saturday’s Barrera-Kelley card, World Boxing Assn. featherweight champion Gainer (38-5, 24) defends against Oscar Leon (23-2, 16).