Waire Is At Least a Test for Nunn in Monday Fight

Next time you see a glossy record printed next to a boxer’s name, think of James Waire.

It is because of fighters such as he that unbeaten records exist.

Waire--whose record is either 19-18-3 or 25-12-8, depending on who you believe--will meet undefeated middleweight Michael Nunn in the main event on a six-fight card Monday night at the Country Club in Reseda.

Nunn, 22, is 6-0--all knockouts. His longest pro fight went into the fourth round.

Nunn’s manager, Dan Goossen of Ten Goose boxing, says Waire will be Nunn’s toughest test yet. He said the same thing prior to the last five fights, three of which didn’t last a round.

In a press release promoting the fight, Waire is described as “a veteran of 40 professional fights.”

His record isn’t mentioned, which isn’t surprising. Either way, it’s about as bad as a boxer will admit to (ever hear of a boxer with a losing record?).

Boxers such as Waire serve only one purpose for boxers such as Nunn. They’re steppingstones to the top 10 rankings and big-money fights. Check Waire’s body for the prints. He’s been stepped on before.

It would be easy to call this fight a mismatch. Waire, 29, has lost more than twice the number of fights that Nunn’s previous opponents had combined to lose. And look what happened to them. There is an overwhelming tendency to write off Waire.

Maybe that’s what Jaime Nava and Alex Gonzales did.

Nava was 14-0 before Waire decisioned him twice in a month. Gonzales was 16-0 when Waire decisioned him.

It also would be easy to ignore the hype of Goossen, Nunn’s manager, who builds up each of his fighter’s opponents with such hyperbole that their own managers wouldn’t recognize them. One of them, however, never threw a punch before he was decked.

So who would possibly believe Goossen when he describes Waire as “an experienced and crafty veteran?” What does that mean? Another stiff?

Nunn has looked good, but has he fought anyone good? Has Ten Goose been protecting him by matching him against weak opponents? Those were some of the questions asked to a handful of boxing experts.

Their answers may surprise any cynics.

They say James Waire is not a bad boxer. Really. He is fully expected to give Nunn a good fight. And here’s the kicker: So were the other six boxers.

Bob Arum, one of the nation’s top boxing promoters, said that, if anything, Goossen is rushing Nunn a little.

“He’s been boxing against guys at his level of experience,” Arum said by telephone from his New York office. “The first few weren’t all that great, but the last one (Larry Davis), I thought was a good fighter. A lot of people thought Danny (Goossen) was pushing the kid a little too fast. Davis was no bum. At least half the people at that fight expected Davis to win. Marvin Hagler, who sparred with Davis in preparation for the Hearns fight, told me Davis was going to win. You can’t blame a boxer for making the other guy look bad.”

Mel Greb, the promoter who matched Nunn against Davis, said the fighters were even on paper.

“Both had a ton of amateur fights,” Greb said. “Davis was 7-1 and Nunn was 5-0. It looked like a draw. They were betting it even money. Boy oh boy, Nunn made him look like a 20-1 shot.”

Said Goossen: “We’ve never had to protect Michael. He protects himself. He hasn’t been fighting stiffs. They were all prepared to fight like hell against him--until they got in the ring. We weren’t looking for guys who were going to lay down, but who is to say they’re crazy if they get in the ring with this guy, take a good punch from him, and decided they had better take a fall before they get creamed?”

Don Fraser, a promoter based in Southern California, said that many boxers with the same level of experience may be avoiding Nunn.

“Usually you give a young guy like Nunn 10 or 12 preliminary fights at six rounds before pushing him up in class. Nunn’s problem is that he has no competition at six rounds. Even after only six fights. He has to step up to 10 rounds because no one decent will fight him if he doesn’t. A guy like Waire is willing to match his experience against Nunn’s talent.”

Ed Wickes, Waire’s manager, said that experience is indeed the reason he was willing to match his fighter against Nunn.

“Nunn’s a good fighter with a good punch, but he doesn’t belong in the ring with my guy,” Wickes said. “He has talent, but not enough experience.

“James is one of the best boxers around today. He’s not a great puncher, though, and I think that’s why they wanted to fight us. They see his record--James has only three knockouts. That tells them that he can’t knock their guy out. He’ll hit him, but he won’t knock him out. If they beat him, then they know they have a good fighter. If they can’t beat him, then they know they have to start all over again.”

Said Greb: “Waire will be a good test for Nunn. He’s a seasoned veteran--a guy who will push him around a little and give him a good fight.”

Tough competition is really nothing new to Nunn, anyway. He was selected to the Olympic team as an alternate behind silver medalist Virgil Hill.

Nunn even beat Hill just before the Olympic trials, but Hill later returned the favor to earn a spot on the competition team.

“People tend to forget that he had almost 200 fights (actually 176) on the amateur level before turning pro,” Goossen said. “He’s been fighting top-notch competition all his life.”

So, the verdict is in--Nunn’s opponents weren’t as bad as he made them look. Nunn was just a lot better. Now the question is: How good is he?

Said Fraser: “He’s real good. We will be hearing a lot about him in the next few years. Within two years I expect he will fight for the title. He has that much potential.”

Said Arum: “I really look for Nunn to be a contender someday. It’s too early to tell definitively, but I would consider him a top prospect.”

Said Greb: “He could go four rounds with a world class opponent right now. Any more than that and he’d get beat up, but that’s just because he lacks experience.”

Said Wickes: “The kid is too green to beat a veteran like Waire.”

Good or bad, Goossen will continue to bring Nunn along at a controlled pace.

“I told Michael the other day that I’m confident that we could put him in with a top 10 opponent right now and have a better than even chance of winning,” Goossen said. “But my idea is that I don’t want to go in with a good chance of winning. I want a great chance.

“Michael is still going to school. Each fight is a maturing process. We want him always to be improving and he has. He has found his ring precense and he’s controlling himself better--using his jab and not falling over his opponent’s back.

“Two fights ago, he graduated from elementary school. With Waire, he’s just about ready to break in at the high school level.”

Class starts when the bell rings.