Notes on a Scorecard - Oct. 25, 1990

LAS VEGAS —  To the scales at the Mirage hotel Wednesday afternoon, it must have felt like George Foreman instead of Buster Douglas. . . .

It’s obvious what Buster has been doing since knocking out Mike Tyson in Tokyo Feb. 10. Eating. . . .

And it’s obvious what Evander Holyfield has been doing since knocking out Seamus McDonagh in Atlantic City June 1. Training. . . .

What we may have here tonight is a classic matchup of the undertrained against the overtrained. . . .

If you still like Douglas, you’ve got to like him by early knockout. Otherwise, his own flab--and Holyfield--figure to wear him down and out. . . .

Before Douglas lost the battle of the bulge, Angelo Dundee, trainer of champions, picked Buster by an eighth-round knockout. . . .

“Douglas will dominate from the opening bell,” Dundee said. “Oddly enough, here’s a case of the bigger man being more mobile and having a better jab than the smaller man. In fact, Holyfield doesn’t have a jab. . . .

“Holyfield will be standing there on a dime, and Douglas will unloosen his foundation,” Dundee said. “Holyfield has a good right counter and fast hands, but he’ll have to punch up. Very early, it will be apparent that Douglas is too strong for him. . . .

“Holyfield is a courageous guy who’s in great shape, but he’ll take too much punishment,” Dundee said. “He’ll go down from an uppercut in the fifth and then again in the eighth. . . . “The ref will have to stop it. Simply a case of a big man beating a small man.” . . .

However, those who spring colossal upsets to win heavyweight championships usually don’t keep the title long. . . .

Ingemar Johansson was knocked out by Floyd Patterson in the rematch and in their third fight. James J. Braddock was knocked out by Joe Louis after shocking Max Baer. Jersey Joe Walcott beat Ezzard Charles again but was knocked out by Rocky Marciano in his next fight. Leon Spinks lost the rematch to Muhammad Ali. Michael Spinks won the rematch from Larry Holmes but was flattened by Mike Tyson. . . .

Then there was Cassius Marcellus Clay, who stunned Sonny Liston and successfully defended the title nine times before refusing induction into the armed services. . . .

Trainer Eddie Futch is bullish on his Riddick Bowe, who will box Bert Cooper on the undercard tonight. . . .

“Bowe is the best young heavyweight in the world,” Futch said. “He has everything you would want--size, mobility and punching power in either hand. Within a year, he’ll be ready for a title shot.” . . .

Frank Bruno, the erstwhile British challenger, is earning $1 million a year in endorsements and commercials and is being advised to stay out of the ring. . . .

Ring announcer Sugar Ray Leonard’s European tour is off and, instead, he will challenge World Boxing Council junior middleweight champion Terry Norris in Las Vegas or Reno in late January or early February. . . .

Conspicuously absent from prefight ceremonies tonight will be Jose Sulaiman. The WBC long ago scheduled its annual convention in the Canary Islands for this week. But you can be sure el presidente will have a representative here to collect the sanction fee. . . .

The ring at the Mirage looks small. . . .

Douglas is being guaranteed $24 million, to $8 million for Holyfield, but often the ratio is even larger than 3-1 in favor of the champion over the challenger. . . .

I miss 15-round fights. . . .

Between them, Douglas and Holyfield have had three fights in the past 15 months. . . .

It will be cool tonight at the outdoor arena, but there shouldn’t be any need for blankets like the one Leonard wore over his shoulders between rounds of the Roberto Duran fight. . . . Both camps would like to return to Las Vegas in April--for Douglas-Mike Tyson at the Mirage, Holyfield-George Foreman at Caesars Palace. . . .

Until the weigh-in, this figured to be the closest betting for a heavyweight title fight since Larry Holmes-Ken Norton in 1978. . . .

Mills Lane will be the referee, although a bigger man, Richard Steele, would be able to handle heavyweights better. . . .

Bob Arum says he’s picking the favorite in the big fight tonight--Michael Carbajal over Luis Monzote at Phoenix.