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Friday, February 14, 2003

By Chuck Finder, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Nothing is definite yet -- a proposed title-unification bout has been in negotiation for months and on hold for a week -- but Paul Spadafora's handlers are preparing for a May fight against World Boxing Association lightweight champion Leonard Dorin.

Dorin, a Romanian living in Montreal, has a little matter to clear up first. His sanctioning body demands that he next wage a mandatory challenge against Panamanian Miguel Callist, who is represented by Don King.

MaxBoxing.com and Standing8.com reported that a match between Dorin (21-0) and the champion from McKees Rocks (36-0) is already set for May 17. It is unclear whether they would compete for Dorin's WBA title, Spadafora's International Boxing Federation belt or both.

"We're fighting," promoter Mike Acri told MaxBoxing. "People are telling us, 'Who cares if they're fighting for titles?' People want to see two 57-0 guys. It's a style fight people will want to see."

A site for the match has yet to be determined, though Pittsburgh and a Connecticut casino, the Mohegan Sun, have been mentioned. Negotiations originally focused on a unification night at Madison Square Garden with World Boxing Council champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. on the same card. Mayweather's handlers ultimately declined that deal and, according to boxing Web sites, were looking at an April fight against the fighter whom Dorin beat twice in 2002 to gain the title, Raul Balbi.

HBO is expected to broadcast the proposed Dorin-Spadafora bout.

Spadafora's camp was prepared to announce such a title-unification match last week, but then WBA officials muddied the picture.

WBA officials late last week reported that they received a letter Jan. 31 from Dorin's InterBox promoters, asking them to sanction Dorin-Spadafora, but they refused maintaining Dorin's handlers previously agreed to fight Callist. "Therefore, the purse bid called for February 13 will stand as scheduled, and the WBA will not sanction any other fight involving Mr. Dorin," read its news release.

Spadafora is in Big Bear Lake, Calif., with co-trainer Jesse Reid but isn't scheduled to begin training for another month or so. He last defeated Denmark's Dennis Holbaek in November.