clarinews@clarinet.com (DAVE RAFFO, UPI Sports Writer) (02/02/90)
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (UPI) -- Hector ``Macho'' Camacho and Vinny Pazienza, two boxers known for their big mouths and fancy ringwear, insulted each other one last time Thursday before their junior welterweight bout Saturday night. Camacho will defend his lightly regarded World Boxing Organization title against Pazienza to headline a pay-per-view triple-header. Pernell Whitaker defends his World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation lightweight titles against Fred Pendleton and Michael Moorer defends his WBO light heavyweight title against Marcellus Allen in the other bouts. Camacho and Pazienza have promoted their showdown since October by brawling and insulting each other through a series of news conferences. Camacho belted Pazienza in the nose at the first news conference in New York in October, then scuffled with Pazienza trainer Kevin Rooney in Pazienza's hometown of Providence, R.I. In the confusion of the Camacho-Rooney scuffle, promoter Dan Duva suffered a knee injury that required surgery. ``They had a lot of fun, I ended up in the hospital,'' Duva said. The fighters' biggest concern has been what they would wear in the ring. Both wear robes and trunks filled with glitter, and Camacho has been known to fight in loin clothes. Pazienza presented him with a ballet tutu at one news conference. ``I know he'll try to outstage me,'' Camacho said. ``He always does.'' In a television commercial for the fight, Pazienza told Camacho he wears ``sissy clothes.'' Camacho takes credit for the bout selling 10,000 tickets already. Duva predicts a sellout of the 12,000-seat Convention Center and said he is hoping for 280,000 pay-per-view sales at $19.95 per. ``He's talking all this stuff, but I promoted the hell out of this show,'' Camacho said. Camacho did his best to put on a show at Thursday's news conference. He paced around the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino theatre, shadow boxing and taunting Pazienza and his co-trainers Rooney and Lou Duva. Camacho likens Duva and Rooney to Fred Flinstone and Barney Rubble of ``The Flinstones'' cartoons. ``Yabba-dabba-doo,'' he yelled whenever Pazienza's trainers tried to speak. ``He fights like Wilma,'' Lou Duva said of Camacho. ``Sit down Mr. Class,'' Pazienza told Camacho once. For their promotional efforts, Camacho is guaranteed $800,000 and Pazienza $400,000 for the 12-round fight. Emmanuel Steward, the trainer of Moorer and four-time champion Thomas Hearns, likened the promotion to a Worldwide Wrestling Federation match. ``You have two glitter boys, but people are buying it,'' Steward said. ``When you think of these guys, you think of them saying, `I have a better dance than you,' or `I have better sunglasses,' or `I have more rhinestones on my robe.' It just goes to show anything promoted properly will sell.'' Camacho has the more impressive boxing credentials. He is 38-0 with 17 knockouts and held legitimate titles in the junior lightweight and lightweight divisions. But he has done little more than dance his way to decisions since suriviving two near-knockdowns to win a slim decision over Edwin Rosario in a 1986 lightweight title bout. Pazienza is 28-3 with 23 knockouts. He briefly held a lightweight world championship but has lost his last two title bouts to Greg Haugen and Roger Mayweather. Pazienza said he is in his best shape and claims to have benefitted from hiring Rooney as a trainer after the Mayweather loss. He is 3-0 since. ``He's in the best condition of his life but that ain't going to make him better than he is,'' Camacho said. ``I got 75 percent more talent. You'll see my skills, my quickness, my cleverness.'' Whitaker is 20-1 with 12 knockouts. Pendleton, ranked No. 1 by the IBF, is 24-16-3 with 15 knockouts. Moorer, Menessen, Pa., is 17-0 with 17 knockouts and Allen, Portland, Ore., is 12-0 with one knockout.