At least Davis showed up

(Editor's note: In Wednesday's Nevada Appeal, Kelvin Davis talks of a new opportunity to fight in a new country.)

BY MIKE HOUSER

Appeal Sports Writer

RENO - As former IBF cruiserweight Kelvin Davis paced around the ring Thursday at Ameristar Casino in St. Charles, Mo., the ring announcer addressed a raucous crowd, which included several members of the St. Louis Cardinals football team.

The 28-year-old Davis, of Reno, who was scheduled to meet heavyweight Ernest Mateen in the 10-round main event of a six-bout card courtesy of Rumble Time Promotions, remembers nearly every word.

"Excuse me folks," the announcer began, "but I have some good news and some bad news. Let's start with the bad news first. This fighter's corner has said their fighter, Ernest Mateen, has left the building. He is nowhere to be found."

Amid the boos, Davis was still "in the zone," half-wondering why his ring music had been played first and half-assimilating what the announcer was saying.

"The good news is this fighter - 'Koncrete' Kelvin Davis - came to fight and came here to do business tonight," the announcer continued as the crowd cheered. "But wait...we'll bring this fighter back to fight somebody else next time."

Davis was still in a state of disbelief Tuesday at his Reno gym.

"Crazy," he said. "When the announcer said, 'Wait,' I thought they might be bringing in somebody else."

No such luck. But Davis did collect his paycheck, while Mateen has been suspended indefinitely by the Missouri Athletic Commission.

The bizarre non-event didn't show up on the Internet. It didn't show up on the pages of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, which has no boxing writer. And it won't show up in the record books because the bell never rang, said Anibal Miramontes, president of FightFax.

"I was dumbfounded," said promoter Steven Smith from St. Louis on Monday. "I was with Don King (Davis' promoter) for years and have never heard of anything like that."

According to Davis - and confirmed by Smith and Mateen's trainer Bob Cerbe - Mateen had his boxing shoes on, his hands wrapped and was ready to go.

But it was evident only to Mateen where he was really ready to go, and as of now nobody knows where that was.

Smith said a security guard saw Mateen, in his boxing garb, leave the arena and climb into his Hummer and take off.

Miramontes said he received information that Mateen and his camp were unhappy with the referee and refused to fight.

But Cerbe, who trains his boxers in Olive Branch, Miss., denied that report.

"I think Ernest just chickened out," Cerbe said. "I think he was scared and decided to go home."

When told of Mateen's suspension, Cerbe wasn't sympathetic.

"That's fine with me," he said. "Ernest was wrapped up. I went to go look after my other fighter, William Johnson, and when I got back, (Mateen) was gone. I went back to the hotel room and the door was open. Bag and baggage, his stuff was gone."

According to Smith's matchmaker, Derrick Spicer, the crowd had already seen five excellent matches, so while there was some booing at first, there was no need for refunds.

"What am I supposed to say - 'Thanks, your fighter hosed me'?" Smith said when asked if he has spoken to Cerbe or Mateen. "You put the fighters up for two or three days. You feed 'em. I've never seen anything like it."

Davis, still 22-4-2 with 17 knockouts, was under the impression that he would be officially rewarded with a win before being told of Miramontes' statement. He intimated that he wished he knocked out Mateen before the non-fight.

"He was calling my brother (and trainer/manager Kelly Davis), saying how he was going to knock me out," Davis said of Mateen. "I had said how I never lost my (IBF cruiserweight) belt, that it was taken from me. He was saying how he was champion and that he vacated his belt. That was disrespecting me. I told him, 'I'm going to knock you out.'"

Mateen, 30-12-3 (10), defeated Uriah Grant for the lightly regarded IBU cruiserweight belt in 2003. He vacated his belt in '03 and came back as a heavyweight this year.

Ironically for Davis, who became Northern Nevada's first world champion when he stopped Ezra Sellers on May 1, 2004, he in effect lost his belt in another non-fight in Missouri, when he stepped onto the scales the following February at the Savvis Center in St. Louis, but was not allowed to fight O'Neil Bell, and was subsequently stripped by the IBF.

At the time, Davis had a promotional dispute with King, with whom he later re-signed.

"You know what happened to me in St. Louis," Davis said. "I wanted to show (the fans) this is what you guys missed out on in 2005."

Davis had his best shot to knock out Mateen before the fight.

"About 30-45 minutes before the fight I was headed toward the bathroom and it was just him and me," Davis said of the run-in. "He looked like a deer caught in headlights. He was shocked to see me. I was shocked to see him. We just walked by each other and didn't say anything."

Smith and Spicer said they'd like to get Davis a match in St. Charles within three weeks.

Davis said his mother, Frances Gaines, who is married to an ordained minister, told him everything happens for a reason.

"She said, 'It's not up to you when you fight. It's up to God," Davis said.

Davis believes that at least He - unlike Elvis and Mateen - hasn't left the building.

QUICK FLURRIES

xx-According to fightnews.com, Reno's Joey Gilbert, 12-1 (9), will defend his North American Boxing Organization middleweight title against Keith Sims, 25-12-1 (14) with 4 no-contests, on Oct. 11.

The bout, to be held at Westchester County Center, in White Plains, N.Y., will headline a card presented by Star Boxing, the 30-year-old Gilbert's new promoter.

Gilbert, a three-time national champion for the University of Nevada, rose to prominence on the NBC reality series "The Contender." He won the NABO belt by defeating Jimmy Lange - whom he also defeated on "The Contender" - in a February rematch in Fairfax, W.V.

Gilbert is coming off a one-round knockout of Jason Aaker, which he scored Aug. 5 at the MontBleu Resort and Casino.

The 39-year-old Sims, a southpaw, hasn't fought since he took a six-round decision over Steve Mayo on Sept. 16, 2005, in a light heavyweight match. Sims has lost eight of his bouts by knockout.

"They (Gilbert's matchmaker) picked a great opponent," said Spicer of Sims, who is from Kansas City, Mo. "I'm not familiar with Gilbert, but Sims used to be an OK fighter. Now, it's a damn shame. He's a nice kid, but I thought they yanked his license (to box). I wouldn't use him on one of my cards. It shocked me when (Spicer heard Sims was still fighting)."

Gilbert is rated No. 11 by the WBO. A victory over Sims could elevate him into the sanctioning body's top 10.

Gilbert's bout will not be televised locally.

xx-Carson City's Mike Peralta, 1-0, is scheduled to face Yoshi "The Samurai" Fujii, 2-0-1 (2), in a four-round lightweight bout on Oct. 8, in Fresno, Calif.

Peralta, 24, made his professional debut on Aug. 24, taking a four-round unanimous decision over Shawn Yacoubian in Irvine, Calif. He is trained by his father, Francisco Peralta, who runs the Carson City Boxing Club, and is managed by Jackie Kallen.

Fujii, also 24, was born in Japan and turned pro in February.