BY MIKE HOUSER
Appeal Sports Writer
RENO - An interesting thing happened Wednesday when Yerington's Jesse Brinkley and Sacramento's Otis "Triple OG" Griffin stood face to face for the customary press conference staredown in the Aura Ultra Lounge in the Silver Legacy Resort Casino.
As the 6-foot-1 Griffin pulled his head back to further emphasize his height advantage over his 5-10 opponent, Brinkley broke Griffin's stare and looked away, leaving Griffin with a somewhat puzzled expression.
"I'm done looking at him. I'm ready to hit him," said Brinkley, 29-5 with 20 knockouts, who will meet Griffin in the 12-round main event of "The Battle for the West" Friday at the Grande Exposition Ballroom in the Silver Legacy. "I have nothing bad to say about him. I have nothing but respect for him. He's done well in his career."
But...
"I'm not going to look in his eyes and stand there and smell his breath - it ain't doing nothing for me or him," Brinkley said as he sat in a couch and looked over in Griffin's direction. "We're ready to fight."
For his part, the 29-year-old Griffin (boxrec.com lists him as 30) seemed a bit more relaxed than the intense Brinkley. Griffin, 18-2-2 (7), was wearing a sports jacket over a black T-shirt featuring Al Pacino's character Tony Montana from "Scarface."
Asked what line Montana would say that would encapsulate this fight, Griffin smiled.
"OK. You want to play rough? I'm reloaded."
Until recently the IBF ranked Griffin No. 15 in the world at 175 pounds. He and the 31-year-old Brinkley will meet for the vacant WBC United States National Boxing Championship (USNBC) belt in the headliner of the six-bout card.
Both fighters said it was a struggle to make the contracted weight of 168 pounds.
"It's going to be close," Griffin said of shedding the last few pounds. "I feel terrible - I'm not going to lie. But I'll feel better once I take in some fluids (following today's weigh-in)."
Brinkley, who began his career as a welterweight and moved through the junior middleweight and middleweight ranks, said he'd love to drop back down to 160, but his body is telling him otherwise.
"I don't know why I can't make 160," Brinkley said. "I can get to 166. I'm in good shape. In my last three knockouts I performed well, whether I was jabbing more or hitting hard. I know these guys (natural light heavyweights like Griffin). You can hit them 10 times, but they hit you once and it hurts.
"They say he's not a knockout puncher, but all his fights have been at light heavyweight. I'm just a blown-up middleweight. I can't get rid of these last six pounds. I've dried out for a day and a half and I'm 166."
Although Brinkley has apparently taken exception to Griffin's statement that he'd put him to sleep, Griffin insisted he has nothing personal against his opponent.
"My main motivation for this fight is that Jesse is a quality guy," said Griffin, a correctional officer at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville Prison. "If I score a win against Jesse Brinkley, I'll be ranked in the top 10 in the world (at 168). Nobody will be able to say I had a walkover fight. That's why I took the fight."
To say Brinkley is motivated for Griffin is an understatement.
"I'm here to give him hell and hopefully take the belt," Brinkley said. "He said he was going to put me to sleep. If you're man enough to say it, be man enough to try it. If I lose the fight, I'll retire. I'll walk away. I have five losses. If I can't win this fight, I retire.
"That's what I've said my last three fights. I'll walk away with my head held high. I'm proud of what I've done in my career. I'm not going to leave my family and friends and people I love for seven weeks to lose. You don't play this sport. I'll catch a heart attack, I'll fall on my face trying to win. I'll fight smart, but I'll let it all hang out."
Griffin said he'll be bringing a lot of fans from California with him, including a large contingent of correctional officers.
"They (the prison) may have to go to first-watch program," Griffin said with a laugh, alluding to a shortage of COs.
Griffin said making the weight has taken a toll on his sculpted body.
"I'm at 1.7-precent body fat," he said. "The doctor is worried. He's never seen someone with such low percentage of body fat. I'm earning my money this time."
Griffin said unless he were offered an HBO or Showtime fight, he would go back up to 175, but for now he's focused on getting past Brinkley.
"I have a feeling he'll bring it on," Griffin said. "I have to break Jesse. If you let him get confident, he'll come on and it will have a snowball effect."
Brinkley said this is the kind of fight where the first fighter to make a mistake would lose.
"I just know this guy - it's a risky job," Brinkley said as he again glanced across the room at Griffin. "He has a big, long jab. I can see that just looking at him. One mistake at this level will put you back to co-main events and $2,500 fights. I'm done with that. Everyone has to walk away (from boxing) sooner or later. I don't want to lose."
Both boxers earned international acclaim on reality boxing shows - Brinkley as a semifinalist on the NBC reality show "The Contender," and Griffin on Oscar De La Hoya's and Fox's "The Next Great Champ." (Griffin won the championship.)
That said, this fight will determine who is a genuine contender in the world rankings of the WBC.
"I like to look at myself as a real fighter - a worthy fighter who is putting himself in position for a world championship," Brinkley said. "I hope one of the champions calls me out and gives me a chance. Without me winning this fight, that won't happen.
"'The Contender' helped me establish my name deep in the sport. Let's Get It On (Promotions) is helping move me forward. I have to say thank you to both. They did their job. We (Brinkley and Griffin) are doing our jobs."
Brinkley said he prepared for Griffin by sparring fighters ranging from 165-200 pounds.
"It's going to come down to whoever has the better night and lays it all out," Brinkley said. "You can't try and face someone at this level unless you fight smart. You have 12 rounds. You have to be patient."
In other action, Glenn "The Filipino Bomber" Donaire, 16-3-1 (9), of San Leandro, Calif., will meet 2000 Brazilian Olympian Jose Albuquerque, 8-2-2 (2), of Los Angeles, in the eight-round co-main event. The two fought to a six-round draw in 2006.
The show also features several locals. Carson City's Mike Peralta, 2-2 (1), will face Oscar Marin, 3-4, of Las Vegas, in a four-round lightweight contest.
Brothers Derek and Tyler Hinkey, of McDermitt, will also compete. Derek, 4-0 (4), has a new opponent in Tony Hirsch, 3-1 (1), of Oakland, whom he'll meet in a four-round middleweight contest. Hinkey's original opponent, Cromwell Gordon, pulled out Wednesday.
Tyler Hinkey, 1-0-1 (1), and Denver's Travis Biechler, 2-5 (2), meet in a four-round heavyweight bout and storied amateur Emily Klinefelter, of Iowa City, Iowa, makes her pro debut in a four-round junior featherweight match with Elizabeth Cervantes, 2-7 (1), of Durango, Mexico.
Tickets are $150, $75 and $30. They are available at the Silver Legacy box office, by calling (800) 687-8733 or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com.
Doors open at 6 p.m. The first bout begins at 7.