Title Fight, Exhibitions at Forum Tonight; Quake Victims to Benefit

Azumah Nelson, who is from another country anyway, will likely feel further estranged when he defends his World Boxing Council featherweight title at the Forum tonight.

The man from Ghana won’t even enjoy the supposed neutrality of the United States. With nine former champions from Mexico boxing exhibitions on the benefit card and with top-ranked Marcos Villasana of Acapulco as his opponent--and with their legions of Mexican fans--Nelson may well think he’s been transported south of the border.

But he’s used to fighting on foreign soil. After all, he won his title from the great Wilfredo Gomez in San Juan, P.R., in 1984 and has since defended it against England’s Pat Cowdell in Cowdell’s hometown. As far at that goes, says his manager, Dr. A. Oko Kwatekewei, “He made his professional debut in Bakersfield, which is a long way from Accra. It doesn’t matter where he fights.”

As Nelson, 27, has knocked out 17 of his 23 opponents (losing only once), it indeed doesn’t matter who scores his fights, or where they score them. He won the title on a knockout and has defended it by knockout. And he is highly favored to do the same with Villasana, himself a big puncher but one who couldn’t even get by Rodolfo (Gato) Gonzalez in a recent fight.

But while their fight is the center piece, the real attraction in this benefit for the earthquake victims of Mexico City may be the string of exhibition bouts featuring former Mexican champions. Included on the card are four-rounders featuring such past stars as Carlos Zarate, Alfonso Zamora, Ruben Olivares and Pipino Cuevas. Zarate and Cuevas, apparently inspired by their training, have announced comebacks.

Others, still active, include Gonzales and Juan Meza.

And, Olympic silver medalist Hector Lopez will fight a scheduled 10-rounder against Juna Antonio Lopez. WBC lightweight champion Hector (Macho) Camacho is scheduled to appear as well.

The fighters, assembled by Los Angeles fight manager Jimmy Montoya, hope to raise at least $100,000 for the victims of last year’s earthquake. The promotion, which is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., has been billed as the “Fight for Life.”

The Nelson-Villasana fight is in its fourth promotion. It was postponed twice last year and again when the benefit card was first proposed. “But believe it,” Nelson said last week, “I am here for this one.”

But even when he’s here, he’s not all here. He’s looking forward to a big-money bout with World Boxing Assn. champion Barry McGuigan, a fighter he calls “Miss Quiggle.” He says he’d love even to fight the Irishman in Dublin. As for the potential of that scene, well, he’ll get a good preview of fan hostility tonight.