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Byline: ROBERT MORALES BOXING

These days it seems like there is often only one compelling fight on a particular card. That's why it is awesome just looking forward to the Sept. 16 event at MGM Grand in Las Vegas that will be headlined by Marco Antonio Barrera-Rocky Juarez II.

Barrera won a split decision over Juarez in May at Staples Center to retain his World Boxing Council super featherweight belt, which will again be on the line.

But the other two championship fights not only carry their own intrigue, they should be all-out battles between four terrific fighters.

Israel Vazquez of Mexico City will defend his WBC super bantamweight belt against countryman Jhonny Gonzalez, the World Boxing Organization bantamweight champion, who is moving up in weight.

Also, undefeated former super bantamweight champion Joan Guzman of the Dominican Republic will challenge Jorge Barrios for his WBO junior lightweight belt.

Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions is the lead promoter for the event. On paper, anyway, it appears matchmaker Eric Gomez, a high school chum from Garfield High of Los Angeles of De La Hoya's, did a solid job putting it together.

Vazquez, 28, is trained by Freddie Roach out of the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood. He is 40-3 with 29 knockouts and is 5-1 in world title fights.

``I wish the fight was today,'' Vazquez said. ``Gonzalez is a world champion and a great fighter moving up in weight, but he's doing it against the wrong guy."

Gonzalez, 24, is 33-4 with 28knockouts. At 5-foot-7 1/2 and possessor of a 71-inch reach, he has the height and reach advantage over Vazquez, who is 5-6 and has a 66-inch reach.

``Gonzalez is a tough opponent because he's tall and rangy,'' Roach said. ``We're looking to get inside on him, get inside that long reach, break down the body and take him out in the later rounds."

Guzman will be trying to become the first fighter from the Dominican Republic to win world championships in two weight classes. He won the vacant WBO super bantamweight belt in August 2002 and made twodefenses.

Guzman, who is 25-0 with 17 knockouts, then had one fight at featherweight before moving up to junior lightweight, where he has fought once.

``I'm excited and ready,'' Guzman said this week from his training camp in Las Vegas. ``I give Barrios a lot of credit. He's a tough fighter, but I'm not coming to lose. I want to make history in the Dominican Republic as the only fighter with two world titles.''

This will be a very difficult task for Guzman to accomplish. He is very good, but Barrios is a hard-hitting brute. He won the WBO junior lightweight belt with a crushing fourth-round technical knockout of Michael Anchondo in April 2005 in Miami.

Barrios has made two defenses, one via second-round technical knockout and the other by first-round knockout. Guzman is using a motivational tool of sorts during his preparation.

``We've got a life-size cardboard cutout of Barrios,'' said Jose Nunez, Guzman's manager. ``When (Joan) is doing sit-ups, push-ups, hitting the bag or sparring, the thing is right there in front of him. He definitely knows who he's training for."

Like Vazquez, Guzman is promoted by Sycuan Ringside Promotions.

``This fight is the next step in Joan in establishing himself as the best 130-pounder (junior lightweight) in the world, just as he was at 122 pounds,'' said Scott Woodworth, a vice president for Sycuan.

Don't miss this card. If you can't make it in person, it will be available on HBO pay-per-view.

The three Golden Boy fighters in this event are Barrera, Barrios and Gonzalez. Juarez belongs to Main Events Inc. out of NewJersey.

Sportmen's Lodge shows more class

Don Fraser, president of the California Boxing Hall of Fame, couldn't remember a class of fighters as strong as the one that will be inducted today at Sportsmen's Lodge in Studio City.

They are Tony ``The Tiger'' Baltazar, Frankie Baltazar, Gabriel Ruelas, Rafael Ruelas, Carlos Palomino, Hedgemon Lewis, Jorge ``Maromero'' Paez and Randy Shields.

``This is a good one, a solid one, maybe the best,'' Fraser said from his home in Toluca Lake.

In 2004, Mike Quarry was enshrined with Ernie ``Indian Red'' Lopez, who had been missing for 10 years and was finally tracked down in Texas. Inducted posthumously was Jerry Quarry, older brother of Mike, who himself died June 11.

There are a lot of good memories when you think about each of today's inductees. One of the special stories comes from the Ruelas brothers, who boxed out of Sylmar.

They knocked on the door of Ten Goose Boxing one day trying to sell candy. Both took up boxing and were eventually trained by Joe Goossen, who guided them to world championships -- Gabriel in the super featherweight division, Rafael as a lightweight.

Joe's older brother Dan Goossen, president of Goossen Tutor Promotions in Sherman Oaks, promoted the Ruelas brothers much of their careers.

``Gabriel and Rafael set the bar so high with, not only their accomplishments in the ring, but just as importantly their friendship, confidence and loyalty to the Goossens and our efforts on their behalf,'' he said.

Gabriel, 36, now works for Goossen Tutor. He is in charge of Hispanic media and fighter relations. He was 49-7 with 25 knockouts fighting from 1988-2003 and went 3-2 in world title fights.

Rafael, 35, was 53-4 with 42 knockouts during a 10 1/2-year career that ended in 1999. He was 3-1 in world championship bouts.

Those who will be inducted into the non-boxer category include trainer Freddie Roach and Dr. Joe Noriega, a former fighter and former president of the World Boxing Council Hall of Fame. Among those to be posthumously enshrined are former light heavyweight great Archie Moore and Carlos Chavez, the former state featherweight champion from LosAngeles. Moore, who died at 81 in 1998, went 187-23-11 with 132 knockouts.

``Ryan O'Neil, Robert Shapiro and Diego Corrales are going to be there,'' Fraser said of the actor, lawyer and world-champion fighter, respectively. ``And (former police chief) Bernard Parks is going to read something for Archie Moore.

``We really have a nice show put together."

The banquet begins at noon. All 400 tickets have been sold.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) Ricardo Juarez, left, will match up against Marco Antonio Barrera, right, again in the main event Sept. 16 at MGM Grand.

Robert Laberge/Getty Images

(2) Rafael Ruelas