TSZYU SHAKEN, NOW IS STIRRED; RUELAS FOE MAKES CHANGES.

Byline: MICHAEL ROSENTHAL Boxing

Kostya Tszyu was on his way.

The former amateur world champion from Russia, now living in Australia, was IBF junior welterweight title holder, undefeated, promoted by Bob Arum, on Oscar De La Hoya's short list of possible opponents and overflowing with talent.

Then he ran into Vince Phillips last August.

In one of the biggest upsets of 1997, Phillips, then 34, pounded and then stopped Tszyu in the 10th round to take the championship and turn Tszyu's world upside down.

He was shaken emotionally for a few months, faced with the prospect of rebuilding his career and ultimately released by Arum.

``In the beginning of my career, I never thought I would lose,'' said Tszyu, who faces Rafael Ruelas in a WBC super lightweight title-elimination bout Saturday in El Paso.

``Then it happened. . . . It wasn't easy. I never thought about retiring. At the same time, I didn't know how long it would take me to recover from that. It was about two months later that I decided to get back in the gym.''

Tszyu, 28, blamed the loss in part on his diet.

Although he didn't notice anything unusual leading up to the fight, he said, he somehow lacked sufficient energy once it began. His manager, Vlad Warton, said Tszyu had anemia and was somewhat dehydrated.

Once he made the decision to get back into the gym, he addressed the problem: He hired one of the top dietitians in Australia and claims he's a new man.

``The vitamins I used were wrong, the diet I had was wrong, everything was wrong,'' he said. ``The things I do now are totally different. I do the right things, I eat the right things and now I can make weight properly without any problems at all.

``It's so simple I can't believe it.''

Certainly more simple than his climb back to the top.

No one disputes that he has considerable ability. He's a 3-1 favorite over Ruelas, a former world champion himself, for a reason.

However, his was no ordinary loss. It came against a fighter few took seriously and it was one-sided, two facts that shattered his image as a great - or potentially great - fighter.

Afterward, the million-dollar paydays that seemed to be around the corner were nowhere in sight.

Tszyu tried to focus on the positive.

He learned something particularly valuable: He can be beaten, a fact that has a way of keeping a fighter focused.

And he learned who will be with him for the long haul. He lost several ``friends'' after the loss but received unwavering support from his family and his adopted country.

When he returned to Australia after the Phillips fight, he was greeted by roughly 1,000 fans at the Sydney airport.

``It almost made me cry,'' he said.

Tszyu has fought twice since the Phillips fight, stopping Ismael Chaves and Calvin Grove - in three and one rounds, respectively - in Australia to run his record to 20-1-1, with 16 knockouts.

His confidence back, Tszyu doesn't believe he has anything to prove to anyone. He knows what he's capable of and is getting his chance to prove it once again: The winner of Saturday's fight has a date this year with Miguel Angel Gonzalez for the vacant title.

With De La Hoya out of the picture for the foreseeable future, his goal now is to unify the 140-pound titles.

And his hunger to realize it is more acute than ever. He wants it for those who stood by him - including the Australian fans - and for himself.

``I'm more determined now than ever,'' he said. ``I'll be 29 next month. It's time to get a championship belt again. I'm ready.''

More local fighting: Mehdi Zamani, owner of the Country Club and a licensed promoter, plans to bring back regular shows to the Reseda venue.

P.J. Goossen of North Hollywood will headline his first card, on Sept. 9, against an opponent to be determined. He also has scheduled cards for October, November and December.

He and promoter Peter Broudy, who is helping Zamani put togetherH the cards, hopes to pit Goossen against Hector ``Macho'' Camacho on ESPN on Oct. 23.

``The history of the Country Club is boxing. Mehdi really wants to have boxing there on a regular basis,'' Broudy said.

Oxnard promoter Robert Valdez has scheduled a fight card for Aug. 29 at L.A. Fitness Center's outdoor tennis arena in Woodland Hills.

Rabbit punches: Goossen was scheduled to fight Roberto Duran in his first reasonably lucrative fight last year but broke his foot and had to pull out.

A matchup with Camacho would help ease the pain.

Goossen must beat whomever he fights and Camacho must beat Tony Menefee on Tuesday for the fight to happen. Broudy, negotiating on Goossen's behalf, and Camacho's handlers are near a deal. . . .

Gonzalez, scheduled to fight on the Ruelas-Tszyu card, pulled out after injuring his hand. . . .

WBA and IBF heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield will face IBF No. 1 challenger Vaughn Bean on Sept. 19 in Atlanta. The fight, a terrible matchup, can be seen on pay-per-view television.

Meanwhile, WBC champ Lennox Lewis will defend against Zeljko Mavrovic on Sept. 26 on HBO.

What did we do to deserve this? . . .

Fernando Vargas of Oxnard (13-0, 13 KOs) returns to the ring against capable Antonio Rivera (26-1-1, 19 KOs) in a 10-round junior middleweight bout on Aug. 22 in Atlantic City, N.J.

Arturo Gatti, the world's most exciting fighter, faces Ivan Robinson in the 10-round lightweight main event.

The card is on HBO. . . .

Prince Naseem Hamed reportedly will fight Kennedy McKinney on Halloween night in Las Vegas. . . .

If referee Mills Lane is hired by Fox to be a ringside commentator, his career as a ref would be over.

``Mills is 60 years old and I think he's looking long-term,'' Nevada State Athletic Commission director Marc Ratner told the Boston Globe. ``If he gets a long-term contract with Fox and goes full-time, he wouldn't be allowed to referee in Nevada because it would be a real conflict. He understands Hthat and accepts it.'' . . .

Alex Ramos of the Retired Boxers Foundation and Robert Ortiz of Kid Gloves Boxing Foundation were named ``Heroes of the Week'' by Channel 13. The organizations provide area youths with boxing training and role models.

COMING UP

Tonight: At the Pond, Marco Badillo faces Mauricio Martinez in a 10-round featherweight bout.

Tuesday: On USA, Hector Camacho takes on Tony Menefee in a 12-round junior middleweight bout in Miami.

Friday: On Fox Sports Net, Oscar Andrande defends his NABF flyweight title against Javier Munozin El Paso.

Saturday: On pay-per-view, Rafael Ruelas faces Kostya Tszyu in a 10-round junior welterweight bout in El Paso. Also, Luisito Espinosa defends his WBC featherweight title against Juan Carlos Ramirez.

In another Saturday card, at the Olympic Auditorium, Melchor Cobb-Castro faces Tomas Rivera in a 12-round flyweight bout. Also, Lamon Brewster faces Everett Martin in a 10-round heavyweight matchup.

CAPTION(S):

Photo, Box

PHOTO Kostya Tszyu, landing a right hook against Hugo Pineda, hired a dietitian after suffering an upset loss to Vince Phillips in 1997.

Rick Rycroft/Associated Press

BOX: COMING UP (see text)