Chris John out to prove himself in Gainer bout

The Jakarta Post Jakarta

When champion Chris John takes on Derrick Gainer in the long- awaited World Boxing Association (WBA) featherweight title bout on Friday evening, both fighters will have something to prove.

Chris John will not only have to overcome the wily veteran at Kelapa Gading Sports Mall in North Jakarta, but also have to show that he was not overly affected by a dragged-out dispute with longtime trainer Sutan Rambing during his preparation.

Sutan threatened to sue Chris John over the latter's decision to leave his training camp in December 2004, with the dispute only resolved a few days ago.

Sutan withdrew his police report after being promised Rp 400 million in compensation by bout promoter Daniel Bahari. A partial payment of Rp 150 million was reportedly made before the bout, with the remainder to be provided upon its completion.

Despite the psychological burden of the messy breakup, the 25- year-old Indonesian, now trained by Australian Craig Christian, has said he strove to focus his attention on his third title defense.

"I have got to concentrate on the fight. I have no other option but to win," he said as quoted by Bola Sports tabloid.

And Gainer, 32, will be no pushover, especially as he has his own naysayers to silence.

The American, who walked out of a press conference on Thursday after no English translation was provided for him, desperately wants to silence his detractors who consider him a has-been whose career glory was mainly due to the steady hand of former manager Roy Jones Jr.

He held the WBA featherweight crown from September 2000 until losing a unification bout against IBF champion Juan Manuel Marquez in November 2003.

His unification bid failure allowed Chris John, who won an ad interim fight against Oscar Leon in Bali in September 2003, to be declared the official champion.

Chris John showed he was worthy of wearing the crown by beating Osamu Sato in Sato in Japan in June 2004, and then Jose Rojas in Tenggarong, East Kalimantan, in December.

Rojas was a last-minute replacement for Gainer, who the promoter said withdrew due to a dispute over the outdoor venue. However, Gainer told Bola Sports the issue was the purse.

Tonight, however, both men must put the distractions behind them. For Chris John, it's crunch time to prove that he did not make a mistake by switching camps and parting with the man who brought him international success.

For Gainer, it's the big bout to show he is still a fighter to be reckoned with.

And whoever triumphs at the end of the night will have proved they are made of sterner stuff.