Avila Has Ko On Mind, Not Blackout In Bingo Hall Ex-Lightweight Champ In Worley For Second Comeback Fight

Johnny Avila grew up fighting.

Take the sixth grade, for example.

“I fought the same kid every day on the way to school for nine months,” Avila said. “We’d see each other walking down the street and go at it.”

Who won? “It was about even, I guess,” he said.

Avila’s not fighting the elementary school bully on Wednesday night when professional fighting returns to North Idaho after a four-year absence. He’s tangling with Steve Valdez in a lightweight bout at the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Bingo/Casino.

It won’t be an even fight, Avila says. “I’ve been telling myself I’m going to knock this guy out in the first round. That keeps me in the right frame of mind.”

Avila has packed much into his 23 years. The Palmdale, Calif., native left the streets behind to turn pro four years ago and soon became a title-holder. At 21, he lost to Oscar De La Hoya. Avila’s pockets were lined with money, but his mind was bored with boxing.

He took 16 months off. Now, you don’t have to be Don King’s hairdresser to know comebacks are common to the sport of boxing, but to have one at age 22 is precocious.

Avila’s comeback started in April when he stopped Gene Lopez in the sixth round in Caldwell, Idaho. These days, it continues at 6 a.m. each morning with a 5-mile run and afternoon sparring sessions.

“I’ve got my desire back and I want to train to become a world champion again,” he said.

Few dispute his considerable talent. The 138-pound Avila is quick, yet powerful. He’s never been knocked down. He lives up to his nickname of “Electrifying,” according to trainer/manager Deanie Crisp.

Avila’s 20-2-1 pro record reflects his triumphs. He won the IBO lightweight title despite no amateur career - sixth grade not withstanding. He vacated the crown for a shot at De La Hoya.

It was a quick rise, accompanied by an equally brisk fall after his loss to De La Hoya in December of 1994. He made $50,000 for that fight, which was stopped in the ninth round because of cuts near Avila’s eyes. He’ll make $1,500 Wednesday.

“Things could have been different for me now,” Avila said, “but I was young and I still had that wildness in me.”

Crisp partly blames himself for Avila’s loss to De La Hoya.

“Johnny should be in the category Oscar is now,” Crisp said. “He was a diamond in the rough. They’re both 23.

“To this day, my thought is we should have beaten Oscar, but he got in with his old friends and family and the press just wore him out. He wasn’t ready for all that. I thought we were.”

De La Hoya, no stranger to heavily promoted fights, was ready. He had the benefit of a stellar amateur career and he knew how to deal with media/ publicity demands.

“Johnny had Oscar down in the first round, but they called it a slip,” Crisp said. “A lot of things just went wrong. Johnny got cut in the first round, the third and the sixth - all head butts, no glove cuts.”

Avila spent 16 months relaxing, skiing and visiting family.

Though he’s still peeling away layers of rust, he says he’s matured into a better fighter.

“I thank God for holding my hand in the 16 months I was off so I can come back and win another world title,” he said. “That’s what I’m going to do. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here right now, wasting my time or anybody else’s.”

Here right now is Worley, where he trains in a ring that sits in the middle of bingo hall. It’s a long way from previous fight sites like Las Vegas or Reno, but he receives free lodging.

It’s a quiet, tolerable change of pace, one he hopes will continue a successful comeback.

“We figure this fight and one more (which will also likely be in Worley) and we’ll be ready for the top 10,” Crisp said.

Avila says it’s only a matter of time before he’s back on top.

“Boxing’s just like running a business,” he said. “The better you do your job, the better the business does. Right now, I’m ready to start incorporating.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Fight card 128- Jeff Mason (Detroit) vs. Francisco Rodriguez (Carson City, Nev.), 5 rounds 185-Zaire Patterson (Palmdale, Calif.) vs. Austin Johnson (Portland), 5 rounds 158-Robert Perez (Caldwell, Idaho) vs. Garfield Knoles (Tacoma), 8 rounds 138-Johnny Avila (Palmdale, Calif.) vs. Steve Valdez (Denver), 10 rounds Boxing starts Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.