7/12/07 - article by Randy Benson - The Town Talk
Nichols' opponent talking tough
By Randy Benson
rbenson@thetowntalk.com
(318) 487-6431
Originally posted in The Town Talk 7-12-07
Malcolm Terry, the trainer of boxer Donnell Logan, has a warning for fans of Alexandria boxer Heath Nichols.
"I know a lot of people think this fight is a mismatch," Terry said. "I agree. I think this fight is a mismatch. I don't think Heath will be able to last more than two rounds against my guy."
Nichols (5-0 as a pro) will fight Logan (8-12-2) Saturday at the Coushatta Casino Resort in Kinder for the National Boxing Association's vacant junior world lightweight title.
"He had better be able to live up to his manager's talk," Nichols said by phone from Las Vegas, where he has been training for the fight. "He had better be able to walk the walk in the ring.
"It will just be the two of us in the ring. His manager won't be there. He's definitely going to see what I've got."
Logan once was a highly regarded prospect, going 8-1-1 in his first 10 fights after turning pro in 2004.
That early record earned Logan a bout against Antonio Davis for the vacant World Boxing Organization super featherweight title on Jan. 22, 2005. Davis won that fight on a technical knockout in the eighth round.
Logan hasn't been the same fighter since, going 0-11-1, including a loss to Lafayette boxer Bobby Aucion for the International Boxing Union's vacant U.S. light welterweight title on June 17, 2006.
"Donnell was going through a lot of personal things in his life," Terry said. "His mother got sick -- she passed away a few months ago. He wasn't training and he took a lot of last-minute fights.
"He would take a fight the day before the fight. He was just fighting for the money."
Donnell hasn't fought since March 9, when he lost to Vernon Paris in a first-round TKO.
"I shut him down," Terry said. "I said I wasn't going to let him fight until he started training. He's been in the gym training for the last two months. I'm seeing that guy that I thought was going to be a world champion again."
All of Logan's losses in that 12-fight string have been to highly rated fighters. Four of the losses came to undefeated fighters, five came to fighters with one losses and one came to a boxer with two losses.
"Donnell can fight," said boxing promoter Dana Pitchard, who is not involved with this fight. "The issue has always been that he wasn't training. If he really has been training, then it should be a good fight."
Both Nichols and Logan have reputations as hard-hitting boxers.
"I hear they call Heath Lil Rocky," Terry said. "We're going to find out if Lil Rocky has a good chin because he's going to get hit."
That kind of talk annoys Nichols.
"I don't like to trash talk," he said. "I like to let my gloves do the talking. But if he's going to talk like that, I don't want to see him running like a chicken in the ring.
"He can stand there and fight and we'll see how strong his chin is."
What: Alexandria boxer Heath Nichols vs. Donnell Logan for NBA junior world lightweight title
When: Saturday
Where: Coushatta Casino Resort, Kinder.
Tickets: $40 for reserved seats, $100 for bronze circle, $150 for silver circle and $200 for gold circle. Available at Coushatta Box Office and at
www.ticketmaster.com
Information: Kinder Casino Resort, (800) 584-7263.
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