"ANOTHER 'HOT PROSPECT' BITES THE DUST!" By Elisa Harrison

It's bad enough to lose the protected 'hot prospect' status by way of a decision or a stoppage, but to lose it to a sudden deficiency in the heart department has got to be the worst! Such a situation occurred to Puerto Rican former 'hot prospect' (perhaps he was never a hot prospect to begin with), Jeffrey Resto, this past Friday, September 26th in front of a multitude of ESPN2 FNF viewers.

Resto, 17-0, 11 KOs coming into this affair, met up with Colombia's Carlos Maussa, 15-0, 14 KOs in Corpus Christi, Texas. This was Maussa's first defense of the WBC Latin American Junior Welterweight title he dueled for -and won- right here in Miami in a barn burner against Cuban warrior Hicklet "El Marielito" Lau.

I remember watching Maussa make his U.S. debut in a Felix 'Tuto' Zabala, Jr. promotion hosted by the Palladium Gym in Davie, Florida; a Telefutura card that had to be delayed due to the onset of the war on Iraq. I remember thinking to myself, who is this guy; he seemed so unassuming and inoffensive, and then the bell rang... and Maussa did away with his opponent in 3 action packed rounds.

Following that bout, I saw the Colombian again at the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami; this time he was in with someone I know has a real pulse, a fighter, in Hicklet "El Marielito" Lau. Maussa took Lau to fistic school, and although the scores don't reflect the intensity of the match, they were very unanimous: 116-112, 118-110, 119-109.

Then Maussa fought Freddy Cruz, 53-34-10, 17 KOs at the Miccosukee Gaming Resort in Miami, and he did away with the veteran in 2 solid rounds. I came away thinking that Carlos Maussa was for real, and so, I was very interested in seeing how he would fare against 'hot prospect' Jeffrey Resto.

If you were really paying attention to the ESPN2 FNF's crew, you'd think that Resto was the nicest and hardest working man in the business, (and he could very well be), while Maussa had nothing to contribute. I don't recall anything being said about Carlos Maussa, or his personal life, or his hardships, and automatically you knew who was the house fighter. Oh, but I always say that boxing has a way of humbling folks, of bringing the cream to the top, and this night was no exception.

The 'prospect' ran into a determined and courageous 'opponent,' -a champion nevertheless- who came to fight, who didn't mind mixing it up. Maussa overwhelmed Resto from the opening bell, deceived him with an awkward style, and demoralized him with his tough chin and even tougher disposition.

In the sixth round the champion made Resto spit out his mouthpiece twice, and halfway through the round, after being rocked on a consistent basis by Maussa's relentless pursuit, the 'hot prospect' said "NO MAS!" The look of disgust from his corner men told the story, and perhaps the embarrassment should have ended there, right?

Wrong! In a possible -however ill advised- attempt at damage control, the Motley Crew who brings us the ring action for the ESPN2 FNF's decides to interview ... who else? None other than the loser -the quitter- of the fight! What's wrong with that picture? Partiality? Biased journalism? You name it, it is! Granted that an interview with Resto was not entirely a bad idea, but why exclude the champion and winner of the match? He doesn't speak fluid English you said? Well, there were several very able people in Maussa's corner who could have helped in that area, so that is not even a viable excuse.

Life goes on, and Maussa remains the champion, while Resto has turned into the proverbial frog. The funniest part of the interview had to be when Fresto said: "He kept hitting, hitting, hitting..." Say what, say what? Isn't that what boxers who want to win do?

Congratulations are hereby extended to Carlos Maussa, his trainer Roberto Quesada and the rest of Team Maussa. As for Resto, perhaps that day job the ESPN2 FNF's crew kept harping about should become a permanent move.

09-26-2003