Pinklon Thomas Fighting Cocaine `Day By Day'

Nov. 8, 1989, and Feb. 13, 1990, are two dates that Pinklon Thomas has merrily circled on his mental calendar.

On Nov. 8, Thomas, a former WBC heavyweight champion from Seattle now living in Orlando, Fla., was legally free from promoter Don King's contractual tentacles. Few fighters escape King's grip without going a few rounds, as Buster Douglas is finding out.

Feb. 13 marked Thomas' one-year anniversary of being free from the clutches of drugs. The Pink Man was lucky to escape this stranglehold with his life.

Free. Free from King. Free from cocaine.

Thomas knows he doesn't want either viper in his life. Except Thomas realizes that to become a contender again he may have to do business with King, whose reach extends beyond Mike Tyson. Thomas can handle King. But this cocaine thing, well, there can be no compromise.

The odds against The Pink Man staying clean are as improbable as his dream of re-entering the wide-open heavyweight picture. But he fights. ``Day by day,'' Thomas says. ``Day by day.''

He was a heroin addict before he was 20. He beat that. Cocaine, a constant companion, had too strong a hold. Thomas was supposed to be an honored guest at a boxing card/dinner a year ago in Miami. This was Angelo Dundee's ``Stars of Tomorrow.''

Thomas was too high to attend. Dundee decided he would never apologize again for Thomas, whom he trained for fights against Tyson and Holyfield. Pink was knocked out by Tyson in '87 and Holyfield in '88. Dundee could accept his man getting beat; he couldn't accept Thomas destroying himself. ``He said, `Pink, I want nothing to do with you anymore. Forget my office phone number. Forget my home phone number,' '' Thomas said. ``I felt alone in the world. I could have killed myself,'' he said.

Instead, he did worse. He stuffed $2,000 in cash in his pocket and hit Miami's mean streets to become a coke zombie. Three or four dizzying days after refusing Dundee's help, he turned over his money to Dundee and himself to the Eastwood Clinic in the Detroit area. ``I was willing to spend every dime to get well. I knew how to get high; I didn't know how to stop using,'' he said. ``Without the clinic, I'd still be out there.''

It's a sickening story. Tales of rich athletes on drugs are a dime a dozen. They are so common they go beyond disgusting you. They make you numb.

Maybe Thomas can make some good come of it. Maybe the kids he is talking to in Orlando will get the message. Maybe Pink can scare the hell out of them. One hopes they haven't become numb, too.

Returning to the ring is key to Thomas' rehab. His first fight since being KO'd by Holyfield in December 1988 is scheduled for April 6 at The Palace in Auburn Hills, Mich. He will take on journeyman Ozzie Ocasio.

Thomas would have fought sooner, but he waited until the three-year contract he signed with King expired last November. Lending him that advice - and much more free of charge - is Jay Stanton, 45, an Orlando attorney. ``We were playing a waiting game - that's one of the reasons Pinklon didn't make any announcements (of his comeback),'' Stanton said. ``We wanted to make sure he was free.''

Stanton is part of Thomas' new support group in town. Stanton met Thomas when he accompanied an Orlando TV producer, Walt Bowen, to Miami last year to set up a how-to-box instructional video with Dundee. Thomas said he is meeting with some prospective sponsors on Tuesday. And former world karate champion Mike Bell is training Thomas.

Wearing his trademark pink trunks, Thomas won the WBC title in 1984 by beating Tim Witherspoon. He had one successful defense before being upset by Trevor Berbick in '86. Then came knockout losses to Tyson and Holyfield - the defeat by Holyfield sending him into depression and drugs. Few people in boxing believe Thomas, 6-3, 225 pounds, can contend. Even Dundee told him to seek safer professions.

Fighters don't hear very well, though, not with big money calling. And besides, Tyson and King are on the outside looking in. Managers and promoters are having a good laugh at how Douglas' people have put King-Tyson on hold. ``Does my heart good, too,'' Thomas said. ``I don't want to deal with King anymore. But I can't burn my bridges. He's always around.

``Douglas opened a lot of doors (by upsetting Tyson). I wasn't surprised - not with what Tyson has been through. And you haven't seen the best of Pink yet. If George Foreman can do it at 42, I can at 32. Pink's taking it fight by fight.''

And more importantly, day by day.