Foreman `Works Out' At Ft. Lewis -- Army Troops Boo Former Heavyweight Champion

FORT LEWIS - Former heavyweight champion George Foreman ``worked out'' with Bernardo Mercado of Los Angeles in a four-round exhibition bout last night.

The fight ended a bit early after the 284-pound Foreman hit the 263-pound Mercado with what he called his ``syrup sandwich punch'' to the stomach.

``He was like a sparring partner and I can't knock out a sparring partner,'' Foreman said. ``I appreciated his working out with me before a crowd.''

Mercado, 37, was a heavyweight contender in 1981, but has had only six fights since.

The 42-year-old Foreman will try to regain the world heavyweight championship April 19 against Evander Holyfield in Atlantic City, N.J. Foreman held the title for 16 months in 1975-76 and returned to the ring in 1987.

The exhibition bout drew a crowd of 1,984.

The exhibition was little more than a workout for Foreman, who faked being knocked down by Mercado in the third round.

The first round lasted one minute, the second and third two minutes each and the fourth 90 seconds.

By the fourth round, with the crowd booing both boxers, referee Jimmy Reilly stopped the fight after Mercado took Foreman's pulverizing punch to the belly.

In the scheduled 10-round main event, Joe Hipp, a 244-pound Yakima native now boxing out of Seattle, knocked out 280-pound Richard Cade of Wichita, Kan., in 52 seconds of the second round.

Stan Naccarato, Washington State Professional Athletic Commission chairman, called Cade ``the worst boxing opponent I've seen in this state in the last 10 years.''

Naccarato said Hipp's ``a good prospect and he needs to fight better opponents.''

Hipp, 27, entered the fight ranked No. 30 by the World Boxing Association, No. 10 by the North American Boxing Association and No. 8 by the International Boxing Commission.

OTHER BOUTS

-- Kenny Ellis (2-0), Seattle, 147 3/4 pounds, defeated Cliff Likness Jr. (3-2), Calgary, Alberta, four rounds.

-- Lance Holcomb (4-1), Everett, 130, beat Ricky Simpson (2-2), Reno, Nev., 130 1/2, four rounds.

-- Aaron Many Guns (2-0), Calgary, 160, scored a technical knockout of Ricky Johnson (0-1), Fort Lewis, at 1:35 of the first round of a scheduled four rounder.

-- Vinnie Ponzio (8-2-1), Seattle, beat two-time Olympian Robert Shannon (18-6-2), Lynnwood, in a split-decision eight-round victory.