Fight veteran getting back into game

When Rich Rose worked at Caesars Palace, he participated in some of boxing's biggest fights on the Las Vegas Strip.

Whether it was Larry Holmes vs. Gerry Cooney, Thomas Hearns vs. Marvin Hagler or Sugar Ray Leonard against both Hagler and Hearns, Rose was part of one of the sport's best eras at Caesars' outdoor stadium.

Now, Rose is getting back in the boxing business, this time with an Indian casino in California. Rose is working as a consultant for the Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa in Rancho Mirage, which will host the WBO junior welterweight title fight Saturday between champion Timothy Bradley and challenger Lamont Peterson.

The card, which is being promoted by Gary Shaw Productions and will be televised by Showtime, also will have Vic Darchinyan defending his WBC, WBA and IBF super flyweight titles against Tomas Rojas.

"I thought it would be a lot of fun," said Rose, who runs a sports consulting business in Las Vegas. "It had been a while since I was involved with boxing and Palm Springs has always been a good fight market."

Rose got involved through Phil Cooper, who worked with Rose at Caesars as a public relations executive and is currently Agua Caliente's director of marketing.

"Phil put together a great marketing plan for boxing and when he asked me to help out, I jumped on board," Rose said. "The venue isn't 15,000 seats, but it's a lot like the Pearl at the Palms. It's intimate -- about 2,100 seats -- and the site lines are great for boxing."

For Rose, a return to the California desert brings back some fond memories from his pre-Caesars days and later when he worked at the Strip property.

"It's interesting. I did the training camps in Palms Springs before and after I got into Caesars boxing," Rose said. "I did Cooney's camp. Hagler. Tommy. (Roberto) Duran. We would come to Palm Springs and have the fighters' camps there before they'd come to Vegas. So it's like a trip down memory lane for me."

• 'GREATEST EVER' CANCELLED -- The "World's Greatest Ever Boxer" gala, which was scheduled for next weekend at Paris Las Vegas, has been canceled due to lack of ticket sales.

Ticket-holders for Saturday's fight card, which was to pit a group of American boxers against international fighters, and the awards dinner next Sunday can obtain a refund at the place of purchase.

• WORLDS COLLIDE FINAL -- The finals of the "Worlds Collide" boxing-mixed martial arts tournament is set for Jan. 8 at the Star of the Desert Arena in Primm.

The tournament, which began last spring, features boxing and MMA in three weight classes. ESPN has expressed interest in televising the finals but no decision has been made.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.