The Hot List
Posted: Monday September 13, 1999 08:39 PM
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King (above) is happy he won the rights to Trinidad in a recent lawsuit. AP |
CNN/SI boxing reporter Evan Kanew takes a look at who's hot and who's not in the world of boxing.
KNOCKOUTS
"Sugar" Shane Mosley: Unbeaten IBF lightweight champ wants an Oscar. De La Hoya, that is. On Sept. 25, Mosley jumps to welterweight against tough veteran Wilfredo Rivera in a risky, respectable and potentially very profitable move designed to get him a shot at the Golden Boy.
Emanuel Steward: Former De La Hoya trainer hooks up with flighty featherweight "Prince" Naseem Hamed. The Sheffield southpaw has hired the mercenary Hall of Famer to replace his longtime cornerman Brendan Ingle for an October title defense in Detroit, home of Steward's famed Kronk gym.
Robert Alcazar: The trainer who has been with De La Hoya since his amateur days -- but more recently served as his hand-wrap caddy -- has been re-installed as the Golden Boy's chief second. Hired-gun "adviser" Gil Clancy gets another paid Western vacation.
Don King: After winning the rights to Trinidad from rival Main Events in a drawn-out contract dispute in New York federal court, the shock-coiffed promoter is getting a piece of this weekend's action without lifting a hair.
Hot Pants: Can Oscar do for short-shorts what Kobe Bryant has done for the Afro?
BUMS
Mike Tyson: In the next "big" fight Las Vegas will host, Iron Mike will make another expensive comeback (a $10-million purse) against an unknown, unskilled fall guy (for the record, his name is Orlin Norris). We've seen this overpriced movie before.
Delta Yawn: Amazingly talented light heavyweight champ Roy Jones Jr. once again makes the easy commute from his Pensacola, Fla., home to defend his title on a charmless Biloxi, Miss., casino barge. On Nov. 6, Jones officially will sew up the third major title in his division and become the only unified champ in the game. Big achievement. Underwhelming event.
Promoters: They're hyping De La Hoya-Trinidad as a long-awaited reward for true fight fans. As if true fight fans can afford $600 "cheap" seats.
Oscar's social life: Trinidad writes in an Internet diary that Oscar was partying until dawn during their pre-fight media tour. Felix says Oscar was coming home as he was heading out to do roadwork. Those escapades have slowed down by now. Presumably.
Alphabet bandits: Regardless of Saturday night's outcome, the WBA says the reigning welterweight champion of the world is James Page.
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