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Living up to his word Mosley says De La Hoya can have rematch
Posted: Tuesday June 20, 2000 02:55 PM
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Sugar Shane Mosley says Oscar De La Hoya will get a rematch if he wants one. Promoters Bob Arum and Cedric Kushner certainly want one. So do the fans who watched Mosley upset De La Hoya for the WBC welterweight title. A disappointed De La Hoya mentioned a rematch moments after his split-decision loss in the Staples Center Saturday night. Later, he said he'll have to think about meeting Mosley again. Whatever happens, this was a terrific fight. De La Hoya's Golden Boy image, tarnished in a loss to Felix Trinidad, was polished in defeat this time. And Mosley, now 35-0, moved out of De La Hoya's shadow. "This fight takes my career to a new level," said Mosley, who had been the IBF lightweight champion. As for a rematch, Mosley said, "He gave me an opportunity to fight him. If he wants a rematch, I've got to give it to him." "I've got to rethink my whole game plan for my life," said De La Hoya, who won his first 31 fights, but now has lost two disheartening decisions in his last three matches. He dropped a majority decision to Trinidad last Sept. 15.
"I fought my heart out, he fought his heart out, and the better man won tonight," Mosley said. Judge Marty Sammon scored it 115-113 for De La Hoya. Lou Filippo scored it 116-112 and Pat Russell had it 115-113 for Mosley. All three judges scored the final round for Mosley. If De La Hoya had won that round, Russell's score would have been 114-114 and De La Hoya would have kept the 147-pound title. The AP scored it 116-112 for Mosley. "When you see things like this happen, it turns you off," De La Hoya said. "It's tough to live with what goes on around boxing. Maybe tomorrow, I'll feel different." De La Hoya thought he boxed his way to a win over Trinidad, but he was criticized for keeping away from Trinidad in the last three rounds. Saturday night, he was aggressive, saying his goal was to get a knockout. "It's a no-win situation," he complained. "What if I do box Shane Mosley? I would not get the decision." Arum, De La Hoya's promoter, said there was a clause in the fighters' contracts that called for a rematch, and that he would like to put one on in November in Los Angeles or Las Vegas if details can be worked out. Mosley said he would sit down with Kushner, his promoter, and talk about it. A rematch certainly is attractive after the show Mosley and De La Hoya put on before a star-studded crowd of 20,724 in the arena and a pay-per-view audience. "I told Shane we've got to make a statement," said Jack Mosley, who manages and trains his 28-year-old son. "We've got to go out there and fight him." Mosley did, especially in the second half of the fight, when his speed began to tell on De La Hoya and his confidence grew. "I wanted to press the fight," said De La Hoya. He did just that, but on this night he faced an opponent who could match his hand speed and had quicker feet. In the first half of the fight, Mosley looked a little tight, and De La Hoya landed some vicious body shots. Mosley looked tired after six rounds, at which point De La Hoya led by four points on Russell's card and by two on Sammon's. Filippo had it even. "I was never really hurt," Mosley said. "I got hit with good shots, but I was never hurt. I took punches from one of the hardest punchers in the welterweight division and I gave my own." Then in the seventh round, Mosley got a second wind and his speed took over. Sammon gave each fighter three of the last six rounds. Russell gave Mosley all six rounds and Filippo gave him five of the six. "The 11th and 12th rounds are the championship rounds," said De La Hoya, who won the 11th on two of the cards and lost the 12th on all three. The final round compares favorably with great rounds of the past. De La Hoya came charging out of his corner. He didn't have to look for Mosley, who met him in the middle of the ring. They went toe-to-toe, with Mosley getting much the better of the exchange. He was credited with landing 45 of 88 punches, to 18 of 72 for De La Hoya. "I knew it was a real close fight and I wanted to leave my mark in the 11th and 12th rounds," said Mosley. He did. A star was born.
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