De La Hoya a big hit in El Paso
Posted: Friday June 12, 1998 12:33 AM
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Patrick Charpentier (left) and champion Oscar De La Hoya will meet for the World Boxing Council welterweight championship Saturday (AP) |
EL PASO, Texas (AP) -- Hundreds of young women shrieked his name as he arrived at the airport. Hundreds more waited in the desert heat outside a news conference just to get a glimpse of him.
Oscarmania is running rampant in this border city, where Oscar De La Hoya's title defense against France's Patrick Charpentier is the biggest thing to hit town since the Rolling Stones a few years ago.
"Now I know where to come and look for my wife," De La Hoya said Thursday, drawing even more squeals from fans packed in to see him at a final pre-fight news conference.
Some 50,000 people -- the biggest crowd to see a fight in the United States since Muhammad Ali fought Leon Spinks in the Superdome 20 years ago -- are expected in the Sun Bowl Saturday night to watch De La Hoya defend his WBC welterweight title against the No. 1 contender.
They'll be there to see the most popular active fighter today, whose movie star looks and Mexican-American background draw female fans who may never have seen a fight before.
"I will never, ever, lose for you guys," De La Hoya said to the teen-age girls screaming his name. "I will do it for you guys."
A fight that would draw yawns and a few thousand high-rollers in Las Vegas is a big hit on the road, where relatively cheap ticket prices in a heavily Hispanic city guarantee a huge turnout.
More than 45,000 tickets were sold by Thursday, and the fight has dominated media coverage since De La Hoya's arrival two days earlier before a large crowd gathered at the airport.
"I knew it wasn't going to be a big event if it was in Las Vegas," De La Hoya said.
It's a mandatory title defense for De La Hoya, who is drawing his inspiration not from his almost unknown opponent but from the reception he figures to get when he enters the ring Saturday night.
"Just by having the event here is what got me motivated," De La Hoya said. "All the people, all the fans, the arena being sold out. It's going to be amazing."
The fans are almost certain to leave happy Saturday night, though they may not be in their seats long for the main event.
Charpentier, a straight-ahead grinder who has fought only once outside of France, appears to be ready-made for the counter-punching De La Hoya, who is making the fourth defense of the 147-pound title he won from Pernell Whitaker 14 months ago.
"Charpentier will come out at me and go for the knockout," De La Hoya said. "He's a short, stocky fighter. He can be dangerous if I stay in front of him, so I have to pick and move."
De La Hoya, coming off a year in which he fought five times and made $33 million, hasn't fought since stopping Wilfredo Rivera in the eighth round last December. He hurt his left wrist in training, forcing the fight with Charpentier, which was originally scheduled for Feb. 28, to be postponed twice.
Charpentier has a decent record (27-4-1, 23 knockouts) but has never fought for a world title. In his only fight outside of France, he fought to a technical draw Jan. 24, 1997, in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
De La Hoya, on the other hand, is undefeated in 27 fights with 22 knockouts and has already won titles in four weight classes.
"He's the greatest fighter in the world today," promoter Bob Arum proclaimed.
Assuming De La Hoya gets by Charpentier, he is headed toward a September 18 rematch with Julio Cesar Chavez in Las Vegas. De La Hoya stopped Chavez in the fourth round on a cut in their first fight June 7, 1996.
Following that, De La Hoya would like to fight IBF welterweight champion Felix Trinidad or WBA champion Ike Quartey in December.
"I feel rested and re-energized," De La Hoya said. "I'm going to go out there and stay undefeated."
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