De La Hoya's mission begins with Charpentier
Posted: Saturday June 13, 1998 01:55 AM
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Charpentier (left) hasn't lost in four years but has never fought anyone the caliber of De La Hoya (AP) |
EL PASO, Texas (AP) -- Oscar De La Hoya won four championships and became a multimillionaire before he was 25. Now he has a more lofty goal -- resurrecting the sport of boxing.
If the fans of El Paso are any indication, he's well on his way.
Some 50,000 people are expected Saturday night to watch De La Hoya defend the WBC welterweight championship against France's Patrick Charpentier -- one of the biggest crowds to watch a fight in the United States since Muhammad Ali fought Leon Spinks before 63,350 two decades ago at New Orleans' Superdome.
It's an impressive display of drawing power for what figures to be little more than a good workout for De La Hoya before he moves on to bigger fights against Julio Cesar Chavez and Felix Trinidad.
"It goes to show you that boxing is revived because of my presence," De La Hoya said. "I've done a lot for boxing and have a good image. But I'm a bit surprised that 50,000 people will be there."
With Mike Tyson sidelined, De La Hoya is the premier attraction in boxing, a welterweight who makes heavyweight dollars.
He'll make $4 million of them against Charpentier, adding to a bank account that swelled by about $33 million last year when he fought five title fights in two weight divisions.
"He's the biggest star in boxing by far, and that's almost unheard of outside of heavyweights," promoter Bob Arum said.
De La Hoya will fight for the first time in six months when he meets Charpentier, the No. 1 challenger, in a scheduled 12-round fight in the Sun Bowl. The bout will begin about 11 p.m. EDT and be televised by HBO.
The champion weighed in at the class limit of 147 pounds Friday, while Charpentier weighed 146.
Charpentier, who has fought only once outside of France, wasn't De La Hoya's first pick for the fight. But he is the top-ranked challenger, and the WBC mandated the bout if De La Hoya wanted to retain the title.
"You've got to fight these guys," De La Hoya said. "Even when I fight these guys, there's always people that want to see somebody on top lose."
The fans who have screamed De La Hoya's name since he arrived in this border city on Tuesday aren't among those. And few in boxing give the little-known Charpentier much of a chance to pull an upset.
A 20-1 underdog, Charpentier is a straight-ahead fighter, a style that De La Hoya loves.
"Charpentier will come out for 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."
Charpentier (27-4-1, 23 knockouts) hasn't lost in four years but never has fought for a title and never fought anyone the caliber of De La Hoya. He originally was scheduled to fight De La Hoya February 28, but the fight was postponed twice after the champion hurt his left wrist in training.
"I'm not here to joke," Charpentier said. "I'm here to fight and I'm taking the title back to France."
If De La Hoya (27-0, 22 knockouts) wins as expected, he plans to go back to the frantic fight pace that saw him beat Miguel Angel Gonzalez, Pernell Whitaker and Hector Camacho in the past year.
A September 18 rematch against Chavez already is set for Las Vegas, while a December fight could feature a unification fight with Trinidad, the IBF welterweight champion.
"I'd love to fight more," De La Hoya said. "Staying active and training is what keeps me going. I love training for events."
De La Hoya, who won his first title at 130 pounds only four years ago, won three more while moving up in weight to his current 147 pounds. The weight is comfortable for De La Hoya, who plans to stay there for a year or two before resuming his quest for seven titles and eventual retirement by age 30.
"Two or three years ago I said I would be the best fighter and call myself the best pound for pound fighter," he said. "I haven't been there yet, but I'm getting closer. I feel the change is about to happen.
Also on the card is a lightweight title fight between WBC 135-pound champion Stevie Johnston of Denver and No. 1-ranked challenger Cesar Bazan of Mexico City.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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