Caught in the middle

Jimenez suffers injury trying to stop shoving match

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A publicist for Bob Arum's Top Rank Inc. broke his right leg while trying to break up a scuffle between Oscar De La Hoya and Fernando Vargas at a news conference.

Ricardo Jimenez got caught in the middle when handlers for both fighters rushed in to break up the fight, Top Rank's Bill Caplan said Thursday.

Jimenez was on Vargas' side of the podium at a news conference called to formally announce the fighters will meet for De La Hoya's WBC super welterweight title May 4 in Las Vegas when Vargas shoved De La Hoya, according to Caplan.

"Ricardo was trying to hold back the crush of people, and used his right leg as a supporting wedge," Caplan said.

Jimenez seemed OK, but when he got out of a chair and tried to walk, he couldn't. Caplan said Jimenez didn't tell anyone about the injury until after the news conference ended -- more than an hour after the scuffle.

"He was taken to the emergency room, where he found out the tibia snapped where it joins the kneecap," Caplan said.

Jimenez will be examined again Monday to determine if surgery is necessary. The examination has to be put off because of the swelling in Jimenez's right leg, Caplan said.

Jimenez was fitted with a soft cast before being discharged from the hospital late Wednesday.

The 45-year-old Jimenez was the sports editor for the Spanish language newspaper La Opinion before joining Top Rank two years ago.

 

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