Will De La Hoya Finally Be Tested? : Boxing: He will fight Strong today in his fourth pro bout after having three easy opponents.

Up to now, life in boxing’s fast lane has been a lark for Oscar De La Hoya.

The 20-year-old graduate of Garfield High in East Los Angeles has had three professional bouts since winning an Olympic gold medal at 132 pounds in Barcelona last summer. He knocked out his first two opponents in the first round and stopped the other on a technical knockout in the second.

De La Hoya won those fights so easily that his co-manager, Steve Nelson, deemed him ready to step up in class. So today, he will fight an opponent with much more experience, Curtis Strong of Chicago, in a six-round bout at the San Diego Sports Arena.

The fight, starting at 2 p.m., will be nationally televised on ABC’s “Wide World of Sports,” which will be carried in Los Angeles on tape-delay at 4:30.

Strong, 28, is 14-6-2 with seven knockouts. According to Nelson, picking Strong as De La Hoya’s fourth pro opponent is a natural progression toward big things.

“We’re not shielding Oscar from tough opponents,” Nelson said. “We realize that Strong has fought many main events and many 10-rounders. Unfortunately for him, he’s going to need a knockout in this fight.”

De La Hoya seems no more worried than Nelson.

“I’m in great shape right now,” he said, “and when I’m in shape, I feel so confident that I’m ready to take on the world champion. I’m hoping to get the lightweight title within a year, and then move up to welterweight.”

Strong has been off his feet only once in the ring. According to his manager, Ed Carey, the slip-up was not recorded as a knockdown.

“I got up before the referee started the count,” Strong said. “I came back and knocked the guy out.”

Some question the wisdom of sending De La Hoya against Strong, but others look upon Strong as merely another easy test for De La Hoya.

“I wish them all luck, because I’m ready for this fight,” Strong said. “A lot of guys say they’re going to knock the guy out. I’m not going to say that, but I don’t have to put his light out to win.”

De La Hoya did not hesitate to say how he would fight Strong.

“I studied the tape of Strong’s fight against Juan La Porte (in 1991),” De La Hoya said. “La Porte won the decision, but I feel that Strong beat him. Strong is a runner, a jabber. Two or three jabs and then he runs. I’m an aggressive fighter. I like to give chase, so I’ll be going after him.”

Today’s card, which will begin at noon, includes Orlin Norris (34-3) of San Diego, the No. 1-ranked cruiserweight, and Lupe Aquino (40-5-1) of Santa Paula, former World Boxing Council super-middleweight champion. Norris will fight Troy Jefferson (7-1-4), and Aquino will face Ernie Magdaleno, who has a perfect record in 15 fights.

Aquino, 29, is starting a comeback after serving three years in prison for vehicular manslaughter in the deaths of two persons in a drunken-driving accident.

In other bouts, 1992 Olympian Larry Donald (2-0) will fight Louis Jackson (1-1); Larry Dixon (1-0) of San Diego will box Damon Franklin (4-8) of Los Angeles and Jeff Leggett (3-0) of San Diego will fight Delbert Polightning (0-2) of San Diego.