De La Hoya May Not Show Up for Fight

Oscar De La Hoya’s running battle with his co-managers might result in him skipping his scheduled fight Thursday at New York’s Madison Square Garden, according to several sources.

De La Hoya did not board his scheduled flight for New York City on Sunday morning, and his new advisers have told his promoter, Bob Arum, that he probably won’t appear.

Such an absence, according to several sources, would result in a suspension levied by the New York State Athletic Commission--a suspension that probably would be honored by at least Nevada and California.

De La Hoya, a gold-medal winner in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Friday unsuccessfully sought a court order to restrain his managers from his presence.

His new advisers--believed to involve a family member other than his father, a lawyer and several businessmen--have informed Arum that they believe he is not mentally prepared to fight Jesus Vidal Concepcion on Thursday. The latest De La Hoya could arrive in New York City is for Wednesday’s official weigh-in.

“Right now, we think we can come to a fair resolution if we could just sit down and talk it over with Oscar,” co-manager Steve Nelson said. “But the people advising Oscar now refuse to let us speak to him.

“I guess they’re also advising him not to go to New York, which would be a major mistake.”