This Time, De La Hoya Has to Share Spotlight : Boxing: Another crowd favorite, Jorge Paez of Mexico, will test the former Olympian’s ring skills and the loyalty of his hometown fans.

The chants began even before Oscar De La Hoya entered the ring.

“East L.A.! East L.A.!” a partisan crowd chanted during the reopening of the Grand Olympic Auditorium.

“USA! USA! USA!” another group of fans yelled. “Mexico! Mexico! Mexico!”

As he ascended through the amateur ranks, won the United States’ only gold medal in the 1992 Olympics and went undefeated in his first 13 professional fights, there was reason to cheer for De La Hoya.

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But now that De La Hoya (13-0, 12 knockouts) is fighting for bigger purses, his support group is starting to erode. Not because De La Hoya did anything to displease his fans but because he is beginning to meet other crowd favorites.

On July 29, De La Hoya, a 21-year-old East Los Angeles native and a graduate of Garfield High School, will fight Jorge Paez of Mexico for the vacant World Boxing Organization lightweight title at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

It will be De La Hoya’s toughest test mentally and professionally as a fighter.

“I understand Paez has a lot of support here,” De La Hoya said in a news conference Wednesday at the Forum. “He has been one of the top attractions at the Forum.

“But I believe my really true fans will stick with me. After July 29, the rest of my fans will flock back to me because they will see who the better fighter is.”

Beyond his flamboyant clown outfits and his back flips in the ring, Paez has won the support of fans with his flashy combinations. In his 10-year professional career, Paez, 28, has compiled a 53-6-4 record with 35 knockouts. The former International Boxing Federation featherweight champion has fought in 11 world-title bouts, two fewer than the number of fights De La Hoya has had as a pro. Paez’s most stunning victory came in a rematch against Louie Espinoza when he added a WBO belt to his IBF title in 1990. His worst loss came a year later against Pernell Whitaker.

“There is no question that Oscar is meeting an accomplished opponent,” promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank said. “This is the best fighter he has ever fought in the professional ranks. This is a real test for Oscar.”

But De La Hoya is not concerned. He views Paez as just another name on a long list of opponents that will carry him to the top of the boxing ranks.

“Paez is another steppingstone,” said De La Hoya, nicknamed the Golden Boy. “When people heard I was going to fight Paez, they said he was going to beat me. They tell me that I haven’t fought anyone yet. But those people booing me will be rooting for me.”