THE SHOWDOWN: BEHIND THE SCENES IN THE DE LA HOYA-RUELAS FIGHT : OSCAR DE LA HOYA : He Has Show Business in Mind

A few days before Monday night’s scheduled appearance on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno,” Oscar De La Hoya said he figures boxing is “like 40%” show business.

“You have a boring fighter like ‘Generic’ Hernandez,” De La Hoya said, joking about World Boxing Assn. junior-lightweight champion (and frequent De La Hoya critic) Genaro Hernandez, “then people won’t want to see you fight for the next one.

“You have to put on a good show, keep on thinking about the future. I fought (Johnny) Avila on CBS (last December) and my next fight was on HBO (in February against John John Molina). We still have the best ratings on HBO. So, now that’s going to get better buys for pay-per-view, and my next fight after that is going to get even better buys. You have to keep on thinking that.”

And what does De La Hoya think about the criticisms from Hernandez, who has three times been set to fight De La Hoya?

“It’s just jealousy, that’s all it is,” De La Hoya said. “Why doesn’t he fight a (World Boxing Council junior-lightweight champion) Gabe Ruelas, or why didn’t he fight a John John Molina? Why me? Fight them.”

Seth Abraham, president of Time-Warner Sports, says that, in the middle of a five-fight, $7.5-million HBO deal with De La Hoya, he is pleased with the results as he prepares for the TVKO pay-per-view De La Hoya-Ruelas bonanza Saturday.

“De La Hoya really broke through in the Molina fight,” Abraham said. “That was the first time he got a double-digit (rating)--he did a 13. So I’m very satisfied.” . . . De La Hoya is scheduled to fly to Las Vegas on Monday after the Leno show taping.