WHY RUELAS WILL WIN : This Job Demands Experience

I began to waver on my prediction that Rafael Ruelas was going to win this fight around midweek. I roamed the Caesars Palace casinos, searching for my inner self.

I wandered through re-creations of old Rome, past the sports book that had Oscar De La Hoya the 2-1 favorite, past the statues of ancient gods--Bacchus, Plutus, Apollo, Venus.

All the fig leaves read, “De La Hoya.”

Et tu, Bacchus?

I stopped at a replica of Julius Caesar, swearing I heard it speak to me, “Hail, Oscar.”

Ready to concede a few points to De La Hoya--bigger, stronger, younger, faster--I was walking back to my room when I ran across another legendary figure at Caesars.

Eddie Futch.

The 83-year-old trainer of champions past (Joe Frazier) and present (Riddick Bowe) knows more about the fight game than any other living person.

What did he think?

“I think De La Hoya is kind of a great prospect,” Futch said. “But I like Ruelas, based on his greater experience. He has the experience to keep him from getting nailed early. As the fight goes down to the wire, I think experience will be the deciding factor.”

Well, wasn’t that what I had been saying all along?

My faith restored, I again hold these truths to be self-evident: Ruelas will beat De La Hoya. Oscar is a boxer of supreme talent, no doubt destined for greatness. He might win any rematch with Ruelas.

But he won’t win tonight.

This is a case of (Golden) boy vs. man.

Remember, De La Hoya has only 17 professional fights to his name.

Remember, his most impressive victory, a unanimous decision over John John Molina on Feb. 18, answered only some of the questions.

Remember, Molina was a junior-lightweight who moved up to challenge Oscar at 135 pounds.

Remember, after rocking Molina early, De La Hoya got confused in the middle rounds, when Molina locked him up in an inside game.

De La Hoya recovered and won, but it was clear the fight was part of a continuing education program. His corner was conspicuously quiet in times of trouble, and De La Hoya took enough blows to the face to warrant wearing sunglasses to the postfight news conference.

Ruelas is bigger and tougher than Molina. Ruelas has 44 fights, 27 more than De La Hoya. He also knows how to get off the deck and win.

Ruelas is not afraid to take a punch to give one back. He will press the action from the first bell and is smart enough to avoid De La Hoya’s famed left hook early.

Ruelas will not have to look to his corner for direction. When he gets in trouble, Rafael will look inward. When Freddie Pendleton knocked him down twice in the first round at the Forum in 1994, Ruelas got up, shook off the dust and won the International Boxing Federation title.

It still is his title to lose. Ruelas by decision.