DE LA HOYA vs. CHAVEZ DAILY REPORT : Chavez Not Happy About Drawing Referee From Fight Against Whitaker

Julio Cesar Chavez says he won’t try to overturn the selection of Joe Cortez as the referee for Friday’s fight against Oscar De La Hoya, but Chavez raised concerns Wednesday because he says Cortez mishandled his controversial draw with Pernell Whitaker in September 1993.

Chavez said that Mills Lane, who is not one of De La Hoya’s favorite officials, would have been the best choice. In May 1994, Lane stopped a fight with Chavez’s blessing when Chavez was bleeding above his eye because of a head butt, which resulted in his winning a disputed decision in his rematch against Frankie Randall.

“We will have to talk to [Cortez] very seriously before the fight,” Chavez said through his translator. “Whitaker was doing a lot of pushing and fouling, and [Cortez] never warned Whitaker at all, he didn’t deduct a point.

Lane has not refereed any of De La Hoya’s fights since De La Hoya was upset with the way he handled a brawling unanimous-decision victory over John John Molina in February 1995.

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With afternoon temperatures this week nearing 110 degrees, by the 8:30 p.m. scheduled fight time Friday, the two fighters could be facing 95-degree conditions.

Chavez, who lives in Culiacan, Mexico, said he has fought many times in high temperatures and that the heat wouldn’t bother him.

“I think it could affect him more because I come from a very hot climate,” Chavez said. “It’s about 120 degrees right now in Culiacan. Every day, I’m hot.”

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De La Hoya, who has struggled making lower weights throughout his career, said he made the 140-pound super-lightweight limit a few days ago, and that there will be no weight problems for the fight. The weigh-in is this afternoon.