A Fight With No Hype? Sure, and Vegas Has Taste

Get a load of Pernell Whitaker, calling from Las Vegas to ridicule those of us sitting in the Beverly Hills Planet Hollywood for gathering in a gauche place.

I’m not sure what he was trying to say. The first thing I did upon returning home was call my decorator to see about ordering some of that faux zebra skin on the walls.

At least I hope it was faux. Everything else about Oscar De La Hoya’s news conference Tuesday seemed to be for show--except for De La Hoya, an unassuming young man who still appears uncomfortable at these functions.

This one was called for 1 p.m. He was 28 minutes late.

I know this because we received periodic updates on the estimated time of arrival of the Oscar Cruiser bus that transported him and his entourage.

As far as I’m concerned, the whole “Pound-for-Pound” promotion of Saturday night’s De La Hoya-Whitaker welterweight fight at Las Vegas’ Thomas & Mack Center is a waste of Bob Arum’s money.

If there has been one fight recently that didn’t need this type of hype, this is it. Whitaker eloquently pointed that out when he called from the center of Western civilization, Caesars Palace.

“What’s he riding in, Willie Nelson’s bus?” Whitaker said. “He’s not a rock star. Don’t get offended, but this is a sport. This is a competition. This isn’t a rock concert or a commercial shoot or anything. This is boxing.”

To his credit, De La Hoya seems equally aware of that. He said Tuesday he is genuinely concerned about the left-hander’s awkward style and knows that, for the first time since he turned professional five years ago, he’s facing a fighter who can beat him without having it termed a stunning upset.

Despite the number of times boxing fans have been taken in recent years by pay-per-view fights, they seem intrigued. Arum predicted more than 1 million households will subscribe, a record for a non-heavyweight fight.

He didn’t know Whitaker’s share, although it has been reported at $6 million. De La Hoya is earning $10 million, enough that he no longer will have to take the bus.

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Arum won’t be surprised if this is merely the first Mike Tyson-Evander Holyfield postponement. . . .

“I don’t think this fight’s going to happen,” he said. “Tyson must feel if he loses for a second time to Holyfield, his life is over. If that’s his mind-set, he’s going to postpone it as much as possible.” . . .

Famed trainer Angelo Dundee predicted a month ago that Tyson would try to escape from the fight, knowing that he doesn’t match up well with Holyfield. . . .

The De La Hoya-Whitaker fight is going on as scheduled, even though HBO’s Jim Lampley separated his shoulder Monday while skiing in Utah. . . .

If that new book about the NBA, “The Money Players,” is true, it’s scarier than anything Stephen King ever wrote. . . .

I’d like to assure you it’s entirely fiction, but I have too much respect for the authors to do that. . . .

Released from his commitment to Long Beach State, prep basketball star Schea Cotton is considering Pepperdine and USC. He might have to attend prep school for a year to improve his grades. . . .

The No. 14 Long Beach State baseball team played at No. 5 UCLA on Tuesday night but is saving its ace starter, Marcus Jones, for this weekend’s Big West Conference series against Cal State Fullerton. In his last 25 innings, Jones has 38 strikeouts. . . .

Look out, Joe DiMaggio. Stacey Nuveman, a freshman for the No. 3 UCLA softball team, has a 27-game hitting streak. The Bruins play in Easton Stadium against No. 20 California today. . . .

In an NBA highlight film Commissioner David Stern carries to appearances around the country, comic relief is provided at the conclusion by Clipper lowlights. “I don’t use that when I’m in Los Angeles,” he says with a smile. . . .

Isn’t it about time people quit making jokes about the playoff-bound Clippers? . . .

Playing last season in the Sports Arena, the Ice Dogs of the International Hockey League had a 32-36-14 record and finished last in the Southwest Division. . . .

Playing this season in Long Beach, the Ice Dogs have a 53-18-8 record going into tonight’s game against San Antonio and have clinched the division title. . . .

Perhaps there’s a lesson there about the Sports Arena for Donald Sterling and the Clippers. . . .

Sorry. It’s a habit.

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While wondering if Brett Butler is for real, I was thinking: De La Hoya will beat Whitaker in 10, the Clippers should listen to that talk of a new arena in Inglewood, and I’m glad I’m not in Chicago.