In Blink of Eye, Oscar Is Shelved

One devastating left uppercut.

That’s all it took to split Oscar De La Hoya’s left eyelid and knock him out of his fight Nov. 21 against Ike Quartey.

The fight will be rescheduled--the tentative date is Feb. 13--at Las Vegas’ Thomas & Mack Center.

Bob Arum, De La Hoya’s promoter, flew to De La Hoya’s training site in Big Bear on Tuesday night to nail down the date and reassess the World Boxing Council welterweight champion’s 1999 schedule.

The match-delaying punch was delivered Saturday by Eric Holland of New Mexico, one of De La Hoya’s sparring partners. The cut was caused by the laces on Holland’s left glove and required stitches.

Initially, it was hoped that the fight could go on as scheduled, but, when examinations revealed continued tenderness and puffiness, the bout was postponed.

“He can train but he cannot spar [for three weeks],” Arum said. “He can’t take a chance with the eye right now. We are too close to the fight. Maybe everything happens for the best.”

Many had wondered if this fight would ever happen. The unbeaten De La Hoya (29-0, 24 knockouts) has been heavily criticized for fighting Julio Cesar Chavez, well past his prime, and Patrick Charpentier, who may never have a prime, and ignoring Quartey and Felix Trinidad, considered among the few who could truly test De La Hoya. Now those eager to see that test will have to wait 3 1/2 months.

The long delay isn’t the result of the recuperative process but rather of the difficulty of finding attractive pay-per-view TV dates in December and January.

Fernando Vargas is scheduled to fight Yory Boy Campas Dec. 12, followed by Floyd Mayweather and Angel Manfredy on Dec. 19. Mike Tyson is expected to return to the ring Jan. 16, and George Foreman and Larry Holmes will stage their battle of the geezers Jan. 23.

Add in all the bowl games and the NFL playoff games that compete for the sports fans’ interest and Arum was left with February.

Which leaves still more uncertainty in De La Hoya’s future. If he had fought and beaten Quartey, who is also unbeaten at 34-0-1 with 29 knockouts, De La Hoya was going to fight either Frankie Randall or Oba Carr on HBO in February, then have another major fight in May, probably against Trinidad.

Does De La Hoya go straight from Quartey to Trinidad now, assuming he is victorious in February? What happens to his HBO date?

Arum was seeking some answers. As for De La Hoya, he finishes the year the way he started it, waiting in frustration to heal. His fight against Charpentier had to be postponed twice early this year because of a bruised wrist tendon. That bout was finally held in June

Now comes the eye cut, the same eye that was bruised by Chavez in their September fight, causing some blood to pool in the corner of that eye.

This latest injury, however, was on the lid, temporarily putting the lid back on the fight that some thought De La Hoya was ducking in the first place.