De La Hoya, Arum Ruling Expected Soon in Court
Judge Matt Byrne told lawyers representing Oscar De La Hoya and Bob Arum on Thursday that he will rule on the request for a summary judgment in their legal battle within the next two weeks.
De La Hoya, who lost his World Boxing Council welterweight title to Shane Mosley last June, is trying to sever his legal ties to Arum, his promoter for the last eight years. De La Hoya wants to replace Arum with Jerry Perenchio.
De La Hoya’s attorneys have asked the judge to declare his contract with Arum void, arguing that:
* The fighter’s eight-year legal link to Arum violates a seven-year limit on personal-services contracts in California.
* Arum is, in effect, De La Hoya’s manager as well as his promoter, yet has failed to properly register as a manager in this state.
Arum says there have been three new contracts, each replacing the previous one, so the time limit does not apply. And his attorney, Tom Girardi, says Arum never registered as a manager because he is not and has never been a manager. He says documentation from the California State Athletic Commission verifies that.
John Speigel, representing De La Hoya, called Girardi’s argument “a concocted Hail Mary” in court on Thursday.
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