Rematch Might Materialize

Remember all the excitement over De La Hoya-Trinidad II? Remember the fight? No, because it never happened.

Now there is excitement over De La Hoya-Mosley II because the prospects for this rematch appear much brighter after a Friday meeting between Bob Arum, Oscar De La Hoya’s promoter, and Cedric Kushner, Shane Mosley’s promoter, at Arum’s summer retreat in Malibu.

The sides have agreed on a tentative date of Jan. 20, with the site either in Las Vegas or at Staples Center, where Mosley won a split decision over De La Hoya last month.

Still to be determined is the key issue: money.

Many a fight, including De La Hoya’s proposed rematch after a loss to Felix Trinidad, has come unhinged when egos collide over who makes what.

“The relevant thing for me is to make the fight,” Kushner said. “The magnitude of something like this is bigger than who is getting the most.

“I am known as a dealmaker, a good, tough negotiator. I don’t come up with roadblocks unnecessarily. We are very cognizant of who won the last fight and who lost. We understand this is a very sensitive area. Bob and I would both like to get the deal done.”

In order to fight for De La Hoya’s World Boxing Council and International Boxing Assn. welterweight titles, Mosley had to agree to a rematch in advance, which would have paid him $10.1 million. But that contract expired July 17, leaving the negotiating field open.

De La Hoya earned $8 million for the first meeting with his percentage of the pay-per-view revenue nearly doubling that figure. Mosley got $4.5 million.

There was no mention at Friday’s meeting of De La Hoya’s threat of retirement, a threat he uttered while disputing the decision after his loss to Mosley.

“I don’t think Bob would have had me fly out from New York if he didn’t think Oscar was serious about fighting,” Kushner said.

SINGING DIFFERENT TUNES

With a six-month delay until the fight, Mosley is expected to take on another opponent in October. At the top of the list of candidates is Arturo Gatti. That bout would be held either at New York’s Madison Square Garden or in Las Vegas.

De La Hoya has no plans for an interim fight. As a matter of fact, he decided against a November match against Mosley because it would have interfered with his singing career.

So while Mosley, who is being honored today with a parade in his hometown of Pomona, concluding with a ceremony at the Pomona Civic Center at 11 a.m., will be back in the ring staying sharp, De La Hoya will be in a recording studio.

Sounds like De La Hoya has already taken one step toward retirement. If he can’t match Mosley in terms of concentration and dedication, he should retire.

SINGING TO THE FEDS

Both Arum and Kushner have a cloud hanging over their heads because of their testimony in the New Jersey racketeering trial of former International Boxing Federation president Bob Lee.

Arum, who voluntarily came forth and testified without immunity, has admitted making a $100,000 payment in order to get a sanction for a 1995 fight between heavyweights George Foreman and Axel Schulz.

Kushner has admitted making a similar payment to the IBF.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission has filed a complaint against Arum, and California State Athletic Commission officials have announced an investigation of their own.

Arum, who has said he will cooperate with both bodies, probably will be asked to come before the Nevada commission in mid-August. The next scheduled meeting of the California commission is Aug. 18, at which time Arum may be asked to testify.

Neither commission expects to break new ground. Arum says the $100,000 payment was extortion demanded by Lee rather than a bribe initiated by Arum.

The range of punishment stretches from a fine to a revocation of Arum’s license. He could be fined up to $250,000 in Nevada, but the most he could be levied under California law is $2,500. Arum might have that much in pocket money the day of his hearing.

Said one California official, “We might be like the fisherman who catches a whale. ‘Congratulations,’ says a fellow fisherman, ‘but now what are you going to do with him?’ ”

Arum is the first in line because he testified first. The Nevada and California commissions are expected to call other promoters caught in the trial.

“That means you could have a beach full of whales,” the California official said.

Would commissions in Nevada and California snatch the licenses of major promoters who control the fighters capable of providing huge chunks of revenue for their respective states?

“We are not out to kill the sport of boxing,” Nevada Commissioner Glenn Carano said, “but boxing has to right itself.

“This [illegal payments to sanctioning bodies] has been going on for a long time. It’s serious and it has to be dealt with. We have to figure out a way to make the sport of boxing stand up and be accountable. There are a lot of good guys in boxing. That’s not to say that Bob Arum is not one of the good guys, but the business practices of these guys seems to have gone in the wrong direction.

“One statement has to hold true. No one person is bigger than a sport, whether it’s football, baseball or basketball. We have got to do the right thing and make the right decision for boxing.”