Paid Gate Was Short of Sellout

The crowd for last Saturday’s Oscar De La Hoya-Shane Mosley welterweight title match at Staples Center was listed as a sellout at 20,744.

Uh, not quite.

The official paid attendance, according to the California State Athletic Commission, was 15,643.

Of that number, 1,751 seats were sold at varying discount rates, meaning only 13,892 paid full price.

The first boxing show in the new arena was the richest in state history by far, nearly nine times bigger than the old live-gate record holder. De La Hoya-Mosley brought in $6,124,615. The old mark was just under $700,000 for a 1990 fight between Jorge Paez and Tony Lopez in Sacramento.

But after subtracting taxes and other fees, Staples Center wound up with $5,621,050.92. The arena had put up $5.5 million in site fees to land the fight.

MOSLEY NOW PRIME-TIME FIGHTER

He is, said Jay Leno in introducing a guest on his Thursday night show, “the greatest fighter you never heard of.”

Not anymore.

Mosley is no longer just the pride of Pomona. With his split-decision victory over De La Hoya, Mosley has moved into the upper tier of his sport.

Those who longed for the golden age enjoyed by the non-heavyweights two decades ago can now revel in an age of their own.

Back in the 1980s, the heavyweight division had a great champion in Larry Holmes, but nothing much in the way of opposition. So Holmes flailed away at a bunch of stiffs as the spotlight shifted to a unique foursome--Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns and Roberto Duran--whose round-robin battles defined the era.

Now, deja vu. With interest in the heavyweight division sagging, Mosley’s arrival completes boxing’s newest superstar quartet in the middle of the weight spectrum as he joins De La Hoya, Felix Trinidad and Fernando Vargas.

That’s certainly good news for Southern California, which can lay claim to three of the four, with Mosley joined by De La Hoya of East L.A. and Vargas of Oxnard.

While De La Hoya won a gold medal at the 1992 Olympics and went on to a high-profile career, Mosley, after failing to make that Olympic squad, was relegated to a lesser role.

“I took the back road,” Mosley said. “But we still got to the same place.”

And where do they go from here?

De La Hoya and Mosley are expected to fight again sometime between October and February for supremacy at 147 pounds. Vargas and Trinidad may fight before year’s end at 154 pounds.

Beyond that, who knows?

Trinidad has talked about continuing to move up the weight scale and eventually take on light-heavyweight king Roy Jones at some agreeable weight. Vargas seems set at 154 pounds.

De La Hoya, if he can get past Mosley, knows he will have to move up in weight if he hopes to get a rematch against Trinidad, who beat him last September at 147 pounds. Mosley came up two weight classes, after successfully defending the International Boxing Federation lightweight title eight times, and fought only twice at 147 before taking on De La Hoya. At a little under 5 feet 9, Mosley figures to stay at 147 pounds.

DE LA HOYA-MOSLEY II

Jesus Rivero, a previous trainer for De La Hoya who was dismissed because it was felt he made the fighter too defensive, has emerged as the leading contender to take over De La Hoya’s corner, should a decision be made to replace trainer Robert Alcazar.

Whatever the decision, a change appears warranted.

De La Hoya entered the ring with three apparent advantages last Saturday--more experience in big fights, more experience at welterweight, more power.

But it was Mosley, not De La Hoya, who appeared relaxed in the glaring spotlight of a big event, who adjusted to the increased weight, while De La Hoya couldn’t adjust to Mosley.

As for the power factor, Mosley negated it by moving so quickly, he didn’t leave himself open to clean shots.

Ultimately, Mosley’s superior speed, movement and adaptability made the difference.

BOBBING AND WEAVING WITH BOB

It is a line promoter Bob Arum insists he never uttered, but one he cannot shake.

“Yesterday that was the truth. Today this is the truth,” the promoter is supposed to have said years ago over a now-forgotten issue.

But this week, he seemed to be at it again.

Saturday: At a postfight news conference, De La Hoya bitterly attacked the judges’ decision and his sport in general.

Said Arum, “If he asks my advice, I’ll tell him to quit, because he may never, ever be able to win a close decision again.”

Wednesday: Arum enthusiastically endorsed the idea of De La Hoya’s continuing his career.

Of the judges, he said, “Those are all honest guys. I have no problem with any of them. They were not influenced by anybody.”

So which way is it, Bob?

“What I was trying to do [Saturday] was to deflect attention from Oscar and what he was saying by making outrageous statements. But you guys wouldn’t fall for it.”

And that’s the real truth.