All Systems Go for De La Hoya

What chance does Javier Castillejo of Spain have of beating Oscar De La Hoya tonight?

So little that De La Hoya vows to retire if he loses.

So little that oddsmakers have made Castillejo a 12 1/2-1 underdog.

So little that HBO officials are busy discussing De La Hoya’s next fight.

It’s bad enough that Castillejo, who is expected to fail in the defense of his World Boxing Council super-welterweight crown in the main event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, lacks the speed, punching power and experience in Las Vegas fight extravaganzas of De La Hoya.

But heaped on all those disadvantages is that Castillejo is catching De La Hoya at the wrong time.

Physically and emotionally, this is the best of times for the East Los Angeles fighter, whose expected victory at 154 pounds will give him titles in five weight classes, a distinction previously achieved by only Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns. These days, De La Hoya exudes the sense of calm and peace of a man who has weathered a storm and reached still waters.

“After being away from boxing,” De La Hoya said, “I finally know what I want from the sport. I miss being on top.

“I know I lost a couple of years because of my negativity, because I was not being truthful with myself.”

A new Oscar De La Hoya? Again?

Stifle that yawn and hold the cynicism.

Yes, we’ve heard this all before--time and again--from De La Hoya, who has claimed to be reborn before almost every fight.

Only this time it seems genuine.

The turmoil in his life appears gone because there is peace:

* On the promotional side. De La Hoya has finally ended his very public, very ugly feud with former promoter Bob Arum.

The low point was when De La Hoya, referring to his legal victory over Arum, said he had beaten “the biggest Jew to come out of Harvard,” a remark made to a Spanish language newspaper and run in English in The Times.

“I would never feel that way,” De La Hoya said. “I would never bash anybody. When you speak Spanish, things can sound different when they are translated into English. There is no negativity in me. I grew up in East L.A. and nobody there talks like that. I know it wouldn’t be right.

“With all the help Bob Arum gave me, he was almost like a father to me. I respect him a lot. Maybe down the road, we will see each other and hug each other.”

Operations under De La Hoya’s new promotional team are running smoothly after a bumpy start. De La Hoya’s first fight for promoter Jerry Perenchio and his right-hand man, Howard Rose, was promoted as if De La Hoya were a rock star. Opponent Arturo Gatti wasn’t depicted in much of the advertising.

Not so for this fight with Castillejo, who is given equal billing with De La Hoya in a clever promotional campaign.

Perenchio has also enlisted the aid of clever, ambitious former HBO guru Lou DiBella.

* In the corner. Gone is trainer Robert Alcazar, who became less effective as De La Hoya’s opposition became tougher.

Finally, even De La Hoya realized how little he was getting from his trainer a year ago when he lost to Shane Mosley.

“Mosley adjusted and I didn’t,” De La Hoya said. “That is what a corner is all about. He changed his style during the fight. All I heard was, ‘Go forward, forward, forward.’ That’s a no-win situation because it makes you a one-dimensional fighter.”

Floyd Mayweather Sr. appears to be the perfect choice to replace Alcazar. The De La Hoya that beat Gatti three months ago looked new and improved, and Mayweather promises even more tonight.

But beyond the technical skills and the tougher training program, Mayweather has instituted an emotional bond between fighter and trainer.

“We respect each other so much,” De La Hoya said. “I would not want to lose that respect.”

* On the home front. A former fighter himself, Oscar’s father, Joel, has not always agreed with the methods of De La Hoya’s trainers.

It appears to be different with Mayweather.

“He doesn’t get in the way,” Oscar said of his father, “because he can tell that Mayweather has everything under control. My father is seeing how much Mayweather is teaching me.”

* In his own mind. No more bad oysters or bad excuses. De La Hoya blamed his loss to Mosley on eating a rotten oyster the night before. In that fight and in his other loss, to Felix Trinidad, De La Hoya had a checklist of excuses.

“After a loss, you feel down,” De La Hoya said, “and, instead of blaming yourself, you blame everybody around you. I was blaming the whole world for my mistakes. I didn’t even want to come out of my house after the Mosley fight because I felt people were talking about me.”

With Mayweather, De La Hoya has found a new appreciation for boxing after a nine-month break to try a singing career, and a new resolve to get revenge on Trinidad and Mosley, the men who mar his 33-2 record, which includes 27 knockouts.

None of that is good news for Castillejo, who, like De La Hoya, weighed in at 154 pounds Friday.

Castillejo has a record of 51-4 with 34 knockouts against fighters who are largely unheard of in this country. Fifty of the 33-year-old Castillejo’s 55 fights were in Spain. This will be his first match in the U.S.

His best-known opponent was Keith Mullings, whom Castillejo beat by majority decision to win his title in 1999.

Castillejo’s biggest asset is his toughness. He has been stopped only once, suffering a ninth-round TKO at the hands of Laurent Boudouani in 1995.

“Oscar is not God,” Castillejo said through an interpreter. “I don’t have to be in awe of him.”

Maybe not, but a healthy dose of respect would seem advisable.

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THE FACTS

Javier Castillejo vs. Oscar De La Hoya

Tonight at MGM Grand, Las Vegas

Card begins at 6 p.m., Pay per view

12 rounds, for Castillejo’s WBC super-welterweight title