Leiweke Planning to Put Up a Fight

The phone call early Tuesday morning came from an irate Times reader. He wasn’t calling because his paper had been thrown on his roof. He wasn’t calling because his sports section was missing. As a matter of fact, he wasn’t even calling The Times.

The call was placed to the Top Rank office of promoter Bob Arum in Las Vegas. On the other end was Staples Center President Tim Leiweke.

He had read a Times story in which Arum said a second fight between Oscar De La Hoya and Shane Mosley had been agreed upon in principle with the expectation that the contract would be signed shortly. The fight, said Arum, would be held in Las Vegas at either Mandalay Bay or the MGM Grand.

Don’t count us out, Leiweke told Arum.

Later that day, Leiweke remained emotional and resolute in talking to a reporter.

“I am telling you,” he said, “we are going to get this fight. This is an L.A. fight. If it takes place anywhere else, it’s a crime, a joke.”

Perhaps, but Vegas casino owners would be the ones laughing.

When De La Hoya, who comes from East L.A., fought Mosley, from Pomona, the first time, in June of 2000, Staples Center hosted it. Staples officials paid a site fee of $5.5 million and showed a small profit. This time, Arum is asking for a site fee between $7 million and $8 million.

And he was delighted to get the call from Leiweke. When it comes to a bidding war, the more combatants, the happier Arum is.

But in this war, Leiweke appears to be outnumbered. He insists that he won’t pass the added cost of a higher site fee on to the fans. “We are not going to get into a situation where we have to charge the fans ridiculous prices,” Leiweke said.

Not because he wouldn’t like to. Leiweke simply can’t charge $1,500 for a ringside seat and exorbitant amounts elsewhere in the arena as well and expect to fill the seats. The Vegas crowd is accustomed to high prices. L.A. fans have too many other cheaper options.

The Las Vegas casinos are not even dependent on outrageous prices to recoup their site fee. For them, it’s an entirely different philosophy. Merely by having such a marquee event, they can bring in their high rollers and turn their profits at the gaming tables. When De La Hoya fought Fernando Vargas in September at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, the hotel and casino had one of its most profitable weekends ever.

“We know we can’t compete with the gaming revenue,” Leiweke conceded, “but I don’t think that will be the case. This will be a 10 times better fight here as a marketing tool and HBO knows that. It will be a 10 times better fight here because, in L.A., it’s about territory and it’s about heritage. If Vegas rents the fight, so what? What does it mean?”

Why would Leiweke be willing to pay the huge site fee if he were not planning on drastically raising ticket prices?

“I think they really need a star attraction in there,” said Richard Schaefer, De La Hoya’s business manager. “The Lakers are not doing that well. They have the Clippers and the Kings, but they want added attractions to keep the people in the luxury boxes happy. It would be an additional feather in their cap to say that, in September, Staples Center will have the biggest fight of next year for free for those who have purchased luxury boxes. That in itself might make it worth the cost of getting the fight.”

Suppose Leiweke matches the offer of the Vegas casinos.

“Then I would leave it up to the fighters,” Arum said. “Both kids being from L.A., they might opt to do it there.”

Leiweke says both fighters have assured him they would like to stage the fight at Staples Center where Mosley won the first time on a split decision.

“I don’t think we can say we favor one venue over the other,” Schaefer said. “Oscar feels very comfortable at Mandalay and the MGM Grand. He has had great fights in both places. The first fight against Mosley was a great night in L.A., except for the outcome. Staples did a great job with the fight and the marketing. It was one of the best nights of boxing L.A. has ever seen. But there are other things to consider. There is a cost for having it in California. There are taxes and the cost of hotels. At this point, we are not ruling anything out.”

Said publicist Norman Horton, speaking for Mosley: “Shane liked being a part of Staples Center’s history, participating in the first fight ever at the arena. I don’t think he would have a problem fighting at Staples Center, but it’s not his call. It’s the promoter.”

Arum says he won’t make a decision before meeting with Leiweke next week. “He knows the numbers,” Arum said.

“The fight will be held here,” vowed Leiweke. “End of story.”

Quick Jabs

Vargas’ Ferocious Foundation for Kids will be holding a toy giveaway for disadvantaged youngsters Sunday at the Mary Star of the Sea Church in Oxnard from 1 to 3 p.m.... Vitali Klitschko’s promoter says his fighter will get a shot at Lennox Lewis in April, probably in Las Vegas.