De La Hoya Pressures Mosley

With Shane Mosley balking at fighting Oscar De La Hoya for a $4-million purse in September, Bob Arum, De La Hoya’s promoter, has begun negotiations with Fernando Vargas.

Further pressuring Mosley, Arum says he may have second thoughts himself about the deal if Mosley isn’t impressive Saturday night against Raul Marquez at Las Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Events Center.

Arum insists he isn’t bluffing, that he won’t negotiate further with Mosley, who had agreed through his representative, Barry Frank, to the $4-million deal for a rematch against De La Hoya on Sept. 13, but has yet to sign the contract. Mosley won a split decision over De La Hoya in June 2000.

Arum had given Mosley a deadline of Saturday but now says he’ll extend it a few days.

“Barry Frank has asked for a couple of extra days,” Arum said. “Fine, but if Mosley doesn’t want to do it, forget about it. There are no other HBO dates available. If he doesn’t go through with this fight, Mosley can sit ... for a year.

“Barry Frank made a deal and he is an honorable man. Everybody thought the deal was done. I’m not going to sue Mosley. I’m not giving him an ultimatum. But he made a deal, he accepted it and now he’s reneging.

“The only silver lining in all this is that if Mosley beats Marquez, but he looks lousy, I would have been hooked to go through with the deal.

“But now, if Mosley looks lousy, I’m gone. I don’t have to go through with it. I’m not guaranteeing he’ll get the fight. All bets are off.”

Staples Center is the front-runner to land De La Hoya-Mosley II, but Arum says he has put the site negotiations on hold until Mosley’s situation is resolved.

Meantime, Arum has talked to Vargas’ promoter, Kathy Duva, about a De La Hoya-Vargas rematch. Vargas, suspended for testing positive for steroids after his loss to De La Hoya in September, can’t fight until June. Vargas is considering a return in July against a lesser opponent, possibly at the Olympic Auditorium or Staples Center.

Should talks with Mosley collapse, Arum says De La Hoya would scrub the September date and fight Vargas in November.