Call This One a Rust-Belt Bout

Oscar De La Hoya versus Ricardo Mayorga.

Two years ago, it wouldn’t even have been a fight. It would have been a glorified sparring session, according to many boxing observers.

“Because of Oscar’s skill level,” said boxing manager Tom Loeffler, “this was definitely a mismatch two years ago. It will be interesting to see where Oscar’s skill level is now.”

Two years ago, De La Hoya’s mobility and boxing skills would have left Mayorga confused and frustrated. Two years ago, Mayorga’s superior punching power would have been wasted as he flailed away at a target he could never catch.

Two years ago, De La Hoya might not have lost a round, making Mayorga look as bad as he did against Felix Trinidad, who stopped him in eight rounds in 2004.

Two years ago, it would have been the consummate boxer against the journeyman puncher.

But that was two years ago. This is now, tonight, when De La Hoya (37-4, 29 knockouts) and Mayorga (28-5-1, 23) will step into the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Mayorga defending his World Boxing Council super-welterweight (154 pounds) title. Both fighters weighed in at 153 1/2 Friday.

One boxing observer, Lou DiBella, has a different view.

“Ricardo Mayorga can’t fight,” DiBella said. “He never could. He’s a puncher. It was a mismatch two years ago, and it’s a mismatch now. Mayorga had a puncher’s chance two years ago, and he has a puncher’s chance now.”

This will be De La Hoya’s first fight in 20 months, his first since Bernard Hopkins hit him with a paralyzing body punch, resulting in De La Hoya’s being counted out for the first time.

Since then, De La Hoya has spent more time in a business suit than in boxing trunks, more time lifting his infant son, Oscar Gabriel, than lifting weights, more time eating rich food in fancy restaurants than consuming protein drinks in a training camp.

He has devoted most of his time to his burgeoning business empire, which will soon add a bank to real-estate holdings, Spanish-language newspapers, sugar substitute product and, of course, Golden Boy Promotions, which is sponsoring tonight’s fight.

De La Hoya’s other focus has been his family. He has lived much of the time in recent months in Puerto Rico, home of his wife, Millie.

In the early rounds of tonight’s fight, will there be more rust than sting emanating from De La Hoya’s gloves? He admits that was the case when he began training for this fight four months ago.

“It was difficult at first, shaking off the rust,” he said. “The timing on my punches would not come. My rhythm was off. But after about three weeks, I felt normal. My weight never went over 172 pounds [over the last 20 months], but it was not good weight. I had lost a lot of muscle.”

So why go through all this at 33, the option being a comfortable life, free of financial worries, surrounded by a loving family?

“Because the perfect way to end a career is with a victory,” De La Hoya said.

“That is the last impression fans will have of me. That will last forever. I want people to see me as a winner, not as the guy who was counted out on the canvas against Hopkins. I couldn’t live with myself if that was my last fight.”

There is no question about what Mayorga will bring to the ring tonight. It’s what he has always brought -- an undisciplined, wild, swing-from-the-heels approach.

He has never shown much ability or interest in the finer points of the sport.

For Mayorga, it’s an extension of his youth in the mean streets of Managua, Nicaragua, where he became a legendary street fighter.

Mayorga gets in the face of his opponent when the contracts are signed and stays there until the final bell sounds, or one of them is counted out. He has eaten a piece of chicken while getting on the scale at a weigh-in, lighted up a victory cigarette after a fight and routinely hurled vile insults at opponents that stop just short of Mike Tyson’s “I want to eat your children” declaration.

It’s all geared to lure Mayorga’s opponent into a toe-to-toe brawl, giving Mayorga a puncher’s chance. It worked against Vernon Forrest, who twice lost to Mayorga.

That doesn’t figure to work with De La Hoya.

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Tale of the tape

How Oscar De La Hoya and Ricardo Mayorga match up in tonight’s 12-round World Boxing Council super-welterweight title fight in Las Vegas.

TV: HBO pay-per-view, 6

*--* DE LA HOYA MAYORGA 37-4 RECORD 28-5-1 29 KNOCKOUTS 23 33 AGE 32 153 1/2 WEIGHT 153 1/2 5-11 HEIGHT 5-10 72 REACH 71 15 1/2 NECK 17 39 CHEST 41 13 3/4 BICEPS 14 1/2 12 FOREARMS 11 1/2 9 FIST 12 31 3/4 WAIST 33 1/2

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