Tucson, Arizona | Published: 12.16.2006 advertisementOscar De La Hoya, maybe the most famous fighter in the world, sat ringside at Desert Diamond Casino earlier this month. He signed autographs and took pictures, gave interviews with Mexican television stations and waved to the crowd. If it was De La Hoya’s last fight in Tucson as a promoter, he sure wasn’t acting like it.
The contract between De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions and Desert Diamond expired after the card. The casino has put his boxing promotions deal up for bid.
“We’re very pleased with Golden Boy,” said Treena Parvello, director of marketing for the casino. “Every year, we open it up to different promoters. We’re in the same status right now. We hope to have a decision by the end of the year.” Desert Diamond is reluctant to limit its choices to one promoter, Parvello said.
“We have the relationship. We have the experience with them, so we know what they can deliver,” she said. “That’s also part of it. We also want to make sure that we’re not preselecting them. We want to give other boxing promoters an opportunity.” The casino just finished a one-year, six-fight deal. After doing business with Top Rank Boxing and Sugar Ray Leonard’s firm, Desert Diamond has been affiliated with Golden Boy for two years.
“We obviously love being here in Tucson,” De La Hoya said. “Obviously, it’s been going great for our fighters and Desert Diamond Casino. I think we can work something out for next year and for years to come.
“It will be a pleasure of ours to continue on working with Desert Diamond Casino. It’s a matter of just crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s. We’re hoping we can come to a mutual agreement.
“Tucson has great fans and we really enjoy being here. As long as we can come to a place where we can put our fights and showcase fighters, hey, we’re extremely thrilled and happy to be here.”
The contract is the least of the fighter’s worries. On May 5, De La Hoya will fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. After a win over Ricardo Mayorga by technical knockout in May, the 33-year-old De La Hoya seems to be feeling at the top of his game. “If I’m gonna box, I just decided, ‘Hey look, I’m going to continue fighting as long as I’m young, as long as I can do it, as long as my reflexes, my speed, my timing are all intact,'” De La Hoya said. “Just take advantage of my youth while I have it.” Before the fight, De La Hoya will have to make one of the toughest decisions of his career. Floyd Mayweather Sr., De La Hoya’s longtime trainer, told the fighter three weeks ago he would help him prepare to fight his son. “He looked into my eyes and he told me, ‘I’ll train you to beat my son; I’ll train you to beat Floyd Mayweather Jr.,'” De La Hoya said. “As odd as that sounds, he will do it. I’m still gathering my thoughts and thinking about it. “One thing I don’t want to do is get in between family. That’s not in my nature. Another thing is, I have to make sure that Floyd Sr. is gonna be 100 percent with me, passionate and right there. “If he’s not, then I can’t afford to have him in my corner. This is my life. I have to be ready.” De La Hoya’s routine involves training for three weeks, then taking a week-and-a-half or so off to “relax the body.” Sipping a Diet Rite on a recent Friday night, De La Hoya spoke of running 10 miles at a time and working on his flexibility. Footwork will be key against Mayweather, he said. When March rolls around, De La Hoya will limit his outside business work so he can train in peace. “No distractions whatsoever,” he said. De La Hoya never does anything half-speed. “I can say that I’m treating it as the biggest fight of my life,” he said. “It’s motivation. It’s oozing out of me right now.”
