Oscar De La Hoya made a mistake. Oscar De La Hoya, whose athletic prowess extends to the golf course where he shoots in the mid to low 80s, is no typical weekend hacker.
But, in his inflexible negotiation policy for a Manny Pacquiao fight, shanked or skulled in more ways than one. As someone who knows golf etiquette and plays lush courses such as the Riviera Country Club in LA, Oscar knows what must be done and what should be done.
What must be done is for Oscar to repair the divot. What should be done, and I think may well be done after a weekend of reflection amidst Oscar hosting his own charity golf tournament, is for Oscar to take a mulligan.
I am unfortunately known as Michael Mulligan on and around the links on Cape Cod. If I?m not taking a second shot and looking for a free pass on it, I often say I am taking a provisional in case I cannot slog through the rough and the trees and find my original slice or fade which may be five miles off the fairway.
Hit the fairways and the greens often and you are a good golfer. Oscar, who has taken six figures worth of lessons from ex-Tiger Woods coach Butch Harmon, normally stays away from the lost zone where my balls wind up. Very rarely does Oscar have to ?get out of jail? by knocking a ball out of the high grass or weeds.
So, now I say to both Oscar The Boxer and Oscar The Promoter, tee it high one more time and let if fly.
Make this fight for Dec. 6 with Megamanny. Win, lose or draw, you will ride into the active boxer sunset wearing a white hat and feeling the warm glow of appreciation for a marvelous career.
Now, for some juicy details about why Oscar-Manny is far from dead:
1. OSCAR IS A LONE VOICE. I know he is the Golden Boss with the salsa picante but my reliable moles tell me his two top aides, money man Richie Rich Schaefer and kindergarten pal and now accomplished matchmaker Eric ?Gangster? Gomez have told ODLH that he should fight the Pinoy idol. Schaefer, the former UBS banker, cites all the financial reasons why Gomez, the boxing man, assures Oscar that he will play with the much smaller Pacman and insure that his final pro fight goes into the win column.
2. THEY WERE THISCLOSE TO A DEAL A FEW DAYS AGO–Different moles confirm the rumor that there was a revenue split agreement at least between Pacman rep Bob Arum and Schaefer. Schaefer agreed to Oscar taking 65 percent of all the moolah in all categories with Manny getting the 35 percent balance. Naturally, the astute Richie Rich told rum numerous times that his agreement was tentative dependent on Boss Oscar flashing the ultimate green light. By the time, Oscar and Schaefer huddled, for whatever reason, Oscar was adamant about a 70-30 split in his favor. So, when the general spoke, good soldier Schaefer, properly gave the bad news to the Top Rank honcho.
3. OSCAR STILL HAS AN ARUM AXE TO GRIND. Theirs turned into a complex love-hate relationship back when Uncle Bob was adroitly building Oscar into the ring legend he became. De La Hoya still feels that Golden Gang should have come away with Pacquiao?s promotional rights in the battle with Top Rank. It also gives Oscar agita to know that he is continuing to fill up Arum?s bloated pockets with this mega bout. If Pacman was with Gary Shaw, Don King or virtually any other promoter this emotional roadblock would not be present.
4. FREDDIE ROACH MEANS WELL BUT?Pacman?s beloved tutor and one of Oscar?s many former trainers is a distraction with all his public statements about the deal. The ?Oscar can?t pull the trigger? remark really rubbed sensitive Oscar the wrong way and was, Oscar feels, a bit of a betrayal by a guy who has earned plenty of coin training not only Oscar but Bernard Hopkins as well. It?s also not forgotten that, when TR and GBP were battling over Manny, that Coach Roach was flying the GBP flag and spitting at Top Rank. Now Roach has said he will forego his big fee is Manny loses. That would be fuel for the promotional fire but can?t Trigger Happy Freddie wait until they sign a contract?
5. RICHIE RICH ZIPS HIS GOLDEN LIPS. Normally, Herr Scahefer is as tight-lipped as a CIA operative in a war zone. Lately, he has been like a Chatty Kathy or an Aunt Blabby, speaking freely to select media about the Pacman negotiations, Now RR has told the LA Times he is going to run silent, run deep. Maybe someone could put Richie Rich and Fly Fly Freddie in a locked room and put some duct tape over their flapping pie holes. At least RR has put his mouth organ in check.
The next few days are ample time for Oscar to survey the other opponent landscape, which is extremely barren since Oscar wants what he thinks a for sure victory. The weekend also gives Oscar time to assess what great public relations spin he generate by being either a gracious winner or a gracious loser to rising legend Pacman. Knowing the fistic pool of talent in the Philippines may run deeper and deeper, why would ODLH want anyone to perceive him as a guy who gave Da Pacman a raw deal meaning no fair deal?
I?ll go out on the limb here, in true White Gorilla fashion, and predict that, by next Friday, Oscar will have taken his mulligan, stepped up and smashed a 300-yard drive right down the fairway.
Oscar will do that by treating Megamanny the fair way, by giving him a deal in which he is sure to rake in more money than Floyd Mayweather did for his Oscar fight. The legal documents will be drawn up and signed.
See you at the press conference
