Oscar Speaks On Hopkins, Trinidad, Judah, Barrera, Don King, an October or November return and more!
GL: Oscar, can you give us some of your thoughts on promoting Bernard Hopkins for the first time in his historic twentieth defense? “It’s going great. The response to Hopkins in Los Angeles has been amazing. Tickets are going great, the promotion is going great and the people are responding. I think that people are realizing that twenty defenses is something we’re not going to see everyday.”
GL: You have Marco Antonio Barrera headlining on HBO PPV on April 9, against mandatory challenger Mzonke Fana. Can you give us a rundown on what else we might be able to expect on that card?
Oscar De La Hoya: “We have Fana the number one contender for the WBC against our fighter Marco Antonio Barrera, which we’ll do in El Paso, Texas. We’re also looking to feature our two Olympians Abner Mares and Vicente Escobedo, and we’re also looking to put a world title fight with Choco Hernandez against Fernando Montiel, in what should be a very exciting fight.”
GL: Oscar Larios was scheduled to take on Joan Guzman on that card as well, but aside from suffering a cut against Wayne McCullough, I understand he’s about to undergo surgery to repair some torn muscles in his arm. What can you tell us about that?
ODLH: “Larios will be out for the next several months and he tore his bicep in his fight with Wayne McCullough. We’re hoping to put him up against Joan Guzman or another champion in that weight class. We’re just looking to fight him against the best.”
GL: What’s the situation with Daniel Ponce De Leon? I know he’s fighting for the mandatory spot tomorrow night, and I heard that he could’ve been fighting IBF champion Israel Vazquez on April 9, but he’s not interested in making it happen on that card…
ODLH: (cutting in) “If he wins tomorrow, which he will, and he’s fighting on HBO Latino, he will become the number one contender to Israel Vazquez. What I don’t understand is why he doesn’t want to do it on April 9. If he doesn’t do it on April 9 the fight is going to go to a purse-bid. And they’re going to have to pay for it. I don’t understand why they didn’t want to fight on our PPV. It would have been a lot of exposure, fighting on a great champion like Marco Antonio Barrera in El Paso. It would have been great.”
GL: Everybody wants to know if Barrera will be gunning for the Morales-Pacquiao winner. Is that the fight you’re going to be looking to make should he get past his mandatory defense?
ODLH: “We always run everything through Barrera, but as his promoters we’re certainly going to make the right moves for his career and want to make the right fights for his career. We feel that Pacquiao beating Morales would make it a wise decision to have a Barrera-Pacquiao rematch in the near future. The 130 pound weight division is packed with talented fighters, great fighters. We’re looking for big things for Barrera.”
GL: Barrera has never been one to truly cherish the sanctioning bodies belts. Does him making this mandatory with Mzonke Fana have anything to do with the fact that had the WBC stripped Barrera, Morales and Pacquiao would have probably fought for the vacant title after paying Fana step aside money and guaranteeing him the winner?
ODLH: “At this point, Barrera feels strongly about keeping his title and defending it. And nobody is going to take it away from him. That’s how he feels, especially an Erik Morales or a Manny Pacquiao. He fought hard for that title, he won that title and he’s going to fight to keep it. He doesn’t want to let it go and if they strip him it goes to Morales or Pacquiao, that wouldn’t be fair. But at this point, Barrera feels strongly about keep his title and he’s going to keep it for a long time.”
GL: So what’s up with you? Will your next fight still take place at welterweight?
ODLH: “Fighting at 147 is still my plan. I haven’t pencilled anything in yet and I’m not really in a rush to pencil anything in yet. Obviously I’m still working out and keeping myself in shape, but there’s nothing coming up soon for me…
GL: (cutting in) Will it be September? October? Definitely this year?
ODLH: “I love September and I’m thinking about it, but I think I might come back a little bit later than that, in October or November.”
GL: Fighting in September has been a tradition for you. Why break it?
ODLH: “I don’t think I’m ready. I don’t I’m mentally ready to get back into it. Yes I’m focused about the business outside of boxing, but also, promoting. And I really love doing this, and when it comes down to me getting into the ring I need to make sure that I’m 100% ready.”
GL: I always keep my ear to the ground, and I hear rumblings that Shane Mosley and Kostya Tszyu could mix it up later this year if they both win their upcoming matches. That would eliminate two potential lucrative options for you at welterweight. As you know, Zab Judah recently became the undisputed welterweight champion of the world by knocking out Cory Spinks. Where does Judah rank among your potential fights at welterweight? Is he a top priority at the undisputed champion? Or is he just another name on your list?
ODLH: “He’s definitely a name on the list and we’d consider fighting him. I want to go up against the best. If I’m going to be fighting, it’s to fight the best and there’s no doubt about it. It was big shocker that Cory Spinks lost to Zab Judah, but I had a gut feeling that Zab Judah was going to beat him. Spinks was fighting in his home town and he was distracted and Zab Judah came in determined and beat him, easy. Zab Judah is obviously a worthy opponent and he’s a great champion now that he’s undisputed.
“These guys are young and hungry to prove themselves so when I step in the ring I have to make sure I’m at 100%.”
GL: My understanding is that when it comes to a fight with Tito Trinidad, Hopkins has first dibbs. Is a fight with Trinidad at junior middleweight something you’d also consider, or is that a fight you don’t think will ever happen again?
ODLH: “He obviously has to first prove to himself that he could avenge the knockout loss that he had to Bernard Hopkins. And Bernard Hopkins has called him out and that’s no secret. But as Bernard Hopkins has also said, Trinidad needs to wait for his promoter Don King to call all the shots. We’re waiting on them, but Bernard Hopkins is retiring, and next year he’s out and he’s not waiting for nobody. He’s fought everybody, he’s beaten everybody, he’s going for his twentieth defense on Saturday and whoever wants to fight him had better hurry up because he’s going to be out of the game next year!”
GL: Without really getting into any details, Golden Boy Promotions, Bernard Hopkins and Don King Productions are in the middle of legal situations. Are you hoping that you and DK could arrange a sitdown to squash all that so that intriguing fights such as De La Hoya-Judah and Hopkins-Trinidad II take place?
ODLH: “Definitely. And after Hopkins is retired there is no legal situation. Hopkins will be retired next year. King keeps on mentioning that he has ties in with Hopkins. I’m not a lawyer and I’m not going to speak on that situation, but it would be great if we can work some fights together. That’s what the boxing world needs and I think we should do fights for the public to enjoy.
GL: Do you think Golden Boy Promotions and DKP working together is impossible?
ODLH: “Nothing is impossible. Don King is a promoter who likes to make high profile fights and he likes to be involved so I don’t see him having any problems working with Golden Boy Promotions!”
