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Trinidad puts it all on the line
LAS VEGAS (AP) -- Don King wanted to bet rival promoter Bob Arum $1 million that Felix Trinidad would beat Oscar De La Hoya tonight when they meet in the biggest non-heavyweight fight in more than a decade.The offer was promotional genius, and probably helped sell a few million dollars more in pay-per-view revenues.
It was also rejected. But that doesn't mean King and Trinidad don't have a lot on the line in the welterweight unification fight.
"Putting Felix into the ring with Oscar De La Hoya is risking a lot more than $1 million," Arum said.
Trinidad is getting the biggest payday of his career -- some $8.5 million after King takes his cut -- to meet De La Hoya in a battle of unbeaten 26-year-olds scheduled for 12 rounds at the sold-out Mandalay Bay casino arena.
But his days as a big payday fighter could be numbered unless he can either beat De La Hoya or at least put on a memorable performance of his own. Trinidad is hampered by the fact he is from Puerto Rico and does not speak English.
That's not the case for De La Hoya, who has sold $150 million in pay-per-view tickets in seven fights and is a proven attraction, particularly among young Hispanic women.
A loss by De La Hoya would set his career back, but he would still be very marketable. If he wins, the sky is the limit.
"If Oscar wins, he's the biggest thing in boxing in decades," said HBO and TVKO boxing executive Lou DiBella, whose company will telecast the fight.
De La Hoya is already pretty big, as evidenced by the hype that has surrounded his fight with Trinidad. The fight tops a pay-per-view card that begins at 9 p.m. EDT, with the main event about 11 p.m.
On Friday, both fighters weighed in at the class limit of 147 pounds.
De La Hoya already holds the record for most pay-per-view sales for a non-heavyweight fight, with an estimated 800,000 homes buying his April 1997 fight with Pernell Whitaker.
That should be shattered tonight, with an estimated 1 million buys. That falls short of the record 1.9 million for Mike Tyson's second fight with Evander Holyfield, but will still generate revenue of some $50 million.
"This fight will put me right up there with the greats," De La Hoya said.
De La Hoya (31-0, 25 knockouts) will earn at least $21 million for the fight, more than any fighter except Tyson and Holyfield. That total could go even higher if the fight sells better than expected, since De La Hoya gets a cut of the pay-per-view revenues.
De La Hoya brings the WBC 147-pound title into the ring against Trinidad (35-0, 30 knockouts), who has held the IBF version of the title since 1993.
"I am a much more complete boxer than De La Hoya," Trinidad said. "I feel Oscar is overrated. I'm going to put him on the level he really is."
The fight is not the most anticipated non-heavyweight bout in years merely because both fighters are undefeated and reigning champions. It is because both have spectacular knockout power yet both are prone to going to the canvas themselves.
Trinidad has been knocked down six times in his career -- all in the second round -- while De La Hoya has gone down four times, the last in the sixth round Feb. 13 against Ike Quartey.
"That is something that can happen in boxing," Trinidad said.
Trinidad packs his power in an explosive right hand, while De La Hoya favors the left hook. It all points to a classic fight that some in boxing think could match Marvelous Marvin Hagler's spectacular knockout of Thomas Hearns more than a decade ago.
"I think it will settle questions in the boxing world," De La Hoya said. "Every champion has their moments. I think this will be mine."
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