Columnist Dean Juipe: Crisis settled as Arum goes with Campas

Dean Juipe

Thursday, Dec. 18, 1997 | 12:43 p.m.

WHEN HE'S in the ring, the pressure is on Oscar De La Hoya to produce.

But when the World Boxing Council welterweight champion is out of the ring, the pressure reverts to Bob Arum.

As De La Hoya's promoter, it's Arum who has to arrange attractive, intriguing, moneymaking fights for the Golden Boy. Ordinarily, it's a task that's easy enough to accomplish in spite of the business of boxing's many intrinsic obstacles and cross-pollinated rivalries.

Arum has always come through, always managed to keep De La Hoya happy. His plans, usually made months in advance, had a habit of falling into place -- much to each man's financial benefit.

But that was before Terry Norris lost to unheralded Keith Mullings two weeks ago in Atlantic City. Prior to that upset it was Norris who was penciled in to face De La Hoya next June, perhaps outdoors at Caesars Palace.

De La Hoya and Norris would have divided a vast fortune, with the latter guaranteed $4.5 million.

There was no back-up plan in place as Norris stepped into the ring with Mullings. Hence, when Norris lost, Arum was left scrambling.

It wasn't until Wednesday he felt any relief, as he finally settled on what he hopes is a suitable replacement, Yory Boy Campas.

Boys will be boys but Yory Boy vs. Golden Boy will be a bit harder to sell than a fight with Norris. But apparently De La Hoya finds the match interesting and that's what counts.

"It'll be like a fight with (Hector) Camacho," Arum said, comparing Campas to the man De La Hoya all but embarrassed in September. "Campas is like a cross between Miguel Angel Gonzalez and Pernell Whitaker."

Campas, 69-2, emerged from a group that included Whitaker, Felix Trinidad and Ike Quartey to win this round of the De La Hoya sweepstakes, and Arum said they'll fight in June. By then De La Hoya should be 28-0, as he'll add a victory to his current total when he takes on lightly regarded Patrick Charpentier Feb. 28 at Caesars in an HBO-televised fight.

De La Hoya vs. Campas will be on pay per view and will include an excellent undercard bout featuring WBC super bantamweight champion Erik Morales against former champ (and Las Vegan) Wayne McCullough.

After Campas, Arum will pursue a bigger fall fight for De La Hoya and that means Trinidad (and Quartey and Whitaker to lesser extents) as the likely target. "I've got the guy each of them needs to make money," Arum said of his leverage and bargaining power.

It isn't quite that easy of course, as Trinidad is promoted by Don King, and Quartey and Whitaker are handled by Dino Duva. Sometimes cooperation is absent among rival promoters even when there's a buck to be made.

But it's Arum's job to straighten it out and keep De La Hoya appeased with a good-as-can-be-found opponent -- like Norris should have been.

"That's boxing," Arum rationalized, referring to Norris dropping from the picture. "It was a blow to see him lose, but if every fight was preordained, boxing would be like pro wrestling."