Arum takes De La Hoya out of Caesars, moves bout to Texas

Dean Juipe

Friday, Dec. 26, 1997 | 10:23 a.m.

It isn't only the proposed Evander Holyfield vs. Lennox Lewis heavyweight title fight that's on and off, on and off. Indecision is rampant throughout the boxing industry here in the holiday season.

For example, promoter Bob Arum says his Feb. 28 card that features Oscar De La Hoya has been moved from Las Vegas to El Paso, Texas.

He also said a June card that would feature De La Hoya in a higher-profile fight is once again being considered by Caesars Palace after it had balked and allowed the MGM Grand to gain a foothold in the negotiations.

He also said a heavyweight he promotes, former champ Buster Douglas, is once again being considered as a possible opponent for Lewis. This comes less than a week after he privately stated Douglas had no shot at the lucrative bout.

Christmas came and went with no change in status for a Holyfield vs. Lewis fight that was earmarked for April 25 in Las Vegas. As it stands today, the fight is off.

If it remains off, Holyfield will be matched with someone like Henry Akinwande or Vaughn Bean in a mandatory defense of one of his two (WBA and IBF) titles. And Lewis, the WBC champion, will be paired with either Douglas or Shannon Briggs, who moved up the heavyweight ladder with a disputed win over George Foreman Nov. 20 in Atlantic City. A Lewis vs. Douglas or Briggs fight is being considered for March 28 at a site TBA.

"Douglas is back in it now," Arum said. "They wanted an easier guy, like Briggs, but (WBC president) Jose Sulaiman told them he wouldn't OK it."

While Arum will be pleased if Douglas gets the fight with Lewis, his real star (and concern) is De La Hoya. Wednesday, Arum moved De La Hoya's February fight with Patrick Charpentier to El Paso after it had been scheduled for Caesars Palace.

Caesars was going to hold the bout in either its sports pavilion or in one of two ballrooms within its casino.

"That was stupid," Arum said of Caesars. "It's a great card but they just don't know what they're doing right now."

Included in the package was an undercard fight of some interest between Las Vegas-based former world champion Wayne McCullough and WBC super bantamweight champion Erik Morales. Arum said the contracts have been sent out and he didn't anticipate a problem despite McCullough voicing some concern last week about the fight actually coming off.

That fight now goes to El Paso with De La Hoya and Charpentier.

As for De La Hoya's June fight with Yory Boy Campas, Arum said Caesars is back in the picture after temporarily bowing out.

"The MGM is very, very interested," he said, "and now Caesars has said it wants to reconsider. They might be thinking (holding it in) the Thomas & Mack Center is not so bad after all."