Columnist Dean Juipe: Has Oscar finally met his match?

Dean Juipe

Friday, Sept. 17, 1999 | 9:56 a.m.

Dean Juipe's column appears Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. His boxing notebook appears Thursday. Reach him at juipe@lasvegassun.com or 259-4084.

After seeing Oscar De La Hoya up close countless times right from the outset of his professional boxing career, an attachment of sorts develops. He is a genuinely nice guy, especially given the demands on his time and the pressures he is under.

Early on, a single thought emerged: Never pick against him.

It was a notion based primarily on his abilities in the ring and also with the belief that he may always be able to dig deep down and defeat a fighter who is giving him trouble. While no one is unbeatable, here is a man who may have the physical strength and the accompanying intangibles to leave the sport without a blemish on his record.

But having also once thought the same thing about Mike Tyson ... well, you know, even the best theories can eventually prove to be ridiculous.

Tyson lost that aura that appeared to surround him and he'll never fully recapture it no matter how many Orlin Norrises he beats. If nothing else, his decline showed how fleeting the perception of invincibility can be.

Now here's De La Hoya -- who routinely fights quality opponents, no matter what the East Coast media may say -- fighting still another tough guy, Felix Trinidad, and the outcome is far from assured. They'll meet Saturday at Mandalay Bay and, for the first time in this corner, there is a temptation to side with the opponent and not the Golden Boy.

Don't bet on it, though.

De La Hoya may be a well-rounded fighter and he certainly has plenty at stake, as his perfect record attracts endorsement deals and adds to his millionaire's status many times over. He knows the risks and the rewards.

Yet there are questions about his development and this is the primary one: Has he brought his power with him? When he fought at 130 and 135 and maybe even 140 pounds, he looked strong.

But at 147, where he has been for his eight most recent fights, he's not as imposing as he once was, even allowing for the fact his opponents are also bigger and stronger.

In addition, De La Hoya has "cried wolf" often enough that even he recently admitted he's a habitual liar when it comes to discussing his abilities. He has, in recent years, routinely announced improvements that came about in training camp while just as routinely failing to deliver once he got in the ring.

Now he's in with a wiry, strong puncher who may have an over-inflated opinion of himself yet who promised his Puerto Rican countrymen that he would not lose under any conditions.

This fight is so close that here's one of the few certainties: De La Hoya may overwhelm Trinidad, but Trinidad will not overwhelm De La Hoya. Yet Trinidad may peck away at his fellow champion, get him bloody and his eyes closed, and work the midsection enough that De La Hoya lowers his hands and leaves himself susceptible to the occasional big shot to the head.

It's a battle of sharpshooters and the world would be a better place if De La Hoya won, if for no other reason than Trinidad's association with insufferable promoter Don King. Yet after predicting so many times that De La Hoya would dominate a fight and then see him do anything but, there has been a loss of credibility as well as one of faith.

As a result, simply on a trial basis, here's a vote against him. The pick is Trinidad by a late-round TKO.