What’s next?

Dean Juipe

Monday, Sept. 16, 2002 | 8:55 a.m.

Next up, Shane Mosley.

Oscar De La Hoya polished off Fernando Vargas Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay Events Center and, as a result, can now begin thinking about a rematch with Mosley.

It's a fight De La Hoya wants and will be made, as each of the parties -- De La Hoya, promoter Bob Arum and Mosley, who gleefully made the rounds at the post-fight press conference -- are in agreement on all but the finest details and particulars.

Mosley, who was a split-decision winner over De La Hoya in a 2000 fight in Los Angeles, will move up to 154 pounds and challenge De La Hoya for his World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association junior middleweight championships.

Mosley is 38-2 but has suffered consecutive losses to WBC welterweight champion Vernon Forrest.

De La Hoya, now 35-2, wasn't inclined to look too far ahead following his 11th-round TKO victory over Vargas, nor was he asked to.

"I feel fresh," he said of surviving a tough fight that had the judges split after 10 rounds. "It was a very satisfying win for me. I feel pretty good."

Arum felt elated.

"This was Oscar's best fight ever," he said. "He faced adversity and rallied from adversity.

"This has to go down as Oscar's career statement, his signature fight. It's the fight that marks him as a real fighter."

De La Hoya, coming off a hand injury that had postponed the fight from May and a total of 15 months of inactivity, was behind early in the fight and could have been charged with a knockdown in the opening round when Vargas connected with a solid right that left De La Hoya all but squatting against the lower ropes.

"The pressure was definitely on him," referee Joe Cortez said. "I was close to calling it a knockdown but it seemed to be more of a case of Oscar having lost his balance."

By the eighth round, De La Hoya looked assured if not cocky and had gained control of the high-voltage fight.

"I knew he'd get tired in the later rounds," De La Hoya said. "He took some heavy shots (and) I saw him squint with every jab I hit him with. He was hurting and I knew it was just a matter of time."

Vargas was down in the 11th before Cortez intervened and stopped a fight that drew a capacity crowd of 11,425. De La Hoya went off as a minus 200 betting favorite, with Vargas a plus 240.

"Vargas is a good fighter but nothing like Oscar," said De La Hoya's trainer, Floyd Mayweather Sr. "I don't think Oscar was ever in serious trouble."

De La Hoya agreed.

"He never hurt me, actually," he said. "In his flurries, I'd say he missed 80 percent of his punches and I used that to lure him in.

"I knew I had fast enough hands to pull it off."

The end came with a minimum of controversy, with Vargas' camp neither questioning Cortez's judgment nor complaining about Joel De La Hoya jumping up on the ring apron after Vargas was initially knocked down. Security personnel quickly grabbed Joel De La Hoya and the fight was over within 20 seconds or so when Vargas couldn't retaliate or get out of a corner.

"I can't curb enthusiasm, although what Joel did was wrong," said Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Marc Ratner, alluding that Joel De La Hoya's actions -- as a member of his brother's training team -- could have resulted in Oscar De La Hoya being disqualified.

The fight, which will be rebroadcast by HBO Saturday night, may have been easier than De La Hoya expected -- or so he claims.

"I thought he was going to be stronger and faster," he said of Vargas, although it should be noted that De La Hoya failed to deliver a knockout within six rounds as he had predicted.

Nonetheless he earned a minimum of $8 million and probably as much as $14 million when all the receipts are tallied.

"I've got a message for Oscar," said Vargas' co-manager, Rolando Arellano. "Congratulations."

The same remark was being directed Mosley's way as he toured the media center, especially after Arum soft-pedalled the other options on De La Hoya's table.

"We'll see what happens, but I think we know where we're going," Arum said, alluding to Mosley. As for other possibilities -- a fight with Forrest or one with International Boxing Federation champ Winky Wright -- it appears they are unlikely at this time, as do fights with undisputed middleweight champ Bernard Hopkins or the retired Felix Trinidad.

"I've been talking with the Forrest people and I'd like to get him in with an Hispanic fighter or two to broaden his appeal before he'd face Oscar," Arum said. "It's a business and I'm planning accordingly.

"As for Wright, he has to get better known. I'm the guy putting out the money and I'm an old man who's not looking to lose millions of dollars, so I just don't see that fight happening at this time.

"And Hopkins is in the mix but that's a ways away. He'd be a good guy for Oscar to fight in what would be his grand finale."