ONE ON ONE WITH BOB ARUM - THE DE LA HOYA / VARGAS PRE FIGHT STORY
By Ron Brashear
Inside Boxing Writer/Columnist
LAS VEGAS, NV (INSIDE BOXING
09/12/02) - Live from the Mandalay Bay Resort &
Casino, Inside boxing goes One-on-One with the promoter of “Bad Blood”, Mr.
Bob Arum two nights before the big showdown between Oscar “The Golden Boy”
De La Hoya (WBC Champion - 34-2, 27 KOs) and “Ferocious” Fernando Vargas (WBA
Champion - 22-1, 20 KOs) for the Super Welterweight / Jr. Middleweight
Championship fight on Saturday, September 14th from the Mandalay Bay Resort and
televised on HBO PPV.
Ron - How are you doing today Mr. Arum?
Bob - “I feel real good, I'm excited and waiting for Saturday.”
Ron - How does it feel to have Oscar De La Hoya reunited back with you and Top Rank?
Bob - “Well he's a terrific young man and we hope that he is going to do well on Saturday and we feel good about being back with Oscar?”
Ron - Is the Build up about “”BAD BLOOD” between De La Hoya and Vargas the enhancing factor that is bringing all the attention to this fight?
Bob - “Sure, people love a feud, they love a rivalry. That's the drama of the event. It’s a great fight without out it, but with it, it’s real compelling theatre.”
Ron - Does having a lot of the hometown-supporting crowd down the road from California give this fight the extra push to achieve SELL-OUT status?
Bob - “Well absolutely, I would say, without really knowing, 75 percent of the people watching the fight at home, and in the arena, will be from California.”
Ron - How do feel the Vargas fight will rank up against previous De La Hoya fights in the terms of sales?
Bob - “Oscar De La Hoya's biggest fight was against Trinidad. PPV buys were 1.4 million. I don't know if we are going to reach that number but I know we're going to come damn close. I believe this fight will do no worse than being the 2nd biggest "non-heavyweight" fight of all time.”
Ron - Oscar has already stated that he only wants a couple more legendary fights that can define his career. We've heard Mosley, Trinidad, and Hopkins mentioned as potential next candidates. How does a fighter such as Vernon Forrest fit into the puzzle?
Bob - “Well, you know, Vernon is a tremendous young man and he's a very, very good fighter. However, he doesn't have the name recognition to bring big bucks. It’s a difficult fight because he is such a good fighter. But he has to be patient. With his personality, and his ability, he could become real big. And that can mean a fight with De La Hoya or with Vargas, particularly with De La Hoya before De La Hoya hangs it up. So I wouldn't count out Vernon Forrest. I couldn't do the fight next, frankly, if De La Hoya won. Even though Forrest beat Shane, I think Shane is a bigger attraction, and better known. But Forrest is certainly in there.”
Ron - What is your thought regarding the chance of actually making a De La Hoya and Hopkins fight?
Bob - “If De La Hoya makes it through his next couple of fights, he would love to fight, in his last fight, for the Middleweight title against Bernard Hopkins. No doubt about it!”
Ron - That would make Oscar the 1st (6-different weight class) World Champion.
Bob - “That's exactly right, and that's what he wants.”
Ron -Well, Mr. Arum, I just want to say thank you for taking the time to grant insideboxing.com this interview.
Bob - “My pleasure.”
So there you have it. Be sure to tune in on Saturday night and be a part of this major sporting event!
You have just gone insideBOXING.com.
Ron Brashear can be contacted at brashear@insideboxing.com, ron@brasheargear.com