De La Hoya Leaving Arum??

by Pedro Fernandez

Reports abound out of Southern California that Oscar De La Hoya is unhappy with his promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank. It's been reported from two sources that people representing Oscar have been secretly negotiating with two other men who would like to promote De La Hoya. One of which is a boxing promoter, while the other is in the entertainment industry.

Both teams have reportedly gotten to at least first base with the Golden Boy's inner circle headed by papa Joel De La Hoya. These meetings were said not to have included Oscar himself. But according to sources "he is and was fully aware of them."

The entertainment mogul is using a future promise of a television show for the Golden Boy after his career is over. The purses Mr. Hollywood is putting forth include $10 million guarantees for four fights and 50,000 shares of an unknown stock. That Wall Street part of the deal is said to be worth about $10 million.

The boxing promoter who has been in negotiations with Team De La Hoya is said to be offering the following. The whole package is worth $65 million. It starts with an $8 million signing bonus with an additional $57 million for a four fight pact.

While it is not widely believed that Team De La Hoya is "anxious" to leave their current promoter Arum. But the financial advantages and the fact that Top Rank has failed to make Oscar a bonafide star in Mexico, are the main reasons given for the apparent unrest.

Top Rank publicist Lee Samuels was unavailable for comment.

Pedro Fernandez

the writer can be reached at flash@inow.com

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