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Friday, September 17, 1999
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
De La Hoya Notes
Tyson's timing rankles Arum
By Royce Feour
Review-Journal
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum was angry, to say the least, that a news conference formally announcing the Mike Tyson-Orlin Norris fight for Oct. 23 at the MGM Grand Garden was held Thursday.
Arum was disturbed because he felt the news conference detracted from his biggest promotion in years -- the Oscar De La Hoya-Felix Trinidad welterweight unification title fight Saturday night at Mandalay Bay.
"I think something has to be done in the future to prevent this from happening," Arum said. "This is the most bush-league stunt I have ever seen. You work so hard mounting a promotion and someone sneaks in to try to steal your ink and diminish the press you would be getting around the country.
"It is a rank, bush-league stunt. The people involved should be ashamed of themselves -- (Shelly) Finkel, (Dan) Goossen and the MGM. Maybe the MGM and Tyson deserve each other."
Finkel is Tyson's adviser and Goossen, of America Presents, is Tyson's promoter.
Arum said he realizes the Nevada Athletic Commission doesn't regulate news conferences by promoters and/or hotels and wasn't blaming the commissioners.
"They can't control it under existing regulations, but they should be able to in the future," he said.
Arum said he would ask the commission to adopt a policy or pass a regulation to prevent competing news conferences from occurring in the future.
"You can't expect people to come into Nevada and spend a fortune to mount a promotion and have the promotion interrupted like this," he said.
Richard Sturm, MGM senior vice president of worldwide entertainment, defended holding the news conference.
"I think it is simple," Sturm said. "The event is Oct. 23 -- five weeks away. To wait any longer would have jeopardized the event."
Sturm did concede the MGM was taking advantage of all of the national media in town for the De La Hoya-Trinidad fight.
"Yes, sure, but the timing was such we had no choice but to have the press conference now," he said.
-- SHARP WORKOUT -- De La Hoya worked out Wednesday and Thursday at the Top Rank Gym after arriving in Las Vegas from his Big Bear Lakes, Calif., camp.
De La Hoya sparred Tuesday morning in Big Bear before breaking camp, which is late for De La Hoya to spar before a fight, Top Rank matchmaker Bruce Trampler said.
"(De La Hoya) is just really into it. He is very enthusiastic," he said.
Trampler said De La Hoya worked out for about 45 minutes Thursday, including doing some shadow-boxing.
"I think (Thursday's) workout was so perfect," Trampler said. "He worked on the mitts Wednesday. It is a natural tapering-off process."
-- TYSON WON'T PICK -- Tyson said he wasn't sure who would win the De La Hoya-Trinidad fight.
"I don't know. The fighters are pretty much equal. I know Trinidad well. I would like to see him win. I don't pick him to win. I don't know Oscar. I hear he is a nice guy. I hope both are OK after the fight."
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