Floyd, Oscar hammering out deal

Oscar De La Hoya had hoped to resume his boxing career on the first weekend in May, but he's willing to wait until mid-September for another crack at Floyd Mayweather Jr.

The two have agreed in principle to a rematch of the highest-grossing fight in boxing history, Mayweather senior adviser Leonard Ellerbe said Thursday. The fight could take place in Las Vegas or Southern California, probably on Sept. 13 but perhaps a week later depending upon site availability.

"We should have an official announcement in the next week to 10 days," Ellerbe said. "Floyd's not going to leave any doubt this time. He's going to knock Oscar out."

Mayweather scored a 12-round split-decision victory over De La Hoya on May 5 at the MGM Grand Garden.

Golden Boy Promotions chief executive Richard Schaefer concurred with Ellerbe that the rematch is on but said a few details need to be settled: the date, the site and the weight at which the fight will be contested.

"The biggest hurdle has been cleared,'' Schaefer said. ''Both Oscar and Floyd want this fight, and they've agreed it will happen in September."

The two sides have been talking seriously about a rematch for weeks, after Mayweather destroyed British welterweight Ricky Hatton in a 10th-round technical knockout in December.

De La Hoya had considered taking on Hatton in May at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., or the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. But the Mayweather rematch trumps any fight with Hatton.

"Floyd feels fantastic. He could fight in May if he had to," Ellerbe said. "But it makes more sense to wait until September. That gives us plenty of time to promote the fight."

HBO would show the fight on pay per view.

A Sept. 13 date could work either in Las Vegas, which traditionally has held fights the weekend of Mexican Independence Day, or in Southern California, assuming the Home Depot Center is available. Schaefer said Dodger Stadium also could be an option because the Los Angeles Dodgers are playing at the Colorado Rockies that weekend.

"A lot of places will want to host this fight," Schaefer said. "But the MGM would definitely be in the mix."

De La Hoya, 34, with a record of 38-5 with 30 knockouts, said in December he wants to fight at least twice in 2008 and maybe three times before he retires. He also said he wanted one blockbuster fight to be held in Southern California because he grew up in East Los Angeles.

A rematch with the 30-year-old Mayweather (39-0, 25 KOs) certainly would qualify as a blockbuster. Their first meeting produced the highest-grossing fight in boxing history, generating $165 million, and set a record with 2.4 million in pay-per-view sales.

That bout was at 154 pounds. De La Hoya has talked about returning to welterweight (147 pounds), where Mayweather reigns. Schaefer said a rematch might be at a catch-weight between 147 and 154.

De La Hoya hasn't fought since the loss to Mayweather. He has fought only four times since losing a 12-round unanimous decision to Shane Mosley on Sept. 13, 2004, beating Felix Sturm and Ricardo Mayorga and losing to Mayweather and Bernard Hopkins.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or (702) 387-2913.