Thursday, March 20, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
One is training in California, the other in Arizona.
Both are amazingly accessible, hosting media caravans and conducting conference calls.
They're obviously conscious of promoting their April 12 fight in Las Vegas, but Oscar De La Hoya and Pernell Whitaker also don't mind talking about themselves -- or the other guy.
"He's not tough, but he's got a difficult style," De La Hoya said of Whitaker. "He's made a lot of guys look bad."
Whitaker, 40-1-1, and De La Hoya, 23-0, will meet at the Thomas & Mack Center. Host property Caesars Palace continues to show De La Hoya as a --350 favorite in its sports book, with Whitaker a +300.
"The bookies are always thinking I'm going to get beat," said Whitaker, who will be defending his WBC welterweight title.
"But I don't look for this to be that hard a fight. I want to make it very easy.
"I mean, I know he's going to come out with a lot of fire. But after I get my hands on him, it should be easy."
Well, that remains to be seen. But even De La Hoya is willing to concede the blemishes on Whitaker's record don't detract from his accomplishments.
"He should be undefeated, I think we all know that," De La Hoya said of Whitaker's 1988 loss in France to Paris-based Jose Ramirez and his 1993 draw with Julio Cesar Chavez in San Antonio. Both appeared to be poorly scored fights that went the distance.
"I consider him undefeated," De La Hoya said. "At least for now."
Conversely, Whitaker looks at De La Hoya's perfect record with a certain disdain.
"I give him credit because he's come a long way in a short time but when we get in the ring he's going to look across and see me, not some Mexican," Whitaker said. "All of my fights have been big; I've fought the best guys in the world. He's only been in with has-been Mexicans."
While 12 of De La Hoya's previous opponents were Hispanic, most were far from over the hill. One who was, however, was Chavez, who De La Hoya destroyed in four rounds last June.
Chavez refused to take the hint and continues to fight, as he's on the March 29 card at the Las Vegas Hilton against Tony Martin.
"Julio's a big disappointment to me," De La Hoya said. "He's got so many problems and he's having such difficulty solving them, I think he's going to end up with zero. He's going to keep on fighting into his 40s like Roberto Duran, embarrassing himself."
Whitaker -- who's training in Chandler, Ariz., while De La Hoya has a home at Big Bear, Calif. -- is pleased to be getting a crack at this rising star, even if he believes that 23-0 record was built against stiffs.
"I'm glad he's been winning because I need his confidence to be up," Whitaker said. "This way, he's still going to be making mistakes. I can also be the first guy to really test his chin."
Whitaker, however, is not a knockout artist, his trainer, Lou Duva, admits. Only 17 of Whitaker's 42 fights have ended with a KO.
"My guy doesn't knock anybody out unless he has to," Duva said. "He's a pro, while the guy he's fighting is just becoming a pro. There's a big difference. The fact that my guy has met the challenge of great competition is his biggest asset."
Yet for all his bravado, the 33-year-old Whitaker is prepared for the reality of defeat if it comes.
"When it's over, I'm going to leave with my pride," he said. "If I don't win this fight, I may or may not fight again. It depends on how I lose."
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