Oscar expects his first real test

With a hint of playfulness in his voice, Oscar De La Hoya admits he doesn't always tell the truth.

He acknowledges there are times he gives a programmed response, even if it isn't based on reality. And he says he has been known to be politely deceitful, if a little gamesmanship is in order.

But this time he swears it's true. This time he means it when he says he's looking forward to the challenge of facing Ike Quartey.

Forget that he said the same thing about taking on fighters such as Julio Cesar Chavez and Hector Camacho. This time it's different, even if he's approaching Saturday's fight with Quartey at the Thomas & Mack Center armed with a "secret combination" that sounds more like hooey than haymaker.

"I know I've been guilty of saying this before when it wasn't actually true, but this is the first fight I've had in a long time where I'm really concerned," the World Boxing Council's welterweight champion said. "My last six or seven fights I wasn't in great shape, even if I said I was. I wasn't motivated like I am now, even if I said I was.

"I knew deep down I could win those fights. But this one here, I guess there's some doubt."

De La Hoya's father, Joel, noticed his son wasn't at his absolute best in a few of his recent fights, too. So he told him.

"My dad had something to say about it," De La Hoya said. "I heard about it."

As a result, the "Golden Boy" says he'll be at his best for Quartey. And if this is just another example of his reliance on being cunning, he's taking it to an extreme.

"I'm coming into this fight believing it's the beginning of my 'real' pro boxing career," he said. "I feel this is the first really true test of my abilities I've had.

"I've been preparing myself all these years for this. I think it'll bring out the best in me."

De La Hoya, who turned 26 last week, is 29-0 with 24 knockouts in a stellar pro career that followed his Olympic gold-medal success in the 1992 Olympics. It has been a long time since he lost a fight, and he has never lost one of any great significance.

Nonetheless, he speaks as highly of Quartey as he does of himself.

"He's a reputable, worthy opponent," De La Hoya said. "He's a dangerous fighter who could upset me. He's a tough guy who promises to make it an action-packed fight."

That said, De La Hoya also is able to go into his carnival-barker's call for fans to purchase the remaining tickets or spring for the $40 to watch the fight on pay-per-view.

"Quartey will want to slug it out," he said. "Do I want to? I don't know. I might say I'm going to box him but at the last minute change my mind and punch with him. I've always said I'll stand there and slug with anybody and that I can be a man and fight, but is that the smart thing to do?

"So I don't know how I'm going to react in there. I'll have to wait and see and figure something out. I could knock him out, or he could knock me out."

Quartey, 29, is 34-0-1 with 29 knockouts and is a former world champion at 147 pounds. While he has offered very little in the way of promotional invectives in recent days, he did predict he would distribute De La Hoya's body parts "like chicken bones" after the fight.

De La Hoya is a minus 360 betting favorite. Quartey is a plus 280.

Promoter Bob Arum expects at least 15,000 in attendance at the fight and another 700,000 pay-per-view buys, in part because of Quartey's reputation among boxing fans.

"The people who follow the sport realize he's a great fighter," Arum said of Quartey. "That helps. While guys like Chavez and Camacho were much better personalities, the knock on them is that they weren't dangerous for Oscar.

"Quartey is."

De La Hoya's co-trainers have also bought into the notion that their man is ready for a good test. Robert Alcazar said "Oscar is better than ever" and Gil Clancy remarked that "I have never seen a fighter better trained or better prepared for a fight."

If De La Hoya is perfectly fit, he has worked himself into that condition in spite of a few minor distractions. For instance, this is a fight that was originally scheduled for Nov. 21 but was postponed due to De La Hoya suffering a cut on his left eyelid. Plus, he is an expectant father for the second time and he and actress Shanna Moakler (of the TV series "Pacific Blue") are to be married early this summer. There was also a paternity suit filed against him by another woman, although it appears as if that will be dismissed.

He could also be troubled by his future boxing plans. As it stands, he will meet the winner of the Oba Carr vs. Frankie Randall fight -- which will be on Saturday's undercard -- May 22 at Mandalay Bay. Beyond that is a possible rematch with Whitaker or a plush bout with Felix Trinidad if Arum can overcome his reluctance to work with rival promoter Don King.

If not Trinidad or Whitaker in the fall, De La Hoya may very well move up to 154 pounds and challenge new IBF champion Javier Castillejo. Another option, although rarely discussed, is a fight between De La Hoya and his mandatory WBC challenger, Derrell Coley.

"I want this to be a big year for me," said the native of East Los Angeles. "I can't predict the future, so we'll have to wait and see what happens, but I want good, tough fights all the time.

"I need to stay motivated and the best way to do that is by fighting guys who aren't ordinary. I need dangerous fights."

He says this is one of them. He says Ike Quartey can beat him. He says this is not a recording.

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