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Oscar
De La Hoya will be fighting with anger in Madison Square Garden.
 Former
WBC Welterweight champion, Oscar De La Hoya, who is still angered
by his loss to Felix Trinidad last year said "I'm going to be
fighting with anger" on Saturday, Feb. 26th when he meets Derrell Coley
in Madison Square Garden.
"De La Hoya says he's going to make it a rumble, but I seriously doubt it,"
Coley said "I doesn't think Oscar De La Hoya will fight like he says,
everything he says he's going to do, he doesn't."
This will be De La Hoya's first fight since losing the WBC welterweight title on
a majority decision to Felix Trinidad and it seems that he's learned a
lesson from it. "I can't let the judges handle it. I'm coming out with anger. No more boxing. It's very sad
people don't appreciate boxing any more."
David Reid, the WBA junior middleweight champion, agrees with Coley.
"He (De La Hoya) hates to be hit, so he won't take any chances in this
fight," said Reid, who on March 3 will defend the 154-pound title against Trinidad, the IBF 147-pound champion. "I think Coley will give a clinic for as
long as it lasts. After Feb. 26, you won't be hearing any more talk about Oscar moving up to 154 pounds. It wouldn't surprise me if he moved back
down to 140."
De La Hoya (31-1, 25 KOs), who has
held titles in four weight classes, has been criticized for seemingly
paying more attention to his music -- he's recorded a vocal album and has
several music endorsements.
"Oscar is too busy planning his 2000 calendar, when he should be training
for his fight with Derrell," Reid said.
Should Trinidad beat Reid for the junior middleweight title and relinquish his
welterweight title, the winner of the Coley-De La Hoya fight would be recognized as welterweight champion by the WBC. If Trinidad chooses to
remain welterweight champ, he would have to make a WBC mandatory defense against either Coley or De La Hoya.
Should Trinidad remain a junior middleweight, the IBF 147-pound title would
become vacant.
"It's a WBC title fight, in my opinion," said Barry Linde, Coley's manger.
"Trinidad is not going to fight us."
For Coley, the 12-round fight, even if it turns out not to be for a title, is
about recognition. "It's about proving to the world that I can beat the best fighter," said Coley
(34-1-2, 24 knockouts), who will be making more than $1 million, the biggest
payday of a career filled with frustration.
De La Hoya has said that he never heard of Coley until the first news
conference for their match was held in December.
"I think it's a lie," said Coley, who accused De La Hoya of ducking him.
"He's fought everybody immediately rated above and below me during his welterweight title reign."
Coley was long ranked No. 1 by the WBC until being dropped to No. 2
behind De La Hoya after the Golden Boy lost to Trinidad.
De La Hoya, who was leading on two cards and was even on the third,
chose to stay away from Trinidad in the final three rounds. Trinidad won all
three rounds in the opinion of two judges and was awarded two of the three
by the third judge.
"They both looked terrible in that fight," Coley said. "They were a disgrace
to the welterweight division."
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