[0] IT'S A CLOSE CALL FOR OSCAR; SPLIT DECISION TO DE LA HOYA.

Byline: Robert Morales

Anyone still wonder who the best welterweight in the world is?

In a thriller that indeed matched the Sugar Ray Leonard-Thomas Hearns welterweight title bout in 1981, Oscar De La Hoya retained his WBC welterweight title with a split decision over Ike Quartey of Ghana on Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Quartey won on Larry O'Connell's scorecard, 115-114, but De La Hoya took the other two, 116-113 and 116-112, on the scorecards of John Keane and Ken Morita, respectively. The 12th-round was one for the books, and it was all De La Hoya, who flattened Quartey with a wicked left hook early, then pulverized him on the ropes for 40 seconds.

Quartey, who fell to 34-0-1, somehow stayed on his feet. Referee Mitch Halpern somehow restrained himself from stopping the bout. But Quartey showed his mettle, and once De La Hoya ran out of gas, Quartey even connected with a decent right hand coming off the ropes.

De La Hoya, 26, is now 30-0. He will meet Oba Carr on May 22 in what will be his seventh defensive bout; Saturday night was his sixth.

Although Quartey proved his worth, proved he had the better jab, he didn't seem to fight enough to win some of the closer rounds. In the first round, De La Hoya landed more punches, while blocking many from Quartey, who was short on several jabs but did connect with some in the final minute.

The second round was a little of both fighters appearing apprehensive to get in close. That is, until the last minute, when Quartey got in a big right to De La Hoya's head. But De La Hoya took it well and came back with a three-punch combination, with Quartey finishing with a left.

De La Hoya scored with a two-punch combination at the beginning of the third round, followed by a left. Quartey scored with a big left hook in the waning moments of the round, but De La Hoya returned fire again. Although it was a left jab, De La Hoya connected with the bout's best punch to that time when he snapped Quartey's head back in the fourth round.

In the sixth, De La Hoya dropped Quartey with a big right-left combination in the first 20 seconds. Quartey rose immediately and came back quickly and put De La Hoya on the canvas with a left uppercut.

De La Hoya was up rapidly. Quartey, however, continued his assault and had the better of the rest of the round, as he landed more left jabs and left hooks. It appeared Quartey had won his second consecutive round.

De La Hoya seemed to get back on track in the seventh, though he did not win the round convincingly. However, in the eighth round, after having absorbed some punishment, De La Hoya staggered Quartey with another powerful jab, again snapping back the challenger's head.

De La Hoya opened the ninth with a five-punch combination, then quit throwing punches for some time. Quartey began to score with his jab, although he also was short on several. De La Hoya responded with a combination, but Quartey landed two rights.

Quartey took the 10th round off, but De La Hoya did enough to take it. A four-punch combination may have done it. De La Hoya, whose left eye was swelling underneath at the end of the sixth round, and Quartey did little in the 11th round, but the 12th round was another story altogether.

When De La Hoya connected with the big left hook, dropping Quartey with a thud, it looked like De La Hoya might stop Quartey. But Quartey, with heart to burn, was once again on his feet in just seconds.

De La Hoya went for the kill. During the long beating he gave Quartey on the ropes before De La Hoya became tired, Quartey took several more hard shots to the head.

Twice Halpern edged toward the fighters, as if he was going to stop it, but he pulled away. De La Hoya suddenly stopped punching, and Quartey landed a light right.

For a good part of the rest of the round - almost two minutes - De La Hoya walked around the ring with his hands at his sides, only occasionally throwing a punch. Quartey, whose legs were wobbly, didn't throw many more.

One thing's for sure, if this one goes for a rematch somewhere down the line, the sequel will have a difficult time matching up to the first showing, but De La Hoya and Quartey could be the guys to do it.

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PHOTO (Color) Ike Quartey hits Oscar De La Hoya with a left hook that sent De La Hoya to the floor in the sixth round Saturday.

LM Otero/Associated Press