BIG NUMBER: DE LA HOYA-MOSLEY II.

Byline: MICHAEL ROSENTHAL Boxing

Oscar De La Hoya is up and Shane Mosley is down, which steals some urgency from their Sept. 13 meeting in Las Vegas.

However, make no mistake: The rematch of their memorable 2000 bout at Staples Center, won by Mosley on points, is clearly the biggest fight in the fine careers of both Los Angeles-area boxers.

For De La Hoya, this represents one half of a two-fight plan to correct past mistakes: He was determined to get Mosley and Felix Trinidad back into the ring to avenge the only losses on his record.

Trinidad swears he's retired, though, which means this could be De La Hoya's only chance at redemption.

And the result could be the most defining of his career.

If he wins, he will have done what great fighters are expected to do: make the adjustments necessary to reverse a loss or subpar performance. Hall of Famers Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis and Sugar Ray Robinson each did it more than once.

A victory could be the key to De La Hoya being remembered as a truly great fighter.

If he loses, he'll be remembered as a fine fighter - one of the best in his generation - but also as the guy who couldn't beat Shane Mosley.

``This is the big one, this is for all the marbles,'' De La Hoya said at a news conference to kick off the promotion Wednesday in Beverly Hills.

The fight might be even bigger for Mosley.

The Pomona resident was undefeated and considered by some the best fighter in the world when he defeated De La Hoya by a split decision June 17, 2000. Then, after a few meaningless victories, he twice was outpointed by Vernon Forrest, and a bout with Raul Marquez in February was stopped in the third round and ruled a no-contest because of a cut over Marquez's eyes.

Mosley hasn't won a fight since he knocked out Adrian Stone in three rounds on July 21, 2001 - almost two years ago.

If he beats a fighter as hot as De La Hoya, he'll be back near the top of the boxing world and in position to earn many more seven-figure paydays. If he loses, particularly if he loses badly, he could be finished as a marquee fighter.

Three losses and a no-contest in four fights are not the work of a big-time fighter.

``This is very big,'' Mosley said. ``What better way to get back on top than beating Oscar De La Hoya.''

If he can beat De La Hoya.

The junior middleweight champion, focused squarely on boxing for the first time in years, appears to be at the top of his game at 30. At least that's how he looked when he stopped rival Fernando Vargas in 11 rounds last September, his defining fight until Sept. 13.

And he's certain he knows what went wrong in their first fight, which he controlled early but let slip away when Mosley made the appropriate adjustments.

De La Hoya, then training under now-departed Robert Alcazar, said he was distracted by myriad things going on in his life, and his training suffered as a result. He said his conditioning was ``about 90 percent'' of what it should've been.

And he was in a macho frame of mind, determined to prove he was willing to stand and punch after running the final three rounds and giving away the fight against Trinidad in 1999.

This time, De La Hoya vowed, he'll step into the ring in superb condition after three full months at his Big Bear training camp and will fight his fight - at a distance and on his toes.

``We've analyzed the (first) fight,'' said De La Hoya, who estimated he watched the tape more than 50 times. ``This time, we're going to use the jab more, use distance more. ... I'm going to throw the jab like there's no tomorrow.

``The jab is the key to our game plan.''

Mosley, 31, doesn't have to change anything in his fight plan or conditioning. He won the first time and is always in excellent shape.

Instead, the question hovering over the former welterweight and lightweight champion is whether he can bounce back after the crushing disappointment of consecutive losses to Forrest and the no-contest against Marquez.

Mosley insists he's as confident as ever and hungrier than he's been in years.

``I'm so competitive,'' he said with as much passion as the soft-spoken Mosley can muster. ``... It doesn't matter if I lose. If I don't win, I find a way to win. I would play checkers when I was 6 years old and they knew to send someone in and let me win because I'd play all night long until I won.

``I have to win.''

Mosley complained about the purses. He's guaranteed $4.5 million while De La Hoya could make four or five times that figure.

At the same time, he's fortunate he has a chance to erase his losses to Forrest with one spectacular victory over De La Hoya, with whom half the fighters in the world would love to get into the ring.

``De La Hoya is fortunate to fight me again, too,'' Mosley countered. ``... I'm fortunate. And the fans are fortunate to have another great fight.''

--Hand injury: De La Hoya's left wrist, which he sprained in the first round of his victory over Yory Boy Campas on May 3, will not be an issue Sept. 13, according to Dr. Tony Daly.

De La Hoya has had problems with the wrist off and on for years.

``It's healing,'' Daly said. ``He sprained his hand in the fight. Two, three weeks later, it's almost over. It'll take three weeks and it'll be completely healed. I think he'll be fine. ... It's 3 1/2 months before the fight.''

--Short career: De La Hoya hasn't given up his singing and acting careers temporarily. He's given them up entirely, he said.

He said he plans to devote his future to his burgeoning promoting career.

``Promoting is what I want to do,'' he said. ``Boxing is my game, what got me here. I know boxing and there's a lot of room from growth.''

--Tickets: No more lower-priced tickets for De La Hoya-Mosley II are available and only a few thousand $800 and $1,200 tickets for the fight at the MGM Grand remain.

The fight also can be seen on pay-per-view television and at closed-circuit sites.

--Rabbit punches: Cruiserweight champion James Toney and middleweight champ Bernard Hopkins have agreed in principle to fight sometime in August, which is an intriguing prospect.

Hopkins apparently would weigh around 175 pounds while Toney would weigh about 190. The fight would be for Toney's title.

However, don't believe it until Hopkins signs the contract. He's a notoriously difficult negotiating partner.

``There's a lot of work to do,'' one insider said. ...

Former WBC lightweight belt holder Jose Luis Castillo is now headlining the card at the Pond in Anaheim on June 14. Castillo, who hasn't fought since losing his rematch to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in December, will face Gustavo Corral in a 10-round bout.

Corral originally was scheduled to fight IBF junior lightweight belt holder Carlos Hernandez in a nontitle bout at the Pond on Friday, but the Mighty Ducks will be playing a Stanley Cup Finals home game that night and the card was pushed back.

That forced Hernandez to back out of the fight because, after June 1, he's not allowed to fight anyone until his mandatory title defense against Steve Forbes in August. Instead, Hernandez will fight Friday in Eagle Pass, Texas, against an opponent to be named. ...

Two women's bouts are scheduled to be on the undercard of the Lennox Lewis-Kirk Johnson heavyweight title fight June 21 at Staples Center.

Laila Ali will face Valerie Mahfoud in one fight. In the other, Lucia Rijker, recognized by many as the best women's fighter in the world, will take on Mia St. John of Calabasas.

The latter fight would appear to a significant mismatch. The same was said before St. John fought Christy Martin and St. John held her own. However, Rijker is a much better fighter than Martin.

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