CROSSOVER DREAMS ARE COMING TRUE; AND ARUM SHOWS OSCAR HOW.

Byline: Michael Rosenthal Staff Writer

Oscar De La Hoya would be a dream come true for any boxing promoter.

He's got it all: talent, an Olympic gold medal, charisma, good looks, class and, not to be underestimated, Mexican-American heritage. Obviously, his success is no surprise.

He'd be the first to admit he couldn't have done it alone, though. He had a partner: promoter Bob Arum. Together they have built De La Hoya into the biggest thing in boxing today.

``After this fight,'' said De La Hoya's agent, Bruce Binko, referring to Saturday's welterweight title unification bout against Felix Trinidad, ``he'll be even bigger.

``Think of guys like (Tiger) Woods, (Michael) Jordan, guys who are ubiquitous in the public consciousness. That's never been done by a fighter before.''

Arum, in the twilight of his career, has had his share of success.

He worked some with Muhammad Ali, played a key role during the peak years of Sugar Ray Leonard's career and helped Marvin Hagler, a relatively unknown middleweight out of Brockton, Mass., become something of an international figure.

But De La Hoya, he says, is his masterpiece because ``I've had him since he was a baby.''

Well, a baby in terms of his professional career. The two teamed up after the fighter became the only American boxer to win a gold medal in the 1992 Olympics and touched everyone's heart by dedicating it to his late mother.

Arum then made a game plan and set about creating an idol.

His secret? Only common sense. He exploited to the fullest De La Hoya's natural crossover appeal - in the Latin and general markets - and he matched the fighter oh-so-carefully against opponents.

``The big thing was realizing he was a crossover guy,'' Arum said. ``It was very important to maintain his Hispanic roots, to always keep his Hispanic identity at the forefront while also crossing over to the Anglo market.''

The Latino market - particularly the Mexican market - is by far the most committed to boxing. Put simply, the sport would cease to be viable without its pay-per-view buys.

That's why Arum focused his marketing in Southern California and the Southwest, areas with large Latino populations. For example, he's staged promotional events and had De La Hoya fight in such unlikely places as El Paso and San Antonio to tremendous receptions.

He held a news conference at Olvera Street before the second fight with Julio Cesar Chavez. Mariachi bands popped up everywhere, Mexican food was served at every function, the Mexican national anthem was sung at De La Hoya's fights even when no Mexican national was fighting and more.

Arum didn't miss a detail.

Of course, De La Hoya, who has always had a strong Mexican identity, has done his part: Speaking both languages in public, wearing trunks emblazoned with both the American and Mexican flags, appearing regularly on Spanish-language television and simply making it clear that he's proud of his heritage.

He also is wonderful with the media - in both languages - which is the key to bringing him to those who can't see him in person.

``Look at him,'' Arum said of De La Hoya, who was conducting one interview after another on a grueling day at his Big Bear training camp recently. ``How many fighters would be willing to do this? This kid is unbelievable.''

All that, as well as those knock-em-dead looks and charm, have produced phenomenal results.

The most striking example might be the reaction of teen-age girls, particularly those of Mexican decent. They idolize him. A scene in El Paso before the first Chavez fight was typical: He was mobbed by hundreds of screaming girls a la the Beatles, something unheard of in boxing before De La Hoya came on the scene.

And while others might not swoon at the sight of him, they certainly support him. No one outside the lucrative heavyweight division can create the stir he creates.

Television insiders are expecting around 1 million pay-per-view buys for Saturday's bout - which would smash the record of 760,000 - even though Trinidad is hardly a household name.

Not since the time of Sugar Ray Leonard has a non-heavyweight taken such a firm hold on the public. Leonard, for one, is impressed.

``I see a guy in Oscar De La Hoya who can transcend the sport of boxing, take it to another level,'' he said.

Of course, he's nothing if he doesn't win. And win he does.

De La Hoya has blasted his way through one opponent after another and indelibly into the public consciousness. He's a perfect 31-0, only 26 years old and already considered one of the greatest and most exciting fighters of his generation.

And while Arum doesn't throw punches, he has played a key role here, too.

It's a tricky business, choosing the right opponent. Generally, you want the most profit for the least risk while not moving the fighter so slowly that the public loses interest.

In this regard, Arum and others in De La Hoya's inner circle have performed almost flawlessly.

De La Hoya was criticized early in his career for selecting opponents who were moving up in weight or over the hill. All the while, Arum repeatedly promised that his fighter would face them all.

After Saturday, even his harshest critics must admit, he will have.

``Bob has done an amazing job bringing Oscar along,'' said promoter Don King, Arum's longtime and not-always-friendly rival. ``. . . Oscar wasn't a great fighter in the beginning. He was an amateur who had had some success. It's Bob carefully selecting his opponents and promoting him that brought his guy to where he is now.''

Where is he? In a very high tax bracket, which is the most amazing element to all of this.

De La Hoya is expected to earn more than $20 million for Saturday's bout, which would put him over $100 million for his seven-year career. Only Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson among active fighters have made more.

In 1997, De La Hoya was the third-highest paid athlete in the world (including endorsements) at $38 million over five fights. Last year, he was seventh at $18.5 in two fights.

This year, with an impressive collection of endorsement deals, he's expected to be No. 1 - ahead of Woods, ahead of Andre Agassi, ahead of everyone.

Binko said he'd have to go to his files to list all of his client's sponsors. McDonalds, Met-Rx nutritional supplements, Puma, Logo Athletic and Budweiser are among them. And that's about all he can handle; Binko doesn't want to saturate the market.

Not bad for a guy in a sport with a lousy image.

``I think it's been doubly difficult for him in a sport that continually steps on (its) own foot,'' Binko said. ``He also doesn't have a marketing machine behind him, like the NBA or NFL. That's why what Oscar has done from a marketing standpoint is very significant.

``I think he's paved a road for boxers who will come after him, he's opened a lot of doors.''

Nothing is perfect, not even De La Hoya's career.

Arum admitted as much. The fighter's early alliance with co-managers Robert Mittleman and Steve Nelson - with whom De La Hoya was never comfortable - was one messy mistake.

Arum now wishes he had done something to rein in adviser Mike Hernandez, who was fired recently in part because he had attained too much control of De La Hoya's career.

And if Team De La Hoya had it do over again, it wouldn't have created a revolving door for its trainers.

At the same time, no one is complaining. Certainly not De La Hoya, who has seen many people come and go since the start of his career but wouldn't think of letting Arum go.

As proof, De La Hoya gave Arum something near and dear to his heart on the latter's 60th birthday and 30th year in the boxing business: his gold medal. The touching gesture sealed a bond.

``There's no promoter who's better at marketing a fighter and promoting a fighter and exposing a fighter to the world,'' De La Hoya said. ``. . . Say you have a great talent, an undefeated fighter. Take Trinidad, for instance. He's not where I am.

``Why? Because he's not with Bob Arum. He's lifted my career to a higher level every year.''

Arum could have said the exact same thing.

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PHOTO (color) Promoter Bob Arum helped put Oscar De La Hoya among boxing's elite.

Jim Laurie/Associated Press