DE LA HOYA'S MEDIOCRITY OVERWHELMING.

Byline: MIKE ROSENTHAL Boxing

LAS VEGAS - Perhaps we expect too much from Oscar De La Hoya. The guy beats the you know what out of a world champion - Javier Castillejo - on Saturday to win a title in his fifth weight class and somehow we're not satisfied.

Such is life atop the boxing world.

The elite fighters, the ones who want to contend for the title of best fighter pound for pound in the world, must do special things in the ring. They must knock their opponents down and out (a la Felix Trinidad) or dazzle the fans with their remarkable boxing skills (a la Roy Jones Jr.) or do both (a la Shane Mosley). And they must do it consistently.

De La Hoya doesn't. He certainly didn't Saturday. He punished a far inferior opponent by outpunching him by a 4-1 ratio but couldn't finish the job. And, while he demonstrated his boxing skills are far superior to Castillejo's, no one would confuse him with Pernell Whitaker when Sweet Pea was in his prime.

It was a solid performance, but solid isn't where De La Hoya wants to be.

The remarkable fact that De La Hoya has moved up five weight classes since he turned pro is one reason - perhaps the reason - he couldn't knock out or even hurt Castillejo in spite of his punch numbers.

``He has the power of a welterweight still. He's still proving he can punch (at 154),'' said Floyd Mayweather Sr., his trainer.

That might be true. He'll probably gain strength and possibly some power at 154 as his body continues to mature. However, we didn't see that happen at 147 pounds. He stopped only seven of 12 opponents at that weight. He seemed to lose his knockout punch at around 140 pounds. He certainly won't find it at 154.

That brings us to the middleweight division. De La Hoya has said repeatedly he wants a rematch with Trinidad even if it means doing it at 160 pounds. After Saturday, that concept seems unfathomable. What is he, suicidal?

One party close to him advises against it: Mayweather.

``I wouldn't do it,'' he said. ``I'm afraid of the weight. It's not that he couldn't beat (Trinidad) at some time. I think Oscar could still be around at 30. If he is, that could still be a big fight.''

In terms of his boxing, De La Hoya and Mayweather say the same thing: Be patient. They've worked together for only two fights. The student needs more time to learn his lessons from the teacher.

OK, let's give him the benefit of the doubt. Let's say for a moment that what De La Hoya says is true: Mayweather is more knowledgeable than Emanuel Steward, Jesus Rivero and Robert Alcazar combined. Let's say he will improve.

The question is: At 28, how much better is he going to get? At this stage of a fighter's career, it would seem the most he could hope for is some refinement. In other words, the De La Hoya we see today is more or less the best De La Hoya we'll ever see.

And, yes, the De La Hoya we see is an exceptional fighter, one of the better fighters of his generation. He has nothing whatsoever to be ashamed of. He might even be good enough to surprise us and exact revenge on Mosley and/or Trinidad on the right night.

At the same time, it seems clear now that he'll never be the fighter many expected him to be after his Olympic triumph in 1992 - whether or not those expecations were fair. Again, he's an outstanding fighter, maybe even a great one. Just not as great as some of his contemporaries.

--Energy crisis: De La Hoya said one reason he fought Castillejo flat- footed was an unusual lack of energy, which he said might be attributed to the fact he gained only two pounds between the weigh-in Friday afternoon and the fight on Saturday.

``Something was missing,'' he said. ``I felt strong, I felt good, but something was missing on the energy level. The two pounds I gained wasn't really enough for 12 rounds. I probably weigh 150, 151 pounds right now. I have to correct that.

``I don't know if I'm eating the wrong foods. Maybe I need to go back down to 147. I don't know.''

De La Hoya later said he planned to stay at 154.

--Mosley watch: Mosley had better be careful. The momentum he established with his sensational victory over De La Hoya in June of last year is eroding as he fights a series of marginal opponents.

Since De La Hoya, he fought and beat tough but limited Antonio Diaz and Shannan Taylor. And now he's scheduled to fight journeyman Adrian Stone of England in the third defense of his WBC welterweight title on July 21 in Las Vegas.

He said Saturday he'd like to to fight IBF champion Vernon Forrest and WBA titleholder Andrew ``Six Heads'' Lewis to unify the welterweight titles before moving up to 154 pounds to face either De La Hoya in a rematch or Fernando Vargas. However, he should have taken the necessary steps to fight either Forrest or Lewis in July and then move on to a sorely needed big fight.

Why not go after De La Hoya, his biggest money fight, immediately? A perceived lack of respect on De La Hoya's part?

``He had his goals and left me sitting there (at 147 pounds),'' said Mosley, referring to the possibility of an immediate rematch last year. ``Now he wants to fight on his terms? I don't think so. ... I beat him already. The money really doesn't matter to me.

``It's not about money. It's about respect.''

Jack Mosley, the fighter's father/trainer, was livid over De La Hoya's statement before the Castillejo fight that he would be ``in the driver's seat'' in negotiations for a big fight if he won Saturday. After all, his son won the first meeting convincingly.

``That's a slap in Shane's face,'' he said. ``I'm tired of people beating him down.''

The elder Mosley has a point. However, he must do what's best for his son's career. And fights with no-name opponents for far less money than he'd be making against De La Hoya are not good for his career.

And there are signs Jack Mosley understands that: He said he would be willing to split the pot 50-50 if De La Hoya would agree to a rematch. That's a fair offer. Let's hope De La Hoya doesn't get too greedy and that Mosley is sincere.

--Coming up: David Toledo faces Victor Polo in a 10-round featherweight bout Tuesday in New York City on ESPN2. ...

On Friday, also on ESPN2, Imamu Mayfield takes on Gary Wilcox in a 12-round cruiserweight bout in Atlantic City, N.J. ...

Johnny Tapia faces Cesar Soto in a 10-round featherweight bout Saturday in Las Vegas on Showtime. ...

On Sunday, on Univision, Ricky Quiles fights Wilfredo Negron in Puerto Rico. ...

And Thursday at the Irvine Marriott, Ernie Zavala faces Oxnard's Rolando Reyes in an eight-round junior welterweight bout. Also on the card, 45-year-old preacher Curtis ``Earthquake'' Kelly makes his pro debut against Ventura's Shane Harris in a heavyweight bout. Kelly was once a promising amateur.