DE LA HOYA'S PROTEST IS BAD TIMING.

Byline: MICHAEL ROSENTHAL Boxing

LAS VEGAS - Oscar De La Hoya blew it. Not in the ring, where he gave a courageous performance against Shane Mosley on Saturday, but outside of it immediately after the fight.

About an hour after Mosley was awarded a close decision, De La Hoya said he would file a complaint today with the Nevada State Athletic Commission over the scoring of the fight.

He was careful to give Mosley due credit but said ``boxing doesn't need this, boxing needs good decisions to stay alive.''

The implication seemed clear: The judges - Duane Ford, Stanley Christodoulou and Anek Kongtongkam - were somehow influenced to give Mosley an edge.

Of course, De La Hoya's disappointment is understandable. As promoter Lou DiBella, who is unaffiliated with De La Hoya, said, ``I think everyone should cut the kid some slack. He had every reason to believe he won the two biggest fights of his career (including his controversial 1999 loss to Felix Trinidad) and didn't.''

However, this wasn't the time or place to try to clean up judging.

First, the scoring wasn't outrageous. All three judges had it 115-113 for Mosley, the Daily News had it 115-113 for De La Hoya. Those scores, and anything in between, would have been reasonable.

The CompuBox punch statistics gave De La Hoya a considerable edge: He landed 221 of 616 punches compared to 127 of 496 for Mosley. However, those numbers aren't conclusive and don't reflect how clean or hard the punches are, or other factors judges look for.

If you're going to protest a decision, this isn't the one. It was a very close fight that was difficult to score.

Second, what would the judges' motives be? To kill off De La Hoya, the biggest money maker in the business with the possible exception of Mike Tyson, is to kill off boxing to some extent.

It doesn't make sense.

Marc Ratner, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, defended the judges and said the decision will stand.

``Stanley Christodoulou from South Africa has impeccable credentials,'' Ratner said. ``Anek also has worked many major, major fights under such pressure. They were both here Friday and no one talked to them. And Duane Ford has worked about 140 world-championship fights. They're not going to sell their souls. Their integrity is more important than anything.

``It was a close fight with some tough, tough rounds to score. The judges saw it 7-5 (in rounds). That's boxing. There can be no protesting the scoring. It will not be overturned.''

After De La Hoya made his comments at the post-fight news conference, his lawyer, Stephen Espinoza, said his client's complaint isn't necessarily about the decision itself but also could focus on the judging process.

Nothing wrong with that. The more boxing is scrutinized, the better - but not now, and not this way.

De La Hoya's complaint was borne from the frustration of losing a fight he so badly wanted to win.

``I feel in my heart the decision should've gone to me,'' he said.

A lot of fighters - even those who were clear losers - feel in their hearts that decisions should've gone to them. However, few refuse to accept the decision and vow to initiate an investigation.

This only makes the situation worse for De La Hoya: He'll be seen by many as a sore loser rather than someone standing up for boxing, as he says he's doing.

He would've been better served to have congratulated Mosley and then used the same words Ratner used: ``That's boxing.''

--Angry Arum: Bob Arum, De La Hoya's promoter, was as angry Sunday morning as he was immediately after the fight and supports De La Hoya's complaint.

``I think the public is up in arms, really,'' he said. ``Early this morning, we had to shut the phones off (at his Top Rank Boxing offices) because so many outraged people were calling.

``I don't know what the answer is, I don't know what happened, but obviously something was wrong.''

Arum indicated television broadcaster George Foreman might've been onto something when he suggested Nevada officials hold some kind of grudge against Arum, but the promoter wouldn't elaborate.

``I won't get into it, but George wouldn't say something like that unless he knew the facts,'' he said.

Arum also reiterated he will never again promote boxing in Nevada until some problems are solved. Among steps he recommended: a federal commission to oversee the sport, taking the appointment of judges away from the state and using open, round-by-round scoring.

``I certainly feel in despair for the sport,'' he said. ``Maybe the best thing isn't to walk away, maybe the best thing is to fight this out. But until this whole thing is straightened out, I will not promote in Nevada.''

Arum added he doesn't believe De La Hoya's complaint will amount to anything.

``There won't be a legitimate inquiry,'' he said. ``That's the way they operate here. I'm not saying an inquiry necessarily would find anything. I'm just saying there won't be one.''

--What's next? Mosley will never have the earning or star power of De La Hoya, a true phenomenon the past decade. However, he resurrected a teetering career Saturday.

Beating perhaps the biggest name in boxing for the second time more than compensates for his two losses to Vernon Forrest and two years without a victory.

The problem is: Who does he fight now?

A third fight with De La Hoya is a possibility. Mosley said he's willing to do it, but De La Hoya didn't seem to be even remotely interested after the fight. Which means Mosley might never again make the kind of money he made Saturday - perhaps $10 million when profits are counted.

One name that would generate some interest is Fernando Vargas. Among other possibilities: Ricardo Mayorga, a third fight with Forrest or maybe even Bernard Hopkins if Mosley feels he can move up to 160 pounds.

However, none of the above would even approach the magnitude of the De La Hoya fight, both in terms of money and interest. Mosley had better accept that fact, or he will be as frustrated as he was after his first victory over De La Hoya.

Meanwhile, De La Hoya had said before the fight that he'd retire if he lost. And such comments as, ``Boxing isn't everything to me,'' seem to point in that direction.

However, he had never made a concrete decision about his future - win or lose - beforehand and wasn't about to make one immediately after the fight. And his intention to protest the scoring further complicates things.

``We'll see what happens,'' he said.

--Mosley's take: Mosley admitted that the fight was very close.

The soft-spoken Pomona resident was asked how he might've scored it, but he said he couldn't answer.

``I have to go back and review the tape and see what happened,'' he said. ``Most fighters say that they won by this much or that. Until I review it, I can't say.''

Mosley did praise De La Hoya for boxing better than he did in the first fight, particularly in the early rounds, and commended his rival on his resilience. For example, Mosley seemed to hurt De La Hoya in the ninth round but couldn't finish him off.

However, Mosley said he was the much stronger fighter.

``I think power was the factor in this fight, versus the speed,'' he said.

--Nice touch: The fight wasn't particularly entertaining. It was more tactical than action-packed. And De La Hoya's post-fight comments slapped a sour ending on the evening.

However, the fighters' mutual respect was refreshing.

They touched gloves before every round, which is rare if not unheard of. And, even in light of De La Hoya's pending complaint, they had only good words for one another after the fight.

Mosley was remarkably gracious considering the magnitude of the victory. He was humble rather than boastful on the biggest night of his career.

``Oscar is a Hall of Fame fighter,'' said Mosley, who has known De La Hoya since they were childhood boxing rivals. ``I'm just one person he couldn't get by. He's fought everybody. I think the world of him. Without him, I probably wouldn't be where I am today.

``He's a great person.''

And even while De La Hoya was expressing his disgust for the judges' decision, he was praising Mosley.

He was asked whether his objections were merely ``sour grapes.''

``Not at all,'' he said. ``I told Shane after the fight that's he's a great champion. We'll always be friends.''

--More punch stats: CompuBox records punches in a simple manner: Two people at ringside (one for each fighter) push a button each time a punch is thrown, and another when it lands. And a computer program tallies the numbers as they go.

The punch stats broke down this way Saturday:

Jabs: De La Hoya landed 106 of 296, Mosley got 33 of 268.

Power punches: De La Hoya had 115 of 320, Mosley got 94 of 228.

--Cut update: The cut to the side of De La Hoya's right eye, the result of an accidental head butt in the fourth round, was deep enough that it required 10 stitches by a plastic surgeon immediately after the fight. It was the first time De La Hoya has been cut.

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Oscar De La Hoya took a beating in a close fight against Shane Mosley on Saturday, but he takes issue with the judging.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News