DE LA HOYA NIPS BLUBBER BABBLE.

Byline: ROBERT MORALES Boxing

The current issue of Ring Magazine centers on the upcoming world middleweight title fight between Oscar De La Hoya and Bernard Hopkins on Sept. 18 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

One of the many photos in the publication shows a bloated De La Hoya moments after he took off his robe prior to his June 5 fight against Felix Sturm, also at the MGM Grand. De La Hoya's face is puffy, his mid-section is thick and without definition, and his boxing trunks are too tight.

Consequently, he just got by the unknown Sturm via a decision many experts believed should have went to Sturm.

There should be no such blubber hanging on De La Hoya's body for Hopkins. When a reporter showed De La Hoya the aforementioned photo last week at his Big Bear camp, De La Hoya lift his shirt and displayed a six-pack of abdominal muscles.

So, what happened, De La Hoya was asked? Why did he come into his fight with Sturm looking like he hadn't trained for five minutes? More importantly, why would he come into such an important fight so out of shape?

Had he lost to Sturm, he would not have been given this chance against Hopkins, the longtime world middleweight champion who has made a record 18 successful title defenses.

``Krispy Kreme,'' De La Hoya said, laughing. Then he got serious. ``You know what? I see this (photo) and I just laugh. (Expletive), why did I do that? Obviously, when you have Sturm and then you (are going to) fight Hopkins, you are going to look past an opponent you don't even know; you don't even care, you don't even train.

``You tell yourself, 'Train enough just to go 12 rounds. Why push yourself to your limits when this guy can't beat you.' That's what I was thinking. Obviously, it was a mistake. Especially being at my level, a professional that I am, it was wrong for me to think that way.''

De La Hoya beat Sturm by three scores of 115-113. However, there were many reporters at ringside who had scored Sturm the winner. De La Hoya admitted last week that he was more than a little concerned as the ring announcer was about to read the scorecards.

``Oh, yeah, I was very worried,'' De La Hoya said. ``Actually, extremely worried. I just made him look good, easy as that. I assure you one thing, if I fight him again today, it's a whole different story. It was an extremely close fight and I was very worried.''

De La Hoya (37-3, 29 KOs) did not train at his longtime camp in Big Bear for Sturm. Instead, he trained in Miami. The reason he gave was that it was too cold in Big Bear in April, when he began training, and that he always catches a cold there during that time.

He went on to say that he learned his lesson, that Big Bear is the place he always should train. Also, whereas his wife, Millie, was with him in Miami, she is not with De La Hoya in Big Bear.

Not that he would even think about fighting Hopkins (44-2-1, 31 KOs) in less-than-stellar shape. There is a professionalism De La Hoya said a fighter must keep.

His promoter, Bob Arum, couldn't agree more. Arum blasted De La Hoya after the Sturm fight. Last week, he doled out more verbal blows.

``Oscar's performance against Sturm was an embarrassment,'' Arum said. ``I think he embarrassed all of us, I think he embarrassed himself. And I think he realized what he had done.''

And rather quickly. Only three weeks after getting by Sturm, a commercial was shot to promote De La Hoya-Hopkins.

``It was amazing, the three weeks between the time he fought Sturm and the time we shot the television commercial for the fight, his whole body had changed,'' Arum said.

``With Sturm he was fat and pudgy, but when we shot the commercial, he had what they call the six-pack. He was really in unbelievable shape, which he is right now.''

De La Hoya had moved from junior middleweight to middleweight to fight Sturm, and took Sturm's World Boxing Organization belt with his controversial victory.

Arum said that De La Hoya, who weighed the 160-pound middleweight limit for Sturm, could come into his fight with Hopkins at no more than 155.

``He is not going to reach for the extra weight just because he can,'' Arum said.

The card will be available on pay-per-view.

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