DE LA HOYA WINS; BRING ON CHAVEZ.

Byline: Michael Rosenthal Daily News Staff Writer

Let the hype begin.

Oscar De La Hoya and Julio Cesar Chavez did what was expected of them Friday at Caesars Palace: They quickly dispatched pathetically overmatched opponents - De La Hoya stopping Darryl Tyson, Chavez KOing Scott Walker before 3,428 in Caesar's indoor arena.

And with that out of the way, all focus now shifts to June 7 when De La Hoya and Chavez will take part in the richest nonheavyweight bout ever (they'll make $9 million each), a fascinating matchup for Chavez's WBC junior welterweight title that promises to command the attention of the boxing world for the four months leading up to the big day.

Promoter Bob Arum and Caesars Palace executives said they've already received 18,000 ticket requests for a 16,000-seat outdoor arena, which has prompted officials to consider ways of expanding capacity.

This isn't surprising. De La Hoya is an early 3-1 favorite but that means little. Both fighters are given an excellent chance of winning and that is the main reason the fight is so intriguing: A fast-rising young star against a fading, but still dangerous icon.

So many questions arise.

Is De La Hoya, at 23, too young, too quick, too powerful for Chavez? Or is he too inexperienced, too vulnerable to Chavez's stinging punches and unrelenting aggression to beat the Mexican legend?

Is Chavez too old? Or does he have one more great effort in his 33-year-old body in what will be the 100th fight of his magnificent career?

The fighters have an unusually respectful relationship out of the ring but De La Hoya is certain that will change inside the ropes.

"That's what scares me," said De La Hoya, who knocked out Tyson at 2:38 of the second round. "When two fighters don't talk any trash, they just take it into the ring and talk with their fists. This is going to be a good fight."

De La Hoya (21-0, with 19 knockouts) doesn't think much of the fact he's an early favorite, going so far as to say Chavez has an advantage because of his experience.

However, he wonders what role Chavez's age will play - he believes fighters "are over the hill at 30" - and doesn't believe he'll be in the same frame of mind as many of Chavez's opponents.

"I'm not going to be scared like the others are," he said. "I won't back up. I'm going to try to stop him."

Meanwhile, Chavez, who knocked out Walker at 2:45 of the second, is out to prove that he hasn't declined, as so many believe is plainly evident.

He swears he'll be focusing on his training - and not on partying, another of his favorite pastimes - and will be at his best.

If he is, he reasons, his experience will be the difference.

"I still wonder what will happen when he fights a great fighter," said Chavez (97-1-1, 29 KOs) said.

Tyson (47-9-1, 24 KOs) and Walker (21-4-1, 12 KOs) saw about enough of two great fighters on Friday night.

Tyson, 35, barely put up a fight. While he pawed at De La Hoya with left jabs and few rights, the Olympic gold medalist from East L.A. pounded away with bad intent.

De La Hoya, who said he sensed Tyson was frightened, had trouble hitting him in the head because Tyson was fighting so cautiously. No problem: He switched to the body and Tyson couldn't - or wouldn't - take it.

The fight ended when De La Hoya landed a brutal right to Tyson's liver, which took the life out of his legs and forced him to his knees. He couldn't go on.

"I knew that he was quick, but I didn't know that he could throw body punches like that," said Tyson, who is believed to be a solid fighter. "I got no complaints. He hit me with a good body shot and that was that."

De La Hoya fought at exactly 140 pounds, his first time at the junior welterweight level. He said he felt stronger and quicker than ever - but he really didn't have time to test himself.

Tyson weighed 139.

As expected, Walker kept his distance from Chavez as the champion chased him in the opening round, which Walker won on two cards.

However, that was all Walker had. Midway through the second, Chavez - not known for one-punch knockout power - landed a straight right that badly hurt his overwhelmed opponent.

Walker tried to hold onto Chavez, in an effort to avoid punishment and gather his senses, but Chavez continued to land hard, damaging punches. Walker's end seemed near.

Finally, Walker dropped to one knee after absorbing a barrage of punches and that was that. He, too, had had enough, although he didn't agree with referee Joe Cortez's decision to stop it.

"I went down myself to take an eight count," he said. "I didn't think that they would stop the fight. I was just giving myself some extra time. I was hurt, but I wasn't out on my feet. I just needed an eight count.

Both fighters weighed 144 pounds.

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PHOTO

Referee Mitch Halpern holds up Oscar De La Hoya's arm after beating Darryl Tyson in Las Vegas. Associated Press