HOPKINS' OBJECTION THREATENS FIGHT NIGHT IF REF NOT CHANGED, CARD COULD BE CANCELED.Byline: Robert Morales Staff Writer LAS VEGAS - With Bernard Hopkins threatening to pull out of Saturday's fight against Robert Allen, and two longtime boxing writers tussling in the media center, Thursday was quite a day at the MGM MGM in full Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc. U.S. corporation and film studio. It was formed when the film distributor Marcus Loew, who bought Metro Pictures in 1920, merged it with the Goldwyn production company in 1924 and with Louis B. Mayer Pictures in 1925. Grand. Hopkins, the WBA WBA West Bromwich Albion (English Soccer Club) WBA World Boxing Association WBA Weekly Benefit Amount WBA Wisconsin Broadcasters Association (Madison, WI) WBA Wireless Broadband Access , WBC WBC white blood cell; see leukocyte. WBC abbr. white blood cell WBC, n stands for white blood cell. and IBF IBF See: International Banking Facility middleweight champion, told reporters during an afternoon interview that he was going to head back to Philadelphia if the scheduled referee for his fight against Allen - Joe Cortez - was not replaced. Late Thursday, Marc Ratner, chief executive officer of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, said an emergency meeting of the commission might be held this morning if commission chairman John Bailey allows it. If one is not held, or if one is and Hopkins is not satisfied with the result, Hopkins said he will not fight Allen. If that happens, promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank Inc. said he would cancel the entire card. Oscar De La Hoya Oscar de la Hoya (IPA pronunciation: [ˈɑs.kɛɹ dɛ.lɑ.ˈhɔɪ.jɑ][1]) (born February 4, 1973) — nicknamed the Golden Boy is scheduled to fight Felix Sturm for Sturm's WBO WBO World Boxing Organization WBO Western Buddhist Order WBO Wehrbeschwerdeordnung WBO World Bamboo Organization (formerly International Bamboo Association) WBO Won by One (Malibu, California; a cappella group) middleweight championship in the main event. If Saturday's card is washed away, the proposed fight between De La Hoya and Hopkins scheduled for Sept. 18, also at the MGM Grand, would be off as well. They would fight each other only if both fight and win Saturday. Cortez being Puerto Rican-American is at the root of the problem, said Arnold Joseph, Hopkins' attorney. Before his September 2001 fight with Felix Trinidad Jr., Hopkins threw down Trinidad's native Puerto Rican flag during news conferences in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. and San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan (IPA: [saŋ hwaŋ]) (from the Spanish San Juan Bautista, "Saint John the Baptist") is the capital and largest municipality on Puerto Rico. . Hopkins had to run for his life in Puerto Rico. Subsequently, Hopkins had Cortez removed as referee for his fight with Trinidad, won by Hopkins via 12th-round technical knockout in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . Cortez also was scheduled to referee Hopkins' fight with William Joppy last Dec. 13 in Atlantic City. But Hopkins protested and also had Cortez removed from that fight, won by Hopkins. Cortez, who was selected to referee Saturday's bout nine days ago, has thus far refused to bow out. As per commission rules, Cortez can remove himself, but the commission cannot because he was selected in an open commission meeting. ``I'm shocked to hear this,'' said Cortez, one of the game's top referees. ``I think if I volunteer (to bow out), I'm admitting to what he (Hopkins) is saying. You just can't have people changing officials.'' Said Joseph: ``We had issues with Joe Cortez for the Trinidad fight because of the issue with the Puerto Rican flag. We feel that there could be potential problems with Cortez having a bias against Bernard because Bernard had him disqualified in two other fights.'' Joseph said Hopkins did not know Cortez was scheduled to referee his fight against Allen until Wednesday during a fighters' meeting. ``At that time, we lodged an immediate objection,'' Joseph said. But Ratner said that he had a conversation with James Fisher, an aide to the Hopkins camp, and told him the day before the selection was made that he was going to recommend Cortez. Fisher, the son of Bouie Fisher, Hopkins' trainer, has denied that. Ratner said he did not know of the history between Hopkins and Cortez. He said if he had known, he would have taken that into consideration. As for Hopkins, it appears he is adamant about Cortez not being the third man in the ring for any of his fights. ``I'm always paranoid, but I'm not crazy paranoid,'' he said. ``This ain't a bluff or a ploy. My track record shows I say what I mean and I mean what I say. I'm here as a manager and promoter. I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing to protect my client - me. ``Joe Cortez is not the greatest referee, but he's not the worst. I think he has credibility, but two times I stood up about him not being the referee. A referee can control a fight and he can interfere with a fight. ``I know the subterfuge sub·ter·fuge n. A deceptive stratagem or device: "the paltry subterfuge of an anonymous signature" Robert Smith Surtees. and deceit in this game. If I go against my gut feeling, then the consequences are my fault. This ain't no game. This is high stakes, man. They're trying to get rid of me by any means necessary By any means necessary is a translation of a phrase coined by the French intellectual Jean Paul Sartre in his play Dirty Hands. I was not the one to invent lies: they were created in a society divided by class and each of us inherited lies when we were born. .'' As for De La Hoya, he knows what canceling this card would mean. ``This could be disastrous for me,'' De La Hoya said. ``It will deprive me of the biggest challenge of my life.'' Adding to the excitement, Ron Borges of the Boston Globe and Michael Katz, formerly of the New York Daily News New York Daily News Morning daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson and his cousin Robert McCormick as a subsidiary of the Tribune Co. of Chicago. The first successful tabloid-format newspaper in the U.S. and currently with MaxBoxing.com, engaged in a scuffle moments after returning from the early-afternoon Hopkins interview. Katz made a comment suggesting that Borges was in promoter Don King's pocket, and Borges slapped a cap off Katz's head. Katz, who walks with a cane, stood up and began to swing his cane at Borges. Eventually, the melee was broken up by onlookers, but not before Arum arum, common name for the Araceae, a plant family mainly composed of species of herbaceous terrestrial and epiphytic plants found in moist to wet habitats of the tropics and subtropics; some are native to temperate zones. was sent crashing to the ground in the commotion. There were no visible injuries. Robert Morales, (626) 962-8811, Ext. 2213 robert.morales(at)sgvn.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) HOPKINS (2) From left, Robert Allen, Oscar De La Hoya and Felix Sturm all have a stake in Bernard Hopkins' bid to change the referee for his fight with Allen. If Hopkins fails, Saturday's entire card could be canceled, thus jeopardizing the proposed De La Hoya-Hopkins fight. Eric Jamison/Associated Press |
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