STAPLES CENTER EXECS MAY FIND IT A HARD SELL.

Byline: Michael Rosenthal Boxing

Tim Leiweke, president of Staples Center, sees the new downtown arena as the biggest, baddest sports and entertainment venue on the planet. If not now, certainly in the near future.

Of course, Staples must stage mega-events to claim its place among the Madison Square Gardens of the world and nothing is bigger than a major fight.

The Oscar De La Hoya-Shane Mosley matchup on June 17 - the first such fight - will be formally announced today at news conference at the arena, the kickoff of a promotional blitz to sell the event and boxing to the people of Los Angeles.

And if the promotion goes well (read: if the event sells out) this could be just the beginning.

Leiweke said he'd like to stage one or two big fights a year at Staples and promote boxing cards at other venues in the Los Angeles area and beyond. That could include Las Vegas.

He mentioned the Forum and the Olympic Auditorium as possible venues in L.A.

``We have the resources and experience to do a lot things,'' Leiweke said. ``The key is that this event goes well. It will increase our appetite to do other things in boxing.''

Indeed, two things must occur if Staples is to dive head first into boxing: Fans must buy into the June 17 event and the state must agree in the long run to cap its tax of the live gate at $50,000, as opposed to 5 percent.

Can anyone sell 19,000-plus seats for a boxing card in this town?

Such a thing seems unfathomable in light of the recent past. In the past two decades, a crowd of 5,000 for boxing at even the biggest arenas has been deemed a reasonable success.

Put simply, boxing is a very hard sell.

However, this one might be different. This might be the most compelling matchup in Los Angeles since Muhammad Ali fought Ken Norton at the Forum in 1973 for several reasons.

Of course, De La Hoya doesn't have the name recognition of Ali but he's the biggest thing going at the moment. Plus, Mosley is an exceptional fighter whom many believe will beat De La Hoya and he's also from the L.A. area. He grew up in Pomona, De La Hoya in East L.A.

The tickets also are priced as low as $50, inexpensive by boxing standards and affordable for the common fan.

Add to that what is expected to be a monstrous marketing campaign and the fact that the glitzy arena is a magnet in itself, and the house just might be packed.

``Our goal is to sell out and we'll use all our resources to make sure we do,'' Leiweke said. ``There's a tremendous buzz and we haven't even announced the fight yet. . . . I don't think it's going to be an issue.

``Everything we've seen this week makes us believe this is the hot ticket.''

Leiweke and promoter Bob Arum, with whom Leiweke appears to be developing a close working relationship, have said the tax cap is key to the future of boxing here.

If the De La Hoya-Mosley card sells out, ticket sales will total about $8 million - a $400,000 tax burden at 5 percent. And that's not including a 3 percent city tax.

Under those circumstances, why should Arum do business here when New York has a cap?

A few government officials have said they'll do what they can, others have been more pessimistic. Leiweke is hoping common sense ultimately carries the day.

``In a sport where (everyone involved) fights for every penny, that could be a deal killer,'' Leiweke said. `` . . .It's a sensible argument: The cap guarantees that this fight and others will generate tax revenue that wasn't generated before.

``Otherwise, 100 percent of nothing is nothing.''

The fight probably will draw at least 15,000 fans, perhaps more, which means Staples could lost some money.

However, money isn't the principal issue at the moment. A crowd that size, particularly if it creates the kind of energy Leiweke is hoping for, might be a good enough foundation on which to begin rebuilding boxing in this town.

We'll never see the regular shows that that so enthralled L.A. fans up until the early 1970s but we might see our share of the big ones.

Leiweke and Co. are very determined.

``We want HBO, TVKO, Top Rank, the boxers, the media that covers the event to walk out of here and say, `That's as good a boxing match, as good a boxing facility, as good a boxing market as any in the country.

``Our No. 1 priority is to put Staples on the map. And bringing major championship boxing to L.A. is part of that.''

--More Staples: The fight could fall between the sixth and seventh games of the NBA Finals if the Lakers make it that far.

If that happens, it would seem the fight would get buried in the basketball hype.

Leiweke isn't worried. OK, the fight probably wouldn't get the play it might otherwise. At the same time, media from around the world would bein L.A. for the NBA series and would certainly file reports on the fight.

Plus, the combination of the Finals and the fight might create an unforgettable stir.

``It would create one of the greatest weekends of sports ever,'' Leiweke said. ``Think about what that will do for the city, for downtown.''

--No regrets: Dan Goossen, David Reid's promoter, has no regrets about pitting his fighter against Felix Trinidad on March 3.

Trinidad was losing after six rounds but knocked Reid down four times in the second half of what turned into a brutal beating. Many believe Reid - with only 14 fights behind him - lacked the experience to cope with Trinidad.

``Make the call and you're successful and you're a genius. Make the same call and you're not successful and you're an idiot,'' Goossen said. ``I'd make the same decision again.

``David had enough experience in the first half of the fight, didn't he? He was able to execute the game plan even with 14 fights. His experience wasn't what changed the fight - it was the one punch in the seventh round (that knocked him down for the first time). That changed the direction of the fight.

``He had the ability to win that fight.''

Some have suggested that Reid, previously unbeaten, will have difficulty bouncing back from such a beating in terms of confidence.

Goossen said he's not worried.

``All great champions have lost and come back,'' he said. ``Look at Tommy Hearns in his first fight with Ray Leonard or Leonard with Roberto Duran. The great ones are able to overcome such losses and achieve great success.

``And I think David showed he's capable of beating one of the top fighters in the industry.''

Goossen said he has no time table but would like to get Reid back into the ring as soon as possible.