More than 50,000 seats have been sold for tomorrow
night's Oscar De La Hoya-Patrick Charpentier fight at the
Sun Bowl in El Paso, TX, according to Steve Springer of the
L.A. TIMES. An additional 7,000 seats have now been put on
sale, and even though they will "only allow the occupants to
view the fight on a big screen because of an obstructed
view," they are "expected to go quickly." De La Hoya's
promoter Bob Arum has discussed the possibility of staging a
De La Hoya fight in the new Staples Center in L.A. when it
opens in '99, "perhaps as the first event to be held there"
(L.A. TIMES, 6/12). Saturday's fight will be shown live on
HBO at 10:00pm ET. Attendance is expected to reach 60,000,
a sellout (Robert Seltzer, EL PASO TIMES, 6/12).
NOT ON THE BANDWAGON: In N.Y., Bob Raissman questions
Arum's packaging of De La Hoya, writing, "Arum's marketing
strategy has turned his fighter into a niche attraction who
has not proven he has broad-based appeal. Arum has targeted
one segment -- the Hispanic market." In contrast, Raissman
writes that Prince Naseem Hamed is a "consummate showman who
will take on all comers. This is a sure recipe for
developing broad-based appeal" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 6/12).
