De La Hoya, HBO reach agreement on televising March 24 fight

NEW YORK (AP) -- Oscar De La Hoya, involved in a legal battle with HBO, will fight on the cable network March 24 when he returns from an eight-month layoff.<p align="justify">An agreement to televise the

Thursday, March 1st 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

NEW YORK (AP) -- Oscar De La Hoya, involved in a legal battle with HBO, will fight on the cable network March 24 when he returns from an eight-month layoff.

An agreement to televise the fight against Arturo Gatti at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas was reached Friday between the network and promoter Jerry Perenchio.

"We're delighted to have reached an agreement," Ross
Greenburg, president of HBO Sports, said Monday. "He's a franchise
fighter."

Perenchio became De La Hoya's promoter when the boxer broke with Bob Arum's Top Rank, Inc.

On Feb. 15, a federal judge in New York rejected a request by HBO for injunction to halt the fight or to allow it to be televised only by the network.

HBO still is asking for declaratory judgment seek to verify its
claim that it has a long-term contract with De La Hoya. He has
fought on HBO for seven years.

The 12-round welterweight fight will be televised at 10:45 p.m. EST and 10:45 p.m. PST, meaning the match will be seen on a delayed basis in the West.

De La Hoya's comeback bout will be followed by the taped showing of a WBO heavyweight championship defense by Vladimir Klitschko of Ukraine against Derrick Jefferson of Detroit to be held earlier in
the day in Munich, Germany.

It will be the first time HBO has shown title bouts from different sites on the same telecast.

Perenchio became De La Hoya's promoter when a federal judge in Los Angeles ruled last August that De La Hoya's contract with Arum was void and unenforceable.

De La Hoya, a champion in four weight classes, last fought when he lost the WBC welterweight title on a split decision to Shane Mosley last June 17 in Los Angeles.