De La Hoya Replaces Steward as Trainer

Veteran trainer Emanuel Steward has been fired by World Boxing Council welterweight champion Oscar De La Hoya because, according to Steward, De La Hoya’s father, Joel, didn’t approve of Steward’s training methods.

Mike Hernandez, De La Hoya’s chief advisor, said the problem was that Steward, who also trains World Boxing Council heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis, couldn’t give De La Hoya enough time.

De La Hoya himself chose not to comment on Steward’s departure.

Roberto Alcazar, who has been in and out of De La Hoya’s corner since his professional career began, is back in again and will serve as the fighter’s chief trainer for the upcoming title fight against Wilfredo Rivera in Atlantic City, N.J., on Dec. 6

“It was a family situation,” Steward said. “He [Joel De La Hoya, himself a former boxer] thought we should be sparring more rounds, and that I shouldn’t be taking two days a week off. He wanted Oscar to spar as much as 125 rounds. That’s crazy for a fighter who fights five times a year.

“I moved my whole operation to Big Bear [De La Hoya’s training headquarters] to be with Oscar. But the results are what counts. If you see a guy getting better and improving like Oscar, then you are doing your job.

“But I think it’s best for the relationship if I just move on. We’ll still be friends. If he wants to talk, I’ll be happy to do it.”

It was Hernandez rather than De La Hoya himself who informed Steward that his services no longer were needed.

“Emanuel is too busy,” Hernandez said. “He’s got too many fighters, a pretty heavy schedule. There are no hard feelings.”

Steward trained De La Hoya for his last two fights, victories over David Kamau and Hector Camacho, after replacing the previous trainer, Jesus Rivero. When Rivero was brought in to take Oscar to what was described at the time as a higher level of development, Alcazar was shoved aside, relegated to a smaller role. De La Hoya talked often about how Rivero, lovingly referred to as the Professor, had expanded De La Hoya’s horizons, not only in boxing, but in life.

But after De La Hoya struggled to win a close decision again Pernell Whitaker last spring, it was felt that Rivero had not properly prepared his fighter to go up against a southpaw like Whitaker.

So goodbye Rivero, hello Steward.

“He still has to work on his defense,” Steward said of De La Hoya (26-0). “Now that he is facing better fighters, he has to diversify and not be so predictable.

“Oscar still has greatness in him. Maybe another trainer will bring it out.”

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WITH OSCAR DE LA HOYA, C7