By Jake Donovan

Day 116 of the Find-A-Farewell-Opponent hunt continues for Oscar de la Hoya, whose exit strategy still calls for a December 6 grand finale to his storied, Hall of Fame career.

The frontrunner throughout the summer, in fact even as far back as June 6, has been Manny Pacquiao. It was thought that their being so far apart in weight would be the biggest hurdle in finalizing the fight – de la Hoya having competed at 154 or higher for the better part of the decade, while Pacquiao’s last fight was his first at 135.

But as has been responsible for oh so many super fights falling by the wayside, the lone factor bringing contract negotiations to a standstill, though not quite yet killing it, has been money – or percentages in this case.

Pacquiao hasn’t budged from his demand of a 60/40 split, with the fight to take place at 147 and with eight ounce gloves. Oscar has agreed to everything except the financial demand, but has crept all the way to the midway point, which at one point Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter, claimed would be an acceptable offer and where he expected negotiations to land.

So far, mum’s the word. Reports have been limited to speculation on whether or not de la Hoya will end his career facing a third straight fighter coming up in weight, yet the stories keep coming, even when there’s nothing to say beyond the status quo.

We can blame the summer doldrums for the lack of creative storylines in recent weeks. Though adding to the pot is de la Hoya’s previous insistence that a deal needs to be in place by month’s end.

It was suggested that negotiations lingering on into September can create an adverse effect on the promotion. Such declaration potentially ruled out the winner of the September 13 rematch between Sergio Mora and Vernon Forrest, at a time when all signs pointed to the undefeated Mora being ready to step in should negotiations with Pacquiao fail to progress.

That announcement was premature, as has been the case with every other alleged update in this ongoing soap opera. Because the fact remains that, anything short of de la Hoya and Pacquiao coming to terms in the very immediate future, by-the-hour updates can cease until September 14.

By then, de la Hoya will have another viable candidate for his swan song. Sure, a Pacquiao fight is more exciting, on paper, than the thought of de la Hoya sharing ring space with either Mora or Forrest. But there’s no guarantee that Pacquiao brings that energy 12 pounds north.

Nor is it guaranteed that de la Hoya doesn’t completely drain himself to make 147. Forget his insistence that he’s already at weight; the same nonsense was suggested for weeks prior to his May 3 bout with Steve Forbes, only to initially come in one pound above the 150 lb catchweight limit.

What we do know is that Sergio Mora and his handlers have already agreed in principal to a deal that was in place prior to de la Hoya’s abrupt decision of needing a final answer no later than September 1.

What we also know is that Vernon Forrest is in the twilight of his career, and would love nothing more than to face his former Olympic teammate for the dream payday that has oh so often eluded him.

So why not make September 13 a final eliminator?

Golden Boy Promotions has nothing to lose by waiting another two weeks, other than perhaps two more weeks of headlines that precede announcements of “no new updates.” If anything, they have everything to gain.

The thought of the winner of the Mora-Forrest rematch facing de la Hoya only enhances a pay-per-view show that can use all of the publicity it can get.

The main event – Joel Casamayor defending his lightweight title against Juan Manuel Marquez – is an intriguing one, but hardly guaranteed bank at the box office. And that’s if it wasn’t already competing against a Showtime telecast, one that boasts a lightweight fight of its own.

Needless to say, an added story line of the winner of its chief support next in line for de la Hoya would prompt a few more people to tune in.

Worried about the promotion beginning too late, you suggest?

What greater place to kick off than the post-fight press conference.

Many of the sport’s leading writers and publications are already sending staff members to the event. They now come home with more to offer than simply who won an evening full of Vegas fights that are intriguing, but will functionally render irrelevant beyond September 13.

What about ticket sales going on sale only ten or so weeks before the fight?

Are you kidding? We’re talking about Oscar de la Hoya’s last fight (or so advertised). It’s not like it’s an event that won’t sell itself, regardless of who’s in the other corner.

That leads us to the next point to address – if it hardly matters who he’s fighting, then why spend so much on the main event, and leave nothing for the supporting bouts.

We already know that $10 million isn’t enough to entice Pacquiao to abandon lightweight and leap frog junior welterweight. Unless he comes down on his purse split demand, $15 million might not be enough, either.

It’ll cost considerably less to get the Mora-Forrest winner in the ring – especially Mora, who carries the far greater upside. There are more than a few good years left in the 27-year old’s career, one that boasts an undefeated record for the moment. We know from prior news releases that the East LA product is already willing to accept a reasonable offer, which helps remove the fear of further prolonging negotiations for the fight that’s yet to be.

Sticking with Mora for a minute, should the Mexican-American repeat – or even better – on September 13 what he accomplished this past June, he escapes with his alphabet junior middleweight title intact.

Of course, with last year’s acquisition of Ring magazine, it’ll be suggested that such trinkets no longer matter unless it’s accompanied by the publication’s belt. But that would be ignoring de la Hoya’s prior two promotions, selling the 1992 Olympic Gold medalist as a 10-time world champion in six weight classes.

The title in particular at stake for the Mora-Forrest rematch will be the “coveted green belt” that Mexicans and Mexican-Americans seem to fancy the most. On a show preceding Mexican Independence Day, you can best believe this will be one more occasion where all belts matter to promoters – Golden Boy COO David Itschkowitz began a Tuesday conference call selling the bout as one of “two bona fide world title fights.”

In a potential de la Hoya-Mora fight, you have the proverbial passing of the torch if Mora wins, the successful Mexican-American boxer of today defeating the most successful in the sport’s history. Should de la Hoya win, he goes out with another title, in fact regaining the same belt he lost over a year ago to Floyd Mayweather Jr., the man responsible for the mess this promotion is in, in the first place. He also snatches an “0”, a feat he hasn’t achieved since the latter years of the 20th century, and does so all while picking on someone his own size.

Should Forrest win, the story lines aren’t intriguing, but still enough to fill up a sports page or two every day between now and then for inquiring minds that must feel involved every day. 

It becomes a tale of two former Olympic teammates squaring off against one another. Vernon also secures the long elusive mega payday against one of the many fighters he felt ducked him when he was a lot closer to 30 than 40.

While he misses out on a super fight this year, a look in a direction other than his own allows Pacquiao to pursue other options today while making himself available for more events tomorrow. Isn’t that what we ask of our sport’s best fighters – to appear more than once or twice a year, and at their absolute best?

Gone is the concern of gaining and maintaining so much weight for a one-off fight at 147 before spending most of 2009 properly shedding the pounds and returning to peak fighting mode. The possibility of bringing long-needed clarity to the lightweight division is there. Talks have already begun of a possible ’09 showdown with Ricky Hatton, should the linear junior welterweight king emerge victorious in his November defense against Paul Malignaggi.

A win over Hatton under such circumstances would net Pacquiao a linear title in his fourth weight class, and that’s if he doesn’t first wrap up the lightweight division. Both are plausible scenarios, with Pacquiao clearly boasting the same skill set that put him atop the industry’s Must See list in lighter weight classes.

A win over de la Hoya makes the Filipino rich beyond his wildest dreams, but in a fight that tells us next to nothing, whereas a Sergio Mora or Vernon Forrest – not to mention the junior middleweight division as a whole - could greater benefit from such a victory.

Manny Pacquiao will still be Manny Pacquiao, with or without a de la Hoya fight. The plan still calls for Oscar de la Hoya to retire following his December 6 curtain call, with or without Manny Pacquiao standing in the opposite corner.

Both will still hold true on September 14, with or without the already tired soap opera we’ve been forced to endure.

Jake Donovan is a voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Comments/questions can be submitted to JakeNDaBox@gmail.com