Boxing: De La Hoya to 'get my focus' for Hopkins back in California

Oscar De La Hoya is going back to the place that feels like home - Big Bear, Calif. - to train for his Sept. 18 fight with undisputed middleweight champ Bernard Hopkins.

His one-fight experiment of training in Vero Beach, Fla., is over. De La Hoya decided to prepare for last month's fight with Felix Sturm in the heat and humidity of South Florida instead of the mountain air of Big Bear, and the result was what he called the worst performance of his career that includes three close decision losses.

Although De La Hoya edged Sturm on a close decision, he was very unsatisfied with his performance. He figures returning to his roots in Big Bear, where he has trained virtually his entire pro career, will be a plus as he prepares to fight Hopkins as an underdog for the first time.