LAS VEGAS (AP) – Shane Mosley looks at Oscar De La Hoya and sees a fighter who always picks opponents carefully. When the two first met in June 2000, Mosley believes, De La Hoya thought he was getting a smaller opponent who had moved up two weight classes a bit too quickly.

When they meet in a rematch Saturday night, Mosley knows he’s being looked at as damaged goods because he hasn’t won his last three fights.

De La Hoya was wrong the first time, when Mosley pulled off an upset. And Mosley vows to prove him wrong again.

“It’s kind of like he waits to fight a guy when he is vulnerable,” Mosley said. “What they don’t know is I’m not vulnerable now. I’m at my strongest right now. They picked the wrong time.”

Oddsmakers aren’t so sure, making Mosley a 2-1 underdog even though he outboxed and outpunched De La Hoya to win a split decision in their first meeting.

That might be because they see what De La Hoya must see. Mosley hasn’t won a fight in more than two years, and he’s fighting for only the second time at 154 pounds, a weight class De La Hoya showed he is comfortable and strong in by beating Fernando Vargas.

“I guess they figured my self esteem has probably dropped,” Mosley said. “What they don’t know is that is has strengthened me. I’ll always feel like I’m the best, no matter what.”

Mosley’s confidence level can be debated, but one thing that definitely went down was his purse for the rematch. He is guaranteed $4.5 million and had to threaten not to fight to get De La Hoya to agree to give him an additional $500,000 if Mosley wins.

The purse is less than he made to fight De La Hoya the first time, while De La Hoya will be guaranteed $12.5 million and could make a lot more if the pay-per-view sales do as well as expected.

“It doesn’t bother me to see Oscar making the money he’s making,” Mosley said. “It bothers me that I don’t make the money I should be making.”

De La Hoya, of course, is the attraction no matter who he fights. He holds the record for pay-per-view sales for a non-heavyweight fight – 1.3 million for his fight with Felix Trinidad – and drew more than 900,000 buys for his knockout of Fernando Vargas in September 2002.

Total revenues for De La Hoya’s fights over his career are approaching half a billion dollars, and Saturday night’s fight at the MGM Grand easily sold out 16,274 tickets at prices up to $1,200. Another 30,000 people are expected to watch on closed circuit at various Las Vegas hotels, while the pay-per-view buys are expected to rival those of the Vargas fight.

“Oscar has to fight somebody that the press perceives has a chance to beat him to have a huge fight,” promoter Bob Arum said. “And Shane is perceived to be one of those fighters.”

Mosley is perceived that way largely because styles make fights. Mosley was frustrated by a taller, awkward Forrest, but he was able to use his speed to beat De La Hoya the first time.

Mosley knows he let a chance to capitalize on his win over De La Hoya fade away, and he’s determined not to make the same mistake. He has a new promoter and publicist and no longer has to worry about outside distractions.

With a smile as dazzling as his speed, Mosley only needs to look at De La Hoya to see that a fighter can rebound from losses to be bigger than ever.

“I was a superstar, and I still am a superstar,” Mosley said. “That’s why people are coming in to see this fight.

“I just don’t get paid like one.”

AP-ES-09-11-03 1537EDT