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Last
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Read more by
Jim Cawkwell
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| Does “No” to Floyd Meayweather Sr., Mean "Yes" To Victory for Oscar De La Hoya?
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By Jim Cawkwell
Photo © Ed Mulholland/FightWireImages.com
By the amount of press it receives, it’s clear that dysfunctional family behavior qualifies as light entertainment to many people. Just last week, former Canadian middleweight champion Alex Hilton, very much out of his mind on one substance or another, wandered into a convenience store in Montreal, Quebec, accompanied by a baseball bat. He wasn’t there to ask for directions.
But from such local tabloid tear-aways as the “Fighting Hilton’s,” we turn our attentions to another dysfunctional family much more relevant in today’s game.
The estranged relationships in the Mayweather clan have engulfed the Internet boxing media of late. Conspiracy theories and debates over personal ethics in the matter of Floyd Mayweather, Sr. training Oscar de la Hoya to pulverize Mayweather, Jr. have overshadowed the fact that this fight is perhaps the most lucrative, and therefore one of the most important events in boxing history.
The notion of the father versus the son made an interesting side note at first. But as the seriousness of the situation became apparent, the more tasteless and unsettling it seemed. The Internet media devoured statements from both sides, as Mayweather, Sr. issued warnings to Mayweather, Jr. not to stray onto his father’s territory. Mayweather, Jr. ignored the warnings and went on to discredit his father’s own fighting career.
Thankfully, the ugliness ended when De La Hoya refused to pay the $2-million-dollars that Mayweather, Sr. named as his price to impart the secret to unlocking the current pound-for-pound champion’s style.
However, even at this conclusion of sorts, the conspiracy theories continue to appear. One of them claims that Mayweather, Sr’s. request for the $2-million was ridiculous enough to suggest a deliberate attempt to price himself out of contention. Further to that, rumors began to circulate that De La Hoya was having a close eye kept on Mayweather, Sr. to see if he was indeed once again in league with his son.
Whether or not Mayweather, Sr. was serious, or his secret schemes backfired, there are a variety of reasons that he should not be involved with this fight in the capacity of De La Hoya’s trainer:
De La Hoya can be influenced. Any man that needs the stars to be aligned to make a decision could easily fall prey to the distractions that the Mayweather conflict brings.
The chances of those distractions impacting the fight are increased tenfold when you consider that Roger Mayweather will resume his place as Mayweather, Jr’s. trainer. The last time we saw Roger, he was doing an interview with HBO from a jail cell, and the time before that, he was climbing through the ropes to deal with Zab Judah, oblivious to the fact that he was about to turn an HBO pay-per-view event into a full-scale riot.
If he was serious about his offer to De La Hoya, then Mayweather, Sr. needs to rethink his priorities as a father and as a man .Furthermore, boxing didn’t need this bizarre rivalry engulfing one of its biggest occasions. Other sports have their marquee moments; as the rest of the world watches, boxing needs to negotiate this one without having to resort to damage control.
Mayweather, Sr. was a fighter of limited success and reputation. He made his own choices in life, and by the fact of his stay in prison on drug charges, not all of them were advisable. As such, he never had any right to stand in the way of his own son’s right to make a living.
Furthermore, what could Mayweather, Sr. truly give De La Hoya at this stage of the game that would increase his chances of beating Mayweather, Jr.?
Mayweather, Sr. believes that he understands the mechanics of his son’s mind; that he created the processes that Mayweather, Jr. has used to master every fighter he has ever faced. But each and every fight is subject to infinite possibilities.
He has to come in shape, ready to fight hard and not be discouraged by the speed of Mayweather, Jr. as so many other fighters have. It seems that the greatest war De La Hoya faces here is with himself: the temptation to give up on what seems like a lost cause. Instead he must use constant aggression, forever forcing the issue, searching for the moments that Zab Judah found but did not have the discipline to exploit.
Therefore, before preparations can begin De La Hoya is left searching for the trainer that might help him defeat Mayweather, Jr. once and for all. Offering what is expected to be several hundred thousand dollars, as usual, De La Hoya will not search as much as he will have his pick of the litter.
Whether they are frontrunners or final options, here is a list of trainers that may be candidates for the position:
Freddie Roach - With James Toney’s career over everywhere except in his own mind, and Manny Pacquiao’s foreseeable future still mired in debate, Roach would have to train De La Hoya while preparing Peter Manfredo, Jr. for Joe Calzaghe and Israel Vazquez for Rafael Marquez. Roach’s instructions are simple and direct, and he has been known to handle the considerable distractions following Toney and Pacquiao throughout camp with an iron fist. Such authority and focus is exactly what De La Hoya needs to prepare for this challenge.
Jack Mosley - His credentials are Shane Mosley’s success and at least one legitimate win over De La Hoya himself. But Mosley’s style is not that of De La Hoya; nor does De La Hoya have the speed that one would assume that Shane Mosley would have used against Mayweather, Jr. Being “in-house” at Golden Boy Promotions may give Jack Mosley an advantage, but it does not qualify him for the job.
Ignacio Beristain - A great tactician that delivers his instructions in a very calm fashion. Though Beristain is not your typical trainer-for-hire, even he might be tempted by the huge financial reward, and indeed, the prestige of orchestrating the demise of Mayweather, Jr. However, his commitments to Juan Manuel Marquez and Rafael Marquez go beyond that of a simple fighter/trainer agreement. His priority is to prepare them for wars with Marco Antonio Barrera and Israel Vazquez respectively.
Manny Steward - He was very critical of De La Hoya versus Ricardo Mayorga, insinuating that as the fight progressed, De La Hoya had become ineffective. Unfortunately for Steward, he claimed this, and shortly after, De La Hoya knocked Mayorga out. However, Steward has maintained De La Hoya’s outstanding success rate while he was trainer, and with his main charges, Wladimir Klitschko and Jermain Taylor’s next fights being routine engagements, Steward may just get the call.
Whomever is chosen, it is appropriate that the focus of the event returns to the stars of the show instead of the supporting cast.
Oscar de la Hoya can beat Floyd Mayweather, Jr. without whatever secret formula Mayweather, Sr. claims to have in his keep. The one thing that separates De La Hoya is that he has sacrificed himself in ways that Mayweather, Jr. dare not. He has proven that his currency is not money, but glory, and if his hunger aches as it once did, no amount of speed or technical subtlety will keep him from forcing Mayweather, Jr. to fight.
Contact Jim Cawkwell at jimcawkwell@yahoo.co.uk |
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comment by psychopath, on 01-30-2007 |
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Yes to victory? Well definitely not in the ring. Sr not being on DLH's side doesn't automatically translate into a victory or defeat for Oscar.
But out of the ring YES, because DLH was able to ward off the annoying rat ass PBF Sr. |
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comment by Castillofan, on 01-30-2007 |
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[QUOTE=DLT]What are you talking about? Its not about the amount, its about the percentage and Oscar is a bitch just like Hopkins was when he dissed Bouie Fisher. You dont do that to guys who you claim you love and respect. Everyone knows that your trainer gets 10% and if Oscar is having a 20mi... |
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comment by DLT, on 01-30-2007 |
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[QUOTE=SinCity Doomsta]no trainer has ever gotten paid that much..its unheard of hes asking for too much![/QUOTE]
What are you talking about? Its not about the amount, its about the percentage and Oscar is a bitch just like Hopkins was when he dissed Bouie Fisher. You dont do that to guys wh... |
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comment by Sin City, on 01-30-2007 |
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[QUOTE=GreatestIAM]haha hell naw, listen ODLH is a money hungery bitch plain and simple whats 2 mil from 20 mil he already is the underdog atleast in my book and by not payin Sr. what he wants and rightfully deserves i think for this fight, ODLH is makin a bad move[/QUOTE]
no trainer has ever got... |
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comment by Sin City, on 01-30-2007 |
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No trainer has ever gotten paid that much for a fight..Its unheard of! |
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