>>>Click Here For Tons of More Breaking Boxing News, Articles and Insider Information<<<

Oscar looks to use Floyd’s talk against him

By Dave Sholler

He may have a multi-million dollar boxing promotion to run when his in-ring days are over, but Oscar De La Hoya might as well become a psychiatrist when he hangs up the gloves.

In the weeks leading up to his May 5 mega-fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr., De La Hoya’s calm, focused demeanor has cast a large shadow over his opponent’s mental state. In stark contrast, De La Hoya’s opponent has been brash and cocky, simmering in his own “Floyd’s the greatest” juices.  Meanwhile, De La Hoya has chosen his competitive words carefully, making sure not to feed into Mayweather’s head games. By doing so, De La Hoya may just be gaining the all-important psychological edge.

For De La Hoya, feeding into Mayweather’s psychological games would be the ultimate mistake. Instead, he’s looking to remain almost annoyingly quiet, preferring to dole out an attitude adjustment in the center of the ring. Ultimately, wasting brainpower on anything but his in-ring game plan is worthless.

“"All the talking he's been doing, now he's gonna have to fight me, he's gonna pay for it all,” De La Hoya said. “This is a totally different fight for me. I have to be careful, aggressive and still I have to think and fight my own fight.

“"I've studied him and he's very insecure. He has all of these people around him as his cheering section. Everyone has to have a humbling moment in their life.  May 5 might just be his moment."

The Golden Boy’s preceding words flow with such ease that it has to eat at The Pretty Boy. As Mayweather himself often notes, he hates to lose. Whether it’s a war of words, a war of punches, or the card game War, Floyd Mayweather Jr. can’t stand anyone questioning his self-conceived, Ali-like stature.  With that said, all the foul language and demeaning terms toward De La Hoya that ooze from his mouth can’t cover up the growing portion of The Pretty Boy’s brain that is beginning to question whether he can walk the walk.

“If talking trash keeps me in my comfort zone, let me do what I do,” Mayweather said in a press conference last week.  “Listen, I'm trying to tell you guys, I'm Floyd Mayweather, I'm never nervous, I'm not scared of no fighter in there.”

Like a grade-school boy trying to convince his pals that he doesn’t have a crush on the girl-next-door, Mayweather must repeatedly tell everyone – and most importantly himself – that he is not nervous or scared. He must reinforce the idea that he is the best boxer in the world, susceptible to no opponent or kryptonite. And while he does have all the physical tools and has never been tired in the ring, one can’t help but to wonder if all the talking will make him mentally exhausted before the bell rings May 5.

With that being said, is De La Hoya on to something by taking the high road with Mayweather’s constant trash talk? Does he need to utter a response to every Mayweather comment to display his confidence? Is there anything for him to gain by name-calling?

Oscar doesn’t think so.

"Ever since I took this fight I have been preparing myself, I have started the visualizing process,” De La Hoya said. “I saw him fight and I said ‘I can beat this guy.’ And at that point I started the mental preparation, I started to prepare spiritually and emotionally, and because of that now I'm totally at ease with myself.”

With training camps over, both men stepped onto the red carpet Tuesday to mark their arrivals in Las Vegas, neither one seeming to have a glaring physical edge, but both looking ready to fight.

But deep inside Mayweather’s soul, De La Hoya believes there is a weakness; one that The Pretty Boy does his best to mask. However, it’s one that Mayweather, his right-hand man Leonard Ellerbe, nor his best pal 50 Cent can diagnose.

Only one man knows the true depths of Mayweather’s weakness and his name is Oscar De La Hoya. On May 5, De La Hoya – the newfound cerebral assassin, will look to reap the rewards of manipulating Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s psyche and sign a prescription for a formal beating. Floyd may never get tired physically, but on May 5, Oscar De La Hoya hopes Mayweather succumbs to the force of being psychologically exposed.

“He better watch out for my fists. I'm in the best shape of my life and that trash talking really pumped me up,” De La Hoya said. “"I'm glad he disrespected me because May 5 he's gonna pay.”