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I think it's safe for me to assume that I'm not the only boxing fan on this website who thought the coverage of the De La Hoya/Mayweather showdown on "24/7" was tremendous. At first I thought that covering both fighters in their respective training camps in the weeks following up to the fight would be both a distraction for the fighters involved, as well as a disappointment to those who would watch it.
After all never before in the history of the sport have fighters opened up to the cameras not only in the way these fighters did, but also for as long. A 4 part mini-series, that managed to not only shed light on both fighters and their training process but also managed to captivate people who ordinarily wouldn't even watch boxing. The biggest example of this would be my older sister, who has never even watch a boxing match in her life, ultimately becoming interested in what is now one of the biggest fights in the history of the sport.
It's a strange occurance but the series managed to not only fulfil boxing fan's thirst for fight coverage, but it also managed to draw in people who barely even recognize that the sport still exists. Now one could argue that that is bad thing, as diehards tend to do, but I believe it to be a true asset to the sport. I think it says a lot about the excitement, drama, anticipation and action of the sport we love so much.
I can only hope that since this series has managed to captivate so many "casual" fight fans, and non fight fans alike, that it will ultimately lead to a larger audience for the sport.
So the purpose of this thread is to allow us to look back at the series as a whole, and share our thoughts on what we've learned about the fighters and what we think the coverage means to the future of the sport.
Throughout the four episodes of "24/7" there was a lot to learn about both fighters, and I'm going to share my thoughts on what I picked up on now.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER
Despite all outward media perception, the one true thing I seemed to learn about Mayweather was his dedication. Being a boxing fan for many years now I knew Mayweather was a hardworking, dedicated master of his craft but the series coverage shed a lot of light on his training, light that hadn't been shed before. From his awkward training hours, to the grueling intensity of his workouts it was quite obvious that Mayweather is where he is today in the sport by product of hard work.
It also seemed at times to me at least, that on the flipside, Mayweather is insecure. Despite his best attempts to seem confident and self-assured it seemed at times that the level of De La Hoya's stardom seemed to irritate Mayweather. Maybe it was the fact that De La Hoya is the "people's champion" or maybe it was jealousy. I'm not sure of the circumstance but it was quite obvious to me that at times Mayweather's insecurity was as visible as his wealth.
Whatever form his insecurity decided to manifest itself in didn't matter, be it potshotting Oscar's superstardom, taking shots at his accomplishments, or even making fun of the fact that De La Hoya is now a dog lover. The "Pretty Boy" seemed completely comfortable in taking whatever liberties he wanted with Oscar's name. Not to mention naming himself along the lines of immortals such as "Sugar" Ray Robinson, and Muhammad Ali.
Some could argue that it's confidence, and that is a likely possibility but to argue that there isn't a hint of insecurity behind what Mayweather says and does is ludacris to me. Mayweather feels cheated, he has for years because despite his obvious technical ability and raw talent, the media and boxing fans in general have been slow to give him his credit, if any. And despite his "bad guy" reputation, Mayweather's tactics are certainly justified in being shafted by most of his peers.
OSCAR DE LA HOYA
The one significant thing that stuck with me before the series was the growing notion that Oscar is in the twilight of his career. If anything the series managed to shatter that perception. De La Hoya has never looked better in his professional career as a prize fighter. At a point in his career where most fighters tend to taper off, fighting lesser competition and showing their age, De La Hoya has done the opposite.
The series also managed to shed light on the other side of Oscar, the businessman. If nothing more De La Hoya is certainly as good a promoter as he is a fighter, if not better. The amount of press coverage and debate surrounding this fight is second to none. You know you're a great promoter when you have Geraldo Riverra on Fox News giving you his take on the fight. And it's that kind of promotion that I think will really help bring this sport back to the forefront of competitive sports.
At times throughout the series it seemed as if Oscar was content in the business side of the sport moreso than his upcoming fight. He seemed largely distracted at times with promoting and his family life, which made mw wonder if he was serious about wanting to defeat Mayweather. Or perhaps he just wanted to make it there, content in being in the world's eyes one final time.
Whatever the case, there were also times when it seemed De La Hoya was more focused and more determined than ever. Be it his working on the speed bag, punching the mitts with his trainer Freddie Roach,or throwing combinations on the heavy bag. There was a fire in his eyes, a fire that not even Fernando Vargas or Ricardo Mayorga seemed to bring out in him.
Whatever the case may be, it remains to be seen if Oscar is truly motivated and seriously wants to win, or if he's content to let Mayweather cuise to another easy UD via his expense. Only a short amount of time whether we know the truw answer.
Either way, "24/7" certainly lived up to the hype and kept the fight at the forefront of everybody's attention, 24/7.
After all never before in the history of the sport have fighters opened up to the cameras not only in the way these fighters did, but also for as long. A 4 part mini-series, that managed to not only shed light on both fighters and their training process but also managed to captivate people who ordinarily wouldn't even watch boxing. The biggest example of this would be my older sister, who has never even watch a boxing match in her life, ultimately becoming interested in what is now one of the biggest fights in the history of the sport.
It's a strange occurance but the series managed to not only fulfil boxing fan's thirst for fight coverage, but it also managed to draw in people who barely even recognize that the sport still exists. Now one could argue that that is bad thing, as diehards tend to do, but I believe it to be a true asset to the sport. I think it says a lot about the excitement, drama, anticipation and action of the sport we love so much.
I can only hope that since this series has managed to captivate so many "casual" fight fans, and non fight fans alike, that it will ultimately lead to a larger audience for the sport.
So the purpose of this thread is to allow us to look back at the series as a whole, and share our thoughts on what we've learned about the fighters and what we think the coverage means to the future of the sport.
Throughout the four episodes of "24/7" there was a lot to learn about both fighters, and I'm going to share my thoughts on what I picked up on now.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER
Despite all outward media perception, the one true thing I seemed to learn about Mayweather was his dedication. Being a boxing fan for many years now I knew Mayweather was a hardworking, dedicated master of his craft but the series coverage shed a lot of light on his training, light that hadn't been shed before. From his awkward training hours, to the grueling intensity of his workouts it was quite obvious that Mayweather is where he is today in the sport by product of hard work.
It also seemed at times to me at least, that on the flipside, Mayweather is insecure. Despite his best attempts to seem confident and self-assured it seemed at times that the level of De La Hoya's stardom seemed to irritate Mayweather. Maybe it was the fact that De La Hoya is the "people's champion" or maybe it was jealousy. I'm not sure of the circumstance but it was quite obvious to me that at times Mayweather's insecurity was as visible as his wealth.
Whatever form his insecurity decided to manifest itself in didn't matter, be it potshotting Oscar's superstardom, taking shots at his accomplishments, or even making fun of the fact that De La Hoya is now a dog lover. The "Pretty Boy" seemed completely comfortable in taking whatever liberties he wanted with Oscar's name. Not to mention naming himself along the lines of immortals such as "Sugar" Ray Robinson, and Muhammad Ali.
Some could argue that it's confidence, and that is a likely possibility but to argue that there isn't a hint of insecurity behind what Mayweather says and does is ludacris to me. Mayweather feels cheated, he has for years because despite his obvious technical ability and raw talent, the media and boxing fans in general have been slow to give him his credit, if any. And despite his "bad guy" reputation, Mayweather's tactics are certainly justified in being shafted by most of his peers.
OSCAR DE LA HOYA
The one significant thing that stuck with me before the series was the growing notion that Oscar is in the twilight of his career. If anything the series managed to shatter that perception. De La Hoya has never looked better in his professional career as a prize fighter. At a point in his career where most fighters tend to taper off, fighting lesser competition and showing their age, De La Hoya has done the opposite.
The series also managed to shed light on the other side of Oscar, the businessman. If nothing more De La Hoya is certainly as good a promoter as he is a fighter, if not better. The amount of press coverage and debate surrounding this fight is second to none. You know you're a great promoter when you have Geraldo Riverra on Fox News giving you his take on the fight. And it's that kind of promotion that I think will really help bring this sport back to the forefront of competitive sports.
At times throughout the series it seemed as if Oscar was content in the business side of the sport moreso than his upcoming fight. He seemed largely distracted at times with promoting and his family life, which made mw wonder if he was serious about wanting to defeat Mayweather. Or perhaps he just wanted to make it there, content in being in the world's eyes one final time.
Whatever the case, there were also times when it seemed De La Hoya was more focused and more determined than ever. Be it his working on the speed bag, punching the mitts with his trainer Freddie Roach,or throwing combinations on the heavy bag. There was a fire in his eyes, a fire that not even Fernando Vargas or Ricardo Mayorga seemed to bring out in him.
Whatever the case may be, it remains to be seen if Oscar is truly motivated and seriously wants to win, or if he's content to let Mayweather cuise to another easy UD via his expense. Only a short amount of time whether we know the truw answer.
Either way, "24/7" certainly lived up to the hype and kept the fight at the forefront of everybody's attention, 24/7.