"From Pillar to Post" - De La Hoya-Mayweather: Hype, Drama, Boxing

By Ryan Songalia

The wait is finally over. The megafight, with all the mega-hype attached, is finally upon us. Oh the joy, as the Boxing Gods have finally given us die-hard adherents something that we can build some semblance of conversation with among mainstream sports fans. With the boxing of today more appurtant to C-SPAN's Congressional hearings than ESPN's SportsCenter, it's a blessing to see a fight that can get more than internet forums jumping with anticipation.

It's rare that boxing offers these kind of summit meetings nowadays. Heck, it's pretty much a major occurrence when a champion shows the temerity to fight his number one contender. Money is money, though, and the astronomical purses in this bout create sufficient incentive for the risks to be viewed as manageable.

For fans of the cult HBO series Legendary Nights, this is potentially one of those kind of showdowns. Two A1 fighters coming off of impressive wins, a passing of the torch situation between former US Olympians and a father-son-uncle dispute to match. There are more story-lines to this fight than Pulp Fiction, adding a larger than life feel to an already gargantuan situation.

But behind the flashy promotion and production, what lingers is the real business at hand: A professional boxing match. An elementary scan of both fighter's recent histories reveal what can only be interpreted as a clear advantage for Mayweather. Since 2003, Mayweather has cruised to a 8-0 (4 KO) record. In sharp contrast is "The Golden Boy", whose commitment to his promotional company has taken priority to his boxing endeavors. During that stretch, De La Hoya has gone 3-2 (2 KO), including what can be considered a "business decision" over Felix Sturm and a knockout loss to Bernard Hopkins.

Also telling has been De La Hoya's choice of opposition of late. Coming off of a 20 month layoff after the only stoppage loss of his career, he selected Ricardo Mayorga and his devalued WBC Junior Middleweight strap as his next voyage into the sport. To the untrained eye, it was a masterful performance. From round one, it was target practice on the heavy bag, with De La Hoya connecting with meaningful power shots with both hands. After six rounds and three knockdowns of the iron-jawed Nicaraguan, the bout was stopped and De La Hoya began his second reign as a 154 pound titlist.

If the plot sounds familiar to you, that's because it is. Following an extended sabbatical from active duty after his knockout loss to Bernard Hopkins, Felix Trinidad hand selected Ricardo Mayorga as his first opponent back from the layoff. Trinidad had seldom looked better, thrashing the sacrificial lamb around the ring like an amateur having a tough night at The Apollo. Figuring to jump from Mayorga's style to Winky Wright's master craftsman technique, Tito was met with a Lacy-Calzaghe type of beating in a matchup that he was ill-prepared to engage in.

So the question remains, can Ricardo Mayorga adequately prepare De La Hoya for Floyd Mayweather Jr?

Perhaps the bigger question at hand is deeper than recent fights. It has to do with people, the maturation and realization of a person, and the evolution of a man. Muhammad Ali once said "A man who views the world the same at fifty as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life." Dramatic success out of the ring can slowly steal away a fighter's innate anger. What I want to know is, when Oscar wakes up in the morning and looks in the mirror does he see a fighter or a business man?

Certainly, there is a great deal to be respected about De La Hoya's career in boxing. He's fought everyone, ducked no one, and has shown the true heart of a warrior all along. Many instances, such as when he rose from the canvas to summon an extra gear in outhustling Ike Quartey in 1999, underscored his fighter's heart. As Larry Merchant put it, "Oscar is like a débutante with a knife in her purse."

But let's be real, that was eight years ago and a completely different Oscar. He was first and foremost a boxer, a truly dedicated professional. Since then, he's gotten married, been nominated for a Grammy, and is now the CEO of one of the premier promotional companies. He's a man whose preoccupation with life has become his own undoing as a fighter.

That's not to say that Mayweather hasn't had his own distractions. Following his twelve round drubbing of Carlos Baldomir, a tearful Mayweather announced that he would only be fighting one more time. If it's financial security that you're looking for, De La Hoya isn't a bad choice.

"It's still one and done," stated Mayweather at the initial press conference for this fight in New York City. "I'm still a businessman. If Oscar wanna do this in a rematch after I kick his ass the first time, I'd do it again. He will be my last opponent."

"I'm moving on to help a lot of young fighters that's up and coming. I wanna help show them how to save their money financially and put them in a good position." Mayweather expounds, "As soon as my career is over, I want to go back to the gym and train fighters."

Among the fighters that Mayweather Jr. speaks of is Wes Ferguson, a 15-1 prospect from Flint, MI who is trained by his uncle Roger.

While many don't believe that Mayweather is serious about his retirement declaration, one constant in the sport has often prevailed. When a fighter has already made up his mind about what he's going to do after he retires, then that usually means that he has one foot out the door. A 20 million dollar payday will coax the other foot out for any sane man.

"What else is there to prove?", queried Mayweather Jr. "I've done what I had to do in the sport. I made a lot of money and it's time to move on to something else."

It has been stated time and again by Mayweather that he is adamant about retiring with an unblemished record. Should this be the final time we see Mayweather in the ring, everything he's ever worked for might very well be on the line here. What has eluded Mayweather is the mainstream respect and adulation that fighters like Ray Leonard and Oscar have attained. Part of Mayweather's inability to win over the masses outside of boxing has been his own sabotaging of circumstances.

For Mayweather's part, he defends his image as culture bias. "Just because my friends may want to wear Timberland boots and baggy clothes, they will judge me because of that." It's called the Madison Avenue Game, and Oscar De La Hoya has mastered it. Floyd disdains it. Oscar represents all that Floyd has strived to attain in his own manner, and defeating such a beloved icon is his form of redemption against a system that he has many quarrels with.

Floyd's situations can best be summarized by James Gandolfini's character Anthony Soprano of The Sopranos, when he states, "Do you know what it's like to be number one?" Floyd does, and he knows that once your own top, there's only one way to go, and that's down. Nobody has the number two guy or the number three guy in their crosshairs, because fighting is a two man race and second place is always last. Everybody is gunning for the capo di tutti cappi, and in this sport, that man is Floyd Mayweather Jr.

"The reason why Floyd wins all the time," states Jeff Mayweather, "is that he works harder than any fighter on the planet. The reason why he does that is because the whole world is waiting for him to fall on his ass."

When Roy Jones Jr. fell to the duo of Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson, the plethora of detractors who despised "Mr. Unknockoutable's" self-proclaiming persona were thrilled to the core for having their hatred of Jones justified, at least in their eyes. Jones' career suffered a lot of discredit in the eyes of many for those performances, and the same fate may also await Floyd Mayweather Jr. if he doesn't come with his A game.

De La Hoya needs this win like a fish needs water. Outside of Fernando Vargas, Oscar has failed time and again to perform spectacularly in the mega fights. From Quartey, Whitaker, Trinidad, Mosley, Hopkins, the list goes on of opponents that he has failed to dominate when the pressure was on. Contrast that with Mayweather, who has scarcely been in a competitive fight and has virtually subdued every major opponent. It's been thought that De La Hoya was more star than fighter, and should he fail to prove otherwise in May, that distinction will stick forever. He can either be the John Elway, who came up big late in his career after a life-time of close calls, or Dan Marino.

When inquired about what he will bring that would be his key to victory, De La Hoya responded confidently. "The jab. I have a fast, strong jab that he's not going to be able to see. I'm going to throw that jab many times. Obviously a jab is always the key to a victory and he's never faced any opponent that can throw a jab. And if you study his fights he's very vulnerable to a jab."

In Oscar's favor will be the size difference between the two. Oscar, a full 2 1/2 inches taller, is a natural welterweight whereas Mayweather peaked as a lightweight. Floyd, dismissive of such disadvantages, declared "I can come in 144 and he still can't beat me." Oscar also downplayed the size disparity, stating "Size doesn't matter. To a certain extent it does if you know how to utilize it. Obviously, yes, I'm going to put a lot of pressure and I guess a lot of power but I have to be very smart about it. I have to make sure I have that perfect game plan to capitalize on his mistakes."

No less than Sugar Ray Leonard feels that Oscar's best chances lie in utilizing that size advantage. Highlighting that he felt De La Hoya was "stronger" and "bigger", Leonard stated that he believed if anyone was to test Mayweather, it would be Oscar. "Originally, I thought, hands down, Floyd Mayweather would be victorious," Leonard said. "But I've changed my mind since then. I think Oscar de la Hoya has enough of the proper physical attributes to take Mayweather to the limit."

Of Floyd Jr.'s prospects in this bout, Jeff Mayweather says, "Floyd can beat you by making you beat yourself. If you want to come forward, then he'll set a trap for you. If you back up, he's coming to get you. You pick your poison."

Skill for skill, Oscar has no chance. You can't make Oscar do something he can't do. Of course, he'd have to pressure Floyd. But being as elusive as Floyd is, that's just plain stupid."

While many feel that De La Hoya's power will be his greatest ally on Cinco De Mayo, you have to lay the clout on your opponent to make it work. In the first bout with Shane Mosley, De La Hoya focused too much on power and as a result watched his connect percentage drop considerably. Adjusting for the rematch, Oscar utilized more pitty pat than we had previously seen from him, realizing the difficulty in committing to power shots against a mobile target. Mayorga is no mobile target, so we saw De La Hoya's punching ability. Landing a big shot on Mayweather is like getting the penny in the Pam-coated glass jug at the carnival. Damn near impossible.

When asked about whether or not he felt he'd be able to stand up to Oscar's left hook, Floyd pronounced himself too slippery a target for Oscar to be effective against. "A one-hand Willy could never beat a Pretty Boy Floyd."

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to conclude that Floyd has a pronounced speed advantage in this fight. The way to negate one's speed advantage is to create distance, which is why whoever dictates the space between the two will ultimately control the pace. If Oscar is able to keep the fight at arm's length, he will be able to time Floyd's movements and create the distance he needs to unravel his longer arms. Floyd can win the fight on the inside or the outside, but his best prospects are in close, where his wicked body assault and rapid fire combinations can do damage.

Oscar, who has been trained by Floyd Mayweather Sr. for the better part of five years, has since reccused Floyd Jr.'s father and brought in 2003 Trainer of the Year Freddie Roach. The public reason stated centered on Floyd Sr.'s demands of $2 million, with Oscar turning down what he felt was an exorbitant amount. Freddie Roach, who trains Manny Pacquiao and Israel Vasquez, stated that a conflict of interest was the possible catalyst for Floyd Sr.'s dismissal.

With Floyd Sr. now on the sidelines in civilian duty, where do his loyalties lie? He obviously possesses intimate knowledge of Oscar, would he betray the fighter-trainer confidentiality? Who knows.

When asked whether he would accept insider information from his father, Floyd Jr. stated "If my Dad gave me some advice about him," as a smirk ran across his unmarked face, "it is what it is. I still gotta go in there and fight regardless."

Apparently, however, Uncle Roger doesn't care too much for what Floyd Sr. has to say. "I know enough about boxing," says Roger. "I fought more fights than my brother has so I don't need to ask his opinion on how to win."

The primary loser here is Floyd Sr., who finds himself as a man without a country, out of his son's corner and now deprived of his primary source of income, The Golden One.

Roger's primary thesis is that Floyd Jr. ultimately will decide his own fate. "The bottom line is this, skill wins fights."

Should Floyd Jr. turn in a performance for the ages, the lingering doubts as to his greatness will all but vanish. He will take his place among the pantheon of the highest order of fighters.

Floyd Jr. doesn't want to leave the world asking itself, "What's so special about this guy?" This is in a very real sense Mayweather's audition for mythical status.

The idea that Mayweather Jr. will be a deer caught in the headlights in his first major, major fight is absolutely absurd. Floyd was born to do this, he has no other calling in life. This is the only thing he has every done, and for his entire duration on this planet he has performed at or near the highest echelon of competition. His entire life, since the age of three, has been on a collision course with this moment. "He's been prepared for this moment since he was a baby," Jeff Mayweather says.

Besides generating Jerry Springer antics, this fight will also generate big dollars. Indeed, after all of these years in the business, "The Golden Boy" still has the golden touch. Many rumors suggest this encounter could break the non-heavyweight PPV sales record set by Oscar's fight with Felix Trinidad in 1999. Jumping on the endorsement bandwagon are Dr. Pepper, Tecate Beer, Rockstar energy drink, Southwest Airlines and Tequila Cazadores. Typically, a boxing event would be hard-pressed to bring on Chico's Bail Bonds as a sponsor.

At $54.95 a buy, the savvy consumer wants to know one thing; Is it worth the dough? There have been mega-fights throughout history that walked the talk. Hagler-Hearns, Leonard-Duran, Ali-Frazier, all lived up to their enormous billings and then some. What endured in those encounters was a sharp contrast in style, boxers and brawlers. De La Hoya and Mayweather are both boxers well versed in the sweet science. Unfortunately, both fighters may be too good for each other to shine against. At the end of the night, we may be picking apart tape slowly to find out the true verdict of the fight.

Jeff Mayweather, who fought Oscar in 1993, also feels that the fight will disappoint from an entertainment standpoint. "Honestly, it’s probably going to be a boring fight. The two of them are trying to out-think one another. I think it’s gonna be an ugly fight, not good."

When all things important are considered, what matters won't be the squabbling uncles, it won't be the mainstream press coverage or billboards on I-95. Instead it will be the action in the ring before the entire world, and what occurs in those ropes may be the defining moments of both men's careers.

Both men know the sting of a disappointing performance and the nagging bitter taste that accompanies not having left it all in the ring. If neither fighter ever competes again, they will find themselves constantly asked for the rest of their lives about that one night in Vegas when they had the world's undivided enthrallment.

We are all at attention, how do you want to be remembered?

My email address is mc_rson@yahoo.com