By Rick Reeno
The 11-city media tour for Oscar De La Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather, Jr. kicked off with an explosion at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City.
It was reported in by BoxingScene.com photographer Richie Maldonado, covering the event live, that a near brawl took place at the press conference between the main event fighters.
During the conference, Floyd Mayweather, Jr. got right in the face of De La Hoya and began to hurl insults and shoves, until De La Hoya could take no more and shoved back.
Mayweather told De La Hoya that he was going "kick that ass" when the two collide on May 5 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. The fighters were seperated before the situation became more physical.
Photo and video coverage coming later.