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Oscar De La Hoya: Beating Floyd Mayweather Is About Having The Perfect Game Plan
GRAND RAPIDS -- Untouched salad plates around an empty table at the National Golden Gloves kickoff banquet reminded us how quickly things can change for a superstar such as Floyd Mayweather, who planned to attend the celebration before tonight's tournament opener, until other commitments forced his absence.
It did not take great imagination to guess what those commitments are.
After hearing Oscar De La Hoya proclaim late Saturday in suburban Los Angeles that he would beat Mayweather in their rematch, my cross-country flight back for Sunday night's banquet found no Mayweather to answer the claims.
Just a vacant table, reserved for Mayweather Promotions.
Negotiations for Mayweather-De La Hoya II are close to fruition. The Sept. 20 date is all but cemented. Dodger Stadium, Staples Center and any other Los Angeles venue floated as a stalking horse to encourage Las Vegas casinos to pony up another huge site fee, have been nixed by Team Mayweather.
Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather's adviser, attended Sunday's banquet at Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, to celebrate the amateur boxing classic's visit to the pound-for-pound king's hometown, tonight through Saturday.
Ellerbe must return to Las Vegas on Tuesday for a meeting at MGM Grand, the same hotel that hosted Mayweather's split-decision victory against De La Hoya one year ago today -- a fight that propelled professional boxing into previously uncharted financial territory, with $134 million in pay-per-view sales -- and the only venue that makes sense for the rematch.
Asked if a Cinco de Mayo anniversary announcement is possible today for Mayweather-De La Hoya II, Ellerbe took a few moments before slipping the question.
"I'm confident we'll get it done," he said. "It's not like it's going to be extremely difficult. It's just a matter of hashing out last-minute details. Both sides are in the ballpark, but nothing is done until it's signed."
Regardless, enough weekend plans were altered to suggest an announcement is imminent.
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Everything Michigan
There is a whole second page to the article here...
It did not take great imagination to guess what those commitments are.
After hearing Oscar De La Hoya proclaim late Saturday in suburban Los Angeles that he would beat Mayweather in their rematch, my cross-country flight back for Sunday night's banquet found no Mayweather to answer the claims.
Just a vacant table, reserved for Mayweather Promotions.
Negotiations for Mayweather-De La Hoya II are close to fruition. The Sept. 20 date is all but cemented. Dodger Stadium, Staples Center and any other Los Angeles venue floated as a stalking horse to encourage Las Vegas casinos to pony up another huge site fee, have been nixed by Team Mayweather.
Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather's adviser, attended Sunday's banquet at Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, to celebrate the amateur boxing classic's visit to the pound-for-pound king's hometown, tonight through Saturday.
Ellerbe must return to Las Vegas on Tuesday for a meeting at MGM Grand, the same hotel that hosted Mayweather's split-decision victory against De La Hoya one year ago today -- a fight that propelled professional boxing into previously uncharted financial territory, with $134 million in pay-per-view sales -- and the only venue that makes sense for the rematch.
Asked if a Cinco de Mayo anniversary announcement is possible today for Mayweather-De La Hoya II, Ellerbe took a few moments before slipping the question.
"I'm confident we'll get it done," he said. "It's not like it's going to be extremely difficult. It's just a matter of hashing out last-minute details. Both sides are in the ballpark, but nothing is done until it's signed."
Regardless, enough weekend plans were altered to suggest an announcement is imminent.
---------------
Everything Michigan
There is a whole second page to the article here...