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By Lyle Fitzsimmons - It was the most symbolic moment of Saturday night/Sunday morning.
When a beefy, scruffy Oscar De La Hoya entered the ring at the MGM Grand, walked over to Amir Khan after his decisive clinic against a former two-division world champion and whispered his congratulations to the happy Englishman with Pakistani roots, the baton was officially passed.
Whether he liked it or not, the amiable “King” became the latest possessor of what De La Hoya and Co. have long leaned on as Talking Point No. 1 when it comes to promoting big pay-per-view fights.
“The blueprint to beat Floyd Mayweather Jr.”
Oh, you remember “the blueprint,” right?
It’s the conveniently imprecise document Oscar claimed he authored over the course of 12 rounds with Floyd back in 2007 – in a mega-event billed as the one that would “save” a then-flagging sport.
The “Golden Boy” was indeed competitive with Mayweather, especially early on, before fading his usual fade and losing a decision that ended a brief, inglorious reign as WBC super welterweight champion.
From a fan’s perspective, it was a lousy fight.
But it generated a ton of mainstream interest on the way to setting a record for PPV buys that still exists today, which, in corporate terms, probably does qualify it for “savior” status.
And though precious few observers confess to thinking De La Hoya actually won, he did go down in history – and remains there seven years later – as the only opponent to reach the scheduled end of a match with Mayweather and have an official scorecard read in his favor.
Indeed, Saul Alvarez and Marcos Maidana each heard Jimmy Lennon Jr. say “114-114” one time after their meetings with Mayweather in 2013 and 2014, but only Oscar, thanks to the 115-113 tally of Tommy Kaczmarek back then – has had a judge go public afterward saying he was the better man. [Click Here To Read More]
When a beefy, scruffy Oscar De La Hoya entered the ring at the MGM Grand, walked over to Amir Khan after his decisive clinic against a former two-division world champion and whispered his congratulations to the happy Englishman with Pakistani roots, the baton was officially passed.
Whether he liked it or not, the amiable “King” became the latest possessor of what De La Hoya and Co. have long leaned on as Talking Point No. 1 when it comes to promoting big pay-per-view fights.
“The blueprint to beat Floyd Mayweather Jr.”
Oh, you remember “the blueprint,” right?
It’s the conveniently imprecise document Oscar claimed he authored over the course of 12 rounds with Floyd back in 2007 – in a mega-event billed as the one that would “save” a then-flagging sport.
The “Golden Boy” was indeed competitive with Mayweather, especially early on, before fading his usual fade and losing a decision that ended a brief, inglorious reign as WBC super welterweight champion.
From a fan’s perspective, it was a lousy fight.
But it generated a ton of mainstream interest on the way to setting a record for PPV buys that still exists today, which, in corporate terms, probably does qualify it for “savior” status.
And though precious few observers confess to thinking De La Hoya actually won, he did go down in history – and remains there seven years later – as the only opponent to reach the scheduled end of a match with Mayweather and have an official scorecard read in his favor.
Indeed, Saul Alvarez and Marcos Maidana each heard Jimmy Lennon Jr. say “114-114” one time after their meetings with Mayweather in 2013 and 2014, but only Oscar, thanks to the 115-113 tally of Tommy Kaczmarek back then – has had a judge go public afterward saying he was the better man. [Click Here To Read More]
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