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"I'm going to do the fighting inside the ring," Mayweather said, "and let my team handle the business outside the ring. It's about being a businessman."
For Mayweather, meeting Oscar De La Hoya in a Sept. 16 showdown would make the four-division champion more money than he has ever received for one fight, probably around $10 million. De La Hoya has told even people close to him that he would really like to conclude his celebrated career with his ultimate challenge, fighting his trainer's son. But De La Hoya's fight against predictable-but-dangerous Ricardo Mayorga (28-5-1, 23 KOs, 1 NC) on May 6 isn't the only obstacle that could prevent a De La Hoya-Mayweather match from materializing.
De La Hoya (37-4, 29 KOs) said recently that the only way he will fight Mayweather is if promoter Bob Arum, the face of Top Rank, isn't involved in the promotion. That is extremely unlikely, since Mayweather is Arum's cash cow now that De La Hoya has begun promoting himself and other high-profile fighters. The De La Hoya-Arum promotional power struggle grows worse by the day, and they're already promoting competing cards on June 10 in New York (Arum) and Atlantic City (De La Hoya).
Arum also has reserved UNLV's football stadium for Sept. 16, when De La Hoya is tentatively scheduled to compete in his final fight at nearby MGM Grand Garden Arena. Arum obviously wouldn't allow his franchise fighter to box on the same night as his planned junior lightweight rubber match between Mexico's Erik Morales (48-4, 34 KOs) and wildly popular Filipino star Manny Pacquiao (41-3-2, 33 KOs).
This sticky situation could prompt Mayweather to fight World Boxing Organization welterweight champ Antonio Margarito (33-4, 24 KOs, 1 NC). Arum promotes Margarito, too, and has reserved UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center for July 29 in case he can make a Mayweather-Margarito match. Mayweather mentioned fighting former welterweight champ "Sugar" Shane Mosley (42-4, 36 KOs, 1 NC), too, but Mosley is expected to participate in a rematch with former junior middleweight champ Fernando Vargas (26-3, 22 KOs) on July 15 once their handlers can come to contract terms.
Arum is still waiting for a date and a financial offer from HBO boxing executives, but organizers in Baltimore have proposed staging the Hasim Rahman-Oleg Maskaev heavyweight title fight in the end zone of M&T Bank Stadium, home of the NFL's Ravens, this summer. Rahman (41-5-2, 33 KOs), the World Boxing Council heavyweight champ, is from Baltimore, but has called Las Vegas home for several years. Staten Island's Maskaev (32-5, 25 KOs), who knocked out Rahman six years ago in Atlantic City, is Rahman's mandatory challenger.
For Mayweather, meeting Oscar De La Hoya in a Sept. 16 showdown would make the four-division champion more money than he has ever received for one fight, probably around $10 million. De La Hoya has told even people close to him that he would really like to conclude his celebrated career with his ultimate challenge, fighting his trainer's son. But De La Hoya's fight against predictable-but-dangerous Ricardo Mayorga (28-5-1, 23 KOs, 1 NC) on May 6 isn't the only obstacle that could prevent a De La Hoya-Mayweather match from materializing.
De La Hoya (37-4, 29 KOs) said recently that the only way he will fight Mayweather is if promoter Bob Arum, the face of Top Rank, isn't involved in the promotion. That is extremely unlikely, since Mayweather is Arum's cash cow now that De La Hoya has begun promoting himself and other high-profile fighters. The De La Hoya-Arum promotional power struggle grows worse by the day, and they're already promoting competing cards on June 10 in New York (Arum) and Atlantic City (De La Hoya).
Arum also has reserved UNLV's football stadium for Sept. 16, when De La Hoya is tentatively scheduled to compete in his final fight at nearby MGM Grand Garden Arena. Arum obviously wouldn't allow his franchise fighter to box on the same night as his planned junior lightweight rubber match between Mexico's Erik Morales (48-4, 34 KOs) and wildly popular Filipino star Manny Pacquiao (41-3-2, 33 KOs).
This sticky situation could prompt Mayweather to fight World Boxing Organization welterweight champ Antonio Margarito (33-4, 24 KOs, 1 NC). Arum promotes Margarito, too, and has reserved UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center for July 29 in case he can make a Mayweather-Margarito match. Mayweather mentioned fighting former welterweight champ "Sugar" Shane Mosley (42-4, 36 KOs, 1 NC), too, but Mosley is expected to participate in a rematch with former junior middleweight champ Fernando Vargas (26-3, 22 KOs) on July 15 once their handlers can come to contract terms.
Arum is still waiting for a date and a financial offer from HBO boxing executives, but organizers in Baltimore have proposed staging the Hasim Rahman-Oleg Maskaev heavyweight title fight in the end zone of M&T Bank Stadium, home of the NFL's Ravens, this summer. Rahman (41-5-2, 33 KOs), the World Boxing Council heavyweight champ, is from Baltimore, but has called Las Vegas home for several years. Staten Island's Maskaev (32-5, 25 KOs), who knocked out Rahman six years ago in Atlantic City, is Rahman's mandatory challenger.