DE LA HOYA vs. MAYORGA PRE-FIGHT PRESS & PREDICTIONS

[TKO Tom]

The more I think about this fight, the more I am starting to like Ricardo Mayorga's chances.

Bottom line is that Hoya will have been off for 19 months once this fight goes off. Oscar isn't getting any younger at age 33, and 154 pounds has never been his proper weight.

In my opinion, Hoya hasn't scored a win since he beat the hapless Yory Boy Campas three years ago in May 2003. I thought Hoya lost to Felix Sturm. Add to that the fact that Hoya is coming off a knockout loss and none of this looks good.

This fight reminds me a little bit of when Ray Leonard fought Terry Norris: An aging, highly successful, former multi-weight champion, coming off a long lay-off and dropping down in weight to take on a lesser known, decent puncher for the WBC Super Welterweight title. Leonard was 34 when he faced Norris and Hoya is 33. Mayorga is the current WBC titlist just like Norris was. Hoya has a record of 37-4 and Leonard had a record of 36-1-1. Leonard was a heavy favorite just as Hoya is against Mayorga. Both are also Olympic Gold Medal winners.

Interesting fight.

[Roberto Aqui]

Oscar should easily pot shot this ape to death. The only thing RM has going is Oscar's rust and obvious lack of focus on fighting. Tito was a lesser boxer and rustier and handled RM fairly well.

RM has to be one of the dumbest fighters around, but I haven't heard of an official signing, and it's never a done deal until ringtime.

[Todd Hodgson]

This is an uncompelling fight. Both guys have dubious focus and motivation in the sport, and both are are past it -- DLH losing three of his last three, and Mayorga suffering from Post Traumatic Trinidad Syndome.

I'll be pulling for Mayorga, because there's less chance he'll clog up HBO with a fight against Floyd, as DLH will.

[diggity1]

I had the same doubt with Tito but even then my inner gut told me that Tito should murder him.
DLH should light him up like a christmas tree just the same...content to watch the replay regardless of the outcome frankly.

[Walker Smith]

Trinidad's style to Mayorga was what smoking is to lungs. Mayorga threw wild looping hard punches while Trinidad threw straight hard power down the middle. Mayorga didn't have a prayer on style alone and it was actually quite surprising to see him do so well in the first few rounds.

I think De La Hoya is not nearly as bad a style match-up. De La Hoya is prone to rely on his power just the same, but he throws quite a few hooks and has often been seen to rely on his pretty boxing a little too much. If he gets caught flatfooted, I could see Mayorga stunning him. The only thing is is that De La Hoya has a world class chin in my books. One of the best. It's withstood 4 weightclasses and may be able to withstand Mayorga's likely early onslaught.

However, De La Hoya's boxing ain't Pernell Whitaker, so I wouldn't bank on him playing Matador to El Matador (I personally think Forrest was a hell of a lot more technically capable). I would say this fight could be a toss-up, especially if De La Hoya can't move like he used to and gets into too many exchanges for his own good.

[TKO Tom]

Something else about Hoya is that I don't think he'll have the legs to move for more than five or six rounds.

Trinidad had great movement, moved side to side, in and out and really dismantled Mayorga in every facet of the game.

Hoya is going to end up standing there in front of Mayorga who will be throwing a lot of shots from all directions. I think Hoya figures he can blow Mayorga out and will try to. I think it'll be a big mistake. If Mayorga hits him, I think we may see Hoya be in trouble.

[Kid Achilles]

Mayorga is a savage bull. Let's never forget what he did to Six Heads Lewis and Vernon Forrest. This is not an easy fight for DLH who doesn't come close to having Trinidad's punch. I'm impressed that Oscar is taking this fight to be honest. With his money, looks, and healthy brain, he has no reason to face this kind of opponent who can really hit and take it as well. People would fork down money to see DLH against anyone, and here he is taking on one of the sport's toughest characters. Mayorga doesn't care for the finer points of cautious boxing, he's there to make the other guy wince in pain. Boxing isn't a chess match for him, it's a contest of will and strength.

Prediction: Mayorga turns this into a slugfest and Oscar's class and chin gets him through it, but not without a lot of rough, rough moments. I think it will go the distance, or at least go into the later rounds. I mean, look at the punishment Mayorga took vs. Trinidad before he was finally stopped. ODH just can't dish it out like that at this weight. He's gonna have to whittle Mayorga down and be careful while doing so.

[diggity1]

At what weight? Isn't this fight happening at 154 or 147? DLH has not had any trouble hurting anyone at either of those weights & what Oscar lacks in power in comparision to Trinidad he more than makes up in other areas.

Mayorga is a one trick pony with a giant heart who can take out guys who do not prepare for him properly. He has proven this over and over again. I highly doubt DLH will make this mistake coming off a few less than stellar performances and also when taking a "Tito-leftover" bout like he did against Vargas.

I expect DLH to have a rusty moment or 2 like Tito did versus Mayorga but I have little doubt he will wade through it and proceed to carve Mayorga apart since Mayorga only gets less dangerous as a fight goes on. Mayorga may only last longer than he did in the Tito fight because he will hopefully be in much better condition than he was for Tito (admittedly terrible shape).

IMO Mayorga better throw hail mary shots until he passes out because after the 4th round or so his chances will be slim to none short of a miracle.

[gregbeyer]

i'm with dig on this. mayorga is not going to be hard to find and after 4-5 rounds i doubt he will be too dangerous. i see dlh having a few brief rough moments early ala vargas and then his better skills will take over.

i know tom and a few others are not great "hoya" fans but i am not going to be rooting for mayorga in this fight. the guy is basicaly a thug and i hope oscar goes home with his ears.
greg

[GorDoom]

"& I hope Oscar goes home with his ears".

LOL!

Love how you brought in the bullfighting/matador reference!

GorDoom

[Hagler04]

I agree dig I don't care how long Oscar was away he eats Ricardo, the most over-rated guy I can recall in awhle, for breakfast.

[Newpoppop]

Although most on this board are admittedly more knowledgeable than me, I'm going to go out on a limb, and predict a close fight, based on Oscar's inactivity and his possibly trying to wear too many hats. Maybe his business ventures have made the Golden Boy less hungry than usual.:hat

[TKO Tom]

The last fight I figure Oscar won was against Yory Boy Campas three years ago.

I can't see how Hoya gets any better after a 19 month layoff.

I'd like to see Mayorga starch him to be honest with you.

[HEGrant]

Wouldn't it be something if Mayorga clipped him one...a Barkley to Hearns type os shot ?

The reason I do not see it happening is that Mayorga more than likely is training less than ever...Oscar will be in better shape ...in addition, he'll be pumped up after watching Shane beat Vargas...

[Chuck1052]

In my opinion, Oscar De La Hoya is going to
use Ricardo Mayorga as a punching bag.
Mayorga is too crude and lacks the ring
smarts to fight someone like De La Hoya.

- Chuck Johnston

[gregbeyer]

sorry tom i forgot...why do you hate de la hoya so much?
greg

[diggity1]

My most recent memory of DLH is taking a few rounds from BHop for he got stopped, something Tito could not do. I thought DLH looked as good as he could in that fight before catching a perfect shot. I don't consider the end of that fight such a foregone conclusion had it continued as some do.

Even by the odd chance Mayorga does catch DLH with some shot, it doubt it will phase him anymore than the shots Vargas caught him with.

Mayorga will be sliced, diced & dumpstered.

[gregbeyer]

DLH at 154 or 160 or 154 yrs old wipes the floor with this ape. taking bets.
greg

[Chuck1052]

At first, I thought that Ricardo Mayorga was
an interesting character, but his act has
become tiresome. Has anybody read the
descriptions of Mayorga's antics at the
most recent press conferences to publicise
his scheduled bout with Oscar De La Hoya?
I hope that De La Hoya embarrasses the
clown when they get into the ring.

- Chuck Johnston

[TKO Tom]

Mayorga's act is good for the gate and good for the PPV sales. I happen to think it's good for boxing.

Boxing needs more colorful characters like Mayorga if you asked me. Mayorga is Duran and De La Hoya is Leonard.

Duran used to carry on the same way. He called Leonard's wife a whore to her face, gave her the finger and spit in Ray's face. It all made for great press and box office sell outs. What Mayorga is doing is no different whatsoever.

The same people that say boxing is dead and dying have to realize that guys like Mayorga can help garner interest in the sport. It's like the great publicists used to say: "Even bad press is better than no press" so you have to take the bad with the good. Boxing can't afford to be too choosy if you asked me.

With all of the lousy, boring personalities out there today (Chris Byrd) it's nice to see someone with somne character and fire and balls step up and give us something to talk about. I'd rather have one Ricardo Mayorga than one hundred Chris Byrds.

:hat

[gregbeyer]

oh man, tom....calling someones wife a whore...give her the finger and spitting on an opponent...thats good for boxing?
greg

[Chuck1052]

I agree with Greg in regards to Ricardo Mayorga's
antics. It was getting ugly at the press events
publicising Mayorga's scheduled bout with Oscar
De La Hoya.

- Chuck Johnston

[GorDoom]

Why Boxing Needs Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton
by Eddie Goldman from Sweet Science

When I mentioned to a boxing writer colleague last week that I would be going to this past Thursday’s press conference at New York’s ESPN Zone to promote the May 6 fight between Ricardo Mayorga and Oscar De La Hoya in Las Vegas, she jokingly advised me to bring a helmet. Mayorga was not waiting for Sin City in May to begin his sinning, as he had instigated scuffles with the Golden Boy earlier during their week-long, cross-country media tour.

Fortunately on this New York stop we didn’t need to bring our own helmets, but that was mainly because on the chairs reserved for the media saints and sinners there already had been placed yellow plastic construction helmets. Each had decal affixed to it displaying a warning symbol with the words “May 6, 2006, Danger Zone, De La Hoya vs. Mayorga, Live on Pay-Per-View.”

While it was thoughtful of them to alert us to the dangers of Pay-Per-View, we also didn’t need these helmets in New York. By this time, the press conference brawl act had been toned down enough to limit the scuffling to verbal low blows. (Afterwards, I did scoop up a few of these helmets and will dutifully give them to my grandkids, who no doubt will have fun with them until they break.)

Mayorga used the occasion of being in the media capital of the world to remind everyone that he was the champion (the WBC super welterweight or junior middleweight champion, since no one seemed quite sure what it is called), and that De La Hoya, his opponent for this dangerous, $49.95 Live on Pay-Per-View fight, was “nobody.” The board-certified neuro-ophthalmologist that he is, Mayorga revealed his intention only to do harm by vowing to detach De La Hoya’s retina. And he called De La Hoya a maricon, an anti-gay slur which is one of the harshest used by Latinos.

De La Hoya was almost as personable. While he refused to take Mayorga’s bait, he remained seated stoically, staring straight ahead like a brooding statue during Mayorga’s tirade, with an expression that indicated that he was ready to explode. His terse remarks did include the news that “I have more hatred” for Mayorga than almost any other fighter he has faced. After the formal press conference, when the journalists were trying to get one-on-one interviews and photographs, the normally interview-friendly and photogenic De La Hoya talked to them briefly and then marched out of the building.

This was not the best way to stir up interest in a pay-per-view fight involving two guys who have recent high-profile knockout losses on their records, De La Hoya to Bernard Hopkins and Mayorga to Tito Trinidad. Plus, Mayorga’s promoter, Don King, is also putting on a card that very same night in Worcester, Mass., which will be shown live on that real champion of boxing networks, Showtime, and not on pay-per-view.

In that one, another super welterweight or junior middleweight champion, Alejandro “Terra” Garcia, defends his WBA strap against Worcester’s own Jose Rivera. New undisputed world cruiserweight champ O'Neil Bell fights the undefeated top contender Steve Cunningham. And yet another super welterweight or junior middleweight champion, Roman Karmazin, puts his IBF belt on the line against Daniel Santos. This card is so loaded with topnotch if lesser-known fighters that even Don King said he is not sure whether he will be in Las Vegas or Worcester the night of May 6.

King’s publicists thus had to act fast to try to reverse the damage done by Mayorga’s ranting, however many parts madness real and feigned it was. A press release was issued Monday pointing out, as should have been the theme from Mayorga himself, that he twice defeated Vernon Forrest, who twice defeated Shane Mosley, who twice defeated Oscar De La Hoya.

Of course, the rejoinder from the De La Hoya camp should be that Trinidad took care of Mayorga in Oct. 2004, while De La Hoya fared much better against a prime Tito back in Sept. 1999, losing only by a controversial majority decision. Now that’s the kind of back-and-forth talk boxing could use.

The potential damage to this fight’s promotion by this construction of a real danger zone at the press conferences was especially realized by Golden Boy Promotions’ CEO, Richard Schaefer. Besides spreading the word about this show, he was announcing on this media tour that Golden Boy had secured three major corporate sponsors for it: Coca-Cola, Bacardi, and Southwest Airlines. Coca-Cola, Schaefer stated, is even using this fight to introduce a new beverage.

But these big corporate types, who usually sponsor boxing shows about as frequently as Dick Cheney gives gun safety seminars, could easily be scared off if the whole show presents the wrong image for them.

Speaking after the press conference, the usually reserved Schaefer commented, “Mayorga talking all that crap is not good, it’s not necessary.” He added, “It’s about a fight, it’s about two guys fighting each other on May 6.” And he agreed that the Mayorga-Forrest-Mosley-De La Hoya-Trinidad-Mayorga discussion should be what was stressed, and not what was.

These corporate sponsors, Schaefer stated, are “really going back to Oscar De La Hoya.” He said it was the intention of Golden Boy Promotions “to really show that boxing is not all that bad as it has been perceived over the last many years.” And he noted, “And that’s why so many sponsors shied away from it. So we’re trying to be the good guys of the sport.”

Also on his agenda, despite this pay-per-view, is the return in the U.S. of boxing to free television.

“Network television is in the business of selling advertising,” he continued. “If you’re in the sport of boxing and none of the Fortune 500 or 1000 companies are willing to associate their brands with boxing, then it is sort of like, how can you bring boxing back on network television if the advertising and sponsorship support is not there?”

It is not bad ratings which have done in boxing, he said: “I think it is the negativity of the sport.” It is the perception that some promoters “have not given the sport the transparency needed.”

He continued by pointing out that a sport like beach volleyball had more sponsorship than boxing, even though, he argued, “If you look at boxing, the demographics are substantially better.”

So here’s my diagnosis, free of charge and with no referrals or pre-certification needed.

Mayorga screaming maricon is not going to help boxing any in this era of “Brokeback Mountain”, even if this film did come up short in the best picture category at Sunday’s Academy Awards. Public behavior and language even a fraction as antisocial as Mayorga’s in just about any other major sport would result in immediate and harsh fines and suspensions, and even possibly lawsuits. Boxing has become a sideshow with no ringmaster, and thus almost no major sponsors other than dear old booze.

The “Danger Zone” theme could be altered a bit to appeal to the kind of fans who wear real construction helmets to work, whose families regularly stock up on Coke products, and who fly the relatively inexpensive Southwest Airlines. Yes, this show is purposely being held May 6, one day after Cinco de Mayo, a major Mexican holiday commemorating the victory of the Mexican Army in 1862 over the French invaders at the Battle of Puebla. But Golden Boy and boxing want and need more than that core audience of Latino fans, however crucial they are to the business today. They need the working class as a whole, of all backgrounds and beliefs, as boxing used to attract back in the day.

Who better to symbolize them than those well-known champions of the working men and women of America, Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton? Willie’s work with Farm Aid and Dolly’s “9 to 5” anthem are respected and even loved by a diverse spectrum of hardworking folks in this land. They have long leapt far beyond the limitations imposed by the marketing category known by the sometimes-misnomer of country music. They represent the grassroots of the red, white, and blue.

And now some more colors of the rainbow as well.

Willie’s latest single is called “Cowboys Are Secretly, Frequently (Fond Of Each Other)” and was released on Valentine’s Day on the new Howard Stern satellite radio show. It was too whimsical for “Brokeback Mountain”, but Willie did have a song on that soundtrack, called “He Was a Friend of Mine”.

One of Dolly’s current songs, performed live on the Oscar broadcast, is called “Travelin' Thru”, and was from the soundtrack of the film “Transamerica”. This film starred the Oscar-nominated Felicity Huffman playing a pre-op, male-to-female transsexual. Dolly also gave a live performance of the John Lennon song “Imagine”, which is also on her latest album, on the Country Music Association Awards show in November on CBS, with the openly-gay Elton John.

So bring in Willie, Dolly, and their gang. This honky-tonkization of boxing will help attract the proletariat back to boxing. It will help the sport get some more ethnic and regional diversity. Using Willie and Dolly will also help it teach tolerance rather than hatred. And it will make the maricon problem largely go away.

A year after the “Ring of Fire” documentary about Emile Griffith and the film “Beautiful Boxer” about the transsexual Thai boxer Parinya Charoenphol (Nong Toom), such a change of direction for boxing is not too much to ask.

We can hope, we can hope.

[Juan C Ayllon]

Hey,

Today, one of my good students approached me and told me about what he heard Mayorga say on television in anticipation of his fight with Oscar De La Hoya. That really got me fired up.

What follows is my reaction piece:

Mayorga's Act is Tired and Out of Line

Regards,


Juan C. Ayllon

[Chuck1052]

Juan- That was a great article that hit the
nail right on the head. It was reported that
Muhammad Ali was influenced by a famous
pro wrestler, Gorgeous George, in terms
of attracting attention with his antics. But
it is my belief that both Ali AND Gorgeous
George knew what lines they couldn't cross
while it appears that Mayorga doesn't have
any such inhibitions.

- Chuck Johnston

[Juan C Ayllon]

Hi Chuck,

Thanks! I appreciate that.

I think, in a way, Mayorga's act is in keeping with the worst elements of today's pop culture. I cannot believe some of the things they say in some of the popular rap and "Gangsta Rap" songs.

However, there has to be some sort of line.

My brother, Luis, was reminding me that in other sports, athletes sometimes get fined for saying and doing things like that are overly inappropriate.

Either way, it'll be interesting to see how this bout plays out.

Have a great night,


Juan

[GorDoom]

&nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp &nbsp
De La Hoya Bets It All
by Joey Knish from Sweet Science

Oscar De La Hoya has taken a few risks in his career. Some would say that he hasn’t taken enough of them, but he has taken some. None of those gambles he took in the past compare to the one he will take on May 6th this year when he faces free-swinging, trash-talking Ricardo “El Matador” Mayorga.

In 2000 De La Hoya released his debut album, a bilingual 13-song piece that really had no business being made. Risky business.

The CD was a major risk for the Mexican-American who already had his share of detractors that felt he was far too much of a “pretty boy” to be representative of the macho Mexican men who had boxing in their blood. The “Golden Boy” was a more “American” than “Mexican” as far as they were concerned; the fact that the ladies adored him didn’t help his appeal to male boxing aficionados, and putting out a lightweight CD made matters even worse.

The album was his first – and last, we hope – despite the public relations vehicle that tried to spin it off as a success. Some critic still managed to write that “De La Hoya’s sweet vocal stylings have you down for the count . . . (he) bombards you with an irresistible love TKO.” Please. The teeny-bopper, boy-band, bubblegum crowd drove his single “Ven A Mi (Run To Me)” to the top of Billboard’s “Hot Latin Tracks” chart, but he could have been singing “Yellow Submarine” in Spanish and still made a dent at the top of that chart.

Against Bernard Hopkins in September of 2004, the 1992 Olympic gold winner took a big gamble when he overstayed his welcome at 160-pounds to fight for the undisputed middleweight championship. Prior to meeting Hopkins, De La Hoya was on the fortunate side of a twelve-round unanimous decision over relatively unknown Felix Sturm of Germany. The Sturm bout was his first at middleweight and Oscar had a ton of trouble at it despite winning by two points on each of the three judges’ scorecards. Still, a showdown with Hopkins was signed and De La Hoya, who had won his first world title at 130 pounds when he defeated Jimmi Bredahl for the WBO super featherweight title in 1994, would challenge one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world (at the time), “The Executioner.”

It wasn’t a good gamble, but that paid off for De La Hoya nonetheless. Oscar found out he wasn’t a 160-pound fighter and, as always, pocketed some decent change in the process of determining that fact. Still, the way he lost left some people questioning the validity of the body shot that dropped him and wondering about his manhood. Those who doubt the knockout are, of course, those who have never been hit by a perfect body shot. Regardless, that is the last memory boxing fans have of the “Golden Boy” as a boxer.

Now, after what will be more than a year and a half of inactivity, De La Hoya will fight dangerous Ricardo Mayorga of Nicaragua for the WBC light middleweight title.

While the bark of “El Matador” is far worse than his bite, I say that if De La Hoya loses to Mayorga on May 6th, his entire career will be brought into question.

A loss to Mayorga will leave Oscar with a professional record of 37-5 (29 KOs) and have him on the losing side of 3 of his past 4 bouts (losing to Mayorga, Hopkins and Shane Mosley with the lone win being the controversial decision against Sturm). That slide to end his career, and it certainly would be the end of his fisticuffs, could wipe out what has been a lifetime of achievement.

It’s not just that De La Hoya will have lost so many fights in such recent memory, it is that he is SUPPOSED to beat Mayorga (28-5-1, 23 KOs) to secure the light middleweight title that is at stake. Sure, Mayorga is the champion on paper, but we all know it is De La Hoya’s belt to have, just as Javier Castillejo was brought in from Spain to surrender his WBC light middleweight title in June 2001 in order to give Oscar a belt at 154-pounds.

Don King will try to tell us that Ricardo Mayorga is twice the “man” because he beat the man (Vernon Forrest – who Mayorga beat twice) who beat the man (Shane Mosley – who Forrest beat twice) who beat the man (De La Hoya – who Mosley beat twice). Fortunately that math doesn’t add up, otherwise David Tua might be the “man” at heavyweight if Hasim Rahman beats James Toney this weekend. (Tua defeated Rahman by TKO 10 in 1998 when he connected after the bell rang to end the ninth. Rahman never regained his senses and the fight was stopped in the following round with Rahman way ahead on all three judge’s scorecards at the time.)

No, Mayorga is not the “man,” and anyone who suggests that he should beat De La Hoya in May must be assumed to be related to the 32-year-old Nicaraguan, or have a financial interest in him emerging victorious.

After three early career losses in Costa Rica and Nicaragua to Humberto Aranda (now 32-14), Roger Benito Flores (13-28-2) and Henry Castillo (13-2), Mayorga got the chance of a lifetime when he was discovered by the team of Don King. After carefully being placed against WBA welterweight champ Andrew “Six Heads, No Chin” Lewis, Mayorga got inside the mind of Vernon Forrest, which served him to add the WBC version of that title to his name. Cory Spinks showed how Mayorga could be outboxed when he won their bout in 2003 while Felix Trinidad came out of retirement to outclass him a year later. Last year the potty-mouthed, cigar smoking Mayorga beat Michele Piccirillo for the WBC 154-pound belt that will be on the line when he faces De La Hoya.

Mayorga has done what he does to sell tickets – which means to disrespect his opponent in every manner imaginable and some ways once unimaginable – but the attraction at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas will clearly be Oscar. Love or hate him people come to see De La Hoya fight, whether it is to cheer or jeer.

This May De La Hoya will be battling a 20-month layoff and a strong crude opponent as he sets his eyes on retiring on a winning note. His ego won’t let him leave the sport off a loss, so he must leave on his terms, as a champion.

If he doesn’t emerge victorious, the debate begins as to where Oscar De La Hoya belongs in the history of this great sport. Many fighters have won gold medals, and others won world titles in multiple weight classes, but that all will be swept into history if De La Hoya can’t beat a fighter like Ricardo Mayorga and goes on to lose his third bout in his past four tries.

The man who did everything he could to be accepted by everyone, Mexicans and Americans alike, who beat the Mexican legend Julio Cesar Chavez in order to claim Chavez’ spot in their hearts, who put out an album and broke the hearts of teenage girls – that man puts everything he has ever done on the line one last time . . . he hopes.

[GorDoom]

De La Hoya: Taming “El Matador” before the Mission to Mayweather.

By Jim Cawkwell from Boxing Scene

Oscar de la Hoya. The name has become a fixture in boxing terminology; the embodiment of success, wealth and power, though not acquired through the seedy exploitations of a Don King. De La Hoya’s accolades came first from his insistent courage as a fighter, and later the demonstration of business acumen in dispersing his accumulated wealth upon an industry one senses he might seize and command long into retirement. Opportunities, like the doors of exclusive establishments that shun so many, open with an ease suggesting that his very presence is a universal credit card. However, De La Hoya does not hold the monopoly on time, and its quickening ascent signals the nearing end of his career. What more of De La Hoya’s legacy can he decide with his own fists, or will it be decided for him?

Despite his unprecedented success, an adoring public, and the knowledge that the boxing industry needs him much more than he any longer needs it, not all that is Golden Boy glitters of late. Money can accomplish much, but it could not purchase the undisputed middleweight championship from Bernard Hopkins, nor can it quiet the incessant doubts surrounding De La Hoya’s gift decision against Felix Sturm.

If he were a gambling man, De La Hoya would have bet the house on coasting the final rounds against Felix Trinidad, the virtue of the right hand against Mosley when everyone expected the left. And De La Hoya wouldn’t have expected that in the rematch, he himself would end up with the short end of the olive branch he extended to Mosley.

Vanity has always proven to be De La Hoya’s favorite sin, but he is not without a degree of humility to temper it. After losing to Trinidad, the conveniently accommodating WBC was quick to offer their title, vacated by Trinidad, to De La Hoya for the paltry undertaking of beating Derrell Coley.

Of course, Coley fell in seven, but De La Hoya insisted on discontent until he had vindicated himself against Mosley. Likewise, instead of reveling in the achievement of a sixth world championship in as many weight classes, De La Hoya stood dejected and offered nothing of a rebuttal to the bewilderment of Sturm.

De La Hoya has accomplished more than most would dare to dream, but beyond that knowledge, the joys of fatherhood, his many luxuries and the potential grasp of his growing promotional empire, vanity will not go unfed. Unable to remedy the truth of retiring upon a defeat and without a championship, De La Hoya’s twenty month ring hiatus ends this May.

Of course, being Oscar de la Hoya means not having to yield to the time-consuming task of earning a sufficient ranking to warrant a title shot. By the time of the fight, De La Hoya will not have enjoyed a win of any consequence for three years. Yet where he goes, so follows a trail of money impossible for his opponents to earn or the industry to generate elsewhere. Unsurprisingly, the WBC chose to turn a blind eye to De La Hoya’s inactivity, installing him as Mayorga’s number-one contender.

It is a fight once mooted as part of De La Hoya’s final farewell tour, granting him the acquisition of yet another championship before the arrangement of one last performance on the big stage. However, in this case, the stepping stone is proving to be more treacherous than expected.

Mayorga. The name holds connotations closer to Tony Montana than that of a prizefighter. Fictional he may be, but “Scarface’s” empire crumbled as quickly as did Mayorga’s. And don’t tell me you cannot imagine Mayorga brawling his way through customs before putting his cigarette out on the nearest bystander and marching his way towards infamy.

Unlikely as it was, Mayorga’s rise to power was no work of fiction. Perhaps it came at a time when the fight game, zealous to recover past glories, was too quick to deify its champions and newest sensations. But there was a certain appeal in Mayorga. He was a caricature that fight fans were keen to buy into: the reckless, swaggering braggadocio as likely to murder opponents with his evil predictions as his punches.
His first significant victim was Guyana’s Andrew Lewis, whom survived less than seven rounds with Mayorga, but lost all of his “Six Heads.”

Beating Shane Mosley made Vernon Forrest as quick to anoint himself as any fight fan could have been. Having signed a six-fight HBO contract, Forrest found Mayorga’s intervention less than divine, the displeasure of which Forrest is still struggling to rectify to this day.

Through it all, Mayorga’s pre-fight taunts were dismissive and comical. Then he signed to fight Cory Spinks to unify the welterweight championships. References to Spinks’ deceased Mother crossed an acceptable boundary. The morbid cynicism of Mayorga’s vocabulary introduced an unwelcome element to the proceedings, precluding moral support, and persuading many to greet his eventual downfall with satisfaction.

There are very few seats left on the Golden Boy gravy train, yet rather than accept his seven-figures with appreciation, Mayorga’s taunting tongue is as venomous as ever.

It is a long time since Oscar de la Hoya was spoken to in such a fashion. Regarding De La Hoya with pure disdain, Mayorga has made attempts to eviscerate all that De La Hoya has built and become. In the slanderous Spanish no longer practiced solely by Erik Morales, Mayorga has insulted De La Hoya’s wife, hurled homosexual accusations, and suggested that De La Hoya is a faded fighter unable to represent his own people.

Wealthy individuals enamored with fine cuisine will quickly grow bored with repetitive culinary offerings, soon venturing into the exotic and unusual to fulfill their needs. Likewise, in boxing, what do you give the man who has everything? Ricardo Mayorga gave De La Hoya a slap, turning what began as a routine assignment for De La Hoya into a mission.

De La Hoya might have remained unmoved by Mayorga’s words and might have purposely chosen to use them as fuel. But amongst the barrage of insults and expletives, there lies a truth or two that De La Hoya cannot simply brush aside.

Of Mexican-American descent, De La Hoya craves the respect of the Mexican fight fans who have long denied him because of the dilution of his blood. Furthermore, due to his failures and disappointments in recent years, plus lingering allegations throughout certain sectors that he purposely stayed down against Bernard Hopkins, it is unclear how favorably mainstream boxing supporters view him. Gleefully, Mayorga echoes these undeniable detractions.

The challenge before De La Hoya is no longer to simply win the championship, out-pointing the man who holds it, but to humiliate and destroy him. Mayorga represents the unrestrained expression of the sentiment felt by many fight fans: does the fire still burn inside Oscar de la Hoya?

Can De La Hoya reach inside of himself and rediscover the monster that bludgeoned Julio Cesar Chavez; the machine that withstood Fernando Vargas’ steroid-enhanced Aztec Warrior before condemning him to the ground?

Yes?

Then Nicaragua’s perennial master at biting off more than he can chew will retire with a gut-full, and boxing will have witnessed another glamour night punctuated by an Oscar-winning performance. And with Mayorga consigned to memory, you needn’t stare long into the crystal ball to discover the Golden Boy gravy train’s final destination.

The “Golden Boy” versus the “Pretty Boy” is the biggest fight boxing has left, and there isn’t enough stubbornness in De La Hoya and Bob Arum combined to prevent it from happening.

Of course, my dramatic tendencies would love to see the plot thicken with further hostilities between De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions and Arum’s Top Rank heightening the spiteful atmosphere existing between them.

Of the many possibilities open to Floyd Mayweather, Jr., there is that of Shane Mosley, whose current dealings with De La Hoya center on corporate cooperation rather than counter-punching. Imagine Mosley sent forth like an emissary bearing the Golden Boy banner. And if defeated, consider Arum’s satisfaction at Mayweather dispensing with one of De La Hoya’s generals. Meanwhile, De La Hoya’s vanity is inflamed with the increasing sense that his reputation, his company and his career are under siege.

Of course, De La Hoya’s drawing power would remain the sharpest bargaining tool of all. Mayweather is the world’s finest boxer, but his participation in two pay-per-view headline slots failed to produce buy-rates comparable to that of De La Hoya’s fledgling efforts. However, what they might achieve together is astonishing to consider.

HBO would throw money from gold-plated, diamond encrusted buckets at the fight between two former Olympians that progressed through and won titles in the same divisions before arriving for a confrontation at their optimum weight. They are also comparable in stance, age, height, reach and their innate need to burn their respective names into the pages of history.

And can you ever recall a fight of this magnitude, in which a father estranged from his son, such as Floyd Mayweather, Sr. is to Floyd junior, would take place with the father that claims to this day to have taught his son all he knows, in the opposite corner advising and strategizing on how best to beat his own flesh and blood?

Floyd Mayweather, Jr. cannot learn De La Hoya’s humility, nor can he retract the public controversies that have besmirched his image over the years. He cannot make us appreciate him as a man as we appreciate him as a fighter; but he can take the torch from De La Hoya in the greatest fight that boxing may see for decades to come.

It is a fight capable of rerouting the ever-advancing course of history, full of drama intensity and sacrifice. Which era will fail, and which will endure; what is to be lost or gained and by whom are stories worthy of the legends of old destined to unfold in our time.

[GorDoom]

De La Hoya: Taming “El Matador” before the Mission to Mayweather.

By Jim Cawkwell from Boxing Scene

Oscar de la Hoya. The name has become a fixture in boxing terminology; the embodiment of success, wealth and power, though not acquired through the seedy exploitations of a Don King. De La Hoya’s accolades came first from his insistent courage as a fighter, and later the demonstration of business acumen in dispersing his accumulated wealth upon an industry one senses he might seize and command long into retirement. Opportunities, like the doors of exclusive establishments that shun so many, open with an ease suggesting that his very presence is a universal credit card. However, De La Hoya does not hold the monopoly on time, and its quickening ascent signals the nearing end of his career. What more of De La Hoya’s legacy can he decide with his own fists, or will it be decided for him?

Despite his unprecedented success, an adoring public, and the knowledge that the boxing industry needs him much more than he any longer needs it, not all that is Golden Boy glitters of late. Money can accomplish much, but it could not purchase the undisputed middleweight championship from Bernard Hopkins, nor can it quiet the incessant doubts surrounding De La Hoya’s gift decision against Felix Sturm.

If he were a gambling man, De La Hoya would have bet the house on coasting the final rounds against Felix Trinidad, the virtue of the right hand against Mosley when everyone expected the left. And De La Hoya wouldn’t have expected that in the rematch, he himself would end up with the short end of the olive branch he extended to Mosley.

Vanity has always proven to be De La Hoya’s favorite sin, but he is not without a degree of humility to temper it. After losing to Trinidad, the conveniently accommodating WBC was quick to offer their title, vacated by Trinidad, to De La Hoya for the paltry undertaking of beating Derrell Coley.

Of course, Coley fell in seven, but De La Hoya insisted on discontent until he had vindicated himself against Mosley. Likewise, instead of reveling in the achievement of a sixth world championship in as many weight classes, De La Hoya stood dejected and offered nothing of a rebuttal to the bewilderment of Sturm.

De La Hoya has accomplished more than most would dare to dream, but beyond that knowledge, the joys of fatherhood, his many luxuries and the potential grasp of his growing promotional empire, vanity will not go unfed. Unable to remedy the truth of retiring upon a defeat and without a championship, De La Hoya’s twenty month ring hiatus ends this May.

Of course, being Oscar de la Hoya means not having to yield to the time-consuming task of earning a sufficient ranking to warrant a title shot. By the time of the fight, De La Hoya will not have enjoyed a win of any consequence for three years. Yet where he goes, so follows a trail of money impossible for his opponents to earn or the industry to generate elsewhere. Unsurprisingly, the WBC chose to turn a blind eye to De La Hoya’s inactivity, installing him as Mayorga’s number-one contender.

It is a fight once mooted as part of De La Hoya’s final farewell tour, granting him the acquisition of yet another championship before the arrangement of one last performance on the big stage. However, in this case, the stepping stone is proving to be more treacherous than expected.

Mayorga. The name holds connotations closer to Tony Montana than that of a prizefighter. Fictional he may be, but “Scarface’s” empire crumbled as quickly as did Mayorga’s. And don’t tell me you cannot imagine Mayorga brawling his way through customs before putting his cigarette out on the nearest bystander and marching his way towards infamy.

Unlikely as it was, Mayorga’s rise to power was no work of fiction. Perhaps it came at a time when the fight game, zealous to recover past glories, was too quick to deify its champions and newest sensations. But there was a certain appeal in Mayorga. He was a caricature that fight fans were keen to buy into: the reckless, swaggering braggadocio as likely to murder opponents with his evil predictions as his punches.
His first significant victim was Guyana’s Andrew Lewis, whom survived less than seven rounds with Mayorga, but lost all of his “Six Heads.”

Beating Shane Mosley made Vernon Forrest as quick to anoint himself as any fight fan could have been. Having signed a six-fight HBO contract, Forrest found Mayorga’s intervention less than divine, the displeasure of which Forrest is still struggling to rectify to this day.

Through it all, Mayorga’s pre-fight taunts were dismissive and comical. Then he signed to fight Cory Spinks to unify the welterweight championships. References to Spinks’ deceased Mother crossed an acceptable boundary. The morbid cynicism of Mayorga’s vocabulary introduced an unwelcome element to the proceedings, precluding moral support, and persuading many to greet his eventual downfall with satisfaction.

There are very few seats left on the Golden Boy gravy train, yet rather than accept his seven-figures with appreciation, Mayorga’s taunting tongue is as venomous as ever.

It is a long time since Oscar de la Hoya was spoken to in such a fashion. Regarding De La Hoya with pure disdain, Mayorga has made attempts to eviscerate all that De La Hoya has built and become. In the slanderous Spanish no longer practiced solely by Erik Morales, Mayorga has insulted De La Hoya’s wife, hurled homosexual accusations, and suggested that De La Hoya is a faded fighter unable to represent his own people.

Wealthy individuals enamored with fine cuisine will quickly grow bored with repetitive culinary offerings, soon venturing into the exotic and unusual to fulfill their needs. Likewise, in boxing, what do you give the man who has everything? Ricardo Mayorga gave De La Hoya a slap, turning what began as a routine assignment for De La Hoya into a mission.

De La Hoya might have remained unmoved by Mayorga’s words and might have purposely chosen to use them as fuel. But amongst the barrage of insults and expletives, there lies a truth or two that De La Hoya cannot simply brush aside.

Of Mexican-American descent, De La Hoya craves the respect of the Mexican fight fans who have long denied him because of the dilution of his blood. Furthermore, due to his failures and disappointments in recent years, plus lingering allegations throughout certain sectors that he purposely stayed down against Bernard Hopkins, it is unclear how favorably mainstream boxing supporters view him. Gleefully, Mayorga echoes these undeniable detractions.

The challenge before De La Hoya is no longer to simply win the championship, out-pointing the man who holds it, but to humiliate and destroy him. Mayorga represents the unrestrained expression of the sentiment felt by many fight fans: does the fire still burn inside Oscar de la Hoya?

Can De La Hoya reach inside of himself and rediscover the monster that bludgeoned Julio Cesar Chavez; the machine that withstood Fernando Vargas’ steroid-enhanced Aztec Warrior before condemning him to the ground?

Yes?

Then Nicaragua’s perennial master at biting off more than he can chew will retire with a gut-full, and boxing will have witnessed another glamour night punctuated by an Oscar-winning performance. And with Mayorga consigned to memory, you needn’t stare long into the crystal ball to discover the Golden Boy gravy train’s final destination.

The “Golden Boy” versus the “Pretty Boy” is the biggest fight boxing has left, and there isn’t enough stubbornness in De La Hoya and Bob Arum combined to prevent it from happening.

Of course, my dramatic tendencies would love to see the plot thicken with further hostilities between De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions and Arum’s Top Rank heightening the spiteful atmosphere existing between them.

Of the many possibilities open to Floyd Mayweather, Jr., there is that of Shane Mosley, whose current dealings with De La Hoya center on corporate cooperation rather than counter-punching. Imagine Mosley sent forth like an emissary bearing the Golden Boy banner. And if defeated, consider Arum’s satisfaction at Mayweather dispensing with one of De La Hoya’s generals. Meanwhile, De La Hoya’s vanity is inflamed with the increasing sense that his reputation, his company and his career are under siege.

Of course, De La Hoya’s drawing power would remain the sharpest bargaining tool of all. Mayweather is the world’s finest boxer, but his participation in two pay-per-view headline slots failed to produce buy-rates comparable to that of De La Hoya’s fledgling efforts. However, what they might achieve together is astonishing to consider.

HBO would throw money from gold-plated, diamond encrusted buckets at the fight between two former Olympians that progressed through and won titles in the same divisions before arriving for a confrontation at their optimum weight. They are also comparable in stance, age, height, reach and their innate need to burn their respective names into the pages of history.

And can you ever recall a fight of this magnitude, in which a father estranged from his son, such as Floyd Mayweather, Sr. is to Floyd junior, would take place with the father that claims to this day to have taught his son all he knows, in the opposite corner advising and strategizing on how best to beat his own flesh and blood?

Floyd Mayweather, Jr. cannot learn De La Hoya’s humility, nor can he retract the public controversies that have besmirched his image over the years. He cannot make us appreciate him as a man as we appreciate him as a fighter; but he can take the torch from De La Hoya in the greatest fight that boxing may see for decades to come.

It is a fight capable of rerouting the ever-advancing course of history, full of drama intensity and sacrifice. Which era will fail, and which will endure; what is to be lost or gained and by whom are stories worthy of the legends of old destined to unfold in our time.

[GorDoom]

Mayorga says De La Hoya 'is going to pay'

MIAMI (AP) — In the two months since his fight against Oscar De La Hoya was scheduled, Ricardo Mayorga has interjected the "macho" angle at every opportunity.
Mayorga, who will defend his WBC super-welterweight title against De La Hoya in Las Vegas on May 6, accuses his opponent of lacking valor. Proximity to a microphone or reporters notepad inspires Mayorga to spew a range of vulgarities to describe De La Hoya.

When Mayorga's camp opened his workout to local media Wednesday, the Nicaraguan kept up his ranting. He even toyed with a hen inside the ring, pretending it to be his high-profile opponent.

"De La Hoya doesn't have the pants to stay in the ring with me," Mayorga said. "He is going to pay for the mistake of accepting this fight."

Inactive since his ninth-round knockout loss against Bernard Hopkins in September 2004, De La Hoya (37-4, 29 KOs) opted to return against Mayorga (28-5-1, 23 KOs). The 1992 Olympic gold medalist and winner of world titles in six weight classes, De La Hoya has become one of the sports top promoters during his absence from the ring.

"He's coming to my danger zone, and that will give me the chance to finish him once and for all," Mayorga said. "Wherever he goes on May 5, I will catch him.

"I recognize he was a super champion, but he's been away for too long. Do you think he still has the same speed? Do you think he still has the same reflexes? He is finished."

Mayorga used the "stronger man" approach in a previous pay-per-view fight, with unsuccessful results. During the first round of his bout against Felix Trinidad in October 2004, Mayorga was dominating the first two minutes with effective power shots.

He then exposed his chin, daring Trinidad to hit him. Trinidad obliged and hurt him with solid combinations. Trinidad controlled the fight after Mayorga's taunt and won in eight rounds.

"I'm not going to be a coward and make excuses like a lot of fighters when they lose," Mayorga said. "Whatever the reason, I lost the fight."