Its surprising how many people in the know are picking DLH to win.
Props to both fighters for making this happen.Oscar for taking on the P4P best & Floyd for moving up in weight yet again.
Fuck... I cant wait!

" Mayweather's hands are so quick, it's like having power."

hahaha, I made up my mind who to go for watching 24/7 I think Oscar having Mosley in his corner will be why he wins

Roberto Duran: ``De La Hoya has the stronger punch. Mayweather is not used to facing bigger men. [ Carlos] Baldomir didn't have the talent of De La Hoya and Mayweather couldn't finish him. If De La Hoya cuts him early, Mayweather is going to be limited. De La Hoya by decision.''

Angelo Dundee, Hall of Fame trainer of 15 world champions: ``This is a great fight and we are so grateful because boxing needs that shot in the arm. Mayweather has never fought a guy as big and talented as De La Hoya. The good big man almost always beats the good little man. I see it going the distance and De La Hoya winning convincingly.''

Hank Kaplan, Hall of Fame boxing historian: ``De La Hoya hasn't had enough activity to lick Mayweather. Boxing is a sport in which you need to be active and maintain your skills. Mayweather is too fast, has tremendous instincts and is a great counter-puncher. Mayweather wins by decision.''

Glen Johnson, former light-heavyweight champion: ``De La Hoya will do enough stuff from the outside. He is not a guy to rush in to prove a point. That's why he will use the jab, force Floyd to come inside and use his combinations. I see it going the distance with De La Hoya winning.''
Santos A. Perez of the Miami Herald.

Dino Duva, promoter at Duva Boxing: "Mayweather will win by decision. It's his time. He's proven he's clearly the best fighter in the world. De La Hoya can't keep fighting once every two years and maintain everything. And Mayweather is the total package."

Tommy Brooks, trainer of light heavyweight Shaun George: "Mayweather wins by knockout in eight. He has so much speed, and he's extremely strong. People don't realize how strong he is. He's a very strong young man. De La Hoya also has trouble handling guys with speed. And the way Mayweather uses angles along with that speed, De La Hoya is going to get crucified."

Yoel Judah, trainer and father of former undisputed welterweight champ Zab Judah: "De La Hoya will end it in nine. The key will be Oscar making Floyd fight. If Oscar can make Floyd fight, he'll knock him out. He's going to hurt Floyd; Floyd's not going to hurt him. De La Hoya's the bigger, stronger man who can punch."

Lou DiBella, promoter at DiBella Entertainment: "Mayweather by a hotly contested decision. De La Hoya is bigger and stronger. He will do more stalking. There's a bias these days against the boxer. ... So Oscar will get a lot of credit for being the bull to Mayweather's matador. But I like Mayweather's youth and speed."

Lou Duva, Hall of Fame trainer: "De La Hoya by 10th-round knockout. With Mayweather's father and uncle, it'll be chaos in the corner. And Mayweather has really gotten under Oscar's skin. I know Oscar very well ... he takes everything to heart."


I respect all these guys but I gotta differ with the majority of them. Mayweather is going to dominate this fight.

I put this one in another thread today, ill merge them with my awesome powers of merge

motherfuck! there a bit out of order now
i rarely do anything

Oscar De La Hoya Beats Floyd Mayweather Junior To Punch, Provides Fight Tickets, Room For Mayweather Senior!

Michael Marley
4/30/2007
www.boxingconfindential.com

Oscar De La Hoya has beaten Floyd Mayweather Jr. to the punch already. An inside source has informed www.boxingconfidential.com that De La Hoya, the benevolent former employer of trainer Floyd “Pretty Daddy” Mayweather Sr., has scored points in the ongoing game of One Upsmanship between the May 5 Superfight opponents.

“While HBO’s 24/7 show keeps replaying all that crap about how Little Floyd loves his Dad and vice-versa,” the source told me, “Oscar went to work. Oscar used an emissary to get to his former trainer and he is providing Big Floyd with complimentary tickets and a free hotel room at the MGM Grand for the fight.”

It may seem trivial given all the money involved but the source said Big Floyd graciously accepted the largesse of his ex-boss. And, as always, psychological master Oscar has an ulterior motive.

“It’s a preflight jab by Oscar,” the source said. “It’s giving L’il Floyd the mental needle. L’il Floyd is flashing all the cash around on 24/7 and yet he didn’t bother to hook his own father up with tickets and a hotel room for the big event.”

And as first revealed by me on www.boxingconfidential.com, Floyd Sr’s stay in his son’s camp was short and cosmetic. It was basically scripted for the 24/7 show just as that cockamamie “phone call” from Roger Mayweather to Freddie Roach.

Now the only question is paying room and ax only for his ex-trainer or is “Pretty Daddy” getting R,F,B, which high-rollers can tell you is old-time Vegas lingo for carte blanche. That means room, food and beverage are all paid for by whoever put up the credit card.

Call me crazy but, if Floyd Sr, has R,F,B I think it’s going to be party time for Pretty Daddy this Cinco de Mayo weekend. Pretty Daddy will be living large even though he's not in charge.

" Mayweather's hands are so quick, it's like having power."

JAJAJA... Goes to Asylum to get a EmBeEl Quote for Sig

Mayweather Must Beat De La Hoya
Commentary by Doug Fischer (May 2, 2007)
www.maxboxing.com

After thoroughly out-boxing carlos Baldomir to win his fifth world title and gain recognition as the best fighter in a fourth weight class last November, Floyd Mayweather broke down emotionally at the post-fight press conference as he announced that he would only fight one more time before retiring.

“I’ve accomplished all I’ve set out to accomplish in boxing,” he told the media in-between sobs and generous hugs to his advisor Al Haymon and HBO’s senior vice-president of sports, Kerry Davis. “It was never about the money. I’m rich. It’s about legacy.

“One more fight and I’m done with boxing.”

If Mayweather, who commonly refers to himself as ‘the Truth’, was telling the truth about retiring after his next fight, we’ll find out soon after this Saturday’s super-fight with Oscar De La Hoya.

One thing is for certain, he wasn’t telling the truth about accomplishing all of his goals in the sport that has made him a multi-millionaire before the age of 30. Because if his career is not just about money, and it is indeed about his legacy, then the 30-year-old boxing savant must defeat De La Hoya in their 154-pound title fight.

Not because the victory will give him a sixth world title in a fifth weight class. Mayweather has already won world titles in the 130-, 135-, 140- and 147-pound divisions – and aside from a pair of bouts vs. the hardnosed and technically underrated Jose Luis Castillo – he’s done so in dominant fashion. Other than the fighters, who really cares about another title belt?

Mayweather doesn’t need to win another world title for sports writers and boxing historians to consider him to one of the best fighters of the past 10 to 15 years. Although I’ve criticized Mayweather’s competition in recent years, if he pulled out of Saturday’s fight and retired tomorrow, I wouldn’t hesitate to vote for him as soon as his name appears on the ballot for the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

What Mayweather has done in 37 pro fights since turning pro a little over 10 years ago definitely merits a spot in Canastota.

Fight scribes and fight fans know this, but does anyone else?

Ah, that’s what makes Saturday’s fight so important for Mayweather. That’s why he didn’t retire after beating Baldomir. He has definitely not accomplished all he set out to do in this sport.

Something is missing from Mayweather’s career and the young man from Grand Rapids, Michigan knows it. It’s the reason he has wanted to fight De La Hoya so badly, for so many years.

It’s probably part of the reason he tries so hard to be “flashy and flamboyant”, as he puts it, in his everyday life – or at least when he thinks cameras are around. It could be the reason for some of his boorish behavior in front of the media and in public places over the years.

The young man, who admits that he never received the attention he wanted from his father outside of the boxing gym, desperately wants to be acknowledged and appreciated – and not just by fight fans, HBO commentators, boxing websites and a few newspaper writers.

Mayweather’s friends include rapper 50 Cent and a host of NBA players; he craves real celebrity.

He wants to be known by the world, not just the boxing world.

But in his heart of hearts, the self-proclaimed “Truth” knows the cold hard truth. Despite his once-in-a-lifetime talent, despite dedicating his entire life to the hardest of all pro sports, and despite all of his money and all of the trophies, medals and title belts that he’s accumulated over the course of stellar amateur and pro careers, outside of the increasingly shrinking realm of boxing, outside of Las Vegas and Grand Rapids – he’s nobody.

And here’s why: up until this Saturday, Mayweather has never faced a household name in the ring.

He’s defeated some tough hombres, no doubt about that; he’s beat down some damn good fighters, but he’s never beat anyone that a general sports fan has ever heard of, or gives a rat’s ass about.

Mayweather may have the combination of talent, skill and technique that is on par with a prime Ray Leonard, but he’s nowhere near Sugar Ray’s league when it comes to notoriety, celebrity and mainstream acceptance.

Do you doubt this fact?

Here’s an easy litmus test. Ask a friend who doesn’t regularly follow boxing to tell you the two best fighters Sugar Ray Leonard ever beat.

Even a casual boxing fan can tell you the names of Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns. In fact, if you ask the fair-weather fight fan to provide another name from Leonard’s ledger he or she could give you the name of Roberto Duran.

Real quick: are Hagler, Hearns and Duran hall-of-fame fighters?

Well, duh, you know that Hagler’s already in there and that Duran was voted in last year. You don’t have to be Bert Sugar to know that the Hitman will be in there as soon as he’s eligible. And since you’re obviously a knowledgeable fan, you know that Leonard’s got another hall of famer on his record, Wilfred Benitez.

Real quick: are these guys all-time greats?

Without thinking too much, you can answer “at least two out of four”, right?

You know that Duran is considered to be the best lightweight of all time. You know that Hands of Stone was also a four-division champ. You know that Hagler is thought to be one of the top five middleweight champs of all time.

And though Hearns lost his biggest fights, those losses were memorable encounters with two of the best of his era (Leonard and Hagler), and he still managed to win world titles in five divisions. If the Hitman isn’t great, you know he’s on the cusp of greatness. Benitez, the wonderfully talented three-division titlist who was also the youngest champ in history, is not far from that cusp.

Now, try asking a friend to name the two best fighters Floyd Mayweather has defeated.

Unless you’re talking to a fellow fight fan chances are good that he or she will have no clue who Mayweather is. A general sports fan might know that he is a fighter; they might even know that he’s one of the best boxers in the world, but they probably won’t be able to tell you who he’s fought to attain that lofty status.

If you want an answer to that simple question you’ll have to ask a fellow fight freak, one of those diehard junkies that populate boxing message boards on the internet, buy subscriptions to The Ring and websites like this one, and are basically the life blood to a struggling sport.

Go ahead, ask a hardcore fan to name the two best fighters Mayweather has fought.

“Diego Corrales and Jose Luis Castillo” will probably be the most common answer. Ask for two more names and you’ll likely get the names of Genaro Hernandez and Zab Judah.

Damn good fighters. All four are former two-time title holders; two are two-division champs.

But real quick, can your buddy tell you if any of those former world titlists are bound for the hall of fame?

Even a hardcore fight fanatic has to pause before answering. “Hmmm, Mayweather beat them, but who have they beat?”

Corrales and Castillo have wins over each other. Their first fight was an all-time great slugfest, however great fights don’t necessarily make great fighters (if that were the case, we’d be counting the months until Micky Ward’s hall of fame induction). Castillo has a victory over Steve Johnston. Corrales has a win over Joel Casamayor. Hernandez beat an old Azumah Nelson. Judah has a win over…, um, damn, who is the best guy Judah’s beat? Cory Spinks?

Is that hall-of-fame stuff? Judah certainly doesn’t qualify. As for the other three fighters, well, they aren’t first-ballot hall of famers, that’s for sure.

It’s not an entirely fair question. Three of the four fighters are still active (although a strong case could be made that Corrales is likely finished fighting at the world-class level), but the point is clear:

As of right now, Mayweather has not faced or defeated a single fighter that can be considered a hall-of-fame lock or that general sports recognize or care about.

Arturo Gatti is probably the best known fighter Mayweather has on his record. However, while Gatti made for dramatic fights and very good ratings on HBO, he was never a ticket seller outside of New Jersey, and even Thunder’s most loyal fans will admit that he was far from an elite boxer.

It’s taken 10 years, but this Saturday Mayweather is finally facing a fighter who was once considered elite (and may still be), is a hall-of-fame lock and is known by everyday folks who don’t even watch boxing.

It’s a very sad statement on our sport, but aside from Evander Holyfield, the Golden Boy is the last household name among active prize fighters. But unlike the Real Deal, De La Hoya is close enough to his prime where he can still generate mainstream media interest and create monster events like this weekend’s fight.

Although De La Hoya is 2-2 in his last four fights (and one of those victories was a close and disputed decision), and despite the fact that he has only fought once in the past two and half years, many fans and more than a few members of the media give him a good shot at being the first fighter to put a “1” in the loss column of Mayweather’s record.

Size is part of the reason people are giving De La Hoya the benefit of the doubt. The Golden Boy, who has campaigned at welterweight or higher for the last 10 years, is thought to be the naturally bigger fighter. However, the primary reason folks are giving a part-time boxer, full-time promoter a shot to win Saturday’s showdown is the same reason De La Hoya is a household name: he’s been in the ring with the best fighters of the past 15 years.

Who are the two best fighters De La Hoya has defeated?

You don’t have to be a hardcore fan to answer “Pernell Whitaker and Julio Cesar Chavez”.

Real quick: are those two multi-division champs hall of famers?

You don’t have to be Hank Kaplan to know the correct answer is a resounding YES. Sweet Pea will be enshrined in Canastota next month. Chavez will be inducted as soon as he’s eligible.

Real quick: are Whitaker and Chavez all-time greats?

It’s a lot harder to come up with reasons why they AREN’T great than reasons why they are. Of course, they are great fighters.

When De La Hoya beat them, he became part of their legends and began building his own.

Mayweather isn’t part of any great fighter’s legend – yet. His father fought Leonard. His uncle Roger fought both Whitaker and Chavez. (Hell, even Uncle Jeff fought De La Hoya early in the Golden Boy’s career.) And although Mayweather’s family members didn’t win those fights they can say something he can’t, they can say they fought the best fighters of their eras.

If Mayweather is to be considered the best fighter of his era by anybody outside of the small world of professional boxing then he MUST beat De La Hoya.