Believe the hype.
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The Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather Jr. bout on Saturday is the biggest — and best — thing to happen to boxing in years.
Two supremely gifted fighters will enter the ring at MGM Grand in Las Vegas and De La Hoya's WBC super welterweight belt will be up for grabs.
This fight, though, belongs to the masses. It pits two brilliant fistic tacticians who have given boxing a much-needed jolt of energy, a reason to shell out the big bucks to watch on pay-per-view TV.
Sure, fight week news conferences are always filled with outlandish remarks and a claim that it deserves to be the "fight of the century," but this fight actually deserves top billing.
In 1987, Marvin Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard met in the same city of bright lights and fancy facades. It's been 20 years since a fight of this magnitude has been staged here. (Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield never satisfied the viewing public.) And that's no joke — but it underscores the sad state of affairs in boxing today, that fans are always left waiting and waiting and . . .
The wait is over. Saturday's mano-a-mano clash is the real deal.
Consider this: De La Hoya is still the world's most popular fighter, even though he's only fought two times in the last three years. Blessed with the looks of a classic Hollywood movie star and crossover appeal, the East Los Angeles, Calif., product's fights have reportedly generated $500 million in profits. (And, oh, he croons Grammy-nominated bilingual albums in his spare time.)
In 1997, De La Hoya possessed Ring Magazine's pound-for-pound title. Since 2005, Mayweather has owned that belt, receiving widespread claim that he's the world's No. 1 overall fighter.
De La Hoya, now 34, is the only fighter in history to win world titles in six separate weight classes. In taking on Pernell Whitaker, Julio Cesar Chavez, Felix Trinidad, Sugar Shane Mosley, Bernard Hopkins and Ricardo Mayorga, among others, the Mexican-American star has remained in the spotlight for more than a decade.
De La Hoya's powerful left hook is his most potent weapon in the ring. In the simplest description, he is a dangerous street brawler when he puts his mind to it, especially in the closing seconds of a round or the final minutes of a close bout.
Oscar De La Hoya (left) and Floyd Mayweather Jr. face off during a news conference at MGM Grand on Wednesday. The pair will fight for De La Hoya's WBC super welterweight title on Saturday.
AP PHOTOThe 30-year-old Mayweather, on the other hand, is the hardest-working fighter in the game today. His training sessions are legendary. Nowadays he is the defensive fighter par excellence (Winky Wright might disagree, but he is No. 2 in my book). Countless foes have missed more punches than they've landed because of Mayweather's ability to slip beyond their reach.
Mayweather dished out a ruthless beating to Arturo Gatti in the sixth round of their June 26, 2005, fight, one that left this scribe instantly impressed with his devastating punching power. It was, as many writers noted, Mayweather's coming-out party. He demanded recognition — and got it.
"Golden Boy" De La Hoya is 38-4 with 30 knockouts in a professional career that dates back to 1992. "Pretty Boy" Mayweather scored a second-round KO over a guy named Roberto Apodaca on Oct. 11, 1996, starting a magnificent career that's produced 37 wins in as many fights, 23 of which have ended in KOs.
And, oh yeah, De La Hoya and Mayweather have earned a few world championship belts — 10 to be precise (six for Oscar, four for Floyd).
Both earned their first world titles in the super featherweight division. Then both kept moving up in weight for bigger, tougher challenges.
De La Hoya has become a savvy businessman, starting his own promotional company Golden Boy Promotions, Inc. at a time when boxing needs, well, new blood in charge, but he remains a hungry fighter who still wants to add another chapter to his remarkable legacy.
"After all of his success and world titles, he's going for that pound-for-pound title again, and that's really the belt most difficult to get," Richard Schaefer, the fight's promoter, told USA Today, reflecting on De La Hoya's motivation for lacing up the gloves again. "Irrespective of weight class, there can be only one guy who has it."
Mayweather, who has told reporters that he could've beaten all-time great Sugar Ray Robinson, offered his own perspective on his greatness.
"You rate a fighter on how he dominates and how many weight classes he goes through," Mayweather was quoted as saying in the same newspaper. "You don't rate guys pound-for-pound just for being in one weight class. I'm unbeaten, and this is my fifth weight class that I've moved up to, and I've done it in less than 10 years."
The Mayweather family feud, chronicled on HBO's four-part documentary, "De La Hoya/Mayweather 24/7," is an unpredictable subplot to this fight. Will it influence how Floyd fights? We shall see.
A quick primer: Floyd Sr., a former fighter and the current star-of-the-same-name's first trainer, starting when he was a tot, was De La Hoya's trainer from 2001-06. He left the De La Hoya camp in January after asking for $2 million to remain on for this marquee bout. Indeed, there were mixed emotions for father, son and De La Hoya.
Listen to De La Hoya's explanation to USA Today's Chuck Johnson:
"It was a very touchy subject. I have utmost respect for Floyd Sr. I always listened to what he had to say when he trained me. I was his student and we worked great together. When I was making my decision, at first, I said, 'Yes, he is going to train me and he can do it.' But after thinking for days and weeks and months, I said to myself, 'This is his son. Is he going to be as passionate as I am in the gym?'
"I want to knock this guy out. I asked myself all these questions. How am I going to feel in the gym? Will it feel awkward? I didn't want to feel distracted, like, 'Wow, here's the father training me to beat up his son.' I finally figured we have to get someone else. I think it turned out better for everyone, including Floyd Sr."
Floyd Sr. has served a prison term for dealing drugs and, understandably, the father-son relationship has had its problems over the years. It doesn't help, of course, that Floyd Sr.'s brother, Roger, is a well-known trainer in his own regard, who will be in Floyd Jr.'s corner on Saturday.
De La Hoya has turned to high-profile Freddie Roach, who has also trained Tyson and Manny Pacquiao.
De La Hoya, by the way, dropped Jeff Mayweather, the brother of Floyd Sr. and Roger, with a fourth-round KO in March 1993.
Indeed, this story has come full circle, and there's a riveting chapter still to be written.