The recent fight between the "Golden Boy" Oscar De La Hoya and "Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 5th, 07' at the MGM Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada was anticipated by many fight fans and critics as a historical match-up that would be remembered and compared to epic battles such as Tommy "Hit Man" Hearns vs. "Sugar" Ray Leonard. I think not. The six months prior to the fight of name calling, posturing, promotional hype, and family feuding proved to have more punch than either fighter.
At $30,000 (USD) for a third row seat from the ring, fans expected to see a classic old school boxing war. But what they got was a battle of styles, with neither fighter able to convincingly dominate his opponent. De La Hoya was the bigger and stronger of the two middle weights, but Mayweather Jr. was quicker and slicker. Speed over brawn allowed Mayweather Jr. to edge out De La Hoya with a split decision victory.
After the fight, I felt entertained and disappointed at the same time. There was a lot of flash, but no bang. Both fighters promised each other's head on a platter. Instead, the fight looked like two sparring partners taking care not to hurt or bruise one another. At the conclusion, Mayweather Jr. had the nerve to congratulate himself in his cocky, fast talking, self-loving, "I would like to thank God", "we gave the people what they wanted to see" post-interview. Just shut up and take the damn belt.
If these two men would like to fight again, I would just assume that they settle their differences playing "Fight Night" (a boxing video game for the XBOX 360).
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