20.12.06 – It will be an unprecedented super fight between two boxing superstars and former Olympians. It will be an event poised to shatter records many believe would never be broken. Golden Boy Promotions is pleased to announce six-division world champion Oscar De La Hoya will meet unbeaten, four-division world champion Floyd Mayweather Saturday, May 5 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nev., in the biggest fight to hit the sport in decades..
“This is what boxing is all about and fighting Floyd Mayweather is the type of fight that truly gets me motivated to go through a hard training camp and make the sacrifices I have to make to be the best,” said Oscar De La Hoya. “We’ve talked about it, the press and the fans have asked for it, and now we’re going to put it all on the line and fight. I can’t wait for May 5.”
Floyd Mayweather followed by saying, “I’m excited to get this opportunity to once again show why I’m pound-for-pound the best in the world and to add another title to my collection. I respect everything Oscar has accomplished in this sport, but this time he’s in over his head.”
Considering the pedigree of both De La Hoya and Mayweather, legitimate superstars with world-class credentials, this bout already is drawing comparisons to mega events of the past such as Leonard-Hearns, Hagler-Hearns, Ali-Frazier and De La Hoya-Trinidad. With pay-per-view numbers expected to eclipse previous records with ease, this bout also looms as perhaps the most lucrative event of all-time. The live gate could exceed a Nevada-record $18 million which would shatter the $16.8 million generated by the Lennox Lewis vs. Evander Holyfield rematch in 1999.
Richard Schaefer, chief executive officer of Golden Boy Promotions, said, “This fight will be unlike any fight anyone has ever seen. The promotion of this fight, from the initial press conference to fight night also will be unprecedented in its scope. We have no doubt this will be the biggest boxing event of all-time and one that will go down in the history books as such.”
Richard Sturm, president of Sports and Entertainment for MGM MIRAGE, agreed saying, “MGM Grand is extremely excited to host this championship event. The Grand Garden Arena has been the home to the greatest title fights in the sport’s history and we know the De La Hoya-Mayweather fight will be at the top of the list. The atmosphere in the arena certainly will be electric and our guests and fans will experience a spectacular event.”
A 1992 Olympic Gold Medalist for the United States, De La Hoya (38-4, 30 KOs) has shattered stereotypes while becoming not only one of the premier boxers of this era, but a true crossover star. A champion in every division in which he has competed from 130 to 160 pounds, ‘The Golden Boy’ has faced boxing’s elite for 14 years including Julio Cesar Chavez, Bernard Hopkins, Shane Mosley, Felix Trinidad, Pernell Whitaker, Ike Quartey, Fernando Vargas, Arturo Gatti, Genaro Hernandez, Jesse James Leija and Hector Camacho. In his last fight on May 6, the 33-year-old De La Hoya destroyed two-division world champion Ricardo Mayorga in six rounds to win the WBC junior middleweight championship.
Mayweather (37-0, 24 KOs), one of the most gifted fighters to ever step between the ropes, represented the U.S. in the 1996 Olympics and was on his way to a gold medal before a controversial loss forced him to accept the bronze medal. Once ‘Pretty Boy Floyd’ entered the pro ranks, he would not be denied as he won his first world title at the age of 21 in 1998 by stopping Genaro Hernandez. He later defended that title eight times including wins over Diego Corrales, Carlos Hernandez, and Jesus Chavez. In 2002, Mayweather added a lightweight title to his trophy case by beating Jose Luis Castillo. Junior welterweight and welterweight championships would follow when he defeated Arturo Gatti and Zab Judah, respectively. In November, the 29-year old Mayweather won yet another 147-pound title by defeating Carlos Baldomir.
On-sale information for this championship title fight will be announced in the near future. Ticket prices will be $2,000, $1,500, $1,000, $750 and $350 and will be available for purchase at the MGM Grand Garden Arena box office and at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (Smith’s Food and Drug Centers, Macy’s stores and Ritmo Latino). Tickets also will be available for purchase at http://www.mgmgrand.com/ or http://www.ticketmaster.com/. A nationwide press tour, including both fighters and their respective camps, is expected to commence in February.
For room packages and availability at MGM Grand, as well as event ticket information, call (800) 929-1111 or (702) 891-7777 or log onto the World Wide Web at http://www.mgmgrand.com/.
The MGM Grand Garden Arena is home to concerts, championship boxing and premier sporting and special events. The Arena offers comfortable seating for as many as 16,800 with excellent sightlines and state-of-the-art acoustics, lighting and sound. Prominent events to date have included world championship fights between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson as well as Oscar De La Hoya vs. Bernard Hopkins and George Foreman vs. Michael Moorer; and concerts by The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Bette Midler, Gloria Estefan, Janet Jackson, Phil Collins, Billy Joel, Backstreet Boys, ‘N Sync, Sting, Jimmy Buffett and the Barbra Streisand Millennium Concert. The MGM Grand Garden Arena is also home to the annual FOX Billboard Music Awards, the annual Andre Agassi Grand Slam for Children Benefit and the Academy of Country Music Awards (ACMA).