05.05.08- By Vivek Wallace, photo by Tom Hogan/Golden Boy Promotions – Leading up to Saturday’s match between Oscar De la Hoya and Steve Forbes, many fight fans were more than vocal about their disinterest in a rematch between Oscar De la Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Most felt that the initial encounter was nothing other than a sparring session, and it didn’t help that Oscar was once quoted using those very same words to describe the event himself. In the first encounter, there were many questions surrounding the fight that made it such a huge spectacle. Could Mayweather handle that patented De la Hoya left-hook? Could De la Hoya condition himself to go strong for a full 12 rounds? Blazay, blazay, yada, yada, yada….The pre-fight questions were endless, but when it came down to the actual event, to some, it was everything but. Compubox stats didn’t help the cause by factually pointing out the great disparity in punches, showing Mayweather landing 85 more total punches, despite throwing 106 less; Similar were the stats associated with power punching, showing Floyd – the smaller fighter – outlanding the bigger Dela Hoya by 56 more, despite throwing 100 less in the category. Those numbers strongly paint the picture of a ‘sparring match’ as previously quoted, and left a taste in the mouths of many fight fans that won’t in any way, shape, or form, be erased after Saturday nights fight..
In order to get the kind of response Oscar De la Hoya set out for, many fans felt that he needed to land a knockout, and considering that the fight was against a naturally smaller man who categorically gives up a minimal 15-20 pounds to Oscar, the fact that he couldn’t score the big KO may in fact haunt him more than help him. If this perceived reality is a true sentinment, it was noticed by more than just a few fight fans around the globe as Oscar’s very own out-spoken trainer, Floyd Mayweather Sr., openly stated that he “thought Oscar would have had more power than he had”. That statement to some opened underground dialogue relative to the question of whether or not De la Hoya did in fact enter the ring with less energy after having to get down to the 150 lb limit? Furthermore, it employs the question of what will Oscar do to bring more power to the ring against Floyd, considering that it’s fairly common knowledge that power lifting and weights can hinder a fighters speed.
With so many things to consider leading up to the possible Fall showdown, the one thing that does work in Oscar De la Hoya’s favor is the fact that he’s active again, scheduled for he first time since 1999 to fight 3 times in one calendar year. This activity from Oscar comes while his potential opponent, Floyd Mayweather Jr. has not, and will not enter the ring throughout 2008 at all until the night of this showdown. An avid fitness ‘buff’, Mayweather has been actively sparring, training, and staying ‘fresh’ since his Wrestlemania escapade, and has recently spoke of the benefits relative to his only legitimate vacation in his career, and how it actually helped him, stating that he feels “rested” and “hungrier than ever before”.
From the De la Hoya camp, the constant chorus is that he’s “better than ever before”, while in the Mayweather camp, the word is that he’s potentially “rested and hungrier than ever before”. No one knows exactly which one will hold true, but after Saturday nights fight, what we do know is that there’s still a wide contingent who probably still doesn’t care to find out. I can’t say I fall in that silent majority, but hey, the fact that there even is one is pretty telling in and of itself. Think about it!
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