By P.H. Burbridge (A voice in the crowd) – For those “fans” under Oscar De La Hoya’s “spell” it’s time to enter the “make believe” zone. Time to suspend all logic and start “believing” a serious fight is on the horizon featuring “The Golden Boy.” And, OH, don’t forget your wallets. For hard core fight fans get ready for two months of excruciatingly painful and misleading publicity. The BS train is pulling out of the station so hurry up and get aboard. There are plenty of seats. HBO’s 24/7 here we come. HBO, use all your network powers to sell this freak show and tell the general public that fans demanded this fight be made..
Let Oscar look straight into the camera and say with no hesitation in his voice “this is personal because Manny challenged me and Freddie Roach said I couldn’t pull the trigger anymore.” Then splice in some footage of Manny knocking out featherweights and looking menacing. Make sure you put Manny in elevator shoes and UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES are you to shoot footage of him from the waist down. In fact, I want ALL side by side shots taken looking upward. We must be looking UP at them. This way Manny looks closer to 5’ 8” as opposed to his true 5’ 6.” Also, make sure Oscar is barefoot. Let’s go all the way with this thing. Perpetuate the lie. If you keep saying it over and over again enough people will begin to believe it. That’s the goal.
Make no mistake about it this is a Hollywood production.
As a hardcore fight fan I find myself wondering what professional boxing will become over the next 20 years and if all this is just a sign of things to come. After all Oscar is pretty much taking over the fight game. Don King and Bob Arum are getting older and Oscar the promoter is just getting started. Does this mean that we as fans can expect more of these ridiculous match ups? Maybe matches like this will become the norm when Golden Boy Promotions is running things. Why not? They’re about to prove it’s a viable and profitable business strategy. Who cares about integrity when money’s at stake, RIGHT? The credibility of our sport is NOT a consideration and this fight proves it. Richard Schaefer is already talking about another “dream” match between Oscar and Ricky Hatton at Wembley Stadium in 2009. That’s if Hatton gets past Malignaggi, which I don’t think he will. But, if he does Oscar will be only too happy to beat up ANOTHER smaller fighter. This is GREAT. It’s like slapping around your little brother for MONEY. If Hatton couldn’t take Mayweather’s fragile punch what makes anyone think he can take De La Hoya’s? It’s starting to get ridiculous now folks. Oscar’s not even trying to conceal it.
There’s a scene in Spike Lee’s film “Malcolm X” in which Denzel Washington as Malcolm X delivers the following line that I’ll be taking OUT of context for our purposes here, “You’ve been HAD, you’ve been TOOK, you’ve been HOOD WINKED, BAMBOOZLED, LED ASTRAY, RUN AMUCK!” Seeing all this unfold is like watching an old lady getting mugged and not doing a damn thing about it. We should do something about it, right?
So, how do hardcore fight fans take a STAND?
BOYCOTT!
I can already hear the comments from some of the readers, “I bet the author is glued to his television set the second this fight starts”! Well, I’m here to tell you “NOT ME”! I’m not shelling out $50+ for this farce of a fight. Why should I? To celebrate, Oscar? PLEASE! I’m still high from the Margarito vs. Cotto fight and to go from that to THIS is unimaginable. It kills me that some casual fight fans actually think this is an intriguing match up. The only people who should be buying this fight are HARDCORE Manny Pacquiao fans. Fans who “believe” in their man NO MATTER WHAT! I know the deal Pacquiao fans and I don’t blame Manny for taking this fight. This after all is the retirement score fighters dream about. I’ll be rooting for Manny. In fact, the night of the fight I’ll be surrounding myself with candles while clutching a crucifix and praying that Manny clips De La Hoya with an equilibrium punch. “God, PLEASE send Oscar to the Trevor Berbick School of Dance, I’ll do anything you ask!” BUT, in reality I know that won’t happen. I know there are those who will argue that “this is a big event and that’s good for boxing” well, that argument doesn’t hold water. If you really want a big event put Mike Tyson in the ring with Kimbo Slice! I’m sure the WBC would find some way to rank both guys. That would be a big event, right? Just because something is a quote unquote a “big event” doesn’t mean it’s good for our sport. We as a fan base are being openly mocked and it’s only the beginning UNLESS we start standing up as a consumer base.
Until then, WELCOME to the newest era of greed and arrogance in boxing where the only losers are US!