Legends, trainers favor De La Hoya
Boxing legends Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns know something about big fights in Las Vegas, having squared off here against each other and fellow Hall of Famer Marvin Hagler.
Leonard and Hearns helped create the concept of a superfight in the early 1980s. So it’s with a sense of pride as well as an expert’s eye that they view tonight’s WBC super welterweight title fight between Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr. at the MGM Grand Garden.
“This is a fight that hasn’t happened in some time,” Leonard said of the much-hyped, highly anticipated event. “It’s a very intriguing fight because of the dynamics. Oscar is 34 and at the crossroads of his career, and he’s in against a guy who, at 30, is in his prime.”
Hearns said this bout doesn’t measure up to his megafights with Leonard and Hagler but has the potential to be big, depending on how willing De La Hoya and Mayweather are to fight.
“It’s a little short. But it’s a good fight,” Hearns said. “We lost the big glare and the hoopla from the past. But this could be good.
“Floyd, he’s gotta be smart. He can’t be too hyper when he gets in the ring. Oscar’s a smart fighter. He’s got to get to Floyd, lean on him and rough him up.
“Mayweather hasn’t showed me he has a big punch. If Oscar gets him with a couple of good shots, Mayweather could be in trouble and it could be a short night.”
But Hearns believes Mayweather will keep his distance from De La Hoya and said he wouldn’t be shocked if the fight wound up a draw.
“They’re both great,” he said. “It can go either way. It depends on who shows up and fights his fight. If it goes the distance, all that means is they’ll do it again.”
Leonard said he’s picking De La Hoya after watching how De La Hoya handled his business in his Puerto Rico training camp.
“When the fight was first announced, I was leaning toward Mayweather,” Leonard said. “He was younger and is so quick with his hands. But the more I see what’s going on, the more I like Oscar.
“When you look at Oscar’s career, he’s never won the really big one. He’s beaten some great fighters, but he’s never won the fight where people say, ‘Holy shit!’ This is his chance to cement his legacy. If he wins this fight, that’s what people will remember him for.”
Emanuel Steward, the Hall of Fame trainer who guided Hearns during his career, is leaning toward Mayweather.
“Floyd Mayweather may be brash and arrogant, but he can fight,” Steward said. “I believe Floyd’s ego is going to be his biggest asset. It’s not going to hinder him in the least.
“Floyd will fight a determined fight. This is the fight he has wanted all of his life. Usually, when a fighter gets an opportunity like this, he rises to the occasion.”
Steward said De La Hoya has what it takes to win because of his size and experience. However, he believes Mayweather’s youth, speed and skills can offset De La Hoya’s strengths.
“The fact that Floyd’s a smaller fighter, people assume Oscar is the stronger fighter,” Steward said. “Oscar’s bigger, but he’s never been a physical fighter. Oscar’s big advantage is his size. I don’t know if it has been overplayed, but the reality is speed can neutralize size.
“I think it’s going to be a rough fight because Oscar’s going to make it a rough fight. He’s going to try to make it physical. But Mayweather won’t stand in and brawl. Floyd will try to win without taking risks. Oscar, he’ll take risks.”
Steward said he could see Mayweather winning by decision or by technical knockout.
“I think Floyd wins it,” he said. “He’s a strong enough puncher that he could hurt Oscar if Oscar gets too careless.
“I believe Oscar’s inactivity is going to hurt him. He’s fought once in the last three years, and history shows that when fighters are busy, they perform better.”
Shane Mosley and Bernard Hopkins have fought and defeated De La Hoya. Now, they work for him as associates in De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions. Both believe their boss will win, but both said Mayweather has a chance.
“If I’m Mayweather, you have to be careful about being overconfident,” said Mosley, who captured 12-round decisions over De La Hoya in 2000 and 2003. “Oscar’s the type of puncher who can put you on the ground. So if I’m training Floyd, I’m telling him to be smart and be cautious.”
Hopkins said he’d use a far different strategy if he were training Mayweather.
“You can’t run in Vegas and win a fight,” said Hopkins, who knocked out De La Hoya in the ninth round of their 2004 fight. “The judges read the newspapers and watch television. They’ve seen all the hype, and they want to see if that hype is for real.”
Hopkins and Mosley said De La Hoya should go after Mayweather from the opening bell and keep pressuring him.
“I’ve never seen a big guy run from a little guy,” Hopkins said. “Floyd has never been at the 154(-pound) weight level. He’s never seriously been hurt. When Oscar gets close to Floyd, it will be like me when I fought Oscar.”
Said Mosley: “I think Oscar should stay on top of him and use his size and strength. Floyd’s never fought at this weight, and he’s going up against an experienced fighter who has been at this weight for a while and is comfortable fighting at ’54.”
Former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis likes both fighters, so he’s having a hard time picking a winner.
“The early rounds will dictate what happens,” Lewis said. “Whoever imposes (his) will on the other early in the fight will have an advantage.”
Lewis said De La Hoya’s experience is important.
“Oscar is going to call on that experience,” Lewis said. “He knows what he has to do to win over the fans and the judges and, ultimately, win the fight.
“I think Oscar needs to be careful and not be overly aggressive. You can leave yourself open, and Floyd’s been around. Floyd is very quick, and if Oscar makes a mistake, Floyd will take advantage of it. Oscar needs to have controlled aggression.”
Winky Wright, the former junior middleweight champion who will fight Hopkins at Mandalay Bay in July at 170 pounds, said he has a lot of respect for Mayweather but expects De La Hoya to prevail.
“It has nothing to do with size,” Wright said. “Oscar is the harder puncher, and he’s going to do what he has to do.
“Floyd’s not going to be intimidated. He’s going to do his thing, which is stick and move, stick and move. But I think Oscar will come out on top.”
De La Hoya and Mayweather share a common thread as they prepare to square off. Both have fought and defeated Arturo Gatti. De La Hoya won by TKO in 2001, and Mayweather prevailed by TKO when they fought in 2005.
Pat Lynch, Gatti’s manager, said he has gone back and forth as to who he thinks will win. But he settled on De La Hoya.
“De La Hoya stops him in 10,” he told the Newark (N.J.) Star-Ledger. “Early on, I was on the side of Mayweather. I just didn’t think Mayweather would take too many chances. I thought he’d fight a very smart, technical fight and not give Oscar a chance to get to him.
“That was my initial thought. But the more I’ve seen the way Mayweather’s lit a flame under Oscar … and it helps that (De La Hoya) has Shane Mosley in his corner.”
De La Hoya vs. MayweatherNews & information
