LAS VEGAS – He has more belts than a dominatrix. Ten world titles in six different weight classes. And prior to turning pro, he also won an Olympic gold medal in 1992.
But when Oscar De La Hoya climbs the ring this Saturday night at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, in the super spectacle dubbed as ?The World Awaits,? he will assume an unfamiliar role in his wildly successful 42-fight boxing career?a decided underdog.
Against 30-year old Floyd Mayweather, De La Hoya, 34, faces a much younger foe at the peak of his game.
And odds makers here in this gambling mecca agree on one thing: For all his greatness, Oscar cannot turn back the hands of time.
Which is why at the MGM sports book, which takes bets on virtually all sports events, a $100 bet on De La Hoya nets $165, while a $185 bet on Mayweather only wins $100.
Acknowledged as boxing?s best pound-for-pound, flamboyant Floyd isn?t a dangerous one-punch knockout artist in the mold of a Felix Trinidad or Fernando Vargas.
But Pretty Boy is quick as a heart attack and he throws dizzying combinations by the dozens.
In a sport where speed kills, Mayweather is the king.
Still, De La Hoya has a heck of a chance to pull an upset.
He is 2 1/2 inches taller than the 5-foot-8 Mayweather, and since their duel will be fought at junior middleweight, over ten pounds north of Floyd?s bailiwick, Oscar is the naturally bigger, stronger fighter.
De La Hoya (38-4 with 30 KOs) also enjoys a slight one-inch reach advantage over Mayweather (37-0 with 24 KOs).
If Mayweather gets cocky and trades bombs with De La Hoya, Pretty Boy will look ugly and end up with a stain in his immaculate record.
But my sense is that Mayweather, he being smart, will run and gun, go in-and-out, and ultimately frustrate Oscar.
This strategy, where Mayweather just dances away and piles up the easy points, is my greatest fear.
By refusing to engage, Mayweather gives this megafight a potential to be pitifully boring.
And that?s something the boxing world definitely does not await.
SHORT PUNCHES. For his trouble, De La Hoya is guaranteed a $25 million purse.
Mayweather gets siginificantly less at $10 million.
Both pugilists also have a share in pay-per-view sales, which at $54.95 a buy is projected to gross over $100 million.
Co-staged by Golden Boy Promotions and HBO, the De La Hoya-Mayweather tiff will be broadcast in 176 countries around the world.
In contrast, the Pacquiao-Morales 3 was seen only in 50 countries.
BoomBoom Bautista?s fight against Sergio Medina of Argentina is included in the pay-per-view package, giving the Boholano a unique opportunity to showcase his skills before perhaps the biggest stage ever in boxing.
After several weeks of training in three countries?the Philippines, the USA and Puerto Rico?flyweight Alex John (AJ) Banal, the ALA stable phenom dubbed as Bazooka, is also rearing to go against Mexican Juan Alberto Rosas.
