I?m letting you know right now that this will be one of the final jabs at ?The Kassim Ouma Match?. (By the way? I despise the billing title as ?The Dream Match?. Couldn?t they have come up with a more interesting catch phrase such as? ?What?s better? Burritos or Chicken Adobo? or? ?Tecate and San Miguel Says Drinks Are On Us? or? ?Daring Little David Versus Gargantuan Golden Goliath? or? ?The Little Big Man Takes on the Big Little Man?. Ok I?ll stop.)
I honestly cannot remember the last time that so many within the boxing industry and even outsiders opposed to a proposed ?super-fight?.
Seriously? I can?t.
Hopkins-Wright caught some flack last year but it at least provided some intrigue for the purists within the sport.
From my observations, I find it difficult to find anybody outside of the inner circle that agrees with ?The Kassim Ouma Match?.
While it might have cost him more money than he?d like to admit, the self-proclaimed world?s greatest trainer, Floyd Mayweather Sr. continues to tell it exactly like it is. In recent times he spoke with Yahoo.com stating the following:
?I?ll be honest with you, nobody can do what I do. Don?t get me wrong. But Oscar doesn?t need me to beat Pacquiao. He really doesn?t. For this fight, Oscar can beat Pacquiao with just about anyone training him. When he hits him with that first left hook, it?s all going to be over. Ain?t no way Pacquiao can beat Oscar. No way. So, I?ll be honest, Oscar doesn?t need to pay the price to get me in this fight, because he?ll win this with or without me.?
Floyd?s sentiments are honest and candid but most importantly? they mirror virtually everything that the knowledgeable boxing public has stated since day one.
It?s strange to see a fighter such as Oscar De la Hoya attempt to sell his opponent to the public while usually a prize fighter tends to belittle the competition claiming that they are far superior. I recall the promotion leading up to the De la Hoya-Hopkins bout in 2004 in which the ?Golden Boy? clamored how he and Floyd Sr. saw chinks in Bernard?s armor and had a devised a plan to defeat the long reigning champion.
In the current promotion leading up to ?The Kassim Ouma Match?, it seems as though Oscar is attempting to ?up? sell his opponent in Pacquiao.
Why not just be honest about the whole situation?
Rather than stating that Pacquiao will be a tough fight and that he is pound-for-pound whatever? why not just tell it exactly like it is?
?Manny?s a good little fighter but he?s playing with the big boys now. He?ll be lucky to see three rounds.?
Or?
?This midget doesn?t belong in my league. The only betting going on should be how many rows back my left hook will send him. I?m guessing at least 13 or 14. Hopefully right into Paris Hilton?s lap!?
Or?
?I?m gonna kill this little sucker. In the words of Mike Tyson? if he doesn?t die, it doesn?t count!?
I know that?s never been Oscar?s style when it comes to selling a fight but there is something a bit strange about the promotional marketing aspect leading up to this fight.
While many will state that the original vision of this bout was contrived by long-time HBO commentator, Larry Merchant, we must remember that his statement took place before many of the current transpirations within the sport.
I? John ?The Boxing Bookie? Chavez can envision an eventual showdown between Antonio Margarito and James ?Mandingo Warrior? Kirkland sometime down the road but should certain events take place that favor a different match-up, the original vision must change. It would have been extremely interesting to see whether Merchant would have continued with his vision of De la Hoya-Pacquiao had he worked the Margarito-Cotto broadcast.
I highly doubt it.
So exactly what is the deal?
Are all the out-spoken people within boxing wrong about this perceived mismatch?
Or?
Are they just bitter that somehow they aren?t benefitting financially from ?The Kassim Ouma Match??
One must remember that spitting in the face of the public? the public that supports you and your organization can tend to backfire and have long-term consequences.
While most people aren?t passionate enough about boxing to even react in outrage at Pacquiao-De la Hoya, it isn?t something they asked for. Floyd Mayweather Sr. spoke with honesty in regards to the match and I think all those involved should do so also.
Honesty is key in this game.
It is also found with great scarcity in life and is most likely non-existent in the sport of boxing?
Thank God for Floyd Mayweather Sr? and Nate Campbell.
PS. Sorry ?RiGordo? Lois. I couldn?t let you have all the fun.
