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'THE WORLD AWAITS' - SATURDAY FEATURE PART I By Ronnie Nathanielsz PhilBoxing.com Sun, 29 Apr 2007  Ever since Golden Boy Promotions announced the super fight between six-division champion Oscar De La Hoya and undefeated, four-division champion Floyd Mayweather Jr for De La Hoya’s junior middleweight title everybody has been talking about what is almost certain to be one of the biggest fights of all-time. The unprecedented hype is not without basis and if present trends are any indication the whole world will be watching the action from the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 5 – May 6 Manila Time - on pay-per-view and in the Philippines over the giant broadcast network ABS-CBN Channel 2. The Lopez-owned network last February 24 made its first major impact when its telecast of the classy “Moment of Truth” fight card from the Cebu City Sports Complex soared above the primetime ratings of the entertainment shows of arch rivals GMA 7. ABS-CBN followed that initially successful venture with the more recent WBC super featherweight title fight between legendary Mexicans Marco Antonio Barrera and Juan Manuel Marquez. This time around while its true that ”The World Awaits” the fact is the Philippines awaits with even more passionate interest since two of the emerging sensations from the famed ALA Gym of respected boxing patron Tony Aldeguer will be seeing action on the undercard. WBO No. 1 Rey “Boom Boom” Bautista, the 2o year old super bantamweight from Candijay, Bohol battles hard-hitting Argentinean Sergio “Rocky” Medina in an encounter of the undefeated. Its a world title eliminator with the winner will getting a mandatory shot at reigning champion Daniel Ponce De Leon who eked out a controversial decision against former world super flyweight champion Gerry Penalosa last March 17. AJ “Bazooka” Banal, an 18 year old prot?g? of Aldeguer will also make his US debut on the undercard against another tough opponent in Juan Alberto Rosas of Mexico. Golden Boy Promotions in its pre-fight publicity referred to Bautista as the Philippine sensation (22-0,17 KO’s) who has been ”leveling his competition, mounting an extraordinary undefeated record and near perfect knockout percentage on the journey to his upcoming WBO junior featherweight title eliminator.” Dominating the ropes against fierce contenders including veterans Marino Gonzalez who was knocked out in three rounds, Brazilian champion Giovanni Andrade who retired after four rounds and Colombia’s Roberto Bonilla who was knocked out in three rounds in his last three bouts “Boom Boom” is considered “one of the fans and critics must-see attractions in boxing.” Bautista’s opponent, 25 year old Medina has accomplished what Golden Boy Promotions refers to as “an imposing record while crushing his competition with his speed and savvy style.” With his eyes focused intensely on the title, Medina is “excited to challenge another undefeated record holder and do so in his trademark rousing fashion” on what will undoubtedly be boxing’s biggest stage. The “Bazooka” Banal clash with Rosas is not among the three fights to be aired on pay-per-view. However, ABS-CBN was reportedly making efforts to try and bring the fight to millions of Filipino fight fans eager to see Banal who won praise from WBO president Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel as a fighter who reminded him of Hector Macho Camacho in his youth. The WBO president said he admired the stinging jab of Banal and his vicious left hook to the body and predicted he would be a future world champion. But for all the personal excitement millions of Filipinos will feel when Bautista and Banal climb into the ring it will be the De La Hoya – Mayweather megabuck fight that will attract the world’s attention. However, there is no denying that the exposure Bautista will get on the confirmed worldwide telecast would be immeasurable and in many ways equivalent to what Filipino ring idol Manny Pacquiao got when he fought Jorge Eliecer Julio on the undercard of the Lennox Lewis-Mike Tyson heavyweight clash at The Pyramid in Memphis, Tennessee on June 8, 2002. Significantly, it was on the undercard of the WBC light middleweight championship bout between De La Hoya and Javier Castillejo at the MGM Grand on June 23, 2001 that Pacquiao scored a stunning sixth round knockout over fancied Lelohonolo Ledwaba to win the IBF junior featherweight title and make boxing fans sit up and take notice of the devastating puncher with the charismatic disposition. Many fight fans are hoping that "Boom Boom" will follow in Pacquiao's footsteps in the ring. “The World Awaits” is more than a title fight. It is an extravaganza of incredible dimensions and one which has rightly been branded as a “ spectacle that transcends a mere boxing event.” As Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer has said “this fight will be unlike any fight anyone has ever seen, in and out of the ring, from the initial press conference to the final bell. Given the caliber of the fighters and the high stakes involved, we have no doubt that this will be the biggest boxing event of all-time and one that will go down in history books as such.” A cursory glance at the achievements of De La Hoya and Mayweather justify the claims. Two former US Olympians with a combined 14 championship belts. De La Hoya and Mayweather are two fighters with unquestioned talent and charisma which people say hasn’t been seen since the days when “The Greatest” - Muhammad Ali strode across the stage like a colossus and when sweet-punching Sugar Ray Leonard sparkled in his weight division. As Franklin McNeil of the Star Ledger says “just mention the name Oscar De La Hoya and fight fans start to salivate. If De La Hoya is participating in a bout, it becomes a must-see event.” The facts speak for themselves. De La Hoya has been on 17 pay-per-view fights which have registered a combined 10.4 million buys and $492 million in revenue. Only former heavyweight champions Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield have done better. It is worth remembering that the heavyweight division has long been regarded as the most lucrative in boxing and to think that De La Hoya is not even a heavyweight. If anything, De La Hoya’s pay-per-view numbers indicate he transcends the sport and as HBO’s senior vice president Mark Taffet told McNeil, “Oscar has a certain factor that connects with people. When they look at him and talk to him they feel his heart …and it started with the Olympics in 1992 when he won that gold medal and looked up to the sky toward his mom. He became the ‘Golden Boy’ and America fell in love with him.” In a superbly crafted four-part, pre-fight mini-series produced by HBO, De La Hoya who grew up in east LA and came from humble beginnings said “life was a struggle, it defined me. It made me who I am. My father kept me focused, my mother was my inspiration. I will never forget that.” De La Hoya’s mother Cecilia died some 17 years ago of breast cancer and Oscar wanted to quit the sport. It turns out that his mother ‘s wish was for Oscar to win a gold medal at the 1992 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and so he was determined to fulfill her dream by winning the gold medal. To De La Hoya “this is the way I learned to fight – for myself, for my family, for those who need someone to believe in.” And as he aptly put it “I am living the American dream and boxing is my life.” For his part Floyd Mayweather Jr comes from a boxing family. His father Floyd Mayweather Sr was a fighter and his uncle Roger Mayweather was a fighter. As Gonzalez points out Floyd Sr proved to be his son’s “most influential mentor” who managed to mould Floyd Jr into a masterpiece until he - Floyd Mayweather Sr- was imprisoned for five years on a drug charge. It was at this time that uncle Roger Mayweather took over and by the time Floyd’s father was released from prison his son was a world champion and Floyd Jr and his uncle Roger have been very close since then. In a strange twist Floyd Mayweather Sr worked with De La Hoya for ten years and even today, despite some of the despicable remarks made by his former trainer against Freddie Roach, the celebrated two-time “Trainer of the Year” who is working with De La Hoya, he hasn’t said anything nasty about his former trainer. “The fact that we are not working together for this fight was my decision. I’m passionate about this fight and I wanted somebody who will be as passionate as I was and obviously I didn’t see or feel Mayweather had that hunger as I do for this fight and that passion.” At the same time De La Hoya, the gentleman that he is said he had the utmost respect for Floyd Mayweather Sr and had no problem if Floyd Sr gave Floyd Jr advice on how to handle Oscar on May 5. “Sure, its his son and if he does, fine. We are prepared for anything. Freddie and I will be ready basically for a boxing war up in that ring.” De La Hoya was inspired in a way by Pacquiao and how he trained under Roach for the big fights. Oscar revealed “I’ve been thinking how Manny Pacquiao, another fighter Freddie Roach trains, always comes out in tremendous shape and never gets tired and he throws punches like there is no tomorrow.” De La Hoya disclosed “the first time I worked with Freddie I said now I know how he (Pacquiao) does it. Its because of Freddie.” But he didn’t give out the training secrets. In a tribute to Roach just as much as his own sense of commitment, De La Hoya said he was in “tremendous shape” and contended that he had ”never been in such great shape, ever.” He also complemented young Filipino boxers Bautista and Banal who have also been working out at the Wilfredo Gomez gym in Puerto Rico along with De La Hoya. In fact, De La Hoya who jogs with the two Filipinos every morning claims he has benefited from the youthfulness of the two. Just as in the life of De La Hoya, Mayweather Jr’s mother too was someone special. He said “I am tired of my mother going to a nursing home working nine to five. I want my family to be in a better position.” Floyd added, “my mother has been a heavy influence in my career and my life.” The HBO mini-series is obviously designed to attract an audience other than the typical boxing fan and as Jason Gonzalez of the Sweet Science website commends HBO’s “unparalleled ability to humanize boxers and craft their back-stories into compelling arcs.” Surely, they could do no less as “The World Awaits.” Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.  |
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