Oscar De La Hoya is an odd bird. He sometimes says and tweets things at which I cringe. It?s not that they don?t make sense?even Adrien Broner?s statements and tweets make sense in context?it?s that the sense they make may be of limited value.
De La Hoya isn?t a Rhodes Scholar, but he doesn?t need to be. He?s smart enough to be a decorated former world champion. He?s smart enough to have created Golden Boy Promotions. He is smart enough to have enlisted the services of the take-no-prisoners, take-no-shit Richard Schaefer. That is very smart. But does that make him smart enough to make predictions for the Sept. 14 fight between Floyd Mayweather and Canelo Alvarez that are meant to be taken seriously?
In the seemingly eternal buildup to the fight, De La Hoya is working overtime to make Canelo seem more than he perhaps is.
?Canelo is so calm and mature,? said Oscar. ?Nothing gets to him. He is focused. I tell him to stay focused. And keep pumping your jab. That is the key. My world changed after I beat Chavez. Canelo is experiencing the glory and ahead of his time. If he doesn?t knock Floyd out in less than eight rounds, I will be very surprised.?
I will be very surprised if Canelo does knock Floyd out, no matter the round. And I?m not the only one. Mayweather, who is as unlikely to knock out Canelo and Canelo is likely to knock out Mayweather, also isn?t buying what De La Hoya is selling.
?Everybody?s entitled to his own opinion,? said Mayweather at yesterday?s open workout in Las Vegas. ?I faced De La Hoya and I was victorious. So he?s entitled to his opinion. Everybody entitled to their own opinion. I?m not fighting a guy who?s just a pushover. He?s young. He?s strong. He?s got good boxing skill. We?ll see how it plays out. [But] you?ve got to look at some of the opponents he?s faced in the past. I don?t know too many opponents he faced in the past, but a lot of guys went the distance with him, and we?re not talking about guys on the A-list or B-list. We?re talking about D fighters and C fighters. They were able to go to the eight round or ninth round. He was getting hit with numerous shots. As far as me, I use certain angles. I got a lot of experience. So it?s going to be a little difficult for him at this level.?
It?s hard not to agree with that assessment. Canelo is young and strong, as Money May pointed out, plus he?s undefeated. But if he failed to KO Austin Trout, who is no Floyd Mayweather, in his last fight, how is Canelo going to stop the pound-for-pound king in less than eight rounds?
