The May 5 showdown between Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr. is one of the most anticipated fights in many years, but before the fight comes the most anticipated media tour in years.
De La Hoya, a junior middleweight titlist, and Mayweather, the welterweight world champion and pound-for-pound king, will officially announce their fight Feb. 20 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York, organizers announced Tuesday. It is the first stop on an 11-city national tour.
The fighters and their camps will make additional stops in Philadelphia, Washington, Chicago, Detroit, Miami, Houston, Dallas, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Los Angeles to hype an HBO PPV fight that is expected to break the non-heavyweight pay-per-view record of 1.4 million buys set by De La Hoya’s 1999 welterweight unification fight with Felix Trinidad.
It is also expected to challenge the all-time record of 1.99 million buys set by the Evander Holyfield-Mike Tyson heavyweight title rematch in 1997.
The MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas is already sold out for the fight, generating a record $19 million-plus live gate.
The press conferences will be free and open to the public.
“I hope all the fans come out to celebrate with us,” De La Hoya said. “Seeing my fans in every city on the tour will motivate and remind me of what I have been fighting for all along and why I will win May 5.”
Mayweather has yearned for years to be involved in such a significant fight.
“This is a huge promotion for me,” Mayweather said. “I’m looking forward to talking to the media and the fans in all of those cities to let them know just how ready I am to beat Oscar De La Hoya on May 5.”
The schedule: Feb. 20, New York; Feb. 21, Philadelphia and Washington; Feb. 22, Chicago and Detroit; Feb. 23, Miami; Feb. 26, Houston and Dallas; Feb. 27, San Francisco and Las Vegas; Feb. 28, Los Angeles.
HBO’s cameras will chronicle the press tour to use footage in its four-part reality series “De La Hoya/Mayweather 24/7,” which will follow the fighters from the press tour through their training camps and air April 15, 22, 29 and May 3.
Both fighters will head to training camp following the media tour, De La Hoya (38-4, 30 KOs) with new trainer Freddie Roach in Puerto Rico, and Mayweather (37-0, 24 KOs) in Las Vegas.
