Mayweather vs De La Hoya 2?

[rik]

Encore, encore
By Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports

 LAS VEGAS – The scorecards varied widely, the passions raged wildly and, for a few minutes after the fight, there was even some unfounded confusion over whether the judges had flip-flopped their numbers and Oscar De La Hoya had actually beaten Floyd Mayweather Jr., not vice versa.

By the end, after all the celebrity sightings, all the combinations and crosses, after the pro-De La Hoya crowd chanted "bull----," after everyone poured out of the MGM Grand and into an electric environment on The Strip, this much was simple: Let's do it again.

Maybe in the fall. Maybe in a year.

Whatever and whenever, De La Hoya-Mayweather II ought be a mere formality now. Carve up the tens of millions and give boxing fans – old and new – another night to care, another fight to look forward to, another moment to matter.

"I told you I am retired (and) as of right now I sticking with my word," Mayweather said. "But I've got to talk with my team."

"Yeah, we'll see," De La Hoya said. "Obviously it's go back to the drawing board and talk it over."

Translation: This one should be as good as signed, sealed and delivered.

Mayweather isn't staying retired, not at age 30, not at the top of his game and with the legacy he is so concerned about still being built. He won this one fair and square, but he could use another chance at De La Hoya to finish off whatever lingering doubts are out there among fans.

Meanwhile, De La Hoya is too good of a businessman to leave this big payday sitting on the shelf, especially when he was so close to scoring the upset that would have been the most impressive victory of his career.

This wasn't the greatest fight of all time, but it was plenty good enough to leave everyone wanting more.

Especially for a sport that needed this shot in the arm, needed to remind everyone that it can deliver a Super Bowl-like atmosphere – from the corporate sponsors to the all-night parties to the Hollywood jetsetters.

Where else but boxing could you get John McCain, Mike Tyson and Jennifer Lopez all in the same room?

This was a show of force for the old-school sport, which went modern this week as Vegas was overrun by a youthful, celebrity-driven party crowd. Seven-thousand rank-and-file fans jammed Friday's weigh-in. Huge, corporate-sponsored parties busted out all over town – highlighted by Tecate beer's Friday blowout at the trendy, rooftop VooDoo Lounge high above the city.

Fight night brought out a who's who, dressed to the nines, lookers and hookers, athletes and actresses, singers and stars, their limos backed up for blocks on Tropicana. Tickets went as high as $10,000.

There were so many A-listers in attendance that before the fight they didn't have time to introduce them all, never getting around to the considerable likes of Will Ferrell, Dwyane Wade and Jim Carrey

Then Mayweather, in a clear shot at De La Hoya, even entered the ring wearing Mexican colors and a comically, oversized sombrero on Cinco de Mayo.

"I love all my Hispanic fans," he said, before claiming he probably only had 200 or 300 supporters out of the 16,700 in attendance.

Of course, he kept it real by having 50 Cent rap his intro live while accompanying him to the ring. "One of my best friends," Mayweather nodded.

By the opening bell, the arena was pure energy.

It was everything boxing – plagued by mismanagement, corruption and dull irrelevance – could have hoped for. There was no way to experience this entire scene and not realize that boxing still has that unique ability to pull off the major, monster event, that no matter what, no matter UFC, there is still, at the very least, a pulse here.

And then the fight delivered for the fans.

"I just wanted to make sure we gave the people what they wanted and I believe the fans were happy," De La Hoya said.

Not all were, of course. The debate over who really won and who really lost will rage on. Mayweather moved to 38-0 with the split decision, but here in pro-Oscar Vegas, there was plenty of differing opinions.

Even Mayweather's dad thought the judges got it wrong.

"I thought Oscar won the fight based on the point system," said Floyd Sr., who used to train De La Hoya (38-5) and has an off-again, on-again relationship with Floyd Jr. "My son had good defense but I thought Oscar pressed the fight."

Mayweather landed far more punches (207-122). De La Hoya landed far stronger ones. In the end, judge Jerry Ross' decision to give the 12th round to Mayweather – the other two judges gave it to De La Hoya – was the difference between a split decision and a draw.

"I didn't feel like a loser," De La Hoya said.

"I thought I was going to beat him by a bigger score," Mayweather said. "All the shots he was throwing, he was missing."

"He didn't hurt me," De La Hoya countered.

"He was trying to steal rounds at the end," Mayweather said. "But you can't steal rounds taking punches in the face."

You can see where this one is going. Another national press tour, another HBO reality series, another buildup that will bring out the average sport fan, bring out the big-money sponsors, bring out the pretty people to come to Vegas and party the weekend away.

This was just what boxing needed. Now it needs to do it again. 

http://sports.yahoo.com/box/news?slug=dw-fight050607&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

Why?


It would be the same fight! It could go on for 50 rounds and no one would get knocked out...FUCK this shit.

[Just Another Sunny day in California]

maybe mayweather will come out to box this time with De La Hoya instead of playing defense the whole night 

[$Eg2$]

maybe mayweather will come out to box this time with De La Hoya instead of playing defense the whole night 

Maybe the pretty boy wont Run as much as he did and Box toe 2 toe

[d-nice]

Why?


It would be the same fight! It could go on for 50 rounds and no one would get knocked out...FUCK this shit.

Money. Let's see what they say once those pay per view numbers come back and they get their cuts from that.

[Just Another Sunny day in California]

maybe mayweather will come out to box this time with De La Hoya instead of playing defense the whole night 

Maybe the pretty boy wont Run as much as he did and Box toe 2 toe

yup

[Now_Im_Not_Banned]

maybe mayweather will come out to box this time with De La Hoya instead of playing defense the whole night 

He threw less punches and landed more...I'd say that strategy is working out for him.

[d-nice]

Mayweather is a counter puncher. De La Hoya is too but he will force the issue and mix it up from time to time. Most counter punchers don't mix it up for the whole fight because it throws their whole gameplan off. And nothing is more boring than watching 2 good counter punchers fight because both are waiting for the other to make a move. (Jermain Taylor vs Winky Wright)

[d-nice]

Money is what will decide if it is worth a 2nd fight. I thought as long as the fight is close, they will probably do it again. Floyd will probably make close to 13 million after pay per view sales are included so a 2nd fight he would probably get 15 million guaranteed. Bernard Hopkins said he was probably done after he fought Oscar and he is still fighting. It is hard to walk away from money like that when you never made that much fighting your whole career. I doubt before this fight Floyd made more than 3 million in any of his fights.

[rik]

Yeah man, if the money is there, they're going to do it. I don't know if I want to see a rematch though. Not if it's going to be the same shit, with Floyd running all fight. That is why I've never been a fan of him or his fights. If he does fight him again I say De La Hoya goes with Floyd Senior as his trainer.

[Javier]

Isn't Mayweather Jr. just doing the best he can to use his strengths to win the fight?  I don't see the big deal, Oscar would also do that with stronger fighters.  If a boxer has speed and is facing a stronger puncher, your game plan will obviously try to be is make the other miss and get tired to enable him to have a stronger finish. Floyd have faced fighters that are similar to him, but all of them have gotten knocked out.  He's gotten decisions on fighters that are bigger and stronger than him.  It just shows you how great Mayweather is. 

[Teddy Roosevelt]

Why ya'll painting Mayweather as a coward? Had he lost then in would be a good arguement to say he's a pussy who just runs around the ring. But he won the fight. And he did it playing his way. Like NIK said that's strategy. Some people need to let go of the notation that boxing is just pitting one person's strength against another. Whatever it takes to win.

[Kool Beenz]

The only person in the world that has a good chance of beating floyd in most likely Sugar Shane Mosley he is just as fast but a little stronger... if Floyd wants to fight anyone it should be Shane

[d-nice]

The only person in the world that has a good chance of beating floyd in most likely Sugar Shane Mosley he is just as fast but a little stronger... if Floyd wants to fight anyone it should be Shane

Yeah but he is not going to make 15 million fighting Shane Mosley. That fight was in negotiations and it stopped the minute Floyd knew he could get a fight with Oscar. Fighting him is like winning the lottery. 

[Vegasmac25]

yeah thats the problem Floyd doesnt like to fight he likes to run.