Mayweather/de la Hoya Fight

[shrax4]

FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR -200
OSCAR DE LA HOYA +170
are the lines off wsex.com

Anyone betting this fight? I've been offered a bet where I take Mayweather straight up and I'm not sure about it, due to me knowing nothing about boxing.

Any insight appreciated.

[Wheell]

First off, you can take Mayweather straight up and hedge online, so not taking the bet is silly in that respect. As for the fight itself I see this as being a bad matchup for De La Hoya and I expect Mayweather to outpoint him and win comfortably. I have Mayweather -185.

[rjt721]

Mayweather at that price is a steal. The only thing keeping Floyd from being -400, which he should be, is that De La Hoya is by far the biggest name in boxing. I'm going to wait until fight night to put action on Mayweather because I expect the public to continue to back De La Hoya.

I'm a huge boxing fan, and I don't see De La Hoya having any realistic shot in this fight. Oscar has never been in the ring with anyone with the speed of Mayweather. The only opponent De La Hoya has faced with anywhere near the same combination of foot and hand speed, mixed with pure boxing ability, was Shane Moseley, and Oscar lost both times they fought. De La Hoya is still a very good fighter, but he is past his prime and this is a terrible matchup for him against Mayweather, who is far and away the top pound-for-pound fighter. I think Mayweather dominates this fight and wins by decision.

[tevari]

Mayweather in under 11 rounds.

[scott james]

my wife and i are going to the fight, i am also taking floyd, won't bet much on it but i will wait and bet it sat morning !!

[GoBlue]

I am all over De La Hoya ?

He is going to crush Mayweather - too big and punches too hard. The second Mosely fight Oscar won but was robbed. You don't think Pernal Whitiker was just as fast if not faster than Floyd? Floyd is going to get crushed - watch

[scott james]

ya right.... floyd might get crushed !! in the past my boxing bets have not been to good. it's just hard for me to bet against someone thats 37-0 las vegas has mayweather almost a 2 to 1 fav.... whats up with that ???

[rjt721]

He is going to crush Mayweather - too big and punches too hard. The second Mosely fight Oscar won but was robbed. You don't think Pernal Whitiker was just as fast if not faster than Floyd? Floyd is going to get crushed - watch

In his prime, Sweet Pea had similar speed to Floyd, but Whitaker was past his prime when he fought Oscar. Regardless, Whitaker's speed made De La Hoya look awful in that fight and Pernell should have won the decision. Also, Oscar isn't nearly the same fighter now that he was back in '97 when he fought Whitaker.

[GoBlue]

What? I am not sure what you are talking about in regards to Oscar not being nearly the fighter he was then! What fight did he look bad in beside the Felix Strum fight. He was doing well in the fight with Hopkins before the body blow that got him and many people thought he had a NO chance in that fight. He destoyed Myorga in his last fight. FM is a great fighter but he will have a lot of trouble with Oscars power - Oscar is not slow either. Sure if FM runs all night like Sweet Pea did then he won'y get knocked out but he will not win a close decsision either - no Don King ala the robbery in the Tito fight - Oscar is by far the fav of the fans and that will play huge in the judging of this fight.

FM is a PUNK and with all of his talk he prob will run like the little man he is.

[scott james]

well i would not call floyd mayweather jr a "punk" just because he talks alot of trash !!! dude the fighter is 37-0

[rjt721]

What? I am not sure what you are talking about in regards to Oscar not being nearly the fighter he was then! What fight did he look bad in beside the Felix Strum fight. He was doing well in the fight with Hopkins before the body blow that got him and many people thought he had a NO chance in that fight. He destoyed Myorga in his last fight. FM is a great fighter but he will have a lot of trouble with Oscars power - Oscar is not slow either. Sure if FM runs all night like Sweet Pea did then he won'y get knocked out but he will not win a close decsision either - no Don King ala the robbery in the Tito fight - Oscar is by far the fav of the fans and that will play huge in the judging of this fight.

FM is a PUNK and with all of his talk he prob will run like the little man he is.

You sound like a De La Hoya fan with your analysis and criticism of Mayweather. As an impartial observer, I don't believe this is a good matchup for Oscar and I don't think he can win this fight. In fact, I would love to see De La Hoya beat Floyd, who is an arrogant prick. I just don't think it's realistic.

De La Hoya clearly isn't the fighter he was in the late 90s. He is 34 and has fought only three times in nearly four years. It's common knowledge that boxer's lose something when they hit their mid 30s, particularly when they have fought as many rounds against the caliber of opponents Oscar has faced. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule, such as Hopkins, but Bernard fights a much more defensive style and hasn't taken nearly as many punches as De La Hoya, who has taken an absolute beating in his career. Oscar made a big mistake not taking a tune-up fight prior to this bout.

While he's past his prime, don't get me wrong: he's still very good and without doubt still a top 10 pound-for-pound fighter. As you mentioned, he looked awful in the Sturm fight. The Mayorga fight is insignificant in my opinion. I know Mayorga is a former champion and beat Forrest twice, but Mayorga is far from a world-class fighter and lacked the desire, discipline, and motivation to beat Oscar. De La Hoya destroying Mayorga like he did was predictable, and Mayweather would've disposed of Mayorga just as easily.

I agree with you saying that Oscar will get the benefit of the doubt from the judges because of his popularity. If it's a close fight he will surely get the decision because that makes a rematch more likely than giving Mayweather a close decision. That is really the only factor keeping from placing anything more than a small wager on Floyd.

[moses millsap]

Floyd's history of screwing up his hands during the fight is the only thing that scares me off of him as the chalk.

[gridironguy]

RJT makes great points, but don't forget that DLH was NOT UP for the Sturm fight. He WAS UP for the Vargas fight, Mayorga fight, etc.

Run your mouth against Oscar, and he pretty much kicks your ass.

Floyd has been running his mouth, plus Oscar is pissed that Floyd's dad ditched him to go to Floyd's camp.

here's my take:


Mayweather is coming up to 154 after fighting at 147. De La Hoya is very comfortable fighting at 154. Oscar is 4 yrs older, to the month. Both were born in February, 4 yrs apart.

DLH has never fought a guy of Mayweather's ability, but DLH has fought some pretty good fighter's. Other than Hopkins, nobody has taken it to DLH. He gave the fight to Trinidad by running the last 4 rounds after thoroughly beating Tito the first 8 rounds.

Vs Shane Mosley, many observers he felt one, if not both fights.
They were very, very close.

DLH has taken all comers, and knocked most of them out.

Mayweather has never seen power like he will see against DLH.

Yeah fellas, let's talk some boxing.

[rjt721]

Anyone watching De La Hoya/Mayweather 24/7 on HBO?

I love it. Roger Mayweather and Floyd Sr = great television.

[Willie Bee]

Nice article by Brian Gabrielle

Super Fight of the Century

By: Brian Gabrielle

http://www.bgsports.com

Western civilization isn't even halfway through 2007 yet, but the Super Fight of the Century already looms large on the Las Vegas horizon.

Pretty Boy versus The Golden Boy in (arguably) the Boxing Capital of the World -- and a pair of U.S. Olympic medalists to boot.

Undefeated challenger Floyd Mayweather (37-0, 24 KOs) will face Oscar de La Hoya (38-4, 30 KOs) in a long awaited, much anticipated WBC title match on Saturday (May 5). They're jawing like Ali and Frazier, Sugar Ray and Hearnes and Tyson and anyone, and it has been well documented by media across the world.

The bout will be the day's second major sporting event, following on the hoofs of the Kentucky Derby, which itself annually lures huge throngs to Southern Nevada.

De La Hoya, 34, won a gold medal at Barcelona in 1992, while Mayweather, 30, took a bronze in Atlanta four years later. Mayweather has sought the meeting for years.

Professional Handicappers League member Jorge Gonzalez considers boxing one of his specialties and he's giving readers of this site his very strong opinion about the outcome.

"I think Mayweather is going to dominate him," Gonzalez said, citing the younger fighter's age advantage as a major factor in selecting him to win.

The MGM Grand Garden Arena sold out quickly once ducats went on sale and, with pay-per-view tickets costing in the $60 neighborhood, the bout is expected to produce Sin City's biggest boxing payday ever, while possibly spawning a rematch or two. Both boxers anticipate rich paychecks, with de La Hoya receiving as much as $25 million and Mayweather $10 million.

De La Hoya has won championships in six weight classes, Mayweather in four.

Mayweather was roughly a 2/1 choice in weeks leading up to the fight. Monday night Sin City's Mirage had Mayweather a minus $1.80 favorite, de La Hoya plus $1.60., the same as offshore Olympic. The line at CRIS was plus $1.55, minus $1.85. The Mirage's 12-round proposition was "Will go" minus $1.70 and "Won't go" plus $2.30.

De La Hoya was plus $5.00 to win by a knockout and plus $2.20 to triumph by a decision; Mayweather's prices were plus $5.50 and minus $1.30. A draw was plus $14.00.

Gonzalez says choosing Mayweather -- described by the handicapper as pound-for-pound the planet's top boxer today -- was fairly easy.

"Do you want a fighter who is in his prime or one whose prime is over?" he asked. "Oscar's glory days are in the past. Floyd Mayweather is in his prime."

De La Hoya lost a pair of decisions to Shane Mosley, a major decision to Felix Trinidad and was knocked out by Bernard Hopkins in September of 2004. The adopted Las Vegas son scored a comeback of sorts with a sixth round TKO of Ricardo Mayorga last year and went on to finally accept Mayweather's showdown challenge.

While de La Hoya is expected to have a large Cinquo de Mayo crowd behind him, Gonzales reminds that Mayweather's from Sin City and will have plenty of backers. Gonzalez also is swayed by the Mayweather family's deep ties to the sport and the fact that Uncle Roger, a champion himself, helped train his nephew for the match and that father Floyd Sr. is in his corner.

"The whole family's behind him," Gonzalez said.

His introduction to the handicapping world's inner workings came when Gonzalez began patronizing the now-imploded Stardust and started rubbing elbows with the group of betting insiders who later became his peers. Relying on a series of steps, Gonzalez gradually carved out a niche in sports gambling's jungle: setting up a Web site, joining ProCappers, starting a radio show, landing Stardust and other broadcast and touting gigs, all while proving his handicapping abilities by winning online contests.

Gonzalez is most proud of the PHL NBA title he won a few years ago.

Current broadcasting duties include regular appearances on "Just for Openers," a show sponsored by Las Vegas Sports Consultants that airs on FOX Radio, and another hosted by the Leroy's sportsbook chain that's heard throughout the Western United States and Canada on KDWN (720-AM).

While Gonzalez freely shares his thoughts on the big boxing match, don't look to him to complete a Cinquo de Mayo daily double with a winning Run for the Roses pick.

"I've never made a horse bet in my life," he said.

[Razz]

Over 11.5 rounds -230. Easy money, if you're willing to lay it.

[sungus77]

anyone else hear that sugar shane mosley whipped DLH's ass in the sparring sessions (i heard he gave him black eyes)? i am liking mayweather to flat out knock the former golden boy out before a decision. thoughts?

[rjt721]

Mayweather wins this fight, but he won't stop Oscar. Floyd is moving up in weight, and he isn't a huge puncher to begin with. Of the two, DLH is the bigger puncher, so Floyd will be content to just use his speed advantage and outpoint Oscar round after round. DLH also has a very good chin, so I can't see Floyd stopping him.

In my opinion, Mayweather by decision +105 is easy money.

[gridironguy]

anyone else hear that sugar shane mosley whipped DLH's ass in the sparring sessions (i heard he gave him black eyes)? i am liking mayweather to flat out knock the former golden boy out before a decision. thoughts?

Sun, I heard the opposite. I heard that Oscar put Shane on his ass twice.

[gridironguy]

anyone else hear that sugar shane mosley whipped DLH's ass in the sparring sessions (i heard he gave him black eyes)? i am liking mayweather to flat out knock the former golden boy out before a decision. thoughts?

Oscar has a great chin bro.

[babaoriley]

Mayweather will absolutely punish Oscar in terms of speed. He's like RJJ back in his prime, in terms of speed/defensive ability.

I laid what amounts to 10 of my normal betting units on Mayweather at -185.

[EaglesPhan36]

I'm taking Oscar at +160

[bigboydan]

I like Mayweather in this fight. I think that time that Oscar took off is really going to hurt him in this fight, and it's gonna show it too in the mid rounds.

[onlooker]

Hard to bet against a champion like Oscar. But if I had to bet this fight, it would be with the underdog. I just can't bet against Floyd though.

I wonder if PBF going up in weight will hurt him any. I know one thing, he sure can talk some sheit.

[bigboydan]

Here comes Oscar money pouring in right now.

I see the line is down to -165 right now in some places.

[shrax4]

Got $30 on Mayweather with a friend. No paying juice for me.

[gridironguy]

I think Oscar acquitted himself well, but Pretty Boy Floyd is obviously a different class of fighter at this point in time.

Congrats Floyd backers.