Davison: Boxing rebirth begins with De La Hoya/Mayweather

Friday, May 4, 2007

Boxing is finally back in the limelight this weekend as Oscar De La Hoya (“Golden Boy”) and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (“Pretty Boy”) square off in a super welterweight title fight at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Saturday.

And, it’s about time.

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I would say that the Tyson vs. Lewis heavyweight fight five years ago was the last big pay-per-view fight and let’s be honest, that fight got 2.03 million pay-per view orders because people wanted to see Tyson do something crazy — which he didn’t.

When I was in middle school, I remember begging my parents or my friends’ parents to order the big fights with Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield. But, the heavyweight fighters have pretty much disappeared. The last undisputed heavyweight champ was Lewis in 2003.

And, after watching the heavyweights fight, I enjoyed watching Roy Jones, Jr. and De La Hoya in the lower classes.

So, here we are in 2007, and Saturday is the fight that will save boxing — at least that’s what Richard Schaefer, CEO of De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions, wants to happen.

From the way things look, it just might and I hope it does. Tickets sold out in three hours generating a Nevada-record at $19 million. The second Lewis vs. Holyfield heavyweight title fight in 1999 brought in $16.8 million, the previous record.

Not just ticket sales, the promotion for this fight is like none I have ever seen either. The “De La Hoya/Mayweather 24/7” four-part series on HBO, which concluded last night, got most college-aged guys’ attention. It aired right after “Entourage” and “The Sopranos.” And, because of that, it has been reported that the first-show ratings averaged 1.2 million viewers. De La Hoya is a good, not great, fighter, but he is definitely marketable. Mayweather, meanwhile, is just entertaining to watch.

As for the fight, Mayweather is favored for a reason — maybe because he has yet to lose (37-0, 30 KO). Yes, De La Hoya has more experience and a size advantage (De La Hoya is 5’11” compared to Mayweather’s 5’8”). But, Mayweather, 30, is younger than De La Hoya, 34, and has more speed. Mayweather is an aggressive fighter and I think he will be too much for De La Hoya to handle.

So, bottom line, this fight is worth splitting the $54.95 pay per view bill with some friends. And, don’t worry; I’m sure there will still be plenty of tequila to drink at the bars after the fight on Cinco de Mayo.

Davison is an Overland Park senior in journalism.

— Edited by Trevan McGee

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