EL MUNDO ESPERA
src="https://a.espncdn.com/photo/2007/0221/box_a_oscarmayweather_134.jpg" width="134" height="75" border="0" alt="De La Hoya-Mayweather" />
OSCAR DE LA HOYA vs. FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR.
Sábado 5 de mayo, MGM Grand
English
Features
• Steinberg: EA Sports report
• Rafael: Floyd's hanging 'em up
• Rafael: And the winner is...
• Rafael: Mayweather, the villain
• Rafael: Roach good fit for Oscar
• Five key fights: Mayweather
• Five key fights: De La Hoya
• Struby: Is De La Hoya the best ?
• Simmons: Sleeping giant awakes
• Notebook: War of words rages on
• Rafael: Mosley to spar with Oscar
• Rafael: Catching the wave in DC
• Contursi: The day after...
• Contursi: History in the Making
• Faitelson: No favorites
• Faitelson: On Chavez's footsteps
• Sosa: How each of them can win
• Motta: Oscar's biggest challenge?
The Magazine
• De La Hoya is all business
• Mayweather: 'I'm the best'
Video
• Boxing's savior
• Rafael's pick
• Experts' picks
• Rafael: From the presser
• Talking the talk
• Kenny: DLH interview
• The rivals arrive in Vegas
• Bert Sugar's fight preview
• De La Hoya training
• Mayweather training
• Jump on the hype train
• Mayweather on the Hotlist
Español
• Portada de Boxeo
• Tale of the Tape
Columnistas
• Contursi: Empieza lo bueno
• Faitelson: No hay favorito
• Sánchez: La gloria o el fracaso
• Sosa: Por el amor mexicano
• Contursi: Un combate histórico
• Faitelson: JC Chávez, el modelo
• Sánchez: Mayweather favorito
• Sosa: Qué harán para ganar
• Contursi: El día después
• Faitelson: La chance de Oscar
• Rafael: Y el ganador es...
• Simmons: Despierta un gigante
• Struby: De la Hoya, ¿el mejor?
• Rafael: Floyd cuelga los guantes
• Rafael: Mayweather el villano
• Rafael: El aporte de Roach
ESPN Deportes La Revista
• Motta: Oscar va por el honor
• Ibarra: Perfil de Mayweather Jr.
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Chats
• Lo que dijo Mayweather Jr.
• Habló Shane Mosley
• También Bernard Hopkins
Galería de fotos
• Las últimas peleas de cada uno
Video
• De la Hoya y Mayweather listos
• Oscar habla después del pesaje
• Failteson: Difícil de predecir
• Contursi da su pronóstico
• Cronómetro: ¿Qué pasará?
• Exclusiva con De la Hoya II
• Exclusiva con De la Hoya I
• Mayweather Jr.: ¿El mejor?
• Los guantes del Golden Boy
• De la Hoya listo para la pelea
• Floyd Mayweather se alista
• La opinión de los campeones
• El mundo espera el combate
• Una pelea para la historia
• Charla Dominical: De la Hoya
MEXICO CITY -- There's nothing more to say. Behavior, statistics, trends, characters, personalities, habits… Oscar de la Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have been targets of the most inflated scrutiny in the history of boxing.
I have been asked the same question countless times in the last hours. Along the street, at work, at my girl's school: ¿Who is going to win the fight? I am so confused with all the information released during the last weeks that I really don't know what will finally happen.
We live in an information era, and information is excessive. You find it on every corner, it appears here and there, and because of that you're expected not to mess up. This time things are different. Too much information may cause disinformation.
My first forecast, in which I still believe, though not as blindly as before, is that Oscar will end up knocking out Mayweather. But I should clarify that it's a question of blood, identity and tradition that bonds me more to De la Hoya than to Mayweather. It's something difficult to set aside but it shouldn't, at least apparently, interfere with my professional opinion.
I have read Roberto Sosa, Jorge Eduardo Sanchez, Contursi and Rafael and opinions are divided, though each one of them presented solid arguments when stating why De la Hoya or Mayweather is the favorite or should win the fight.
There's nothing new under the sun. De la Hoya has more punch and the fight will take place in his division, his weight, with his gloves and his title at stake. Mayweather will go into the fight undefeated, he's faster, has more mobility and, technically, he is one of the most meticulous boxers of his time.
I'd dare to say that there is space for both of them in history, buy I'm aware that the industry requires big confrontations, new challenges and brave fighters. The De la Hoya-Mayweather battle is a calculated combat. It didn't come naturally, it was forced, and a natural super lightweight has climbed up to face one of today's best fighters.
We need to understand that the crises in upper weights have set up a prefect scene for boxers in intermediate categories, such as Mayweather and De la Hoya. Since the fall of Tyson, Hollyfield and Lennox Lewis, interest has vanished from the top weight. Promoters, casinos and networks targeted other divisions to cover the holes.
But I don't want to lose the point here. I think we should all appreciate the exceptional conditions of both protagonists of this Saturday's fight, and stick to the old sports phrase, "guarded prognosis".
There's too much information going around and this can cause disinformation. But you should try to make the most of it and give it your best shot.
At the same time, everything seems so simple: One has power and experience; the other has speed and youth. However, no computer has been able to sort out the odds, experts are baffled and no one dares to state a clear forecast.
"De la Hoya or Mayweather?" someone asked me in Mexico City's airport last week. I almost didn't think. I bit my tongue, looked at him sharply, swallowed and then answered… Manny Pacquiao!