WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO WIN
De La Hoya vs. Mayweather Jr.
By Moncayo Blackbull
Photo: Eric Van Dyke/InsideBoxing
INSIDEBOXING.com (April 30, 2007) -
On May 5th the two best active fighters in the world will step into the ring and
face each other. The outcome of this fight most certainly will place the victor
in the elite crowd of boxers called the “Greatest”. Although their can be only
one “greatest”, De La Hoya and
Mayweather Jr. are capable of seizing the title
from Muhammad Ali, at the very least the winner should be known as the greatest
fighter of their time.
“The world Awaits” is how this fight is being billed and rightfully so, the
world does await, await to see if the fight will live up to the hype or will
both fighters battle overcautiously.
Should both De La Hoya and Mayweather fight too cautious, then we’ll have a
boring fight and the fighters will be remembered this way, leaving all
possibilities of being called the greatest far behind. Should one fighter fight
cautiously, then that fighter will lose and be remembered as a scary cat and of
course you can forever forget the greatest tag.
Personally I don’t think we will see any holding back from either fighter, when
you come this close to going down in history as the best, then holding back is
out of the question. Make no mistake, both fighters want to win and win with an
exclamation mark!
Breaking down this fight is no where near as difficult as it will be for the
fighters to execute and implement the actions it will take to win.
A lot of talk about the out-of-ring advantages De La Hoya carries such as
fighting under his own promotional banner, fighting on the Mexican holiday Cinco
De Mayo, and the large expected Mexican crowd. The truth of the matter is when
the fight begins, only the fighters will be in the ring. The out-of-ring
scenarios can serve a moral or confidence booster for De La Hoya but can also
put an additional load of pressure for the Mexican fighter.
The out-of-ring advantages for De La Hoya have done nothing for him as far as
fight odds are concerned, Mayweather Jr. started and remains a favorite to win
the fight. Early money posted on mega fights such as this one is usually
considered the “Smart” money, money placed by gamblers that make betting their
business.
The closer we get to the fight we should see the odds tighten up as people start
betting with their hearts.
It may sound as if I’m leaning toward Mayweather Jr. winning the fight, not the
case, the favorites in horse racing don’t always win and the favorite in this
fight may not win.
The way I see it, the fighter that fights his fight and takes the other out of
his comfort zone will win the fight.
What it will take to win:
OSCAR DE LA HOYA:
SHAPE… SHAPE… SHAPE, De La Hoya must be in outstanding shape, conditioning
will play a big role in a De La Hoya victory. Chopping wood and chasing
chicken’s only works on T.V. De La Hoya cannot afford to tire in the
championship rounds. His experience has pulled through in previous fights but it
won’t against Floyd.
Keep the fight at Oscar’s distance,
De La Hoya being the taller of the two must make the fight at a distance where
Mayweather Jr. cannot effectively land and score. Be plentiful with combinations
and move or jab out, this will keep Mayweather Jr. struggling to close the gap.
This will be Oscar’s best chance at stopping the smaller Mayweather Jr.
Head movement, De La Hoya
will need to keep good head movement, should De La Hoya keep his cranium still
Mayweather Jr. will use his patent right hand “Quick Release” and score
effectively.
FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR.:
Utilize his speed, keep his
jab out there. Throwing his jab effectively will freeze De La Hoya and allow
Mayweather Jr. to close the gap without trying. Once Mayweather has De La Hoya
stopping and trying to block his punches, then the “quick release” right hand
lands at will.
A focused body attack, mixing
punches from head shots to a well pinpointed body attack. Send that quick right
hand to the solar plexus, paralyzing the movement of De La Hoya.
No back peddling, moving back and
away from De La Hoya will only play into De La Hoya’s hands. Floyd has excellent
shoulder movement and if he uses this movement along with changing his height,
Mayweather Jr. will make De La Hoya miss his shots and stay in range to
capitalize.
Who will execute? Who will win?
May 5th is just around the corner… Tune in and find out!
The World Awaits…