Matthew Hurley: As word spread that Oscar De La Hoya had decided that a rematch with Floyd Mayweather was his primary objective for 2008 a collective groan went up within the boxing community. A rematch of their May 5th ‘fight to save boxing,’ as Sports Illustrated put it, smacked of corporate account padding. The fact that their first go-round left many fight fans chugging beers to make the lack of action more palatable does not seem to enter into the equation where the ‘Golden Boy’ and the ‘Pretty Boy’ are concerned. These are not two hungry fighters seeking out the best opponents to enhance their legacy. They are savvy businessmen who don’t particularly appreciate getting hit in the mouth anymore in order to cash a check. And because they remain two of the biggest names in the sport, despite their disappointing willingness to take the path of least resistance, they have once again turned to each other for another monster pay day because they know that their names alone will sell tickets..
De La Hoya – Mayweather II is not a great fight. In fact it’s not even a fight that the public demanded. What it is is an opportunity for De La Hoya to cash out before he trades in his boxing gloves for full time promotional duties at his company Golden Boy Promotions. That may seem a bit harsh, particularly when considering all that De La Hoya has done for boxing, but somewhere along the line the fighter got lost inside all the business machinations that go on in putting on a big event and because Oscar was, and remains, the sports biggest draw the amount of money that he can pocket for almost any farce he decides to compete in has entrenched him deeper into the boardroom.
From a business standpoint it would be hard to argue with the direction the latter stages of De La Hoya’s career has taken. Money is the main objective but it also comes at a cost and it has been the boxing fan that has paid the price. Pay-per-view events have compartmentalized the sport, forcing fans to pick and choose which events they can afford. Going to a live show has become economically impossible for many fans and whether he likes it or not De La Hoya is the smiling or glaring face that stares down at these fans from promotional billboards advertising his next pay-per-view foray into the ring. Oscar has not fought on ‘free’ television since 2001 when he knocked out Arturo Gatti in the fifth round on HBO. On top of that he has lost three out of his last five fights so laymen may wonder how this guy can keep duping the public into shelling out their hard earned cash to see him fight one hand picked opponent after another. And that’s what De La Hoya – Mayweather II represents.
The danger going into the first De La Hoya – Mayweather bout, an event that garnered extensive mainstream media attention, was that the fight would not only not live up to the hype but that it would further turn off marginal fans through it’s lack of drama. The fight did exactly that so a rematch only seems to benefit those involved in the production of the fight. Wrap it all up with another HBO 24/7 promotional bow, which proved to be the most interesting aspect of the event, and fans are left with a $55 hollow piece of chocolate – it looks good on the outside but crumbles when you try to sink your teeth into it.
To De La Hoya’s credit he has decided to take a tune-up bout on May 3rd and expressed his desire to lower ticket costs and have the fight televised on ‘free’ television. Yet there’s still something disingenuous about this. First of all the names being bandied about for Oscar’s return to the ring include Steve Forbes, Paulie Malignaggi and Dmitriy Salita – all welterweights or junior welterweights. De La Hoya, still smarting from junior welterweight Ricky Hatton’s loss to Floyd Mayweather (Oscar was hoping to set up a fight with Hatton), has apparently decided to make this ‘free’ fight as easy on himself as possible. Oscar, now fighting at 154 pounds hasn’t fought at junior welterweight since 1997 and welterweight since 2000. In the words of Roger Waters, “ha, ha charade you are.” That’s not to belittle Forbes, Malignaggi or Salita, all talented fighters, but much smaller men than Oscar.
And just how much does it cost if it’s free?
According to Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Shaefer, Oscar wants to pay his fans back for all their support. “He wants to give something back to the fans who have supported him for all these years. He wants to make tickets affordable wherever the fight takes place. We want to have $10 and $20 tickets. If it’s in Los Angeles, it will be like a homecoming.”
That’s all well and good, if it ever comes to pass, but HBO, the cable network that will broadcast the fight is not free television. It cost upwards of $25 a month. So those who don’t have HBO but would like to see the fight will still be paying pay-per-view dollars for the privilege of watching Oscar perform against what is sure to be an underwhelming opponent. Nothing is free and the huckster in De La Hoya just proves that at this late stage in his career he has more in common with promoter Bob Arum than he does with, say, Miguel Cotto – a fighter he should be stepping in the ring with, if only to give Oscar the one knock down drag out Hagler – Hearns type war that he has been quoted as saying he wants to end his career on.
Instead he will fight Mayweather again. A fighter he knows can’t hurt him or provide the guts and glory style to make a counter puncher like Oscar look good. The stylistic match-up wasn’t particularly intriguing the first time around so what could possibly change now?
Oscar De La Hoya has been an integral part of boxing for the past fifteen years. His importance to the sport, whether you like him or not, cannot be overestimated. Boxing has always needed a flagship fighter, a star willing to press the flesh and reach people outside the confines of the boxing universe. For years, Oscar has been that guy even if he wasn’t the best fighter in the sport at any one time. But for quite a while he was a fighter first even as his marketing skills were coming into play. That’s all gone now. Oscar is now firmly fixed in the corporate structure and in September he will face a guy who is happily following his lead. Although they can still talk a good game Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr. are no longer professional prize fighters, they are businessmen and they believe they can con you into buying their shtick one more time. At $55 it’s a pretty steep price to pay when you’ve already seen their disappointing show once before. Let the buyer beware.