Mayweather - De La Hoya

[DlocRoth]

ROFL....so true......

[binnie]

Ok, there are always good fighters around (the heavyweight division is the exception), the problem is that with so many different belts they can become "world" champions by ducking the some of the best contenders out there - as a result we never get to see what they are made of, how much heart they have, and how they would cope under pressure.

Is that the fighters fault, or the promoters/ managers? I don't know.

I'm not a fan of seeing the past through rose tinted spectacles: I love watching the Hearns, Hagler, Leonard, Duran era fights but it wasn't necessariy because they were "better" boxers, it was because they got into better fights with the best around: that's what is missing now. Right now I think that the game is floored, but not for want of decent players.

You know, I'm sure that 25 years ago people were saying "y'know halger is great but Sugar Ray or Tony Zale would have killed him..." and the like: the truth is that is very difficult to judge a fighter until they have retired and we can take stock.

What we need is a way of ensuring that champions fight the best out there...

[ALinChainz]

Exactly. A sport wide tourney to unify belts.

WBA, WBC, IBF, and against my personal beliefs, the WBO.

One champ would make the title fights and even the qualifiers and contending bouts better. This picking and choosing shit sucks.

[binnie]

That would be a fantastic idea: so many fights I'd love to see, and I think we'd see some legends born.

Jeezus, the only division where the top guys fight each other is Barrera. Pacquiano, Marques and Morales.

The other divisions should follow suit, because those guys have given us some great fights in recent years...

[binnie]

Mayweather certainly believes his own hype.

From sportinglife.com

Floyd Mayweather Jr goes into next weekend's WBC light-middleweight showdown with Oscar De La Hoya believing he would have beaten Sugar Ray Robinson and Sugar Ray Leonard, two of the all-time greats of the ring.

Mayweather, 30, met Leonard at a boxing writers' dinner in Las Vegas two years ago.

"A lightweight beat you," Mayweather told Leonard, referring to defeat by Roberto Duran, a loss later reversed.

Mayweather, a world champion at four weights, also believes he would have beaten the great Robinson,

"I feel like I would have won. I'm not in this sport to say a guy can beat me," he said, adding: "I've seen a lot of film of Ray Robinson. He kept his guard low and stood flat-footed."

Mayweather and De La Hoya meet on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in a 12-round fight for the light-middleweight title.

And Mayweather is already talking up his chances.

"When they mention legendary fighters my name will come up. You go to any boxing gym in America and ask the kids who they would rather be, me or Oscar, and they're all going to say me.

"I wish all the fans could be part of this. I'm for real and this is what is real for me," he told the New York Daily News.

[jhale667]

Originally posted by binnie
Mayweather certainly believes his own hype.

From sportinglife.com

Floyd Mayweather Jr goes into next weekend's WBC light-middleweight showdown with Oscar De La Hoya believing he would have beaten Sugar Ray Robinson and Sugar Ray Leonard, two of the all-time greats of the ring.

Mayweather, 30, met Leonard at a boxing writers' dinner in Las Vegas two years ago.

"A lightweight beat you," Mayweather told Leonard, referring to defeat by Roberto Duran, a loss later reversed.

Mayweather, a world champion at four weights, also believes he would have beaten the great Robinson,

"I feel like I would have won. I'm not in this sport to say a guy can beat me," he said, adding: "I've seen a lot of film of Ray Robinson. He kept his guard low and stood flat-footed."

Mayweather and De La Hoya meet on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in a 12-round fight for the light-middleweight title.

And Mayweather is already talking up his chances.

"When they mention legendary fighters my name will come up. You go to any boxing gym in America and ask the kids who they would rather be, me or Oscar, and they're all going to say me.

"I wish all the fans could be part of this. I'm for real and this is what is real for me," he told the New York Daily News.

He thinks he could beat Leonard AND Robinson? Wow, Floyd....delusional much? OK, now I seriously hope Oscar knocks his arrogant block off...c'mon, a lucky punch, even?

[VanHalener]

Originally posted by ALinChainz
Exactly. A sport wide tourney to unify belts.

WBA, WBC, IBF, and against my personal beliefs, the WBO.

One champ would make the title fights and even the qualifiers and contending bouts better. This picking and choosing shit sucks.

Amen. Keep Don King out of it & have fewer divisions/weight classes.

[DlocRoth]

Originally posted by jhale667
He thinks he could beat Leonard AND Robinson? Wow, Floyd....delusional much? OK, now I seriously hope Oscar knocks his arrogant block off...c'mon, a lucky punch, even?

Whoa.....

Slow down......

[ALinChainz]

Let's remember that key word here: hype.

Oscar had one role he could play in this fight: hero.

Floyd, villain.

I know Floyd believes he is amongst the greats of all-time.

He's going to have to do a lot more in his career to even be close.

The greatest of HIS time though, he may be.

But alot of the talk is to sell PPV buys, many are talking record sales.

I'm still debating myself though I'm leaning toward buying.

[jhale667]

I'm just reminded of seeing Tyson with Ali on television once, when Tyson was at his peak, and the interviewer asked who'd win a fight between the two of them (at their respective peaks,hypothetically) ...Tyson almost cut him off in mid-sentence: "Oh, no. In his prime, this man would destroy me." This was of course, before Tyson went off the deep end, but I was impressed by his humility (at the time). Ali was the only one who could trash-talk like that and get away with it, because he was clever and funny about it. Everybody else just sounds like an arrogant jackass...

[binnie]

I agree: Ali managed to be charming and arrogant, and there's not many would can do that.

[binnie]

Originally posted by ALinChainz
Let's remember that key word here: hype.

Oscar had one role he could play in this fight: hero.

Floyd, villain.

I know Floyd believes he is amongst the greats of all-time.

He's going to have to do a lot more in his career to even be close.

The greatest of HIS time though, he may be.

But alot of the talk is to sell PPV buys, many are talking record sales.

I'm still debating myself though I'm leaning toward buying.

This is why I hope Floyd gets beaten, because that way he may not retire and we might see what he's actually capable of...

[chi-town324]

Originally posted by binnie
This is why I hope Floyd gets beaten, because that way he may not retire and we might see what he's actually capable of...

U said it Binnie

[jhale667]

Originally posted by binnie
I agree: Ali managed to be charming and arrogant, and there's not many would can do that.

Not for nothing did they call him the Greatest. :D Funny side note: I heard a story about the day Will Smith met with him to discuss taking on the role in the Bio-pic, and Smith said Ali - who rarely speaks these days - beckoned him closer, and whispered in his ear "You ain't pretty enough to play me." Classic!

And I agree with you. I hope Floyd DOES lose this, stays in the game, and goes on to face some stellar competition.

[ALinChainz]

Those of you who are pulling for Oscar ... whatch gonna do if Floyd not only wins, but wins handily.

Shane Mosely beat Oscar and I consider Floyd a better boxer and puncher than Shane Mosely.