MAYWEATHER VS. DE LA HOYA POST-FIGHT WRAP-UP
Posted on | May 7, 2007 | 1 Comment
Mayweather vs De la Hoya
Recap, Analysis, and the Pressing Questions
By Tony Penecale
WHAT HAPPENED?
In a battle between two of boxing’s marquee attractions, “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather was able to rally down the stretch and win a close, tactical, and hard-fought split decision over “The Golden Boy” Oscar De la Hoya.
The bout was very difficult to score, with De la Hoya being the aggressor, stalking Mayweather and forcing the action. Mayweather boxed well in the center of the ring, dictating the tempo with his speed.
The bout was back-and-forth over the first 8 rounds, with each fighter having his moments. Mayweather scored well on the outside, spearing De la Hoya with fast jabs and lead hooks. When De la Hoya used his jab, he was effective in backing Mayweather to the ropes where he kept him on the defense with combinations to the head and body.
After the 8th round, De la Hoya inexplicably abandoned his jab and let Mayweather control rounds 9-11, before rebounding in the 12th round and attacking throughout.
Judge Tom Kaczmarek had De la Hoya winning 115-113 (7 rounds to 5) but was outvoted by Chuck Giampa and Jerry Roth, who favored Mayweather by scores of 115-113 and 116-112 (8 rounds to 4). Respected boxing writer Bernard Fernandez of the Philadelphia Daily News scored the bout even at 114-114.
Judge 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Total
Roth M D D D M M D M D M M M FM 115-113
Giampa M D M D M M D M M M M D FM 116-112
Kaczmarek M D D D M M D D M D M D OD 115-113
Fernandez M D D D M M D D M M M D 114-114
TP M D M D M M D D M M M D FM 115-113
Take into consideration:
The 8th and 12th rounds were both very good rounds for De la Hoya, yet Jerry Roth gave both to Mayweather. If he scored one of them differently, particularly round 12, which was a clear De la Hoya round, the bout would have been a draw.
QUESTIONS
Why did the fans boo the decision?
Several reasons: The most obvious reason was that De la Hoya was the crowd favorite. Mayweather was clearly the villain throughout the promotion and most fans were hoping for a De la Hoya victory. De la Hoya was the aggressor throughout the bout, pressing the action, and while that didn’t always equate into effective offense, it brought drama and excitement to the bout. When De la Hoya was attacking on the ropes, Mayweather was lurching back, which to the audience may have seemed that De la Hoya was connecting with his punches. Even Floyd Mayweather, Sr., admitted that he thought De la Hoya should have won the fight because he was the aggressor and pressed the action.
Mayweather dominated the punch stat numbers. What does that mean?
In truth, not a whole lot. The final numbers saw Mayweather landing 207 of 481 punches (43%) while De la Hoya landed 122 of 587 (21%). Some of Mayweather’s best rounds were in rounds 9-11 where he outlanded De la Hoya, making those numbers look more one-sided.
It also appears that De la Hoya did not receive credit for the numerous and effective jabs he landed to the body, shoulders, and torso of Mayweather.
What could have De la Hoya done better?
De la Hoya made two major mistakes as the bout went on. When he was firing his jab, to both Mayweather’s face and torso, he was effective in backing him to the ropes and disrupting his offense. As the ninth round started, De la Hoya abandoned his jab and tried to pursue Mayweather. This gave Mayweather the opportunity to land lead hooks and sharp right hands.
De la Hoya also made the mistake of smothering his punches on the inside. At times, he was so focused on pinning Mayweather to the ropes; he didn’t leave himself enough room to get full leverage on his punches.
Was De la Hoya’s reason for abandoning the jab acceptable?
When asked why he stopped using the jab after if was so effective, De la Hoya stated that he wanted to press the action and some nights you just don’t use the jab as much. That is not an acceptable answer for a veteran elite boxer of his stature. In truth, he may have been a bit tired and looking for his second wind.
Did Mayweather show any signs of pain in his hands?
Mayweather’s hands seemed to hold up better than as of late until the last few rounds. After landing a solid right hand in the eleventh round, Mayweather noticeably grimaced and spent the rest of the round using his left while his right hand was held in an open position instead of a balled fist.
Did the fight live up to the hype?
There was a lot of hype for this bout, including an HBO documentary series that followed both fighters through training camp. It was a skilled and entertaining fight. But in no way was it on the level of Hagler-Hearns, Pryor-Arguello I, Chavez-Taylor I, or more recently Corrales-Catillo I and Ward-Gatti I. It is difficult to say how many non-boxing fans were excited or turned off by the action in the ring. The fight reminded me of the first bout between Roy Jones Jr. and Antonio Tarver. Tarver, like De la Hoya, was the aggressor and forced the fight on the ropes. Jones, like Mayweather, took advantage when his opponent was pursuing and not punching. That bout saw Jones winning a close and somewhat controversial decision.
Will there be a rematch?
Although De la Hoya’s future is uncertain and Mayweather contends that he is retiring, HBO is already exploring options on a rematch. If a rematch is signed, it probably won’t be until at least late ’07 or early ’08. There will be considerably less hype since it won’t be a first time encounter for fans. Logic says Mayweather wins again, probably by a wider decision. De la Hoya’s best chance for victory would reside in the chance that he would retain the services of Freddie Roach and have more time to work with him and fully understand the strategy laid out for victory.
Where does Mayweather rank as an all-time great?
Mayweather is undoubtedly the #1 Pound-4-Pound boxer today. He is undefeated in 38 fights. Only two of those bouts have even been close. But the truth is that many of his opponents have been overmatched. Despite his claims that he is the best boxer of all time, he does not have the resume of two notable boxers that he has mentioned superiority over, Sugar Ray Leonard and Sugar Ray Robinson. In dream matches at 147, both Leonard and Robinson would defeat Mayweather. Both were just as fast and had superior power.
What does the future hold for both fighters?
It wouldn’t surprise me if De la Hoya retired if a rematch can’t be secured. He is moving more and more into the promotional game. It would greatly surprise me if Mayweather stayed retired. He is on the top of his game right now. The doubts and negative feedback from this victory will bring him to fight again. He has already been challenged by Shane Mosley. That bout would be interesting as Mosley owns two close wins over De la Hoya and is a quick-fisted boxer. Most likely, Mayweather would triumph by close decision.
If he does continue with his career, Mayweather has a number of up-and-coming worthy challengers looking to knock him from his throne. Like Roy Jones, Jr., who was the dominant boxer of the late 80s/early 90s, Mayweather has been able to make technical mistakes (I lost count how many times he made the mistake of going straight back with his hands down and chin up) and get away with it. Like Tarver and Glen Johnson were able to eventually catch up to Jones, odds are Mayweather will eventually meet his Kryptonite, possibly Paul Williams, a tall, hard-punching southpaw, or Miguel Cotto, a relentless body puncher. Another option would be the possible chase at a middleweight title, which would put Floyd in the danger zone of Jermain Taylor, Winky Wright, Edison Miranda and Kelly Pavlik.
Only time will tell if Mayweather is able to become the legend that he claims to be or just an extremely talented boxer surrounded with a lot of “what ifs” and “if onlys.”