Axum Ezana
Driving in the fast lane
now why can't the rest of these buddy buddy friends fight
Oscar de la Hoya Bids Farewell to Floyd Mayweather, Drops the Mic
By Oscar de la Hoya Illustration by Peter Strain November 12, 2015
Share
Peter Strain
This letter, written by Oscar de la Hoya, appears in the December 2015 issue of Playboy Magazine.
Dear Floyd:
You did it. You made it to the 49–0 mark, a milestone that you like to say only the great Rocky -Marciano reached but that was actually achieved by others, including my idol Julio César Chávez—but who’s counting? And now you’re retiring. Again. (The first time was after our fight in 2007.) This time you say it’s for real. You’re serious about hanging up the gloves. On to bigger and better things. So I’m writing to you today to wish you a fond farewell. Truth be told, I’m not unhappy to see you retire. Neither are a lot of boxing fans. Scratch that. MOST boxing fans. Why? Because the fight game will be a better one without you in it.
Let’s face it: You were boring. Just take a look at your most recent performance, your last hurrah in the ring, a 12-round decision against Andre Berto. How to describe it? A bust? A disaster? A snooze fest? An affair so one-sided that on one judge’s card Berto didn’t win a single round? Everyone in boxing knew Berto didn’t have a chance. I think more people watched Family Guy reruns that night than tuned in to that pay-per-view bout. But I didn’t mind shelling out $75 for the HD broadcast. In fact it’s been a great investment. When my kids have trouble falling asleep, I don’t have to read to them anymore. I just play them your Berto fight. They don’t make it past round three.
Another reason boxing is better off without you: You were afraid. Afraid of taking chances. Afraid of risk. A perfect example is your greatest “triumph,” the long-awaited record-breaking fight between you and Manny Pacquiao. Nearly 4.5 million buys! More than $400 million in revenue! Headlines worldwide! How can that be bad for boxing? Because you lied. You promised action and entertainment and a battle for the ages, and you delivered none of the above. The problem is, that’s precisely how you want it. You should have fought Pacquiao five years ago, not five months ago. That, however, would have been too dangerous. Too risky. You’ve made a career out of being cautious. You won’t get in the ring unless you have an edge. Sure, you fought some big names. But they were past their prime. Hell, even when we fought in 2007—and I barely lost a split decision—I was at the tail end of my career. Then later you took on Mexican megastar Saúl “Canelo” -Álvarez, but he was too young and had to drop too much weight.
Me? I got into this business to take chances. I took on all comers in their prime. The evidence? I lost. Six times. After 31 wins, my first loss was to Félix Trinidad, and I learned a valuable lesson that is true both in the ring and in life: Don’t run. I didn’t stop taking on the best of the best. After beating Derrell Coley, I took on “Sugar” Shane Mosley at the height of his powers—undefeated and considered by many to be the pound-for-pound best in the world. Again, I lost. After four wins against more top-ranked fighters I took on Mosley again. We can debate who actually won the rematch, but the judges had me losing that one as well.
Did I go easy after that? No. I moved up to middleweight to win a belt and faced one of the greatest middleweights of all time, Bernard Hopkins. After a body shot that I’m still feeling took me out of the fight, I took on two more guys at the height of their power who, many years later, would finally face each other at the ages of 36 and 38—Manny Pacquiao and you. When fighters do that—when they risk losing—that’s when everyone wins. The mantra of my firm Golden Boy Promotions is simple: the best taking on the best. It’s too bad you didn’t do the same.
You took the easy way out. When you weren’t dancing around fading stars (show idea for you: Dancing Around the Fading Stars), you were beating up on outclassed opponents. A lot of your opponents were above-average fighters, but they weren’t your caliber. You’re a very talented fighter, the best defensive fighter of our generation. But what good is talent if you don’t test it? Muhammad Ali did. Sugar Ray Leonard did. You? Not a chance. You spent 2000 to 2010 facing forgettable opening acts like Victoriano Sosa, Phillip N’dou, DeMarcus Corley, Henry Bruseles and Sharmba Mitchell. There were guys out there—tough scary opponents like Antonio Margarito and Paul Williams—but you ran from them. Were you ever on the track team in high school? You would have been a star.
Boxing will also be a better place without the Mouth. Your mouth, to be precise, the one that created “Money” Mayweather. I know you needed that Money Mayweather persona. Before he—and Golden Boy -Promotions—came along, nobody watched your fights. You couldn’t even sell out your hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Mouth made you money. More money than you could spend in a lifetime. (Wait, I’ve seen those episodes of 24/7. You probably will spend it all.) But the Mouth doesn’t have a place in boxing; save it for the WWE. Unless you’re someone like Ali, whose fights were as scintillating as his banter, the all-talk, no-entertainment model cheapens our sport. Boxers should speak with their fists and with their hearts. They don’t have to say anything to prove themselves. You’re going to have a legacy. You’ll be remembered as the guy who made the most money. As for your fights? We’ve already forgotten them.
Now that you’re stepping aside, attention can be turned to the sport’s real stars: the brawlers, the brave, the boxers who want nothing more than to face the best and therefore be the best. There’s Canelo, Kazakh KO sensation Gennady Golovkin, ferocious flyweight Román González, slugger Sergey Kovalev and a host of up-and-comers including Terence Crawford, Vasyl Lomachenko and Keith Thurman. Want to see what a monster fight looks like? Canelo takes on Miguel Cotto on November 21. It won’t do 4.4 million in PPV buys, but everyone who watches it will be thrilled. And that’s no empty promise.
You’re moving on to a new phase of life now, a second act. I’m sure it will be nice not to have to train year-round. To get out of the gym and spend time with your family. But I’m wondering what you’re going to do. You have a lot of time and, at the moment, a lot of money. Maybe you’ll put your true skills to work and open a used-car dealership or run a circus. Or maybe you’ll wind up back on Dancing With the Stars. It’s a job that’s safe, pays well and lets you run around on stage. Something you’ve been doing for most of your career.
coming from the guy who was selling 97g vs Lemieux on ppv
Oscar can say that about Floyd because, first, without Oscar...there is no "Money" Mayweather.
Third, Oscar can talk about Floyd being boring and having boring PPV events, because Oscar never had any of those in comparision
Oscar can say that about Floyd because, first, without Oscar...there is no "Money" Mayweather.
Secondly, Golden Boy wasn't the lead promoter for GGG vs Lemieux....that was Wlad/Vitali aka K2 Promotions, so we cant blame GBP for the Klitschko's failure as promoters
Third, Oscar can talk about Floyd being boring and having boring PPV events, because Oscar never had any of those in comparision
It still comes across as girlish hate breh
well before "money" Mayweather there was "Pretty Boy" which a whole bunch of people on this site still for.
shyt seems wack to me "I couldn't beat you in the ring but I'll type an essay full of my feelings instead"
Is this "The Ring" or "The Dissertation"
I'm not trying to hear shyt about legacy when that fakkit got an mma nikka on the cover of the Ring magazine.
Oscar can say that about Floyd because, first, without Oscar...there is no "Money" Mayweather.
Secondly, Golden Boy wasn't the lead promoter for GGG vs Lemieux....that was Wlad/Vitali aka K2 Promotions, so we cant blame GBP for the Klitschko's failure as promoters
Third, Oscar can talk about Floyd being boring and having boring PPV events, because Oscar never had any of those in comparision
And in the words of my breh @krackdagawd, "PBF was fighting in Bingo Halls and ECW arenas" until he got that DLH stimulus package
The Golden Boy made "Money" Mayweather....without Oscar, Floyd would've still been a nobody in the grand scheme of things when it comes to Boxing and casuals
That should never be forgotten or overlooked
He needed DLH, not the other way around
True
But shyt, as a man, he's supposed to let Floyd go around and talk shyt about him....bringing up coke/drag...and not say anything back?
He's a Legend in the sport as well, if Floyd wants to talk shyt about him, he's allowed to respond back
I feel you
1.breh yall act like oscar went in the bank and gave floyd that . floyd fought and won. oscar could have shut down the money may talks....but he laid down in the ring n lost. hes mad cause he couldn't stop it.
so this talk of he wouldn't be money may without oscar just sounds like a way to still brag after getting ur ass whooped .
its like a back to back sb winning team sayng "u wouldn't even be sb champs and getting all this attention if u didn't beat us" to the the team who finally beats them in a sb. shyt comes off mad pathetic imo.
3.trinidad fight was boring . so he did get it...not as much. plus he used to "circle side-step"run around the ring just like floyd at times.
I sure as hell didnt. I don't think I've watched that fight since it aired on my hotbox...that may have been the first PPV superfight DUD I can remember. It has been 16 years though ...I guess I can give it a second viewing. It's more on the aspect that oscar and tito had better fights before and after this that put that fight on my backburner. Prolly the same place pac-floyd will end up for the time being.DLH is the originator of fighting scary N ruining a mega fight PPV
At least with Floyd we expected it....NOBODY expected DLH a Mexican to do what he did