It's the Golden Boy versus the Pretty Boy. It may wind up as the biggest-money fight in boxing history. It's Saturday night, and for a few hours boxing matters again. It's Oscar De La Hoya, the biggest pay-per-view draw of all time, versus Floyd Mayweather Jr., the best pound-for-pound boxer alive.
This night calls for a barbecue. It calls for friends cramming around the TV. And, in the spirit of recent affairs such as the 2006 Vanier Cup and the 2007 Junos, it calls for me reviving the running journal.
8:30 p.m. — The line-up for tonight: myself, Mrs. Deebs, Cory, Bryce, Linda, Trenna, Mary-Stewart and Keerstee.
(a) There has never been a better build-up for any sporting event of this kind.
Ultimate Fighting Championship has done some incredible stuff on Spike TV; in fact, before De La Hoya-Mayweather, I'd say it was the best I've seen. World Wrestling Entertainment (seeing as how it's scripted) has complete control over its storylines and results, allowing it do some great selling. But nothing compares to the 24/7 series on HBO that went behind the scenes with Mayweather and De La Hoya. I would bet that four-part show generated an extra 300,000 pay-per-view buys.
(b) Courtesy Floyd Mayweather Sr., we have a winner for quote of the night, and the night has barely started: "Even if Oscar doesn't do what he supposed to do, he should still have taken the father." At least I think that's what he said. I can't be totally sure. He definitely took a few shots to the head during his boxing career.
(Can you imagine being the person responsible for the closed captioning of a Mayweather Sr. interview? It would be like me trying to do closed captioning for a show in Mexico. I might pick up a few words here and there, but eventually I'd just give up.) Still, even though I could barely understand him, it was fascinating television. I'm thinking HBO could probably draw some pay-per-view buys simply by putting a camera and a microphone on Mayweather Sr. for a night. Have Flavor Flav acting as the host. Honestly, I would pay $60 to watch three hours of that.
(c) Lennox Lewis officially takes the title as worst special guest commentator. He speaks for 45 seconds at a time and doesn't say anything.
(d) My prediction: Mayweather Jr. by unanimous decision.
9:27 p.m. — The hero is only as good as the villain, and Mayweather Jr. knows his role for this fight is to be as bad as possible.
You saw it in the lead-up to the fight. What's the opposite of Oscar's clean-cut, all-American persona? Floyd's f-bomb dropping, trash-talking, 50 Cent-befriending, thug gangsta.
And just in case people didn't know who the babyface and heel were, Mayweather Jr. makes sure. Putting on a sombrero as he heads to the ring? Awesome. His gear made in the colours of the Mexican flag? Tremendous. 50 Cent rapping live for his entrance music? Off the charts.
Any professional wrestler could take a lesson from Mayweather Jr. on how to be a heel. Mayweather now ranks with Tito Ortiz and Edge as the best bad guys in sports entertainment.
9:36 p.m. — These 16,000-plus fans at the MGM in Vegas are OK, but without even trying I can think of plenty better from 2007 alone: the Golden State fans in Games 3, 4 and 6 against Dallas; the crowd in Ohio for the Randy Couture-Tim Sylvia heavyweight title bout at March's UFC pay-per-view; and the crowd in England roaring for their returning hero, Michael Bisping, in last month's UFC card.
The main reason: any true fight fans could only afford the nosebleed seats. Any good seat is taken by people wanting to be at an event. They're not there to go crazy, scream, and live and die with every punch. They're there to be seen at the happening place.
9:38 p.m. — A tight shot of De La Hoya's eyes. Either he's incredibly focused or he knows he's getting his tail whooped.
9:42 p.m. — Both guys spend three minutes feeling each other out in Round 1. Nothing spectacular, but we are underway. 10-9, Mayweather.
9:42 p.m. — The consensus from the ladies: De La Hoya's wife meets their approval. "She's pretty. How does she watch this?" they ask.
9:46 p.m. — Very active round for De La Hoya, who looks like the more desperate fighter. He's throwing way more than Mayweather. A 10-9 round for Oscar.
9:50 p.m. — De La Hoya is controlling the centre of the ring, keeping Mayweather against the ropes and in the corners. Give De La Hoya the third round, 10-9.
9:54 p.m. — If Oscar loses this, he's at least going down swinging. He's really controlling the tempo. I give him the fourth round, 10-9. With that said, I can't see him keeping up this pace. If he keeps going like this, he'd better hope for a knockout or else he'll have nothing left.
9:58 p.m. — Tough fifth round to call. Each had their moments in the first two minutes, but I liked the way Mayweather Jr. finished. Give it to him, 10-9.
10 p.m. — "De La Hoya should have worn gold shorts," says Linda.
10:06 p.m. — The way Mayweather Jr. is laughing at some of De La Hoya's punches, I'd swear Chris Rock was doing some stand-up from Mayweather Jr.'s corner. Anyway, seventh round to Mayweather Jr., 10-9.
10:10 p.m. — De La Hoya is better than any fighter at throwing together a flurry in the final seconds of a round to try and steal it. He tried here in Round 8 (outpunching Mayweather Jr. 68-35) but it wasn't enough. 10-9, Mayweather Jr. Still, perception can be reality. If a judge sees De La Hoya being so much more active, they might reward that.
10:18 p.m. — Rounds 9 and 10, both to Mayweather Jr., 10-9. Yup, Oscar looks gassed. If he could have kept up his early-fight tempo, he might have lucked into a knockout or stolen a decision, but I can't see it happening now. Mayweather Jr. is picking him apart.
10:22 p.m. — The only thing De La Hoya had going for him was he was more active than Mayweather Jr. early on. Not anymore. The punch count in Round 11: 64-47, Mayweather Jr. Give him another 10-9 round.
10:26 p.m. — Great final 20 seconds, the best exchange of the fight. Oscar at least goes down with a flourish. I'll give him that last round, 10-9.
Now, looking at the fight as a total package, I've got Mayweather Jr. winning. Going through a scratch-sheet scorecard, same thing, but it's close. Mayweather Jr., 115-113.
10:31 p.m. — First judge has it 115-113 . . . De La Hoya.
Mayweather Jr. has the same shocked look as a guy who gets woken up to discover he's getting teabagged by a drunk buddy.
10:31 p.m. — 116-112 . . . Mayweather Jr.
10:31 p.m. — 115-113 . . . Mayweather Jr.
10:42 p.m. — I was wondering when a verbal shot would be fired, and here it is, courtesy Lampley.
Once again, Lampley — the best commentator in boxing — shows his ignorance of MMA. It's impossible to compare the two, and he just can't accept that boxers are no longer considered, without any debate, the toughest guys on the planet.
If you put 150-pound Mayweather Jr. in UFC rules with UFC lightweight champ Sean Sherk, Sherk would destroy him. Put Sherk in a boxing match with Mayweather Jr., Floyd would win easily. It's apples and oranges, but Lampley can't even admit that.
Lampley's comments come across as him trying to take advantage of boxing's biggest audience in years and dismissing MMA as a bunch of no-talent, bare-knuckled brawlers. He's got to know that he couldn't be further from the truth, but the fact that he even felt the need to bring it up demonstrates that he knows boxing is in trouble and that UFC is a big reason why.
10:43 p.m. — I swear I'm not making this up. The fight has been over for nearly 15 minutes. Post-fight interviews are done. The commentators have wrapped it up. Trenna, bless her heart, missed something.
Golden Boy versus Pretty Boy: A running journal Did we just witness the biggest upset in NBA history?