ONE SHOULD EXPECT OSCAR TO BEAT FLOYD!
02 May, 2007 by Reylan Loberternos
IS PICKING OSCAR LIKE SAWING OFF A LIMB?
LAS Vegas, NV- Undefeated, and some would say ‘untested’, “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (37-0-0, 24 KOs) is in his absolute prime. He will trade mitts with the sports’ most identifiable figure in “Golden Boy” Oscar De La Hoya (38-4-0, 30 KOs) Saturday at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. Here are some of the reasons why I think “Golden Boy” is going to beat the “Pretty Boy” and might I add, somewhat convincingly, or not so convincingly in the year’s most anticipated boxing spectacle.
PRIMARY REASON: SIZE!
1992 Olympic gold medallist Oscar De La Hoya will be the biggest opponent Floyd Mayweather Jr. is going to face, thus far professionally. While Floyd has been campaigning most of his career around the 130 lb. super featherweight division, Oscar on the other hand has been fighting at least 17 pounds north since 1997, the same year the “Golden Boy” eked out a highly contested unanimous decision victory against another staunch advocate of the sweet science in Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker. Floyd’s power hasn’t also been as effective as it has usually been when he was still a 130-lber. In his first 27 bouts, all but 7 of them didn’t last the distance for a 74% knockout ratio. However, his last 10 outings, while moving up in weight, show that his knockout percentage considerably dropped to 40%. With his fragile hands and the reasons mentioned above, I don’t see Floyd knocking Oscar down, much less end the bout unless it is due to cuts.
DID I EVEN MENTION HEIGHT AND REACH?
You might find it amusing that I didn’t include De La Hoya’s advantages in height and reach to the “size” topic above. Well, I purposely categorized size as a power factor from which we can attribute one’s capacity to hurt the opposing party. I specifically reserved height and reach for topics about boxing, the science, not the sport. Floyd is listed at 5’8” with a 72-inch reach, while Oscar is considerably taller at 5’10 ½” inches with a reach of 73 inches. Why am I mentioning these stats?
“PRETTY BOY” CANNOT SCHOOL “GOLDEN BOY”!
If the stats mentioned above are accurate as listed, then Mayweather is at an obvious disadvantage. Try to check Floyd’s list of 37 previous opponents and see if you can find any of them who have both advantages in size and reach over him. If you are successful, then you can stop reading and I will certainly rest my case. If you can’t, then read on and know the facts.
IT’LL BE ALL ABOUT “EFFECTIVE REACH”
Let’s talk about “effective reach”. It’s not only the reach that determines how far a fist can travel. Effective reach is also directly proportional to height. Oscar now enjoys both these advantages and for the first time in his career, Floyd will try to dance with someone whom he has a considerable disadvantage in this department. That said, we most probably couldn’t expect Mayweather to employ the same boxing strategy as successfully as he did against his 37 other foes. He could not easily use his jab to land a punch on Oscar without the risk of being on the receiving end of a De La Hoya jab first. In his previous assignments, Floyd would usually only think of how to land the jab. This time around, he’ll have to first figure out how to avoid De La Hoya’s jab before he could land his own version of it.
LET’S NOT FORGET OSCAR CAN BOX SOME TOO!
The things I mentioned above won’t mean a thing had it not been Oscar De La Hoya we’re talking about here. Notice that I intentionally referred to Oscar as an Olympic gold medallist instead of using the six-division champ as an identifier. He definitely can box and if his Olympic success isn’t enough proof yet, then I don’t know what is. The “Golden Boy” has one of the best jabs in the business. He can utilize his effective reach advantage by constantly throwing jabs and occasionally unleashing his vaunted left hooks to keep Floyd at bay. Floyd is superb defensively, not to mention that he’s also an extremely patient boxer…but noting the fact that he will be in an unfamiliar territory, he could very well get frustrated and could opt out of his comfort zone and engage, which I think, would be a very big mistake!
THIS MAY BOIL DOWN TO A BATTLE OF WITS
Comparatively, Oscar has an advantage in size and experience based on the quality of his previous opposition. Floyd, on the other hand, has a clear upper hand in agility, which can be attributed to his relative youth. If there’s one thing that nobody in the boxing world would probably dare question, it should be the fact that both protagonists are exceptionally smart inside the squared circle. I could very well be wrong in my assessment and I may stand all alone with my analysis…but I can rest assured that this will, by no means, be an easy fight for either Oscar or Floyd. This clash shall be decided upon which fighter maximizes his advantages and best exploits his foe’s weaknesses.
IF FLOYD BEATS OSCAR…
Mayweather has been widely criticized for his choice of opponents in a span of approximately four and a half years. Possible encounters with Hatton, Cotto, and Margarito were shelved for undisclosed yet palpable reasons. But wait! Doesn’t this bout, in a way, restore some lost reputation? Don’t you think that De La Hoya is better than Hatton, Cotto or Margarito even at this point in time? It’s now time to speak your minds, boxing fans!
http://ringtalk.com./index.php?action&showcomments=1&id=1301
IS PICKING OSCAR LIKE SAWING OFF A LIMB?
LAS Vegas, NV- Undefeated, and some would say ‘untested’, “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather, Jr. (37-0-0, 24 KOs) is in his absolute prime. He will trade mitts with the sports’ most identifiable figure in “Golden Boy” Oscar De La Hoya (38-4-0, 30 KOs) Saturday at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, NV. Here are some of the reasons why I think “Golden Boy” is going to beat the “Pretty Boy” and might I add, somewhat convincingly, or not so convincingly in the year’s most anticipated boxing spectacle.
PRIMARY REASON: SIZE!
1992 Olympic gold medallist Oscar De La Hoya will be the biggest opponent Floyd Mayweather Jr. is going to face, thus far professionally. While Floyd has been campaigning most of his career around the 130 lb. super featherweight division, Oscar on the other hand has been fighting at least 17 pounds north since 1997, the same year the “Golden Boy” eked out a highly contested unanimous decision victory against another staunch advocate of the sweet science in Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker. Floyd’s power hasn’t also been as effective as it has usually been when he was still a 130-lber. In his first 27 bouts, all but 7 of them didn’t last the distance for a 74% knockout ratio. However, his last 10 outings, while moving up in weight, show that his knockout percentage considerably dropped to 40%. With his fragile hands and the reasons mentioned above, I don’t see Floyd knocking Oscar down, much less end the bout unless it is due to cuts.
DID I EVEN MENTION HEIGHT AND REACH?
You might find it amusing that I didn’t include De La Hoya’s advantages in height and reach to the “size” topic above. Well, I purposely categorized size as a power factor from which we can attribute one’s capacity to hurt the opposing party. I specifically reserved height and reach for topics about boxing, the science, not the sport. Floyd is listed at 5’8” with a 72-inch reach, while Oscar is considerably taller at 5’10 ½” inches with a reach of 73 inches. Why am I mentioning these stats?
“PRETTY BOY” CANNOT SCHOOL “GOLDEN BOY”!
If the stats mentioned above are accurate as listed, then Mayweather is at an obvious disadvantage. Try to check Floyd’s list of 37 previous opponents and see if you can find any of them who have both advantages in size and reach over him. If you are successful, then you can stop reading and I will certainly rest my case. If you can’t, then read on and know the facts.
IT’LL BE ALL ABOUT “EFFECTIVE REACH”
Let’s talk about “effective reach”. It’s not only the reach that determines how far a fist can travel. Effective reach is also directly proportional to height. Oscar now enjoys both these advantages and for the first time in his career, Floyd will try to dance with someone whom he has a considerable disadvantage in this department. That said, we most probably couldn’t expect Mayweather to employ the same boxing strategy as successfully as he did against his 37 other foes. He could not easily use his jab to land a punch on Oscar without the risk of being on the receiving end of a De La Hoya jab first. In his previous assignments, Floyd would usually only think of how to land the jab. This time around, he’ll have to first figure out how to avoid De La Hoya’s jab before he could land his own version of it.
LET’S NOT FORGET OSCAR CAN BOX SOME TOO!
The things I mentioned above won’t mean a thing had it not been Oscar De La Hoya we’re talking about here. Notice that I intentionally referred to Oscar as an Olympic gold medallist instead of using the six-division champ as an identifier. He definitely can box and if his Olympic success isn’t enough proof yet, then I don’t know what is. The “Golden Boy” has one of the best jabs in the business. He can utilize his effective reach advantage by constantly throwing jabs and occasionally unleashing his vaunted left hooks to keep Floyd at bay. Floyd is superb defensively, not to mention that he’s also an extremely patient boxer…but noting the fact that he will be in an unfamiliar territory, he could very well get frustrated and could opt out of his comfort zone and engage, which I think, would be a very big mistake!
THIS MAY BOIL DOWN TO A BATTLE OF WITS
Comparatively, Oscar has an advantage in size and experience based on the quality of his previous opposition. Floyd, on the other hand, has a clear upper hand in agility, which can be attributed to his relative youth. If there’s one thing that nobody in the boxing world would probably dare question, it should be the fact that both protagonists are exceptionally smart inside the squared circle. I could very well be wrong in my assessment and I may stand all alone with my analysis…but I can rest assured that this will, by no means, be an easy fight for either Oscar or Floyd. This clash shall be decided upon which fighter maximizes his advantages and best exploits his foe’s weaknesses.
IF FLOYD BEATS OSCAR…
Mayweather has been widely criticized for his choice of opponents in a span of approximately four and a half years. Possible encounters with Hatton, Cotto, and Margarito were shelved for undisclosed yet palpable reasons. But wait! Doesn’t this bout, in a way, restore some lost reputation? Don’t you think that De La Hoya is better than Hatton, Cotto or Margarito even at this point in time? It’s now time to speak your minds, boxing fans!
http://ringtalk.com./index.php?action&showcomments=1&id=1301
posted by Reylan | 5:56 PM
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