Thread: Did people really believe De La Hoya could beat Floyd?

Leading up to the fight, I felt Oscar had already started to decline and saw it as a clear changing of the guard. The real surprise was how much success he had—I scored it 114-113 Mayweather, and a draw wouldn’t have been out of place. A younger De La Hoya? I think he takes a decision.

I had Oscar winning and certainly was ahead early with the jab. Oscar tired and it was the handing of the torch to the next big ppv star although he handed it to Manny Pac as well.

Younger Oscar would have beaten Floyd but this was not the best weight for Mayweather so you have to be fair to him.

Crazy or not so crazy thing is many fans thought he did beat him. Two-point round in there Six? The whole trek to middle didn't do Oscar any good. He was really not the same since even Sturm rob job. Cannot recall my score without digging it up but think I edged Oscar, just barley. Then again it was Mayweather so I can see that being easy to arrive at in hindsight .

no i didn't think oscar could beat floyd at that time

Master, did you think De La Hoya would win going into the fight with Mayweather? You're right that Floyd was above his best weight for that one. Personally, I think De La Hoya was at his peak at 135 and 140—I don’t see a scenario where Floyd beats him at those weights if both are at their best. But at 130 and 147, I'd favor Mayweather.


Spicoli, exactly—that’s what surprised me about how close and competitive the fight was. The Mosley rematch was years earlier, and the Sturm and Hopkins fights showed Oscar didn’t belong at middleweight. Not even beating up a washed Mayorga convinced me he’d be much of a challenge for Floyd. Boy, was I wrong.

You’re right—I had to go back and check my notebook. I originally had Mayweather winning by a point, and my correct scorecard should have been 115-114. I scored the last round even at 10-10.


TIC, you and I both.

Can't remember if it was Oscar v Floyd or Manny Pac, where I thought it was a gross mismatch in De La Hoya favour.

Whatever Golden Boys faults these two fights were at the end of his career and he did take on the biggest challenges wherever possible.

Originally Posted by Master

Can't remember if it was Oscar v Floyd or Manny Pac, where I thought it was a gross mismatch in De La Hoya favour.

Whatever Golden Boys faults these two fights were at the end of his career and he did take on the biggest challenges wherever possible.

It was probably v Floyd because let’s face it, you hate Floyd.
I think Floyd had to concede everything to get the fight , Oscar used all his “A side” status. The fight was at 154, Floyd weighed in at 150 and was 148 on fight night!
I’m gonna have to rewatch the fight because I can’t remember it being as close as people suggest. I thought Floyd won pretty clear, and all I can remember was Oscar constantly rabbit punching Floyd in the clinches.
Seriously though, it’s unlikely it was Pacquiao, because he conceded almost everything to Pac.
I remember at the time thinking that Oscar with all his influence at the time, didn’t use any of it in negotiating the Pac fight.
He was towards the end of his career and he boiled down to Pac’s weight. Never a good idea as you get older.
He just didn’t have to concede his legacy like that. Very odd.

When De La Hoya vs. Pacquiao was first announced, I saw it as a complete mismatch—until I learned it would be at welterweight. Even then, I still favored De La Hoya, believing he had enough left to handle the naturally smaller man. I agree with Primo Carnera that Oscar was still in the driver's seat for the Floyd fight negotiations, as that was the bout that cemented Mayweather’s A-side status. It was surprising to see Oscar concede so much in the Pacquiao negotiations. A few years earlier, Golden Boy had attempted to sign Manny and even announced the deal before it fell apart. I wonder if Oscar’s concessions were a play to lure Pacquiao into his stable long-term.

Originally Posted by The Six Four

Leading up to the fight, I felt Oscar had already started to decline and saw it as a clear changing of the guard. The real surprise was how much success he had—I scored it 114-113 Mayweather, and a draw wouldn’t have been out of place. A younger De La Hoya? I think he takes a decision.

They were hoping, because of Oscar's star power, that he could at least bullshit enough people to "steal" a close decision. But Floyd was just too good.