By Richard McManus

Imagine this scenario and the irony included therein: Instead of fighting Floyd Mayweather on his pre-planned future Pay Per View card Oscar de la Hoya instead fights either Ricky Hatton or Antonio Margarito. Imagine if he lost and then retired. The kicker would be for him to fight Antonio Margarito and lose.

The scenario gets even more far-fetched: With Margarito beating De la Hoya, who suddenly got old in the ring, the stage would be set for a showdown with Mayweather. But instead Margarito would choose to fight Hatton because of Margarito’s willingness to travel to Manchester where promoters can deliver 8 figures to the fighters.

The aforementioned scenario would see De la Hoya taking on one of the two fighters that Floyd Mayweather has been accused of ducking, while indirectly avoiding a match-up with Mayweather himself. If you understand the irony here you can consider yourself a serious fight fan.

Floyd Mayweather says, "I'm a businessman, this is a business." True. However, no fighter in the last generation has demonstrated the "boxer as businessman" mentality more effectively and more consistently than Oscar de la Hoya. De la Hoya was shrewd and honest in his post-Mayorga comments and in subsequent interviews. He's leaving his options on the table. He mentioned Floyd Mayweather as only one among many future opponents.

Back in April, when Floyd Mayweather decisioned Zab Judah in their Pay Per View telecast many in the boxing media and boxing public began pushing for and creating the groundswell of sentiment necessary for a match-up between Margarito and Mayweather.

It almost seemed like a done deal when Bob Arum reportedly offered Mayweather $8 million for the fight and Floyd appeared ready to step up to the plate and give the boxing fan base what it really wanted.

Then to the shock of many Floyd bought himself out of his contract with Top Rank in a move that at once looked like an effort to duck Antonio Margarito and at the same time as a clever strategic move to lay the groundwork for a mega-fight, mega-payday with the Golden Boy.

Oscar is the biggest draw in the sport. He has headlined close to a dozen Pay-Per-View cards dating back to 1995. He fought everybody from Bernard Hopkins and Fernando Vargas to Ike Quartey and Rafael Ruelas. At this point mega-fights are in his blood and, more than any other active fighter, he is in a position deliver big on the main stage. He always has natural rivalries and potential opponents lining up down the block.

Presently, Ricky Hatton, Antonio Margarito and Floyd Mayweather are poised as natural and obvious opponents for Oscar. High profile rematches with Fernando Vargas, Felix Trinidad and to a lesser extent Shane Mosley are also possibilities and a logical match-ups. Oscar is the real businessman here. The fighter Oscar chooses as his next opponent will be winning the professional boxing lottery also known as the Oscar Sweepstakes.

Who knows what kind of influence Floyd Sr. will wield in the negotiations. He may make it more attractive, for whatever reason, for De la Hoya to take on an opponent other than his son. Oscar will undoubtedly earn in the neighborhood of $15-20 million in his next fight as long as he takes on a high profile opponent. His marketability has never been higher and the number of options he has at his disposal have never been greater.

The fact that Floyd found a way out of the Margarito fight actually wasn't that shocking. The “step aside money” was paid to the tune of $750,000 and the image of Floyd Mayweather as a businessman was born.

Rather than Zab Judah, Henry Bruseles and Phillip N'dou, fans have long pushed to see the default #1 pound for pound fighter in the ring with the best fighters of the 140 and 147-pound divisions. If Floyd had taken on Hatton, Margarito or Kostya Tszyu nobody would have complained.

In fact, at the same point in his career when Mayweather could have fought Tszyu, Hatton and Margarito, roughly over the last three years, Oscar de la Hoya fought Pernell Whitaker, Ike Quartey, Felix Trinidad and Shane Mosley. Oscar went 2-2 (nearly 0-4) in those 4 fights, solidifying himself as a top fighter and more importantly as a fighter that doesn’t duck anybody.

And more than anything, the reputation has stuck with Oscar, forcing even the most begrudging of critics to give him his requisite respect. Mayweather doesn’t have that reputation. He actually has the opposite reputation. Worse than criticizing a fighter’s chin or heart is the criticism that he ducks opponents. There is only one way to shake criticism like that and that is to stop ducking opponents.

Mayweather has headlined two recent Pay-Per-View cards: The April fight with Judah and the blowout of Arturo Gatti. He’s also had trouble selling tickets at times, even in his hometown, and has earned his #1 Pound for Pound status by default without ever really having to fight the best in his division.

At this point it’s up to him. He can wait for Oscar as so many others before him have done or he can be the man, not just the “business man”, and make the fight everyone wants. He can step up and fight Antonio Margarito.

Contact Richard at rmcm12@hotmail.com