By Jeffrey Cabauatan

Photo © Mary Ann Owen/FightWireImages.com

It has been a distance of 7-years or so since the last bout billed as "Fight of the Millennium" took place. In one corner, Oscar De La Hoya, the most celebrated boxing figure in the last decade.  Across the ring was the ever popular knockout artist Felix "Tito" Trinidad. 

They entered the ring as undefeated fighters with monumental victories on their records.  One man was supposed to come out as the undisputed champion.  When the fight ended, there were more questions than answers.  Who won the fight? Why did Oscar run for the last four rounds?  What were those judges thinking?

All the questions and controversy after the fight were outweighed by one simple question from the spectators?  Did the fight live up to the hype?  The answer is no. 

We had one fighter who was technically superior than the other, but unwilling to trade when it mattered.  Instead of fireworks that were promised, we watched a marathon finish where De La Hoya put on his running shoes in front of a displeased crowd. 

Was it fight of Millennium? It would be lucky to even be considered fight of the month.

Fast forward to the present, and it's Déjà vu all over again.  This time around, De La Hoya is up against the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Floyd Mayweather Jr. The Las Vegas showdown, scheduled for May 5, is the most anticipated fight of the last few years.  The pay-per-view numbers and live gate sales are already being expected to reach or even surpass the record numbers that were created by Trinidad vs. DLH in 1999. 

What’s not to like about this fight. An astronomical figure in the sport will take on the undefeated boxing genius, who also promises that this will be his final fight prior to an early retirement.

Tickets for this fight are soaring with some very high price tags. One distributor is charging over $7000 for a ringside seat, and the usually cheap nosebleed sections are making fans fork over $500-plus.

Does this fight have chance to deliver where the last mega hyped fight failed?  It could, but it might not at all.  Oscar is no longer in his prime. Although he demolished a raw slugger like Ricardo Mayorga in his last bout, he's been in a steady decline for the last few years. His hands are still fast, but compare his recent speed to the quick hands he displayed against Fernando Vargas or Shane Mosley, and it is apparent that he lost a few steps. 

Oscar’s conditioning, health and strength should also be questioned.  Don’t forget that Oscar fought Mayorga with minor injuries which he sustained during training camp. Does he have the legs to go twelve hard rounds in hot pursuit of Mayweather?

Floyd promises to go toe to toe with De La Hoya.  Haven’t we heard that before?  As Mayweather moved up in weight in the last few years, his fights show that he is less inclined to trade punches. This will be his fifth weight class when he meets De La Hoya at the junior middleweight level of 154-pounds. The power we saw when Mayweather fought at 130, 135 and 140-pounds, seems to have diminished greatly. Mayweather insiders blame the lack of knockouts on his brittle hands that prevent him from throwing a barrage of power punches. 

Because of the bad hands, he's become a safety first fighter and no longer goes for the kill when his prey is hurt.  He usually throws a good combination and then uses his quick feet to get out of the way before a counter can even reach him. In his last few fights, his impenetrable defense and fancy footwork seemed to play bigger roles than his usually spectacular punching ability.

Regardless of how the fight plays out, it will still rake in millions of dollars because Oscar De La Hoya alone attracts casual fans who usually do not watch boxing. Floyd Mayweather will attract boxing enthusiasts to tune in because he is considered the best fighter in the sport. This fight will by far generate the most money in 2007 in terms of pay-per-view and live gate sale, but don’t expect it to be an all out brawl. 

That’s just not going to happen.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is too fast and too slick to stand in front of Oscar.  His stance and shoulder role should neutralize Oscar’s power and size.  Oscar De La Hoya will have to put on his running shoes, again. This time, he will be the hunter and not the hunted.

What should you expect from this match?  A battle of wit and will. Floyd Mayweather Jr. must resist temptation to trade and stick to his game plan. He must make Oscar miss like what Pernell Whitaker did in 1997. He needs to move around and not let himself get cornered where Oscar could do the most damage. 

On the other hand, Oscar must fight a smart game plan.  If he is going in there thinking he’s going to impose his size, it will be a costly error. He has to balance boxing while trying to lure Floyd out of his shell by making him trade, which will open the door for him to land that famous left hook.

Yes! This will be a boxing match.  Sure, Floyd and Oscar will say something else but that’s just business.  Don’t fret though.  Just because it will turn into a chess match, doesn’t mean the fight will be boring. 

When you have two great champions in the ring, anything can happen. 

Contact the author at jeffcabauatan@yahoo.com