IT'S A BOYS' NIGHT OUT CAN 'GOLDEN BOY' QUIET 'PRETTY BOY'?

Byline: ROBERT MORALES

Staff Writer

LAS VEGAS -- So much has been made of the disdain Oscar De La Hoya has for Floyd Mayweather Jr., who hasn't been able to stop running his mouth during the 10 weeks of promotion for tonight's World Boxing Council super welterweight title fight at MGM Grand.

But anyone handicapping this fight should not forget that, as the villain, Mayweather has put himself in a spot where he has to win or he will be looked upon as just another fighter who can't back up his big mouth.

For example, Fernando Vargas' trash-talking to De La Hoya resulted in Vargas being knocked out in the 11th round of their fight in 2002. Vargas was hurt physically, but he was crushed emotionally. Vargas looked extremely chagrined as an HBO television camera showed him walking through the tunnel at Mandalay Bay.

Mayweather, known as "Pretty Boy," is an emotional young man, as his breakdown after his fight with Carlos Baldomir last November can attest. Mayweather was booed by fans after winning a unanimous decision, then, with tears streaming down his face in the post-fight news conference, he said he was going to retire after one more fight.

Few experts believe Mayweather, 30, meant that. But one thing's certain -- he wants to win tonight as badly as he's wanted to win any fight during his terrific career.

"I'm hungry as ever, man," he said. "I mean, I'm hungry, I'm hungry."

And he said he is going to prove it in grand fashion.

"I understand this is a business and I understand what I have to do," Mayweather said. "And I'm the best at going out there, putting on the gloves. And the one thing you can't take away from Floyd Mayweather Jr. -- there's one thing I can do -- I can fight.

"You can't take nothing away from me. And I have a hell of a knockout ratio and I feel that's going to be a surprise for Oscar -- my punching power."

Mayweather (37-0, 24 KOs), who is moving up in weight, does not get enough credit for his punching power. That's because some fighters he should have stopped -- like Baldomir -- went all 12 rounds because Mayweather suffered a hand injury.

Mayweather has brittle hands, but he said hand therapy has resulted in them being 100 percent in that regard. But if he injures a hand during the fight, De La Hoya, still referred to as "Golden Boy," is smart enough to pick up on it.

"We really haven't discussed that in camp," said De La Hoya, 34. "We are preparing for the best Mayweather out there, with the best hands someone can have. But him hurting his hands, if it happens, you know, if I smell blood, I go for it.

"That's just who I am. I close the show. If I see someone hurt, like a wounded animal, you have to go after it. If that happens, I'm going to fight as hard as I can so I can take advantage of the situation.

Whereas Mayweather would seem to have an obvious advantage in the speed department, De La Hoya is the bigger fighter and has a powerful left hook, one like Mayweather has never experienced.

De La Hoya (38-4, 30 KOs) scoffs at those who believe he will be much slower than Mayweather.

"He has good speed," said De La Hoya, the champion. "But I'll tell you one thing, I'm going to be able to match his speed. And his body movements are fairly quick, so we have to look out for his footwork, which obviously triggers everything. We'll make sure that we cut off the ring good and attack."

As for De La Hoya's hard left hook, it won't mean a thing if Mayweather can duck that swing. Mayweather is arguably the best defensive fighter today. He is not only fast with his hands, but with his legs and his upper body.

Freddie Roach, De La Hoya's trainer, is convinced his fighter will catch Mayweather with that hook.

"Going into this fight, we have to deal with Mayweather's speed," Roach said. "He is very, very quick and we have to take advantage of his mistakes. Speed will take you a long way. That's why I want Oscar to be a little more physical in there, fight inside and catch this guy on the ropes.

"This guy is basically a runner. Once he feels Oscar's power, he is going to get on his bike."

Mayweather is trained by his uncle, Roger Mayweather. He doesn't want to hear about De La Hoya's perceived muscle advantage.

"Strength don't win fights, ability wins fights," Roger Mayweather said. "And there is nobody out there in boxing with the ability my nephew has."

Mayweather weighed in at 150 pounds Friday, four pounds under the 154-pound limit. De La Hoya weighed 154.

"It ain't about the weight," Mayweather said, "it's about skills and smarts."

Steward, Lewis weigh in on fight

LAS VEGAS - A couple of superstars in their own right -- former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis and Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward -- voiced their opinion Friday regarding tonight's super welterweight title fight between Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr. at MGM Grand.

"Oscar has to apply pressure," said Steward, who trained Lewis and once trained De La Hoya. "Oscar has a fantastic jab, a much more outstanding jab than Mayweather. And he can hook off the jab."

Countered Lewis: "You can apply that pressure, but if you can't catch (Mayweather), you're in a world of trouble."

There are other elements to consider. For example, there has been plenty of hoopla surrounding the on-again estrangement of Mayweather and his father, Floyd Sr. A verbal row between the two, as well as another between Floyd Sr. and his brother Roger, who trains Floyd Jr., has wreaked havoc on the Mayweather camp.

But Steward believes that Floyd Jr. will not be affected.

"Floyd Jr. is a very intelligent guy," Steward said, "and I think he can work around all that."

Steward also pointed out that Mayweather seems to be consumed with De La Hoya. Mayweather has been saying he wants to fight De La Hoya for years.

"Floyd Mayweather Jr. is obsessed with beating this guy," Steward said. "When a fighter gets the one fighter he is obsessed about, it is very difficult for him to lose."

Finally, Steward talked about the importance of this fight as it relates to the sport's livelihood and the general consensus that it is currently hurting.

"I think this fight is extremely important for boxing because it will probably have more viewers watching than any fight in history, and will probably break all money records," Steward said. "If it turns out to be a great fight, it is going to be huge for boxing because I don't even see another super fight on the horizon."

And if it turns out to be a dud, those who paid hundreds of dollars for tickets, and those who shelled out $54.95 for the pay-per-view feed, are going to be mad as heck.

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Photo:

(1 -- color) Floyd Mayweather Jr. kisses his championship belt at Friday's weigh-in.

(2 -- color) Oscar De La Hoya will defend his WBC super welterweight title.

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

(3) Floyd Mayweather Jr., right, calls out Oscar De La Hoya during Friday's weigh-in in Las Vegas.

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

(4) Lennox Lewis, right, and Emanuel Steward train for Lewis' fight against Kirk Johnson in 2003.

Don Murray/Getty Images

Box:

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