The Big Fight you Hardly Care About

This Saturday I'll witness one of sports increasingly rare events. A championship boxing match will be held and on paper it actually looks worth the $49.99 that the cable company will charge. Floyd Mayweather (37-0, 24 knockouts) will put his undefeated record on the line against Oscar De La Hoya (38-4, 30 knockouts). Big deal you say? Let me try to explain why a championship boxing match is unlike any other sporting event out there.

First of all there's the one on one aspect of boxing. This is something none of the major sports offer. Inside the ring there are no teammates to count on if you're having an off night. There isn't a coach to call timeout if the opponent starts landing a flurry of punches. It's simply one man against another man with nowhere to hide. The one on one nature can also have an influence on who you end up rooting for. As a fighters career progresses you learn their personalities as well as their fighting styles. Do you root for the quiet, determined fighter with the straight ahead style? Maybe you like the brash youngster with a huge punch. Perhaps you hate the slick defensive master with the cocky attitude. Once you choose a side with a fighter it's hard to go back.

The second thing that's hard to explain to non fans is the tension that builds up during a big fight. In other sports, the game ends only after the clock runs out or the last out is recorded. Obviously in boxing the match will end after 12 rounds, but during the fight there is always the looming specter of "the big punch." The fighter you're cheering for can be comfortably winning the fight but if he lets his guard down for just a second he can find himself on the losing end of a left hook. In the best matches, you feel your stomach in knots as the fight works it's way from the early stages on to the championship rounds. The big punch changes the complexion of the fight instantly in a way that a fourth inning homerun or 3rd quarter interception just can't.

Finally you have the release of emotion when there is a knockdown or knockout. All the tension that is built up finally gets a release and when it's your guy doing the ass kicking it's one of the best feelings sports has to offer. The closest thing to this is soccer at its highest levels.

So, who is going to win on Saturday? De La Hoya's big advantage is supposed to be his size. Mayweather is moving up to 154 pounds for this fight. Both fighters started their careers at 130 so size advantage may not be a huge factor. De La Hoya has fought at 154 for a longer time so he may be the more comfortable of the two at that weight. Mayweather's big advantage is his speed and boxing skill. De La Hoya is a great boxer as well but Mayweather is special and is generally acknowledged as the best pound for pound fighter in the game. Mayweather doesn't have the same power he used to as a lightweight and welterweight but he doesn't appear to have lost his speed. My guess is that the fight will go the distance. I expect Mayweather to use his speed to keep from getting hit by too many De La Hoya shots. Oscar will have his moments if he can hit Mayweather, but in the end Mayweather should prove to be too good. I'm thinking Mayweather wins a unanimous decision but it'll be close with scores coming in the 116-112 and 115-113 range.