Published by on May 9th, 2008
Print This Post
| 
Email This Post
| 
RSS 
By Scoop Malinowski
“The World Awaits” turned out to be the biggest prizefight in boxing history – 2,150,000 households paid $54.95 for the De La Hoya-Mayweather showdown, generating revenue of $120,000,000.
The tactical fight which featured few exciting moments was generally considered a disappointment. Now the rematch is said to be a near done-deal for September. We asked several boxing insiders and some of boxing’s lifeblood – the paying customers – if they wanted to see the rematch and who wins:
Paulie Malignaggi: “Yeah, if they want to do it. I think Floyd wins regardless. I think it’s pretty clear that Floyd would always beat Oscar De La Hoya. But at the same time it was a tactical fight and they fought the way they thought they should fight each other. Sometimes styles make fights – and those two styles put together against each other is not always going to make an exciting fight. It can, if played the right way. But it’s not always gonna do that. And it was as exciting as it’s gonna get on May 5th already.”
John Scully: “No need for a rematch other than to make Oscar richer. I didn’t even watch the first one because it was very easy to know it wasn’t going to be an exciting fight.”
Humberto Soto: “Floyd Mayweather is a special style and he’s a great fighter. A good, athletic guy. But I don’t want to see a rematch with Oscar De La Hoya. It will be the same picture.”
Lovemore N’Dou: “Look. I wasn’t impressed with the first fight. I guess it all comes down to money. If the guys are making money, why not? Let them fight.”
Renaldo Snipes: “Hell no! I turned off the first one (in the 8th round). (Why?) It was boring. It was like a sparring match.”
Wladimir Klitschko: “I have a split feelings about that. I think Mayweather needs it, but not Oscar. Alright, now to the point – I just asked my chef about it and he doesn’t want to see this fight.”
Lennox Lewis: “No. Same outcome.”
Matthew Saad Muhammad: “That was a very interesting fight. You gotta give it to Oscar, he tried. Let’s see what happens in a rematch. Floyd outclassed him but give Oscar another chance. Let’s see what happens.”
Steve Farhood: “I definitely don’t want to see a rematch, even if it makes business sense. In the ring, the first fight featured exactly what we expected, which wasn’t much. There’s little reason to think anything will be different if Floyd and Oscar do it again. And besides, there are plenty of other big fights out there, especially for Mayweather, especially at welterweight. As Cotto-Judah reminded us, it’s not just drama we crave, but action.”
Andrew Golota: “No. Cause it’s boring. Boring fight. Nothing happened. I think the division is too strong for Mayweather. He might get hurt with Cotto. Cotto might kill him. That’s what I think. Mayweather is a one-punch (at a time) guy. He doesn’t throw a lot of combinations.”
Dmitri Salita: “I think it will be an interesting fight again. It was close the first time and I think Oscar’s inactivity affected him. Floyd fought a great fight considering his physical disadvantages – size and weight. I think Oscar has shown a great ability to adapt throughout his career and this fight would be of much interest. I think boxing needs it as it definitely gave a shot of rejuvenation to the sport. I think it’s a pick ‘em fight and any man can win on a given night. They are two Hall of Famers and legends of our time.”
Kendall Holt: “I would like to see that rematch. Cause I would like a more decisive decision win by either one. I think Floyd won the first fight. I think he can eliminate the people that think he lost by putting on more of a show.”
Andre Dirrell: “Definitely. Definitely something I’m begging to see. I hope it to be more exciting. I bet it will. Just hope it’s a good fight.”
Shelly Finkel: “Yes and no. I have mixed feelings on it. I thought it was close. I thought some of the things if Oscar had done he could have won. I had it very close, by one round. The key was the jab. If he was tired in the later rounds – maybe age is there. If Oscar can improve or change, then Yes. But if Oscar did feel he beat him then I wouldn’t be that interested.”
Thomas Hauser: “No. Boxing needs big fights, not just big events. And it should be looking to the future, not the past.”
James “Bonecrusher” Smith: “Yes. If I can get a ticket to the live show in Las Vegas.”
Eddie Mustafa Muhammad: “As a tactical person, yes. Because that’s what it was – a tactical fight on Mayweather’s part. He’s a tactical fighter. Oscar tried to play the bully which played right into Mayweather’s hands. I just think it would be the same thing. I like the tactical fights. Try to hit you and not let you hit me – that’s the name of the game.”
LeRoy Neiman: “No. I don’t want to see Oscar fight at all. Who wants to see him fight again? Who do you want to see him fight? He’s a promoter now. Mayweather and Cotto would be a good fight. Cotto’s a good fighter. He’s a real fighter. He’s relentless.”
Al Cole: “Hmmm, I’m not sure. I predicted the fight as it went. So I’m not sure. It wasn’t too much of an exciting fight. There was more excitement up and coming to the fight than the fight. You’ve got two great fighters – you wanted to see what happened. You wanted to see fireworks. But there wasn’t. Oscar – I knew it was going to be very hard for him to hit Floyd. Floyd took off a few rounds, he gave Oscar a few rounds, he fought a perfectly controlled fight. I’m not sure if I want to see it again. What could be a better fight is Sugar Shane and Floyd. I think that would be a better fight for the people to see. You have two speedsters. And they’re gonna get in exchanges, mix it up more. With the speed, someone will get caught more.”
Bob Foster: “No. That was a bunch of junk.”
Glen Johnson: “No. I think that was garbage the first time and it’s gonna be more garbage the second time.”
Boxing Fans Speak:
Joey Trimble (Flint, Michigan): “Nope. Floyd’s begging Oscar for the rematch but I would rather see Floyd fight Cotto. Quote me on this … Floyd Mayweather Jr. would rather fight God himself then get into the ring with Miguel Cotto.”
Jamie Nieto (San Diego, CA): “Yeah, I felt like Floyd did not really beat Oscar up like he said he was going to. I thought that Floyd would at least knock him down not play defense most of the fight. I think the rematch would be a better fight.”
Derrick Henderson (Glenwood, IL): “Nope. I wouldn’t want to see it again because I already know what the result would be. I would, like everyone else, like to see Mayweather-Cotto because it’s an interesting fight we haven’t seen.”
Dave Selwyn (New City, N.Y.): “No, because I expect the same result.”
