De La Hoya-Mayorga from both sides of one man, DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE

This conversation was overheard and recorded a recent evening within the glowering study of their fireplace-lit den.

JEKYLL:  Oh, May the sixth, Mr. De La Hoya vs. Mr. Mayorga… the elation I felt… to experience Oscar back within the squared circle… to put it simply, his ability was far-reaching, Kudos, I say… the most eloquent of fistic waltzes he performed upon the most primitive of opponents.

HYDE: HOGWASH!!! That crap was a waste of money, no wonder people feel like lambs brought to the bloody slaughter. $50 bucks I invested and all I saw was Mayorga being bounced around the ring like a friggin’ double ended bag

JEKYLL: But that is the nature of boxing my good man, on occasion one may hold witness to a 30 second Armageddon, at other times one may witness 12 rounds of unrepentant hostility, and then again one may uncover a 12 round tedious tiff… it’s the unpredictability that entertains… it…

HYDE: UNPREDICTABILITY? That garbage was more predictable than the following day of the week… not a hint of resistance from Mayorga, with the exception of an uppercut, which he practically apologized for throwing in the first place. Kinda like when Duran touched gloves with Hearns after the 1^st round and then remembered he was supposed to be mad – so he waved him off. The phony windbag…

JEKYLL: Now, now… Mayorga attempted to defend himself yet Oscar was nothing short of scintillating fistic perfection. The accuracy was legendary.

HYDE: I am going to be sick.

JEKYLL: Not on the Persian carpet please… There was a certain eloquence to Oscar’s punching… It was as if his acute fists were speaking in rapier-like strokes! The most celebrated of artists could not have painted a finer picture.

HYDE: Claptrap! It was because he was painting on a “blank canvas.” You see the way Mayorga threw his punches? No real intent on his part… he…

JEKYLL; He has always fought in the wild manner of which you speak, and at the time he defeated Vernon Forest you could not find an individual who would say Mayorga does not fully comprehend the manly art of self-defense.

HYDE: I don’t know… Something smelled fishy and being in Vegas, that fight was far from the docks, know what I am saying? Oscar has never in his life taken a fight unless it was advantageous for him to do so… get a hangnail a week before the fight? He pulls out. Gets an abrasion on his butt in sparring, pulls out… the only time you’re supposed to pull out, as a man, is if…

JEKYLL: Cease your balderdash, unwitting savage, for I sense feelings of abhorrence within you; a covetousness that I had never though possible before. I am aware of your past career as a pugilist and you contend that Oscar was a “protected fighter,” no? Is that what this is all about?

HYDE: Um, YES and no…

JEKYLL: There – for nothing you say can be held as responsible journalism, nor can it be held to be an accurate opinion of the evening’s events and happenings. What you hold true is tainted by that little greed seed named abhorrence

HYDE: I don’t know about any abhor-nothing, but your sensing of hate… well it’s not a hate for him but for what he stands for. The liquefaction of real boxing. His sort destroys the sport. Turning it into a spectacle…

JEKYLL: Surely you jest… Oscar dumbing down boxing? If anything he brings boxing up from the dregs from which it was wallowing. De La Hoya has only ever fought with heart and class…

HYDE; First of all, let me tell you something, boxing is completely a “sport” that allows a person to express themselves from their soul… physically if not mentally, the way in which an individual fights reflects his true nature. This isn’t acting, it is primitive analysis on a combative scale…

JEKYLL: Ah, a beast attempting to wax philosophical with me… I would do battle but never do I do such with an unarmed man!

HYDE: Blasé, blasé… all I am saying is whatever “heart and courage” Oscar may or may not have shown isn’t what he is going to be remembered for… that won’t be his legacy no matter how many blowouts or wars he has in the future. Lemme tell you something, before telling you something else, everyone can run faster with the wind at their backs. His bouts have always been this short of being “fixed.” And not fixed in the conventional sense of the word, fixed in the sense that the only time he fights someone is when he either has a physical advantage over his opponent or they are coming off significant losses and are therefore safe to fight. When he was good and ready and his opponent was bad and unready.

JEKYLL: Au contraire mon bristled hair… Wouldn’t you like every situation to be in your favor? Is that not referred to as good management?

HYDE: That isn’t the point!

JEKYLL: Keep your voice down when addressing me, I expect a modicum of decency…

HYDE: He has secured his future, if that is what his aim was, but when it comes down to character… that thing that defines an individual… well, let me just say that most fighters were dropped into the middle of the ocean and told to swim. This guy was dropped in the middle of the ocean but landed on a luxury ocean liner, and that’s what the people relate to… Mexican, American, Korean, African, Myass-ian… above all else, in balanced individuals, they like displays of character and overcoming adversity. Winning when you are supposed to win ain’t no thing.

JEKYLL: Many have not, including you…

HYDE: Why I oughtta…

JEKYLL: Tut, tut, my good man-beast, I only beg to differ… he has had to overcome tremendous adversity… His origins are East LA, so lest ye forget, this young man was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he had to work for everything he has. While others decided to party and lead the “good” life, he applied himself to betterment via his vocation… Now I ask you, is it fair that he should be maligned for those choices?

HYDE: No, but maybe for the fact that when he gets someone in trouble he tends to flail his punches.

JEKYLL: Persnickety, you wish you could flail so effectively…

HYDE: Hey, I got the floor now! He whines when a punch strays low, he complains about a decision being unfair when he has had his share of “gift decisions”… witness the Pernell Whitaker fight.

JEKYLL: Listen to me my savage counterpart… there are many portholes to another dimension, not only one. Understand? You may prefer the rough-and-tumble/let me fight until I’m brain dead/carry them out on their shield-type boxers, but I for one feel different. Oscarrrrrrrrrr is good for boxing, he brings commerce and interest to the sport. Feel good in the fact that there are differences, for in this diversity there are more choices.

HYDE: I just want real fighting… is that too much to ask for? Whether a guy’s style is to run around the ring, or run into punches, it don’t matter! If Oscar ever fought at a disadvantage or at a time when someone was top of their game I don’t know it… and that’s what real fighting is… Not this staged circus. You may like your fisticuffs watered down, but I want my juice uncut!

JEKYLL: He beat Vargas!

HYDE: Vargas had already been KO’d severely in a loss to Trinidad first…

JEKYLL: He beat Whitaker, one of the greatest fighters…

HYDE: Who was at the end of his turn AND he didn’t beat him either. Oscar was dropped in that fight…

JEKYLL: You are highly inebriated…

HYDE: The video don’t lie my friend… Pernell definitely won that fight… and the next thing you want to tell me is De La Hoya is one of the best pound-for-pounds of all times… and you will never be able to say that and you know why? Because he never rose to the occasion… Sure Ray Leonard had some bull—- fights, money fights, but he earned them, just as Ali did.

JEKYLL: Well I like him and I will not participate in this witchhunt any longer. This character assassination has gone far enough…

HYDE: This isn’t an attempt at character assassination, this is all about boxing. I am not saying he isn’t a nice guy, I only make reference to his boxing ability given what he has shown throughout his career, damn it, and I will be heard!

JEKYLL: I think you have said quite enough! With me being the dominant personality that I am, I banish you back into the dark recesses of my mind.

HYDE: And if I don’t want to go?

JEKYLL: There will be consequences and repercussions… a little self-flagellation.

HYDE: Ha! You would cut off your nose to spite your face.

JEKYLL: I have done it before and I will do it again, now off with you and may you never show your hairy visage around me again!

HYDE: I will go for now, but I will be back… as sure as your multiple personality disorder… I will be back.