Articles of 2007
Oscar Says Floyd's Nervous
There are ten days left until we see if the Golden One can pull off what I believe is an impossible feat, and scrape off a thick film of rust, and spit in the face of aging's destructive toll, and be the first man to beat Floyd Mayweather Jr.
On a Wednesday conference call, the final flurry in an unprecedented barrage of phoners to whet appetites for the May 5th Super Bowl of Boxing, De La Hoya was asked if he'd tuned in to HBO's 24/7 reality program that shows Oscar and Floyd in their day-to-day regimen.
“I have watched it,” De La Hoya said.
And, he was asked, what did he think about Floyd dissing his personality, or lack thereof.
“Floyd's comments go in one ear and out the other,” Oscar answered.
“As the fight gets closer, he's getting nervous, more and more nervous. A big event can make you jumpy. You'll see it on 24/7. You'll see him getting nervous.”
Me, I'm not seeing that.
I'm not getting the feeling that Floyd's quaking in his boxing boots, needing new pairs of drawers as he contemplates getting in with Oscar.
Do you get the sense that the 37-0 Floyd, at his physical peak, with more on the line than ever before, is really chomping on his fingernails at the prospect of fighting De La Hoya?
You think PBF is needing to sip chamomile tea to settle down as he pictures himself stepping in with a man who has fought three times in three years?
You think Floyd will need to bring in a hypnotherapist to aid him in relaxing, as he gets overwrought thinking about how he'll handle a fight with a 34-year-old foe who has lost three times in a row (on my scorecard, Felix Sturm upset ODLH in June 2004) before eking out a win in his last outing?
Think Floyd will need to get in some power yoga to get his chi in order as he contemplates meeting the man whose last win came against a certified loony toon in Ricardo Mayorga?
Think Floyd's hands are trembling at the thought of facing off with a man who has spent most of his energy building his resume as an entrepreneur and promoter in the last three years?
Me, I've not seen it, but hey, maybe I should defer to Oscar. Maybe he sees tics in Floyd's actions that I don't.
Oscar's been doing this a long time, and assumedly he has a good handle on his opponent's mood.
But why am I feeling like Oscar's trying to play some mind games here, trying to get into Floyd's head, and why do I think that Floyd's head ain't regulation issue, that it isn't so easy to mess with?
I see Floyd being Floyd, infuriatingly cocky in the eyes of the old-school set, keepin'-it-real cool to those who are more open to hip hop type posturing.
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