EXCLUSIVE: Floyd Fires At Oscar, But Oscar Wins Counterpunch Battle

If I didn’t know better, my antennae would be perked up, and I’d be thinking that Floyd Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya were on a head-on path for a rematch.

Now, never say never…but I think we have seen the last of De La Hoya, age 43 in February, in a ring, not wearing a suit and promoter hat.

But these guys are going at it pretty hammer and tong.

Did you see what Floyd said to Fight Hype?

On Tuesday, Floyd critiqued the cover of RING magazine, which is owned by Oscar, and by the way, which I contribute to.

“Well, you know, congratulations, but you know the sport is starting to look bad when a female fighter from a whole other sport is on the cover of a boxing book,” Floyd said to FH boss Ben Thompson, about UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey being featured on the cover of the new edition of Ring magazine. “He has no fighters but Canelo,” continued Mayweather, despite the arguable fact that a stable versus stable showdown between Golden Boy and Mayweathwer Promotions would not by any means be a lock-win for the MP gang.

Floyd recycled some old spicy headlines about Oscar–glass houses alert!– and then said, “A guy that’s going to promote me as a fighter, I want them to care about my well-being when it’s all said and done. The promoter should be able to make money, but when it’s all said and done, the talent should win, and not just having their hand raised after the fight. Financially, the fighter should win.”

Not sure what he’s referring to, as the GB ace, Canelo, has done more than well in fighting Floyd, and now will pad his account with that Cotto fight.

Well, I’m here to tell you, Oscar isn’t in shrinking from confrontation mode. In the latest Playboy magazine, Oscar has penned a piece, called “A Farewell To Floyd Mayweather,” and I dare say I give him the win, in this war of words rematch to their 2007 tangle, on points.

TSS had the first excerpts anywhere.

http://www.playboy.com/articles/oscar-de-la-hoya-writes-an-honest-farewell-letter-to-floyd-mayweather

Some excerpts: “I’m not real unhappy to see you retire,” De La Hoya wrote. “Neither are a lot of boxing fans…Why? Because the fight game will be better off without you in it. Let’s face it: You were boring.”

Oscar hammers the last Mayweather fight, against Andre Berto, amd gets off a solid zinger, saying that he uses that video as a sleep aid for his kids. It gets more pointed…

“You were afraid. Afraid of taking chances. Afraid of risk.” He says Floyd lied to fans, because he promised action and delivered another risk-averse performance.

Oscar reminds Floyd and all of us that taking risks, and risking losses, shows your character, while seeking every edge, and pouncing on aged foes, speaks to your lack of it. And that legacy Floyd says will be one for the ages?

“As for your fights? We’ve already forgotten them all,” De La Hoya writes.

Oscar sends a last-round flurry: “Maybe you’ll wind up back on Dancing With the Stars. It’s a job that’s safe, pays well and you get to run around on stage. Something that you’ve been doing for most of your career.”

My take: Oscar gets the W…

The Ronda on RING cover is a no brainer choice. Why? The intention is to sell the product, and you aid that mission by getting people to know or remember your product. The chatter about the Rousey cover is the most ink RING has gotten since the Don King/ABC tournament fiasco. Mission accomplished…So Floyd is, to me, on the wrong side of that argument.

Then, busting on Oscar’s stable…Um, Floyd’s isn’t lighting any fires, to any great extent. He’d be better served by letting some of his young guns blossom before he goes there.

A personal attack on Oscar is a head scratcher, because if you compare Oscar’s past misdeeds and Floyds’, only one of those two guys did a jail stint for his. And it wasn’t Oscar…

Again, if I didn’t know better, I’d say this was building to Oscar vs Floyd 2, maybe in September 2016, because I hear chatter about Floyd coming back then.