10B BOXING
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, MAY 7, 2007
Jae C. Hong/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Floyd Mayweather Jr., left, and Oscar De La Hoya trade blows during the tenth round of their WBC super welterweight world championship boxing match May 5 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
2007 Graduates!
"for special incentives and special financing available only to college grads,contact us today!"
Floyd Mayweather Jr. poses with his championship belts after winning a split decision over Oscar De La Hoya in their WBC super wetterweight world championship. The crowd paid a total of $19 million to see the fight.
Jae C. Hong/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Bad boy beats golden boy
Mayweather's surprise win against De La Hoya disappoints crowd
BY TIM DAHLBERG ASSOCIATED PRESS
LASVEGAS — Floyd Mayweather Jr. couldn't win over the crowd, or even his own father. All he could win was the only thing that really counted Saturday night, his fight against Oscar De La Hoya.
Boxing's bad boy beat the Golden Boy in one of the richest fights ever, using his superb defensive skills and superior speed to take a 12-round split decision and win the WBC 154-pound title in his first fight at that weight.
He didn't impress the pro-De La Hoya crowd that roared with every punch thrown by their hero, and even Floyd Mayweather Sr. thought his son had lost. But Mayweather landed the harder punches and landed them more often, and that was enough to eke out yet another win.
Both proud champions fought from the opening bell to the end of the final round, which finished with the brawl De La Hoya wanted all
"It was easy work for me. He was rough and tough, but he couldn't beat the best," Mayweather said. "I was having fun in there. It was a hell of a fight."
The fight that was supposed to save the sport may not have done that, but it was entertaining enough and competitive enough to keep everyone's attention even though neither fighter seemed to hurt the other and neither went down.
along. But it came too late to help De La Hoya, who lost four of the last five rounds on two scorecards, sealing his fate.
"I could see I was hurting him," De La Hoya said. "I was pressing the fight, and if I hadn't pressed the fight there would be no fight. I'm a champion, and you have to do more than that to beat a champion."
De La Hova threw far more
De La Hu punches than Mayweather in an almost desperate bid to overcome Mayweather's slippery defense. He trapped Mayweather on the ropes and in the corner almost every round, throwing flurries to his head.
But many
feated champion and the former trainer of De La Hoya.
"My son had good defense and caught a lot of punches,but I still thought Oscar pressed enough to win the fight.
"I thought Oscar won the fight on points, threw more punches and was more aggressive," said the senior Mayweather, who munched popcorn as he watched the fight from a $2,000 ringside seat given to him by De La Hoya. "My son had good defense and caught a lot of his punches, but I still thought Oscar pressed
FLOYD MAYWEATHER SR
Boxer's father
"I just fought the best fighter in our era and I beat him," Mayweather said.
The sellout crowd of 16,200 that paid a record $19 million gate didn't think so, booing the decision just as it had boooed Mayweather when he came into the ring wearing a sombrero on Cinco de Mayo.
But many more missed than landed, allowing Mayweather to dance away, often after countering with a punch or two of his own.
And neither did Floyd Mayweather Sr. the estranged father of the under-
Two of the three ringside judges, though, gave the fight to Mayweather, who has never lost in his career and won a title for the fifth time in as many weight classes.
enough to win the fight."
Mayweather was favored 116-112 by judge Chuck Giampa and 115-113 by judge Jerry Roth. Judge Tom Kaczmarek had De La Hoya ahead 115-113. The Associated Press had Mayweather winning 116-112.
Because this was boxing, the fight didn't end without some controversy. De La Hoya's corner said it might protest the decision after noticing that the scorecards circulated at ringside had the fighters in the wrong color corners, but the director of the Nevada Athletic Commission said they were correct.
THINK KU FOR SUMMER
ENROLL NOW!
for the Lawrence and Edwards Campuses
See your advisor for more information!