This is what the boxing world has been waiting for. The Golden Boy vs. Pretty Boy Floyd. The clean-cut, photogenic Oscar De La Hoya vs. the brash, wannabe villain Floyd Mayweather.It doesn’t get any better than this.When they jump into the ring on Saturday, it will probably be a one-sided beating. Mayweather is the younger (30), faster, and flat out better, fighter. He has never lost, coming into the bout with a 37-0 record with 24 knockouts. He is considered by many, including Ring Magazine, to be the best ‘pound-for-pound’ fighter in the world. De La Hoya is 34 years old and has lost every big fight of his career. He was also ranked by Ring Magazine as the best ‘pound-for-pound’ fighter in the world … in 1997. It’s not a fair match-up.But the hype for this fight is simply amazing. In HBO’s hit documentary ‘De La Hoya/Mayweather 24/7,’ viewers have the chance to see how the boxers prepare for the fight of their lives.You see De La Hoya trying to balance the most intensive workout program of his life with his family obligations. You see Mayweather talk about how he has eaten, drank and slept boxing for his entire life. You experience his strained relationship with his father, who was formerly De La Hoya’s trainer. You hear Mayweather’s uncle talk about how he has learned from his suspension after he jumped into the ring to fight Zab Judah after he hit Floyd with a deliberate low blow last April.Rapper 50 Cent makes an appearance out of nowhere, riding a Segway when he comes to see his buddy Mayweather. Sugar Shane Mosley makes the trip down to San Juan, Puerto Rico, to spar with De La Hoya.It’s all there. Mayweather approaches the mike during a press conference and mocks De La Hoya’s voice. Oscar looks legitimately upset. He has been made fun of by the elementary school bully. The roles are well defined. You want to root for De La Hoya. He is a seemingly much nicer person than Mayweather. You see his perfect relationship with his wife and child. He is the clean-cut, well-spoken pretty boy who Americans love to see win.But watching the show, you can’t help but feel for Mayweather. He doesn’t have the white-picket-fence life De La Hoya enjoys. He seems to be trying to be the villain, but he actually could be a nice guy under the right circumstances.At least when the fight begins, viewers will have a better sense of who these two are. They are not simply men who are born to kill. They have lives outside the ring. They are human. If every major fight were hyped like this, boxing would be a much better sport. It’s too bad an event like this will probably never happen again.

If you watch: What: De La Hoya/Mayweather 24/7When: 9:30 p.m. Thursday Where: HBO

SIDEBAR

Five fights that lived up to the hype

1)Ali – Frazier I, March 8, 1971. ‘The Fight of The Century.’Two undefeated champions, two polar opposites, squaring off in Madison Square Garden. Somehow, it surpassed expectations.2)Hagler – Hearns, April 15, 1985. ‘The War.’Eight minutes of nothing but vicious haymakers and Tommy Hearns’ Jeri-curl.3)Ali – Frazier III, Oct. 1, 1975. ‘The Thrilla in Manilla.’The brutal conclusion to their trilogy and the source for one of the greatest pieces of sports journalism ever – Mark Kram’s coverage for Sports Illustrated.4)Ali – Foreman, Oct. 30, 1974. ‘The Rumble in the Jungle.’The ‘rope-a-dope’ defense comes out on top after the heavyweight circus invades Zaire. Ali did what none before him – not even Joe Frazier – could do by suppressing Foreman’s power shots.5)Tyson – Holyfield II, June 28, 1997. ‘The Sound and the Fury.’OK, not the best fight ever, but it’s not every day you get to see a man’s ear bitten off.

Top 5 shows to set your TiVo for

1. Scarred – Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. on MTVInspired by viewer-submitted home video clips of horrendous crashes and falls during extreme sports, this gruesome show is painful yet intriguing to watch.

2. The Price is Right – daily at 11 a.m. on CBSBob Barker’s long, drawn out career as Price is Right host is coming to an end. Have him tell you to spay and neuter your pets while you still can.

3. The King of Queens, tonight at 9:30 p.m. on CBSThere are only four episodes left of Kevin James’ wildly popular sitcom. This week, an open apartment in New York City makes Carrie and Doug realize they have different plans for the future.

4. Meet the Fockers – Saturday at 9 p.m. on ABCTake a break from studying finals and kick back, relax and enjoy Ben Stiller’s hilarious 2004 hit.

5. Crossing Jordan – Wednesday at 9 p.m. on NBCThis intriguing drama has been on-again-off-again for NBC for the past few years. It’s best to watch this show whenever there are new episodes – you never know when it will go on hiatus again.

Published on April 28, 2007 at 12:00 pm