Okay drama queen. When I see comments like "De La Hoya will win this fight. Hopkins has never been in the wars that De La Hoya has been in." it's a bit difficult not to be condescending. "De la Hoya will win this fight" Okay. Greeeaaattt analysis there Mr. Lampley. Why? Is this why you think he'll win: "Hopkins has never been in the wars that De La Hoya has been in" Huh? WTF? Which wars? Losing to three much better fighters b/c he ran? Beating up on a rag doll like Gatti. Getting taken to the end by Felix Sturm? Sorry, Oscar has not been in any "wars." EVERY time he has come up against an adversary of his age and supposed equality - he has lost! Wars? Those fights that Oscar lost were not "debatable" as you say, either. I understand that you may have problems with the way the juding system works, but that doesn't mean the decisions are open to debate. A W is a W, and a L is a L. Mosley flat out owned Oscar though -sorry he did. As for Trinidad, I'll refer you to pgabriel's post above. Now you ask why Oscar overhyped? Are you kidding me? Oscar is a good looking, relatively well-spoken guy. When compared to the semi-r****ded thugs that most boxers seem to come off as on tv, this is a no-brainer for HBO & the sports media. I think Hopkins will win because he is a merciless fighter. He does not let up when he thinks a fight might be in hand like De La Hoya does. He doesn't run, but he doesn't stand in there & get pounded either. He trains hard & fights the same way. Hopkins won't take half a year off to be a mariachi, then use that vacation as an excuses when he loses a fight. You say that Oscar is the only one taking all comers? BS - when has Hopkins ever ducked a fight? Roy Jones ring a bell? I like him b/c he's a smart fighter, b/c he's committed, & b/c he's not shoved up everyone's asses the way De La Hoya is. I don't like Oscar AS A FIGHTER b/c he's a half-ass. He trains poorly & he fights poorly. He thinks he should be able to land a few punches then run for the rest of the fight. When things don't go his way after doing so, he whines. He seems like a good enough guy outside of the ring, but when it comes to boxing I'm not a fan. Maybe he'll prove me wrong tonight. There's a good reason Vegas & damn near everyone If De La Hoya wins I'll come back here & give him his props - but if he does it IS a MAJOR upset. Now keep your idle internet threats between yourself & whoever you're playing Dungeons & Dragons with today, mkkkay?
Any establishment besides Live Sports Cafe in downtown showing the fight tonight? I've called several places and no one is showing the fight. One of the sports bar owners I contacted told me that most of the sports bars in Houston are not getting the fight because they are being charged $3200 for the fight... Unless someone else can point out another location, I guess I'll be heading downtown and paying a $10 cover charge.
De La Hoya looks like he's in tremendous shape, no sight of that beer belly he had against Sturm. http://www.hboppv.com/ I think this is going to be a close fight, and I can't see either of them getting knocked out. I'm sticking with Hopkins though.
Yeah, he looks like he's in much better shape. I'm like you, I don't see either of them getting knocked out so the winner will be by decision. Whenever it come down to a decision the Don King fighter always is on top. Winner Hopkins.
If I did anything other than state my own opinion about a fight than you may have a point. If I said "people are idiots for picking Hopkins" fire away. That didn't happen here. You're being an ass and you need to be called on it. Your standards for boxing analysis were insulted? Go to hell. I don't have to justify a fricken opinion about a fight to a little twerp like you. Now go get your shine box.
LMAO "BMoney". You don't "have to justify your opinion," yet you ask me to do the same huh Mr. Internet Badass? You offered up an inane generality as to why De La Hoya would win this fight & then you get pissed when I call you on it. You still haven't addressed any of my points or those of anyone elses as to Oscar's track record. Anyway, take some Paxil man, I hear it helps angry people like you. De La Hoya's got a lot to prove for a "legend," let's see if he sacks up tonight or comes up with excuses yet again.
OK, enough with the r****ded banter... The real question is whether there is an unofficial cf.net outing to watch this fight??? RM95? Codell?
Felix Sturm was robbed against De La Hoya. He should have won that fight. And I think he would beat both of those guys...De La Hoya and Hopkins.
Grea the Drama begins and gives De La Hoya a reason to whine and cry if he doesn't win the fight....anyone else read the article about him cutting his hand and getting 11 stitches and he is goign to fight with it? here is the article. http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=1883757 Oscar De La Hoya sustained a cut on his left hand Wednesday that required 11 stitches, ESPN has learned, but Saturday night's middleweight championship fight against Bernard Hopkins isn't in jeopardy. De La Hoya was cut underneath the ring finger when his trainer accidentally sliced him while removing tape after Wednesday's training session. Fighting a bigger, stronger fighter who doesn't remember what it's like to lose, De La Hoya most likely will need the fight of his life to become an undisputed champion for the first time in his spectacular career. "This is for all the marbles," De La Hoya said. "This is the fight that will define my career." For once, De La Hoya may not be exaggerating. By challenging Hopkins for the undisputed middleweight title, he's either picked a great way to stake his claim to history or a spectacular way to end his career. Oddsmakers don't figure De La Hoya will win, making the Golden Boy a 2-1 underdog in a fight that could be the richest nonheavyweight bout. "The only situation I've never experienced is being the underdog. It's burning me inside," De La Hoya said. "I just want to show everybody I'm a winner." So does Hopkins, whose hardscrabble life and stubborn insistence on doing things his way kept him from getting his first big money fight until age 39. "De La Hoya has done everything you can do in boxing. He made more money that any fighter probably in the history of boxing," Hopkins said. "But give me a rich fighter and a hungry fighter, and I'll take the hungry fighter every time." De La Hoya weighed in at 155 pounds Friday, while Hopkins was 156. The contract weight limit for the fight was 158 pounds. Hopkins (44-2-1, 31 knockouts) will make at least $10 million for the scheduled 12-round fight, which will be televised from the MGM Grand Garden arena on pay-per-view ($59.95) by HBO beginning at 9 p.m. ET. De La Hoya will make at least $30 million for only his second fight as a middleweight. Hopkins, who hasn't lost in 11 years and has defended his middleweight title 18 times, plans to make De La Hoya earn every penny. "I'm going to set a fierce pace. It's going to be a Marvin Hagler-Tommy Hearns kind of fight," Hopkins said. "If he takes a deep breath, I'm telling you, it's over." Hopkins likes to compare himself to Hagler, another fighter who made a career out of stalking opponents with relentless pressure and wearing them down on the inside. But he rejects this fight being compared to the 1987 middleweight title fight upset of Hagler by Sugar Ray Leonard. "The concept may be the same, an Olympic medalist against a blue collar guy," Hopkins said. "There are similarities, but it won't be the same outcome." Like Leonard did against Hagler, De La Hoya will have to box and move to beat Hopkins. He didn't show great power in his only middleweight fight against Felix Sturm in June, and Hopkins figures to win any toe-to-toe exchanges. But De La Hoya (37-3, 29 knockouts) has had a problem with stamina late in his fights, and he will have to stand up against Hopkins in spurts and hold his own while hoping he's doing enough to win rounds. "He doesn't have my legs, doesn't have my quickness," De La Hoya said. "Believe me, I can carry power. I will carry power." De La Hoya hasn't been impressive since stopping Fernando Vargas in their 154-pound title fight two years ago. He lost a close decision to Shane Mosley after fading in the final rounds last September, then had a lot of trouble against the little-known Sturm before barely pulling out a decision. At 31, he's made about $200 million in the ring and his fights have grossed more than a half billion dollars. De La Hoya has branched out to become a businessman and promoter as well as a fighter, but insists his focus is back for what he sees as the biggest fight of his career. De La Hoya said he sparred 130 rounds for Hopkins, compared with the 80 he usually spars, and went a full 12 rounds four different times. "I'm in such great shape right now that there's no risk whatsoever," he said. "When you're prepared you feel nothing. Believe me, I'll feel nothing." De La Hoya's trainer, Floyd Mayweather Sr., said De La Hoya will fight Hopkins much like he fought Felix Trinidad for the first nine rounds before giving that fight away by running the last three rounds. "He's going to get on his toes, do a little of that. He's also going to do some fighting," Mayweather said. "He's going to do it all." De La Hoya originally wanted a rematch with Trinidad or a third fight with Mosley, but both balked at taking less money than De La Hoya. So he turned to Hopkins, who has begged De La Hoya to fight him for years but never expected to get the challenge. Hopkins fought for only $300,000 just two fights ago against William Joppy, and has never come close to the kind of money he will make to defend his titles against De La Hoya. His career has been marked by battles with promoters, managers and even trainers and it seemed as if he would never get the payday he felt he deserved. Hopkins, who will enter the ring to a recording of Frank Sinatra crooning "My Way," sees even more opportunities ahead. "I become the Golden Boy after this fight," Hopkins said. "I'm not Oscar, but I'll be able to say I beat the two Latin legends, Oscar and Trinidad."
You sure about that? ESPN just gave the 8th to Hopkins, but didn't mention a KO. EDIT: Hopkins KO in 9th.
