Word: la
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...much had been made of this fight, which had been ballyhooed as the "Fight of the Century," and now in the penitential brightness of the ring Oscar De La Hoya, the most popular fighter in the world, and Floyd Mayweather Jr., boxing's best, pound for pound, awaited their fate as the judges handed in their scoring cards. But there was more to it than just the super welterweight belt: the world was judging the sport of boxing...
...Boxing's popularity has been unraveling for some time now, but De La Hoya-Mayweather Jr. became the Super Bowl of boxing, the most-anticipated fight of the year, if not the last two decades. It pitted archetypes: self-effacing De La Hoya vs. trash-talking Mayweather. The MGM Grand sold out its 16,200-seat arena in three hours, generating $19 million, a Nevada boxing record; the fight had its own HBO reality series; ringside seats were fetching $20,000; and, while the final numbers won't be known until mid-week, the fight...
...really expected it to go for 12 rounds. Mayweather Jr. and De La Hoya might have sweet smiles but they have apocalyptic fists, and they had been talking poorly about each other for four months. "I truly feel that Mayweather Jr. needs a humbling experience," said De La Hoya. "I'm gonna beat you 'til you respect me, I'm gonna beat you 'til you call me Pretty," said Mayweather. "Don't miss this one, it might not be too long," warned Freddie Roach, De La Hoya's trainer. But it was not to be. De La Hoya had been...
...months leading up to the super welterweight (154-pound) clash, motor-mouthed "Pretty Boy" Mayweather - who outside the ring carries $30,000 in pocket money and decorates himself with $1 million in diamond-encrusted jewelry - embraced the role of Iago, continuously woofing at his opponent. Seeking to irritate De La Hoya and fire up the partisan crowd, Mayweather came into the arena cheekily wearing a white sombrero and the red and green colors of Mexico on his trunks; his corner men wore T-shirts emblazoned with the words "Mayweather Loves Mexico." Meanwhile De La Hoya, the "Golden Boy" the superstar...
...They say that if you want the story of a fight, look at the competitors' feet and they will tell the narrative. From the beginning of the bout, De La Hoya's red-colored shoes strided toward the elusive Mayweather. De La Hoya's aggressive strategy was born on the belief that he needed to engage his opponent in a brawl, to bull Mayweather, who tends to sidestep his opponents with ghost-like body movements. De La Hoya, an angular man who stands two inches taller than Mayweather, wanted to get in close and use his power and size...