Will
12-24-2006, 01:40 AM
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- The highly anticipated Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight that figures to be one of boxing's richest ever will be held at MGM Grand in Las Vegas on May 5.
The designation of the site by Golden Boy Promotions was made Wednesday -- five weeks after an announcement saying the pair would meet for De La Hoya's 154-pound WBC title in Las Vegas or Los Angeles.
The live gate could exceed a Nevada-record $18 million, which would better the $16.8 million generated by the Lennox Lewis vs. Evander Holyfield rematch in 1999. Pay-per-view numbers are expected to break previous records as well.
The 33-year-old De La Hoya previously said the fight would be the last in a pro career that began after he was the only U.S. boxer to win a gold medal in the 1992 Olympics. De La Hoya, 38-4 with 30 knockouts, is boxing's biggest draw despite fighting only sporadically in recent years.
"This is what boxing is all about, and fighting Floyd Mayweather is the type of fight that truly gets me motivated to go through a hard training camp and make the sacrifices I have to make to be the best," De La Hoya said in a statement.
The 29-year-old Mayweather, who will be moving up in weight, is generally regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter. He is coming off a dominating win over Carlos Baldomir on Nov. 4 for the 147-pound WBC title, raising his record to 37-0 with 24 knockouts. He won a bronze medal in the 1996 Olympics.
Credit:mmanews.com
I didn't even know that De la Hoya was still fighting. I wouldn't be surprised if Mayweather actually retired him on a loss.
The designation of the site by Golden Boy Promotions was made Wednesday -- five weeks after an announcement saying the pair would meet for De La Hoya's 154-pound WBC title in Las Vegas or Los Angeles.
The live gate could exceed a Nevada-record $18 million, which would better the $16.8 million generated by the Lennox Lewis vs. Evander Holyfield rematch in 1999. Pay-per-view numbers are expected to break previous records as well.
The 33-year-old De La Hoya previously said the fight would be the last in a pro career that began after he was the only U.S. boxer to win a gold medal in the 1992 Olympics. De La Hoya, 38-4 with 30 knockouts, is boxing's biggest draw despite fighting only sporadically in recent years.
"This is what boxing is all about, and fighting Floyd Mayweather is the type of fight that truly gets me motivated to go through a hard training camp and make the sacrifices I have to make to be the best," De La Hoya said in a statement.
The 29-year-old Mayweather, who will be moving up in weight, is generally regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter. He is coming off a dominating win over Carlos Baldomir on Nov. 4 for the 147-pound WBC title, raising his record to 37-0 with 24 knockouts. He won a bronze medal in the 1996 Olympics.
Credit:mmanews.com
I didn't even know that De la Hoya was still fighting. I wouldn't be surprised if Mayweather actually retired him on a loss.