Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather do not like each other. They've been trading barbs since before they fought back in 2007, and it looks like they'll taking shots at each other forever. Today, Playboy posted a letter written by De La Hoya aimed at Mayweather. While most of the points Oscar makes are true (I've written about Floyd's flawed legacy before) like saying that many fighters, including his idol Julio Cesar Chavez (Mike Tyson said the same thing), have reached the 49-0 mark before, the open letter reeks of pettiness.
De La Hoya starts the letter off very politely by telling Floyd:
Then it all goes down hill from there. The very next sentence is:
He then criticizes Mayweather's decision to fight Andre Berto for his last stand and says he plays the fight whenever he needs his kids to fall asleep:
Like I said: Petty.
Oscar then accuses Floyd of being a runner, a distinction synonymous with De La Hoya's career, while admitting he lost the Trinidad fight because of that very act:
Oscar then closes the letter out with a series of paragraphs comparing his legacy to Floyd's, saying May "took the easy way out" by not challenging himself with the likes of Antonio Margarito and Paul Williams. He also says Floyd should go back on Dancing With the Stars because, "It’s a job that’s safe, pays well and lets you run around on stage. Something you’ve been doing for most of your career."
A lot of truth, a lot of petty. I disagree with the notion that the fight game will be better off without Floyd, though. Whether you like him or not, Floyd was good for the sport. Boxing needs a bad guy, it needs a mouthpiece, it needs controversy. With Floyd gone, who's going to fill that void as of right now? Danny Garcia's father Angel? He's not a fighter.
There is no doubt another lightning rod of a boxer will come along, but who knows who'll take on that task? There have only been four in our lifetime: Jack Johnson, Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, and Mayweather. Also, I personally think Floyd would've dominated Margarito and Williams, but to Oscar's credit, we'll never know.
One thing we both can agree on, though? That Miguel Cotto/Canelo Alvarez fight is going to be a "Fight of the Year" candidate.
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