Greg---as usual, you have the ability to let everyone hear it here first. And now you will hear it from me first in response to Oscar's comments during your interview with him as reflected on your site today. In response of ODLH saying: "I was just not going to pay for the fight. I just didn't feel the full card was worth whatever they were charging." His negative response toward the fighters that fought their hearts out saddens me. This echoes exactly the type of answer Oscar has accused the old guard of making when they would have nothing but negative comments to say about another promoter's event or the blood and guts of fighters participating in the event. Petty.
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In response of Richard Schaefer at the event, ODLH said: "To pay close attention to the whole situation. I wanted him to see with his own eyes how many people were in the arena, what the atmosphere was like. Is this kid generating any enthusiasm or is he generating any more excitement. The first thing Richard told me was that it doesn't even come close to when Mosley fights or when Barrera fights or when Hopkins fights. There's no energy whatsoever so I assumed that the arena wasn't closed to selling out, because when an arena is sold out there's some real excitement. Obviously we know that Mayweather cannot fill an arena up. We all know that it's no secret."
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All Oscar has to do is request the Commission report and see for himself the gate generated. The numbers don't lie. Greg, you were right, it was close to being filled. From the thousands of fans that filled the arena for the weigh-in, to the biggest A-list celebrity attendance we've seen since the heyday of Mike Tyson, and that includes Oscar's recent fights, it was an exciting event.
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In response of ODLH saying:Â "Pay-per-view's, I'm waiting very patiently to see what the numbers are going to be but the indication is somewhere in the neighborhood of 300,000-350,000. Then we'll take it from there. To really tell you the truth I was really turned off with what Richard explained to me, turned off with some quotes that I read from him talking to Larry Merchant, but we'll see."
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Oscar can spin it anyway he desires, but the bottom line is Floyd Mayweather took on an opponent that was completely unknown to the American people and was able to do north of 300,000 buys because of his star power alone. Oscar said it best (unwittingly) for Floyd's ability to bring in fans when he said, "Mayweather was going to blow him out of the water...and Baldomir wasn't going to hit him because he's too fast." Even though this is what most people were saying, they still wanted to come out and see Floyd perform. As for Oscar being turned off from the dialogue between Larry Merchant and Floyd during the interview immediately after the bout I would say two things: First, this is exactly the reason Floyd is a star and respected by all athletes, entertainers and fans alike, because he speaks the truth. Take nothing away from Oscar, he's got the typical politician demeanor...smiles for everyone. But, Floyd will always be real and true to himself. Oscar is a boxing talent and star, while Floyd is also respected by his fans and peers. The second point is the abundance and glowing reviews Floyd got from some of the most respected reporters in the world. A sampling of them: Jerry Magee (San Diego Union-Tribune) "Mayweather was more than pretty, he waged a fight that'll be recalled as a masterpiece," and "he was outweighed and had no use of his right hand, yet still won." Tim Dalberg (AP) "Mayweather was brilliant." Steve Springer (Los Angeles Times) "It was a totally dominating performance...a performer at the top of his game, reminiscent of an Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin or any of the other legendary performers who have come through this town." George Willis (New York Post) "Mayweather sliced apart Baldomir." Ed Graney (Las Vegas Review Journal) "Mayweather reigned supreme...Mayweather is also proving himself the rarest of a kind by chewing up opponents who have no answer for his brilliance...the only thing standing between him and more prominent place in boxing history is an opponent who can bring enough pressure to counter what is truly a beautiful style." David Mayo (Grand Rapids Press) "Mayweather painted Baldomir for 12 rounds...with Hall of Fame credentials...Mayweather was too sharp, too mobile, too technically sound and too smart for Baldomir's heart and strength." Matthew Syed (London Times) "...Mayweather is on the verge of securing his place in the pantheon alongside the likes of Jack Johnson, Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard..."
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Now Greg you can understand why Richard and Oscar were turned off by some quotes. When Mayweather receives these type of accolades from top journalists, as well as what you've been on the record saying about his performance, its not appropriate (or correct) for Oscar to try to demean Mayweather's total and complete dominance of the fight and what many believe is a fight too risky for Oscar to follow through on with Mayweather.
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In response of ODLH saying: "The whole situation, here I am offering tons of money to him and if he's not going to accept it, it's not going to get done, it's simple as that."Â Let me tell you though, he'll be making a lot of money, I just feel it's just not worth it."Â "Let's put it this way, if I was offering him $1, that $1 is off the table and now he's being offered 50 cents. If he's not going to take it, he's not going to take it we're just going to move on." "And it's still a lot of money."
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Greg, again Oscar is speaking of the days he was offering Bernard Hopkins and others like him the opportunity because those fighters needed him to make money. Last time I looked, Floyd was paid $8,000,000 for his fight Saturday night against a complete unknown in the US. What it really boils down to is not Oscar's fear of the money Greg, but of the consequences of fighting Floyd. All anyone has to do is look at what he says and understand when he states "that $1 is off the table and now he's being offered 50 cents," it's not about dollars and cents but about Oscar having sense realizing Mayweather would destroy his (Oscar's) legacy while cementing his own even further. How else do you explain Oscar continually saying something that isn't accurate when Floyd made an $8,000,000 guarantee against an unknown champion and Oscar, in his last bout, was guaranteed $10,000,000 against the well-known and respected Ricardo Mayorga.  Whether Floyd has one future fight or many more, the money will be there. The only question to be answered is whether Oscar is willing to stop trying to maneuver out of this fight with Floyd on the myth of his money demands?
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In response of ODLH saying: "I'll be fighting believe me."Â "I will be fighting, there's no retiring for me yet. I don't know, for some reason how Richard was explaining the situation to me, it's like this guy doesn't deserve the chance. Eric Gomez, our matchmaker also told us how arrogant he was with Larry Merchant. I have to see the fight myself. But when I was talking with Eric, I said to myself, why am I going to fight this guy, what has he done to deserve to fight me for all this money. What has he done?
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Floyd is arrogant? Have your readers read Oscar's quotes above to determine what he's actually saying? Excuse me for not doing a who's who's list of Floyd's accolades but, in reality, Oscar is giving Floyd all the credit in the world by not giving him any.  Oscar's been great to boxing, but he has been much better as a fighter than as a promoter. Why become negative speaking about a possible great event for the business, our industry? Sadly, it reminds me of what we've been trying to overcome for many years and the knowledge that our own worst enemies are within the sport. Some just consistently denigrate our business for their personal gain or satisfaction. Greg, I'm on the record that I want to see Oscar's promotional company be successful. It'll be good for all of us, and believe me there's enough to go around. But first and foremost we must get out of the everyday type of negativeness that some within the industry continually do and express to the media. I never thought Oscar would follow in the steps of the ones that insist on bringing our business down to a level it doesn't deserve to be.
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If Oscar doesn't want to fight Floyd, for whatever reason, why make the unclassy comments that he did today in your column? Just move on. Forget the posturing and the 'no one is better than me approach' and take the attitude if you've got nothing good to say about our business or a fighter, don't say it. It's a bad reflection on our industry and the person saying it. Oscar has done too much good for our business as a fighter for him to be so negative towards it now, and I just hope he doesn't fall into the same trap that many promoters before him have done --- allow their selfish greed to prevent the continued growth of our sport.
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In response of ODLH saying: "Let him do his thing and fight Margarito now, I have no problem with that, or let him fight Mosley. Let him fight these guys." "I was really turned off by it and I don't feel it. Like I told you, am I willing to walk away from it? Can I walk away from it? Yes I can. I have to feel it in order to make the fight happen and I don't feel it."
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So now Oscar is advising Floyd to fight a man (Margarito) who is fighting as the semi-main event on December 2 or Mosely, the man that beat Oscar twice? Why would he do this? So he can accuse Floyd again of not fighting anybody? Let me remind your readers of a quote from an August 2, 2006 interview when Oscar said, "One thing that I disagree with is that they (Margarito) keep on calling out (Floyd) Mayweather. Well, I have to admit, who has he fought to deserve a shot at Mayweather? Oscar can't have it both ways Greg. I mean which one should I believe? Yesterday I lied, today I'm telling the truth? Well, I'll give Oscar some positive advice: go fight Mosely, and make sure he receives $1.00 more than the 50/50 split he would surely demand. I'm sure as you would tell him as his promoter, he deserves such amount based upon all of his attributes.
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In response of ODLH saying: "If he accepts the offer than obviously it becomes something to think about, absolutely. Ultimately, I have to feel it, I have to feel the fight and I don't feel that Mayweather deserves to be in the ring with me and make all that money and elevate his status to another level. Because that's what happens Greg. You know what happens, when everyone fights me, they get a lot of exposure and imagine if they beat me, they go to another level. Hopkins understood that, Mosley understood that, they're smart people. But for some reason I don't think Mayweather understands that."
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Forgetting the absurd opening comments of this paragraph, Mayweather is obviously the smart one because he has forged a very successful career, in and out of the ring, without Oscar De La Hoya's name attached to his in the record book. Something that neither Mosely or Hopkins can claim. Oscar, without me being redundant, please stop the negative interviews and start talking about the great things this industry has done for young kids, including yourself and the great things you can do as a promoter; but please immediately cease from putting yourself on a pedestal and everyone else underneath you...it just doesn't fit you well or the business. I've admired you for years and want to continue to do so, but respect of is part of that equation.Â
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In response of ODLH saying: "I'm going to fight, let's put it that way, because I love fighting, but ultimately I have to feel it. If I don't, that's when it gets dangerous for me. All the stars have to be aligned for me to get into that ring. Can they be aligned? Yes, and many times over."Â "Before last night all of the stars were getting aligned, but after the fight all those stars just went their own way. The only thing that is for sure is that I'm fighting again. The thing that the fans have to know is that after reading this article or listening to me is that I'll be at 100% when I step inside that ring. Because if I'm not and I don't feel it I won't be in that ring because it's too dangerous."
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With all the stars being aligned, I feel like I'm reading a column by Jackie Stallone. Believe me when Oscar says he doesn't "feel it" against the pound-for-pound king, its because you don't want to feel it. Just look at a sampling of the media reviews above and that tells the story. As for the stars, they were aligned all right, but all in the Mandalay Bay Events Center Saturday night. Here's a look at some of the real stars sitting ringside: Charlie Sheen, Tiger Woods, Charles Barkley, Michael Jordan, Leo DiCaprio, Anthony Anderson, Pete Rose, Magic Johnson, Denzel Washington and many, many more.
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Greg, in closing, Floyd Mayweather has earned everything he has today and will continue to do so as an active fighter or outside the ropes. But what I and the fans really respect about him is that not once did any of us ever hear him say anything disrespectful about Oscar De La Hoya. Now that's "feeling it" Greg.
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