KEY POINTS:
If there is a fight which most mirrors the highly anticipated world super welterweight bout between Oscar de la Hoya and Floyd Mayweather today, it is perhaps the famous Sugar Ray Leonard-Marvin Hagler contest, 20 years ago almost to the day.
One, the all-skipping, all-dancing, lightning handspeed boxer who overwhelms his opponents (Mayweather/Leonard); the other the brooding, more powerful, stalking fighter cocking his power punch (de la Hoya/Hagler) - in de la Hoya's case, his left hook.
But it's not that simple. Mayweather is rightly the favourite, an undefeated fighter whose speed and ability to throw scoring punches is generally reckoned to be superior to de la Hoya, four years his senior at 34. If Mayweather is to win, most reckon it will be with volume and accuracy of punch; if de la Hoya, it will likely by by knockout or technical knockout - although de la Hoya, one of the great fighters of his generation, should not be dismissed as a mere puncher.
He is bigger, faster and a cannier fighter - few have his ringcraft - and Mayweather, although undefeated in 37 bouts, has not fought anyone of this class nor at this weight, as he is coming up a division.
That, psychologically, is Mayweather's possible weakness and one which his detractors cling to. Mayweather, they say, will find out early he cannot hurt the hardy de la Hoya and will then try to "hit and run", giving de la Hoya the perfect opportunity to cut off the ring and land the more telling blows.
That was also a feature of the Leonard-Hagler fight, won controversially by Leonard in a split decision. Also mirroring the Mayweather-de la Hoya fight, both Hagler and Leonard announced their retirement after that fight (although Leonard fought four more times, well past his prime.)
Mayweather says this will be his last fight, as does de la Hoya - although few believe the former. Both are attempting to be known as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the game - de la Hoya to erase the stinging memories of defeats, some of them disputed, to Shane Mosley, Felix Trinidad and Bernard Hopkins who knocked de la Hoya out in 2004 for the only time in his career.
Mayweather, who markets himself as a trash-talking product of the ghetto who likes to strike poses as a 'gangsta rapper', has been sneering it up verbally, taunting de la Hoya whose nickname is "Golden Boy" and whose promotions company is staging this fight. De la Hoya's career outside the ring includes TV production, fashion designing, singing and he co-owns a successful real estate investment company.
Both are fighting not just for personal satisfaction (and at least US$30m for de la Hoya and $12m for Mayweather) but, as some would have it, for boxing's very future.
With typical boxing hype, some are already calling this the 'fight of the century' and there is no doubt - with the rather anaemic heavyweight ranks not pulling the punters right now - this bout has sparked attention. More than 50,000 paying customers may see the fight live in Las Vegas - 16,500 at the soldout MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, and the rest at closed circuit locations along the Las Vegas Strip. The fight will be televised in 176 countries.
Ticket sales alone have already generated more than $US19m ($NZ26m). The sport's previous record for a live gate was just under $US17m for the 1999 heavyweight championship rematch between Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield. Tickets sold out within a few hours, although some ringside seats are being offered for resale on the internet for more than $US30,000 each.
But, while reports of the death of boxing have been, as they say, greatly exaggerated there is no doubt it is under threat.
Fighters dodging each other, ludicrous decisions, 17 confusing weight divisions and a dysfunctional heavyweight scene have all added to the huge strides made by cage fighting "human cockfighting" - a crude, no-holds-barred, bloody scene which is currently dragging in fans who used to be boxing patrons.
"Boxing is not dying," de la Hoya insisted last week. "It boils down to the best fighting the best, and this fight will create a momentum for one big event after another."
