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- Creating great match ups and big events in boxing are not always a mutually exclusive propositions; it just seems that way sometimes. Part of this stems from the disproportionate popularity of Oscar De la Hoya within mainstream culture compared to every other figure in boxing. Anything involving De la Hoya or his Golden Boy Promotions outfit carries added mainstream significance which usually leads to more money and mainstream recognition.

Take De la Hoya's three fight working relationship with Floyd Mayweather Jr. as an example. By the time Mayweather-De la Hoya II takes place, the three events will go down as the three most lucrative fights since Lennox Lewis fought Mike Tyson in June 2002. In some mainstream sports circles, they may be considered the only three fights that mattered in the last five years. But go on any boxing message board and you'll read from some who opine that Mayweather fights don't matter anymore. In still other circles, both opinions might be described as cognitive dissonance. What gives?

In an era where corporate sponsors, television air time and mainstream interest in the sport are hard to come by, how could three of the most lucrative fights of a decade not matter? Or how could a sport that has given such great thrills within 17 different divisions provide only three significant fights in a five year span? Both opinions almost defy logic. Let's shelve the later question for another Op-Ed and address the former.

Boxing is a sport that survives its seedy mainstream reputation in large part because of a number of cult followings. Possibly the largest of these cult followings loyally follows Top Rank promoted fighters because of the company's efforts to attract Latino fans. Sometimes these efforts are a little over the top (e.g. Bob Arum describing a fight between James Toney and Evander Holyfield as 'an Anglo fight'), but they have engendered loyalty from Top Rank's mostly Latino fan base.

So, to this group, it makes no difference that De la Hoya is himself a Latino or that he promotes many other Latino fighters. It makes no difference that Mayweather and Ricky Hatton are accomplished fighters who've earned the right to fight each other if they so choose. Instead, the more important factor is that Arum's Top Rank has catered to Latino fans over the years and is now being intentionally cut out of the biggest mainstream events the sport has to offer. In response, Arum publicly claims that these big events don't matter anyway. In turn, his loyal fans insist that these events don't matter.

To be fair, it says here that Mayweather-De la Hoya II is not absolutely necessary and will only happen because it's a huge event. A fight between Mayweather and Top Rank promoted Miguel Cotto is a big event that carries much more significant pound for pound ramifications than Mayweather-De la Hoya II. In fact, Cotto against almost anyone is a serious fight that even mainstream fans should flock to. But the hyperbolic negative reaction to Golden Boy promoted big event fights by Top Rank faithful is not healthy. Golden Boy does big business and so does Mayweather; what's so wrong with that? The sport needs big events. To demean them is counterintuitive.

Hatton's fight before 57,000 adoring fans in Manchester, England was a big event. Hatton's fight against Paulie Malignaggi, which will undoubtedly draw great television ratings and a raucous crowd, will be a significant fight and big Golden Boy promoted event. Meanwhile, in Las Vegas on July 26th The Fight for the 16,000+ fans who will attend and the large expected PPV audience is the Top Rank welterweight championship bout between WBA 147 lb. titlist Cotto and former two time 147 lb. titlist Antonio Margarito. This is the type of event Top Rank likes to offer to its Latino fan base. It matters both because it's a significant fight that will do well at the box office and turnstiles and because it features a nationalistic Latino rivalry.

Mayweather-De la Hoya II is going to generate the most revenue. It matters because, like it or not, sports are an event driven industry. For better or worse, Mayweather-De la Hoya II is the biggest event the sport of boxing has to offer in the fall of 2008. Cotto-Margarito figures to have the best display of power punching. Hatton-Malignaggi features the biggest talker and most distinct style contrast. They're all going to be good for business and, as long as no foul play is involved, doesn't that necessarily mean they're going to be good for boxing? Does it really matter which event is the biggest or most anticipated?

The obvious problem for hard core fans is that the most significant fight the sport has to offer, Mayweather-Cotto, is not the biggest event. Mainstream supporters of De la Hoya and Hatton actually do want to see rematches with Mayweather. Don't believe me? The PPV numbers will prove this. The rematches may not be necessary, but repeat victories tend to erase doubts (see: Mayweather-Castillo II). It's also not unprecedented for the most significant match up to not coincide with the culminating event (see: 2007 NBA Playoffs where the Spurs-Suns series occurred in the second round, 2007 NFL Playoffs where the Colts beat the Patriots in the AFC title game and countless other examples) in other sports. It's not that big of a deal if boxing is no different.

Also, many De la Hoya fans believe he can beat Mayweather and are eagerly anticipating the rematch. Don't believe me? You must not have been in the grandstands or parking lot of the Home Depot Center on May 3rd. Mayweather would be silly not to take the money and other benefits he's going to get for fighting De la Hoya again. De la Hoya, even at this advanced stage of his career, is still the best selling PPV fighter in the world. The logical heir to that throne is Mayweather. Another victory over De la Hoya might place Mayweather in the throne.

Staggering PPV numbers would also legitimize his standing in that throne in 2009 when De la Hoya maintains he will be retired. If the end goal is to ensure that Mayweather-Cotto is the biggest event the sport of boxing has to offer at some point in 2009 then Mayweather's standing as not only the best pound for pound boxer in the world, but also as the sport's biggest attraction would go a long way toward securing that distinction.

Tom Hauser, of SecondsOut.com, recently wrote that De la Hoya-Mayweather was boxing's version of the Super Bowl in 2007, but neither has done much to earn their way back to the Super Bowl in 2008. Fine...maybe Mayweather-De la Hoya II is just a first or even a second round playoff game. Maybe Cotto-Margarito is a first or second round playoff game. Maybe Hatton-Malignaggi is a first or second round playoff game. All of these fights might just be big event equivalents of the playoffs seen in other sports. What's so wrong with that?

Malignaggi wants Hatton and the Cotto rematch. If he beats Hatton then we can kiss Mayweather-Hatton II goodbye. If he loses to Hatton, he's no longer a player in the superfight sweepstakes, at least for the time being. Margarito wants Mayweather. If he beats Cotto he may eventually get him. If he loses to Cotto...back of the line, buddy. How is that different than any other sport? If/when De la Hoya, Hatton, Malignaggi and Margarito are all eliminated, Mayweather-Cotto will become the biggest event the sport has to offer.

Maybe boxing won't have a Super Bowl in 2008. Maybe it'll just have a series of playoff calibre events. And maybe those events lead us to the Mayweather-Cotto Super Bowl-esque event in 2009. Would that be such a bad thing?

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