It has finally arrived. The match fight fans most want to see is Oscar De La Hoya against Felix Trinidad.
This is an even-up fight. They're both undefeated champions, and have been for a long time. Trinidad probably gets the edge in sheer ability, but De La Hoya has shown he can come back from ring adversity, and has more experience with the hoopla. Trinidad is in the best shape of his life, while whispers circulate that De La Hoya parties too hard. De La Hoya closed his camp for the first time, so nobody knows if he is ready.
Our guess is that he's ready. Trinidad will be tough, and is bigger than most guys De La Hoya has faced. Look for a decision or a late-round stoppage in De La Hoya's favor.
The hype for this fight is fun. The press plays up the battle of a fighter promoted by Bob Arum, De La Hoya, against a Don King fighter in Trinidad. Truth is, neither fighter needs a big promoter to be taken seriously.
Some experts who pick the fight for Trinidad simultaneously bemoan the effect a De La Hoya loss would have on boxing. Oscar De La Hoya's looks, fame and intelligence sell a lot of pay-per-views. He filled the Alamo Dome -- with women -- against Chavez last year.
Which brings us to who really controls boxing these days. King and Arum have some influence, and the alphabet organizations have some too. But more and more these guys are being exposed as the knaves you always knew they were. The real decisions are made by the cable networks, HBO and Showtime, and their pay-per-view operations. They're signing boxers to strings of fights, and they argue against the tomato cans the alphabet boys send up as mandatory defenses against their star performers. Do you really think Showtime wanted Roy Jones to fight Richard Frazier?
Oscar De La Hoya will win because television needs him to.
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