The Leak: Mayorga v. De La Hoya
Friday, May 05, 2006
I'm no mathlete, but I likee me some sports betting action. Every rare once in a while something will catch my eye as bet-worthy. To me, it's little more than a prop bet. I don't have the depth of knowledge to make any highly-informed decision, and rely mostly on intuition and a little bit of research.
This week's leak is the Ricardo "El Matador" Mayorga v. Oscar De La Hoya fight, this Saturday night.
My pick: Ricardo Mayorga
Now, since I know its a bankroll leak, I'm only betting chump change. My two bets are $10 for Mayorga to win by knockout, TKO, or DQ (paying $45), and $10 on Mayorga by decision (paying $75).
I consider this almost an easy bet. My father once told me that you could see who would win in a boxing fight by the looks on their faces before the fight. I know what he means. Even though it is days before the fight, Mayorga has the look of a killer. De La Hoya, on the other hand, looks scared. And, well, he should. You never know what is going to happen in that ring, but this match just seemed destined for Mayorga.
Boxing is a sport where focus is of utmost importance. Even with my shallow depth of knowledge, I can think of a couple of champions that fell off once they became distracted by things outside of the ring. It happened to Mike Tyson. It happened to Roy Jones, Jr. It's already happened to De La Hoya, and it's going to happen again. (For someone who stayed focus until the end, see Lennox Lewis, who retired before moving onto other things).
De La Hoya last fought in September 2004 against Bernard Hopkins. De La Hoya went down in the ninth when he crumpled to the floor after a body shot. Since that day, he's won a Latin Grammy. Let me say that again for emphasis. A. Latin. Grammy. Boxers do not win Grammy's. At least not good boxers.
On the flip side, you have Mayorga, a chainsmoking, beer drinking streetbrawler who grew up dirt poor in Nicaragua. And he is the reigning champion! People discount him on account of his loud mouth and brawler (as opposed to boxer) style, but it can't be denied that he is the current champ. Even worse, De La Hoya's first match back is against a champion, which is insulting to the sport and is just another sign of De La Hoya's arrogance. Mayorga has only had one fight in 2005, but he won it, god damnit!
So, I leave you now with some quotes from Mr. Mayorga himself:
- "Oscar’s washed up. He was great at one time but logic and Mother Nature tell you he’s washed up now."
- “I have been sparring with live chickens as they emulate ‘chicken’ De La Hoya best. They run just like he does. Most people don’t understand that of all the fighters in boxing, Oscar is the one I like least. He’s a pretty boy and it makes me want to defeat him."
- “He shouldn’t have gone down from that body shot that Bernard Hopkins threw. Everyone knows he took a dive in that fight."
- “I don’t have to prepare mentally all that much for this match because I’m always ready to fight. That’s what I am, a
- “My strategy is to have a larger punch output and knock Oscar out. I don’t want to hear him back out of the fight because his butt hurts or he hurt his pinky finger. I want him to come to fight.”
- "My motto for this fight is: I’ll live and die for my championship. De La Hoya is coming into my danger zone."
- “It takes discipline to become a champion and even more to remain a champion. I am being disciplined in my training camp. I have even tailed off the drinking and cigarettes." (Okay, now THAT is dedication.)
posted by Jordan @ 12:17 AM,
9 Comments:
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At 10:36 PM,
said...
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I followed your lead and put $10 on each...same picks.
Hope you are right... -
At 10:53 AM,
said...
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I hope I am too. I'm feeling it though...
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At 6:18 PM,
said...
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I have $50 on Oscar. He doesn't want to go out looking like a punk, and his style might be too refined for Mayorga to handle. Look for Oscar to get inside his head and rattle him.
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At 9:38 PM,
said...
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This is what I've been waiting for, someone who has money on Oscar. I think it's funny that you think Oscar will get into Mayorga's head. From what I see, it's the other way around. I think the fear of going out like a punk will make it even harder on Oscar during the fight. Meanwhile, Mayorga has the hunger to win this, and his whole life is on the line. Oscar can go back to being a promoter and TV personality. This is it for Mayorga, and he knows it.
But we'll know the results soon enough. -
At 8:02 AM,
said...
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Woo! Oscar makin' me proud! And a little richer.
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At 11:17 AM,
said...
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Stupid Oscar. I guess we all know why I titled the post "The Leak". Sports betting is my bankroll leak. Congrats Tom.
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At 12:21 PM,
said...
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Thanks. I put De La Hoya in the same class as Roy Jones Jr. -- boxing isn't their first priority, but they're still better than 95% of the people in their weight class and are always a solid bet. I hadn't seen enough out of Mayorga to say, "yeah, that guy can beat Oscar." I also didn't think Mayorga stood a chance of winning by decision, so then it was down to his odds of knocking De La Hoya out, and I didn't like those, either.
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At 3:24 PM,
said...
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You should have picked Oscar...what a terrible decision not to!
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At 9:05 PM,
said...
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Where were you on Friday, Aaron!
