The Pretty Boy vs. The Golden Boy, Not Black vs. Latino
Despite the Hype About Race, this Fight was about Skills
By Angel Luna

May 5th was a very special night for a lot a Latinos here in the Bay Area and in the rest of the country. The Cinco de Mayo celebration is pretty big deal for us, but this year we had a different focus. And it all went down in Vegas. There is an old saying about Vegas that goes a little something like this, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, ” but everybody and their mamas saw what happened – “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather vs. “Golden Boy” Oscar De la Hoya.

The media tried to play up the race card in this fight, Mayweather being Black and De la Hoya Latino, and the promoters as well. It was no accident the fight occurred on one of the biggest Latino holidays in the USA. But despite all these attempts, race was not the way people were picking sides.

The MGM in Vegas was the witness of the fury of two men that are considered some of the best in boxing. It was a show worth watching, but a lot a Latinos were going for Floyd Mayweather and Oscar De la Hoya had a lot a fans, including blacks, in the house showing love and support. This battle was basically more about who was the best boy in the ring. In my opinion Floyd “Pretty Boy” Mayweather stole the show with his Mexican outfit that he walked in with (including a Sombrero) and with 50 Cent as his personal rapper for this fight. Boxers often play mind games when entering the ring, but the Mayweather Mexican outfit stood out even more given the highly charged racial moment the country seems to be in. In recent times, we've had Kramer and Immus, but this time Mayweather was just playing a tactical game.

The fight was good from the first bell. The rounds came and left and the two fighters were putting on good show, until the last round, the tension was thick. The fight was no longer about the bravado, or words, it was just skills. At the end, the decision was split giving the title to Mayweather.

I was watching the fight at my friend's house with him, his wife and few of our buddies. The interesting thing about watching the fight at my boy's house was that my boy is Mexican and he was cheering for Pretty Boy just because Floyd has that look of a real tough guy, but in the other side his wife is Black, and she was cheering for Oscar just because she thought that Oscar was handsome. I just stuck with who I was already familiar, so yes I did cheer for De la Hoya, even that it was more be default. The fight at their house was very interesting, because I had fun just watching my boy yelling angrily at De la Hoya and his wife was just hilarious with her “go daddy” comments.

This event was very significant in these times that we are living in, because it demonstrated that is not always about race, can actually be more about the true skill, the show and the good sport that a lot of athletes have to offer to their fans. So all I have to say is thank you Pretty Boy, and thank you Golden Boy for the good fight that night.