May 06, 2007
FLOYD Mayweather has remained undefeated by taking a 12-round split decision over Oscar de la Hoya to take the World Boxing Council super-welterweight title in an epic showdown in Las Vegas.
Two judges scored the fight for Mayweather by 116-112 and 115-113 while the third saw de la Hoya winning 115-113.
Mayweather, who became a champion in his fifth different weight class, improved to 38-0. De la Hoya fell to 38-5.
On the Mexican Cinco de Mayo holiday, raucous loud cheers erupted when Mexican-American hero de la Hoya entered the arena. Mayweather made an appeal to the crowd by wearing a sombrero hat as he entered the arena.
The same crowd that chanted "Oscar" in nearly every round jeered the verdict.
The much-anticipated showdown between Mayweather, considered by many the top pound-for-pound fighter, and de la Hoya, boxing's most popular pay-per-view attraction, was expected to rank among the highest revenue fights in history.
A sellout crowd of 16,700, with celebrities abundant at ringside, produced a record live boxing payout of more than $US19 million ($23 million) with pay-per-view totals expected to surpass $US100 million ($122 million).
De la Hoya, 34, made $US25 million ($30 million), with his Golden Boy Promotions set to receive half of a pay-per-view take from more than one million homes, while "Pretty Boy Floyd" Mayweather, 30, took home $US10 million ($12 million).
Source:Foxsports