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#4. Floyd Mayweather vs. Oscar De La Hoya
Floyd Mayweather fought Oscar De La Hoya on Cinco de Mayo - May 5th, 2007 - in Las Vegas. The bout was Mayweather's first fight at light middleweight (154lbs).
Prior to the fight, 'Pretty Boy' had fully embraced the role of the villain. He antagonized De La Hoya at every turn during press conferences and on fight night in front of the passionate Latino and pro De La Hoya crowd, Mayweather entered the ring wearing a white sombrero and shorts with the green, white, and red colors of the Mexican flag.
The crowd was in a frenzy and the eyes of the world were on Vegas. Was De La Hoya, with his size and reach advantage, going to be the one to finally defeat the loudmouth Mayweather?
'The Golden Boy' started the fight well. He pressed forward and fought behind a solid jab. De La Hoya's jab, his best punch and tool of the fight, kept Mayweather at bay during certain portions of the bout. Even Emanuel Steward, the legendary trainer of Thomas Hearns and Wladimir Klitschko, was impressed with De La Hoya's jab as he commentated from ringside.
However, a great jab wasn't enough to defeat Floyd Mayweather.
As the fight went into the middle rounds, Mayweather began to land the crisper and sharper shots. His right hand was like a sniper, and while De La Hoya was never close to being knocked down or stopped, 'The Golden Boy' simply could not match Mayweather's accuracy.
Whenever Mayweather was against the ropes, De La Hoya was able to produce some eye-catching combinations, much to the delight of the anti-Mayweather crowd. However, these punches rarely found their target, and often rolled off Mayweather's shoulders or missed his chin altogether.
In the end, Floyd Mayweather was declared the winner by split decision, and the new WBC light middleweight champion, making him a champion in five weight classes.
The fight with Oscar De La Hoya would catapult Floyd Mayweather away from his 'Pretty Boy' persona and into his newfound 'Money' identity.
#3. Floyd Mayweather vs. Diego Corrales
Floyd Mayweather vs. Diego Corrales wasn't a boxing match. It was a beatdown.
Mayweather stepped into the ring on January 20th, 2001 to defend his WBC super featherweight championship for the sixth time. His opponent was bigger, undefeated, and appeared to have superior knockout power. None of that mattered. Against Diego Corrales, Mayweather produced an absolute boxing masterclass.
Diego Corrales tried to chase and follow Mayweather as he tried to land body shots, but he simply had no answer against 'Money's astonishing speed and incredible precision. Throughout the bout, Corrales showed little offense and was battered bell-to-bell.
After suffering five knockdowns, three in the seventh round and two in the tenth, Corrales' corner threw in the towel.
What was supposed to be an even matchup, a toss-up between two young stars, ended up being one of Floyd Mayweather's greatest career performances.
