De La Hoya focuses on fight

Talk to Oscar De La Hoya about his May 5 showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and you’re likely to get more of a PowerPoint presentation than a discourse on power punching.

Few can blame him, however. After all, De La Hoya is promoting the bout — destined to be one of the richest in boxing history — in addition to starring in it.

But all the heady references to “corporate synergies” and “national sponsorship packages” suddenly stop when Mayweather’s name comes up.

Wednesday, in his last media conference call before the fight, De La Hoya called the fight “by far the biggest” of his career, then began firing back at the man whose trash talk has generated almost as many headlines as the fight itself.

De La Hoya said he has “no respect whatsoever” for Mayweather.

“Everything that comes out of his mouth is garbage,” De La Hoya said.

As for the concept of Mayweather playing the role of bad guy in the fight, De La Hoya says that’s garbage, too.

“He didn’t choose to be the villain,” De La Hoya said. “He is the villain. That’s who he is.”

The fight, scheduled for 12 rounds at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, is being televised on HBO Pay-Per-View for $54.95.

De La Hoya (38-4, 30 KO) said he’s never been involved in a fight that’s been marketed to the extent of this one. Not even his 1999 classic against Felix Trinidad, a bout that set a nonheavyweight record with 1.4 million pay-per-view buys.

Even so, he says fans shouldn’t worry about his focus.

“It’s not been a distraction,” De La Hoya said of his role in the business side of the bout. “I’m very dedicated when it comes to training. I can make time for everything.”

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