Bittersweet science

Monday, May 7, 2007 | 7:17 a.m.

After outpunching, outworking and outfoxing Oscar De La Hoya for 12 rounds, Floyd Mayweather Jr. had to stare down inquisitors who wanted know if the fight of the young century would fulfill an impossibly tall order.

Will it rescue boxing from the scrap heap of sports, as advertised?

Mayweather played it down the middle, praising De La Hoya's vaunted business sense in the promotion of Saturday night's super welterweight showdown between the sport's two biggest stars.

"We did it together," said Mayweather, who stayed undefeated with a split-decision victory at the MGM Grand.

"We made this fight. He's a hell of a champion, I'm a hell of a champion and we gave the fans what they wanted. We saved boxing."

It was a game attempt by Mayweather, but one of his few flubs on a night he used his trademark trio of speed, slickness and tactical acumen to earn his fifth world championship.

In fact, superb performances like Mayweather's won't save the sport unless fans like the 16,700 who packed the sold-out Grand Garden Arena suddenly develop an appreciation for the defensive and technical style of boxing he embraces.

The crowd failed to acquit itself well before the fight when, during celebrity introductions, it inexplicably graced Tommy Lasorda (huh?) with one of the loudest ovations of the evening.

Nor did it do boxing proud afterward, as pro-De La Hoya chants, alternately clean and obscene, filled the arena following the announcements of judges' scores that were closer than they should have been.

Despite frustrating De La Hoya with his quickness and agility, despite following his game plan to the letter by allowing De La Hoya to press the action and then making him miss, despite landing a succession of snapping, stinging counterpunches to De La Hoya's pretty face, Mayweather lost on one judge's scorecard (115-113 for De La Hoya, Tom Kaczmarek). He won 115-113 (Jerry Roth) and 116-112 (Chuck Giampa) on the other two.

"I was like, damn, it's easy to hit him in the face," Mayweather (38-0) said. "I was saying to myself, 'How did he beat all these guys when he don't move his head?'

"Oscar threw a couple of good shots, but most of the shots he was throwing (landed on) my arm. Look at the punch stats and you can see I'm the new champ."

Mayweather did dominate the punch tally compiled by CompuBox. He landed 207 of 481 punches overall (43 percent) to De La Hoya's 122 of 587 (21 percent). Mayweather connected on 138 of 241 power punches (57 percent) to De La Hoya's 82 of 341 (24 percent). Mayweather also had the edge in jabs, 69 to 40.

The Sun's scorecard had Mayweather in a landslide, 117-111, awarding De La Hoya only the three rounds that he won unanimously on the judges' cards.

Mayweather, who said he entered the ring weighing 148 pounds, just 1 pound over the welterweight limit, couldn't believe his ears when the card with De La Hoya winning was revealed.

"I was like, (shoot), man they can't be serious," Mayweather said. "I thought I was gonna beat him by a bigger margin than they had. He's a good fighter, but all the shots he was throwing, he was missing."

De La Hoya (38-5), introspective in defeat, said he was satisfied with the judges' scoring.

"I don't feel like a loser," he said. "My jab, for some reason, just didn't come out. That's a punch that failed me tonight. Obviously it has to do with Mayweather's style, too. He's the one that's moving, the one with all that ability."

It had a lot to do with Mayweather's style, with the younger man's clear superiority as a tactician. De La Hoya's jab was a dud because whenever he tried to load one up, Mayweather would pop him, refusing to allow the punch to develop.

What's not clear is whether fight fans were won over by Mayweather's performance enough to reinvigorate interest in boxing, a sport starved for star power and attractive matches.

If the reaction of the fans Saturday night is an indication, Mayweather's approach to the fight game might appeal more to the sport's purists - those who argue ad infinitum about which Marquez brother should rate higher in the pound-for-pound rankings - than the masses.

Perhaps rather than savior of the sport, Mayweather will be relegated to the niche of a "boxer's boxer," and watching him fight will be like listening to Joe Pass play guitar or Bill Hicks tell jokes. Technically brilliant, sure, but lacking in mainstream appeal.

Although Saturday night's fight generated a record $19 million live gate and could challenge pay-per-view records, it could also be boxing's last megafight for a while.

That's a reflection of the changing tastes of fans - and pay-per-view customers - of hand-to-hand combat sports, who continue to gravitate to mixed martial events such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship, with its wider variety of fighting techniques and meaty roster of charismatic stars.

Mayweather went out of his way to dismiss the UFC's popularity in the buildup to the De La Hoya fight, though he was apologetic after his victory. "The UFC do what they do, and I respect what they do," Mayweather said.

In one fight-night surprise, Mayweather wore a comical sombrero into the ring. It was either a heartfelt Cinco de Mayo tribute to Mexican and Mexican-American boxing fans, or a clever, mocking psychological ploy designed to throw De La Hoya off his game. Mayweather wasn't telling, at least not truthfully.

Mayweather, 30, reiterated his intention to retire from boxing to pursue new "adventures," as he put it, in the entertainment and music industries.

But Roger Mayweather, Floyd's uncle and trainer, dismissed retirement talk, saying it would leave too much "green" on the table.

Floyd Mayweather stands to earn at least $10 million for Saturday's fight to De La Hoya's estimated $25 million guarantee.