Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr; Bad Guys who are Good

Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr; Bad Guys who are Good

By Johnny Benz (Dec 5, 2006) Photo © German Villasenor

No one can deny when it comes down to crunch time, two of the baddest fighters in the ring are undoubtedly Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather Jr. Both have the kind of skills that not only pay the bills, but also showcases the kind of talent reserved only for future hall of famers. Inside the ring, you don't expect Gentlemen, you expect Monsters with relentless savage power. You get that with De La Hoya and Mayweather Jr. So when May 5th rolls around, the date reserved for De La Hoya vs Mayweather Jr, fans won't be expecting anything but two explosive fighters bringing all they got to the table. You shouldn't expect anything less from these two bad asses.

They sure are bad inside the ring, so it's a pleasant surprise that both of them represent themselves like Gentlemen in public. Recently Floyd Mayweather Jr was in Grand Rapids, Michigan hosting his fifth annual Thanksgiving Feast giveaway. At the event, Mayweather handed out over 500 turkeys to selected families. The turkeys came with all of the trimmings - including potatoes, vegetables, stuffing, cranberry sauce and pies. One elderly man who had no gas to get

home from the event was handed $20 by Mayweather Jr. himself just to ensure the man got home safetly. It's stuff like that that makes you respect Mayweather Jr. He doesn't have to do it, and it certainly doesn't make him any money. You can judge a man's heart when you see him help out so many strangers. The verdict is Mayweather's heart is made of warm solid Gold and not a cold lump of Coal.

De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions this weekend will be hosting Approximately 5,000 children and their families to an event that will see the families enjoying the day with real snow, entertainment, fun, food and lots of toys. The toys will be given out by Golden Boy Promotions fighters. The event will not be cheap and like Mayweather's Thanksgiving day Feast, it won't be a money making event, but it will touch countless lives in a positive way. It's something De La Hoya does not have to do, but he chooses to do so. He chooses to give back and not over look those less fortunate than the rest of us.

It makes you feel good when you know that some of the cold hard cash you pluck down on these pricey Pay-Per-View events makes it's way back to the community. It makes you want to support fighters like De La Hoya and Mayweather Jr. At least it does for me. I respect what they are doing on the outside. Yeah, they might be "Bad" inside the ring, but outside the ring they are as "Good" as they come... and isn't that the way it is suppose to be? De La Hoya and Mayweather Jr are making the sport look good on their free time and on their dime.

Of course most of us do not have the kind of money to do what De La Hoya and Mayweather can do, but we can learn a lot from them and take a page from their kindness. We might not be able to give 500 turkeys away or load up 5000 children with toys... but each of us can do our small part. A little donation to the Salvation Army or your local food depot for the needy will go a long way. Maybe some extra kindness is all the world really needs, to remember there are those who need our help... and even a little help means a lot on a grand scale.

Have a Safe Holiday Season and remember others this Christmas.