It was a good fight and a close decision. De la Hoya was more aggressive and the stronger puncher; Mayweather was more accurate. But, after it was all over, Mayweather is the one saying he’s retiring. Considering how Mayweather was massively favored to win it, he barely won (according to the judges) on a decision...there’s no way he could have beaten DelaHoya in his prime.
Agreed. Mayweather's a very good fighter - or should I say boxer - but nowhere near the quality many claim he is. His biggest wins came against a past his prime De La Hoya (and it was a controversial decision), Zab Judah (a 2nd-tier boxer at best), Arturo Gatti (a glorified club fighter), Jose Luis Castillo, and Diego Corrales. ....and only the wins against Gatti and Corrales were impressive. (The others were boring UDs where Floyd refused to mix it up). Not exactly a resume that would cause one to compare him to the all-time greats. ....which many ignorant boxing observers have been doing lately.