Outside of Mexico, probably a handful knew about Cinco De Mayo, which celebrates a victory won over one and-a-half-century ago. The festival commemorates the Mexican triumph over French forces in 1862. People from all walks of life join in parades, music, dancing, and many other activities. Besides the traditional contents, the festival has become synonymous with boxing. Some of the most significant bouts occurred on the ‘Fifth of May,’ precisely meaning Cinco De Mayo. It includes the hugely successful Floyd Mayweather Jr. versus Oscar De La Hoya.

It’s not that Mayweather Jr.’s fight was the first to occur on the festival weekend. According to the 2020 ESPN article by Mark Kriegel, in 1994, legendary Julio Cesar Chavez fought a rematch against the American boxer Frankie Randall on May 7, 1994. But it wasn’t until 2007 that the first week of May became a sort of regular on the boxing calendar.

On May 5, 2007, Floyd Mayweather Jr., fresh after winning the welterweight title against Carlos Baldomir on November 4, 2006, moved up the ladder to challenge ‘Golden Boy’ Oscar De La Hoya for the WBC light middleweight title. The match ended up in a split-decision victory for Mayweather Jr. However, more than that, it created history as the highest-money-making boxing bout of the time, bringing in $130 million as revenue.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. and his Tryst with the Festival

The ‘Cinco De Mayo’ or ‘Fifth of May’ is again in the news. The undisputed Super Middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez will meet John Ryder tonight at the Estadio Akron in Guadalajara. The day’s significance wasn’t lost on Mayweather Jr.’s daughter Yaya. She shared a pic of her father, in a colorful robe, with a Mexican Sombrero as he walked in towards the ring to face De La Hoya.

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Mayweather Jr. told ESPN that by dressing in a Mexican way, he wanted to win over the large Mexican and Mexican-American contingent who came over to cheer for Oscar De La Hoya. But a more personal reason for him was to pay homage to his uncle Roger Mayweather. The latter wore a black Sombrero during his rematch with Julio Cesar Chavez on May 13, 1989.

Thus Cinco De Mayo became a yearly event to showcase the sport’s biggest draws. However, it is interesting to note that seven of the last eleven fights that took place during this weekend did not feature any Mexican boxer. Manny Pacquaio famously participated in four fights, including the incredible second-round knockout win over Ricky Hatton.

Mayweather Jr. said, “I turned Cinco de Mayo into Cinco de Mayweather,” and rightfully so. After all, six of the top high-grossing fights took place during the first week of May.

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Which is your favorite Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight? Do share your views and opinions with us in the comments below.

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