LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP By George Elsasser

Ok, ok, it's your money ... save it, spend it, burn it ... all I ask is you first take a look before you leap ... like this upcoming Saturday noche HBO PPV insult that co-features the king of all middleweights Bernard Hopkins and past multi-titlist Oscar de la Hoya.

Yes, Hopkins is tops among the today field ... and Robert Allen is his mandatory among the IBF listings ... a good one with nice resumé at 36-4, 27 KOs ... still, on its own, it isn't PPV level ... and Bernard has did him before.

And Oscar the charmer? Nice smile ...  works on it ... was tops at them smaller weight classes ... but the needed punching power remained down at 130-35-40 ... couldn't get it done come the big ones - Shane twice and Tito once.

And the other guy come this June 5 ... undefeated at 20 wins with 9 KOs ... Felix Sturm ... nothing near pay for view even when teamed with Hopkins- Allen ... what we have here is an HBO sucker-shot ... a prelude to the expected mega-heist come September.

The HBO hustlers expect - with crossed fingers - both Bernard and Oscar will sparkle like fine wine - and then they up the ante for what is likely a Hopkins spanking of De la Hoya come the fall season.

Take it from one that knows ... been there ... done that ... every nite when shaving I see the face of a three time loser ... chronologically, via closed circuit, it went Liston-Patterson, Holmes-Cooney, Ray Leonard-Donnie Lalonde.            

So heed the warning ... boycott this Saturday PPV insult ... and let the HBO gang and its kind take this one on the kisser.

GEL
 

5-31-2004