Leading up to the unprecedented junior middleweight championship match between future Hall of Famers Oscar de la Hoya (38-4, 30 KOs) and Floyd  Mayweather (37-0, 24 KOs) -- set for Saturday, May 5 at the MGM Grand   Garden Arena in Las Vegas, and carried live on HBO Pay-Per-View -- HBO  Sports will present an exclusive four-episode prime time countdown series  over the final weeks leading up to the intriguing blockbuster boxing showdown.

The first three half-hour episodes of "DE LA HOYA/MAYWEATHER 24/7" will  premiere in primetime on Sundays (April 15, 22, 29 at 10:30 pm ET/PT),  with the fourth and final 30-minute episode airing Thursday, May 3, at  9:30 pm ET/PT, just two days before the mega-fight. The Sunday night  premieres of episodes one thru three of "DE LA HOYA/MAYWEATHER 24/7" will follow original episodes of "The Sopranos" (9:00 p.m. ET/PT) and  "Entourage" (10:00 p.m. ET/PT) on the HBO Sunday programming schedule.

 HBO Sports President Ross Greenburg said: "In 35 years of televising boxing this is a first for HBO. De La Hoya vs. Mayweather will be the most  highly anticipated fight of the year and we are going to provide our  subscribers with an all-access series that is sure to be provocative and compelling television.

 "The producers will be living at the fighters' camps 24/7 and the programs  we present will appeal far beyond the hard-core boxing fan," said  Greenburg. "Our approach will be to produce a totally unique viewing  experience as these two world class athletes prepare for a defining moment  in their respective careers. And we appreciate the commitment and  cooperation of the fighters and their teams with this ambitious project."

HBO Sports will provide exclusive, behind-the-scenes access along with  in-depth and insightful interviews as De La Hoya, 33, a native of East Los  Angeles, and Mayweather, 29, who hails from Grand Rapids, MI, prepare for  their historic showdown. Seen as the most highly anticipated match-up in  recent memory, Oscar de la Hoya is looking to defend his junior middleweight crown against the sport's reigning pound-for-pound king.  Mayweather, who will fight at 154 pounds for the first time, brings a  perfect 37-0 record into a match that sets up as a career-defining battle for him.

 Known as "The Golden Boy," De La Hoya has appeared 29 times on HBO since  turning pro after his gold medal winning performance at the 1992 Barcelona  Olympic Games. "Pretty Boy Floyd" has fought 20 times on HBO since turning  pro after the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games where he won bronze.

The executive producers of "DE LA HOYA/MAYWEATHER 24/7" are Ross Greenburg  and Rick Bernstein. Coordinating producer is Dave Harmon. Producers, Jason  Hehir and Scott Boggins. Liev Schreiber will narrate.

 On Saturday, May 5 at 9:00 p.m. ET/ 6:00 p.m. PT, HBO Pay-Per-View will  present the junior middleweight championship match -- De La Hoya vs.  Mayweather -- live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

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