Mayweather - De La Hoya Boxing's Last Gasp?

Boot to the Head has had some great coverage of the decline of boxing versus the rise of MMA/NHB competition, especially Pride and UFC brands. Boot just posted Can Oscar and Floyd Save Boxing, and it's right on track. Boxing has been on the ropes for several years, since the decline of Iron Mike Tyson, formerly the "baddest man on the planet," and now just another thug. Boot's take:

Fighting sports will have its biggest night of this year this Saturday as Oscar de la Hoya takes on Floyd Mayweather, Jr. This much anticipated fight features two of the best (and most popular) pound-for-pound fighters finally facing each other after years of protracted contract wrangling. But with the surging popularity of mixed martial arts events, will De La Hoya-Mayweather be enough to change perceptions that boxing is done?

Boxing has long lost the luster of what was considered the "manly art of self defense," and is now just a sideshow of champions no one has heard of, and bouts no one watches. For those who've loved boxing, as I still do, you can only lament the lack of organization, standardized rules, and unified belts.

Can Mayweather and De La Hoya save boxing? Sadly, I think it may be too late...