PRESS CONFERENCE TOUR: DAY 1

HBO.com tags along on Floyd and Oscar's eight-city road show | February 20, 2007. New York, New York.

It was right around the time Floyd Mayweather decided he wasn't interested in hearing what Oscar De La Hoya had to say during yesterday's press conference that it became clear: this was just the beginning. We've barely started the tour, and the contenders are already talking trash and pushing each other around. Floyd's taking off his shirt, Oscar's yelling at him in Spanish.

The buzz with the press? At this rate, they won't reach Vegas for the fight on the 5th; we'll have to set up a ring in Detroit and let them settle business there. As Oscar said, "It's just more fuel, more fuel." Exactly Oscar, exactly.

You couldn't pick two more different guys. Oscar considers himself the Golden Boy turned businessman; Floyd thinks he's the real deal, a polished tough guy who calls the shots and tells it like it is. Floyd sports baggy jeans and watches bigger than the knot on Oscar's tie. Oscar's suits are custom fit -- he's put together like a sports car. Floyd thinks that's as fake as the plants in a hotel. Oscar thinks Floyd is all talk. But they have one thing in common: they know how to play the boxing game. And they were playing it well yesterday.

So we're off on a roll. Let's take a short inventory of what we've seen already:

- There’s a mob scene at the classy Waldorf Astoria; first the press clamoring to get in, and then the public, waving various flags and making a run for any food left by the press. No luck there.

- Boxing fans like to make their presence known. The back of the room could have been classified as "Press Conference 2" with fans shouting at the boxers, providing a running commentary in stereo.

- Floyd takes off his shirt as Oscar walks down the red carpet laid out for the event.

- Not to be outdone, De La Hoya removes his jacket and tie and lifts his shirt, making sure everyone knows he, too, can flash some bling when he needs to.

- Floyd decides to disregard Oscar's speech, instead walking up and down the red carpet in front of the dais, raising his arm.

- De La Hoya 1) knows how to yell and, when ticked off, 2) how to please his Spanish speaking fans by only speaking Spanish, which is exactly what he did when Floyd didn't want to sit down.

- Floyd may have won round one by getting under Oscar's skin, turning his face burning red under his Caribbean tan. However, Floyd might want to watch out shoving Oscar around on stage. Last time someone did that they got shoved back.

And that’s day one. Tune in tomorrow to see if our fighters made it to round two of the press tour.