In what was said to be the biggest press conference of an 11 city tour to announce the mega-fight that will take place on September 14 between Floyd “Money” Mayweather (44-0, 26 KOs) and Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (42-0-1, 30 KOs), those two had their final face off Tuesday night in Los Angeles at the Nokia Plaza at L.A. Live. As had been the case in the other cities, the thousands of fans were said to have started to gather in the early morning hours for a conference that in this case did not begin until 7:30.

The fans were decidedly pro Canelo. It was hard to hear him, or anyone from his team, speak because of the cheers. Likewise, Mayweather got soundly booed from the time his arrival to the red carpet was announced. But as so often happens, it would be Floyd who got in the last, and somewhat stinging, words at the end of the conference.

It was no surprise that Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer opened up to remind us of how important the fight was and how much money it would make. He described Canelo as “the younger, stronger, and better looking of the two fighters.” That of course brought laughs from the crowd, but it also prompted Mayweather to jump off his chair, head to the microphone, and say, “But he ain’t the highest paid one!”

Schaefer then acknowledged artist Richard Slone, who unveiled his new painting of Canelo and Mayweather, Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe, SHOWTIME Sports Executive Vice President and General Manager Stephen Espinoza, and the President of Sports and Entertainment of all MGM properties, Richard Sturm.

Then it was time for him to introduce the Golden Boy himself, Oscar De La Hoya. He started out the press conference mildly, thanking yet other people. So far, so good.

He then said that, “I know for sure that Mayweather will bring his A-game like always – he will bring everything to the table. But I am CONVINCED that Saul “Canelo” Alvarez will WIN September 14!!”

That brought Floyd’s focus back to the game. But, after bringing up two members of Team Canelo, Eddy Reynoso and Jose “Chepo” Reynoso to both say a few words, Oscar then introduced Canelo by saying, “And now, here is boxings’ biggest star, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez!”

If anything was needed to completely catch Floyd’s attention that was it. He looked over at Oscar as if he’d just grown another head. But in what has become Alvarez style, he was unfazed and short-winded.

“I want to thank everybody for all the support. You guys are the ones who make me get up in the morning, train hard, and win. In boxing everybody has their time, and this is my time. September 14 I’m not the only one who’s gonna win, we’re all gonna win together! Thank you for all the support, thank you.”

Finally, it was time for the man who has won five-division world championships, and eight world titles. Still amid boos, Floyd Mayweather was finally brought to the dais. And if you are one of those who believe that he is the best fighter in the world, well then, he did the thing that he is SECOND best at – talk. And we all know just how well he gets his point across.

For effect, he stopped before the mic, taking a drink of water out of a bottle. OK, maybe it wasn’t for effect, maybe he was just thirsty. (Ya think??) Then he took control of the conference, starting with what has become his mantra.

“Hard work! Hard work! Hard work! I want to thank the fans, I want to thank the media, I want to thank all the writers. Today is a special day, a very special day. It’s the first time in my career that I’ve stood on the podium with my mother.” (That actually brought some cheers from some of the Canelo Connection.)

Three of his children were in attendance as well, and he said that that is what hard work and dedication will get you. He then thanked his team one by one and gave out some gifts. Then he fired the first shot.

“I’ve been working hand in hand with this man, and every time I get a chance to say thank you to this guy – I can’t even speak about Oscar, but one thing I do know is that Richard Schaefer is Golden Boy!”

Well, that was uncomfortable. There were audible groans at this point. Oscar looked pissed and Richard was looking for that preverbal hole to open up and swallow him. Then he continued.

“Canelo is a young, strong champion. Mayweather loves Mexico. I’m gonna continue to work hard and dedicate myself to my craft. You know, I was flipping through my mental rolladex last night and when I think about certain fighters, well, they say, ‘You know Mayweather, you’re facing Canelo.’ I say ‘Yeah, but can you tell me 10 world champions that he’s beat? Just 10,’” he said, shrugging his shoulders.

“You know,” he continued, “I’ve been sitting on top of the throne for 17 years. Every time they get a guy they build him up. And you know what I do?” At that, Floyd made a slapping motion indicating he knocked them back down.

“It’s so crazy that Canelo is such a big star but he’s never been on pay-per-view unless he was on my undercard! But he’s such a big star!” Then, looking directly at De La Hoya, he said, “He’s such a big star, Oscar!”

But Mayweather wasn’t finished putting nails in the coffin quite yet.

“And you know, as I sit back here and think, you know Oscar, as I sit back here and think about certain things, you know what? You might as well call ME the Golden Boy, ‘cause I’ve beat everybody on your whole crew!!

“I’m young, I’m fly, I’m flashy, I’m rich – DAMN, life is good! See ya September 14!!”

And with that, Floyd went back to his seat. Schaefer tried for damage control, making sure to let us know that it is indeed Oscar who leads GBP, but it didn’t seem as if Richard had enough fingers to plug that dyke. Unfortunately for him he gets a D in damage control.

So love him or hate him, Mayweather verbally delivered yet again. He saved his best for last and it was great to be out there on the perfect California night. Don’t miss The One. Here is the info for Vegas, but if you want to stay home and watch from the comfort of you living room (or need a reason to throw a party), buy the PPV and watch it on SHOWTIME!

Less than 24 hours after going on sale on Tuesday, June 25, the event was sold out. Six MGM Resorts properties will host live closed circuit telecasts of "THE ONE." Properties showcasing the event include ARIA, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, The Mirage, Monte Carlo and New York-New York. General admission tickets for the closed circuit telecasts are priced at $100, not including handling fees, and will be available for purchase at each individual property's box office outlets and also will be available for purchase by phone with a major credit card at 866-799-7711. Closed circuit ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. Tickets also will be available through Ticketmaster by calling (800) 745-3000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets for closed circuit viewing at MGM Grand are now on sale. Information regarding availability of closed circuit tickets at the five other properties will be announced in the near future.