In the world of golf, 36-year-old Jim Furyk defeating the 30-year-old Tiger Woods would hardly count as an upset. While Woods is universally considered the better player, Furyk, at No. 2, is talented, experienced and calm under pressure. Any tournament ending with those two in contention would be a treat to watch, with the ending hardly being a foregone conclusion.

Such is a major difference between golf and boxing, however, aside from all the face punching. In golf, age is but a number until a player starts working his way up through his 40s, and experience is almost always considered a positive thing. It's why Furyk will be Tiger's rival for several more years now. In boxing, however, it's why Floyd Mayweather Jr. will stomp Oscar De La Hoya.

Having recently signed up a mega fight that will occur in May 2007, the Mayweather-De La Hoya bout will be a perfect example of how age is different in boxing than in any other sport. De La Hoya goes into the fight with edges in experience, quality of opposition and weight. He'll leave the fight bloody, battered and stopped.

Just four years younger, Mayweather has yet to truly have his defining fight in the eyes of the general public, though hardcore boxing fans will look at his demolition of Diego Corrales as the moment his star ascended. De La Hoya, however, to his credit has fought a "Who's Who" roll call of fighters, including Shane Mosley, Bernard Hopkins, Fernando Vargas and Felix Trinidad.

That experience, along with blistering hand speed and uncanny boxing ability, is why Mayweather, 29, will obliterate De La Hoya, who will be 34 when the fight takes place. At 34 a pro golfer is enjoying his prime. For a boxer/businessman like De La Hoya, 34 means he is shot.

--WKW

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