The Neutral Corner

First up was driving vet Jeff Burton, who said he had no intention of watching Saturday's De La Hoya-Pacquiao fight. He lost interest in boxing some time ago, but enjoyed the sport when he was younger. Burton said that he relished the days when he and his dad would watch fights for free every weekend on network television. (Actually, NASCAR is one of the sports that now occupy the time slots once reserved for boxing.) Burton also talked about growing up in South Boston, Virginia and the cable television technology was very poor at the time. So and he and his father would drive to the next town, where everyone had HBO, and watch fights like Larry Holmes-Gerry Cooney and Sugar Ray Leonard-Roberto Duran.

Greg Biffle, who finished third in the 2008 Chase for the Sprint Cup, happens to be a big Oscar De La Hoya fan and plans on watching the fight this weekend. Here's what he had to say:

Neutral Corner: Are you going to watch the De La Hoya-Pacquiao fight?

Greg Biffle: Absolutely, I woudnt miss it. I'm a De La Hoya fan. I've watched him box forever. I don't know how he's going to do, but I'm definitely not going to miss the fight.

NC: Did you follow HBO's 24/7 on the fight?

GB: Yes, I've watched some of it. But I've followed De La Hoya for quite some time. So I know a lot about him.

NC: What do you like about him as a fighter?

GB: The speed of his hands.

NC: What else do you like about him?

GB: De La Hoya has been a really upstanding guy for the sport of boxng. He doesn't project that thug mentality that some boxers do. He was the lighter weight guy that I got into watching and just paid attention to him. I liked his demeanor, I liked the way he boxed.

NC: How do you think he'll do in the fight?

GB: He's starting to get a little beyond his time. The sport is very demanding and age has to be an issue. But he's a great boxer.

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-- CASSIDY