LAS VEGAS – Oscar De La Hoya tried to turn back the clock to a time when he was among the pound-for-pound best in boxing. He signed to fight as a 147-pound welterweight for the first time since 2001 and trained in the mountains of Big Bear (Calif.), where some of his biggest victories had taken root.
But as hard as he tried, De La Hoya couldn’t restore himself to the Golden Boy who had won 10 world titles in six different weight divisions. Now he’s just another fighter whose skills have eroded to the point where it’s time for him to retire.
That was the plan all along: to fight three times this year and call it a Hall of Fame career. Instead, De La Hoya fought twice and the beating he took against Manny Pacquiao Saturday night at the MGM Grand should confirm there’s no reason to continue.
De La Hoya hired Nacho Beristain to be his trainer for this fight, hoping he’d sharpen his skills and teach him a few tricks that could beat the Filipino icon. Instead, Beristain’s biggest contribution was telling referee Tony Weeks to end the fight after eight rounds. By then De La Hoya’s left eye was just about swollen shut, and his face was puffy and red from the countless punches Pacquiao seemed to land at will. “I had to protect him,” Beristain said. “I had to stop the fight.”
De La Hoya didn’t attend the post-fight press conference, heading instead to a local hospital for some precautionary examinations. One of the three ringside judges gave De La Hoya the first round. It was the only round on any of three cards that didn’t go to Pacquiao, who controlled the fight from the outset.
Though four inches shorter than De La Hoya, Pacquiao’s hand speed, foot movement, and his ability to throw hard punches while moving his head from side to side proved an unsolvable puzzle for De La Hoya, who looked every bit of his 35 years of age. The Golden Boy’s legs turned to rust, his reflexes were slow and he kept missing with the simplest punches: his jab. As Pacquiao bounced in and out, scoring with stinging combinations, the taller De La Hoya looked like a deer frozen by headlights.
“I knew the in and out motion would give [De La Hoya] trouble,” Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddy Roach, said. “He didn’t know if Manny was coming or going.”
If De La Hoya ever considers fighting again, he should watch a replay of the seventh round. That’s where Pacquiao pounded him a long the ropes, landing an astonishing 45 power punches as Weeks looked ready to stop the bout. All three judges scored it a 10-8 round though De La Hoya was never down. A replay of the fight will be broadcast on HBO Saturday.
There’s no reason for De La Hoya to keep fighting. His company, Golden Boy Promotions, rivals Bob Arum’s Top Rank, Inc., as the industry leader. Their stable of fighters includes Shane Mosley, Bernard Hopkins, British heavyweight David Haye, super middleweight James Kirkland, Juan Manuel Marquez, Victor Ortiz and Danny Jacobs. “If Oscar retires that’s fine,” said Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions. “We’ve got all the best fighters.”
A few weeks ago, De La Hoya said fighting for his family was a big motivation. The best thing he can do for his family and himself is to call it a career.
Meanwhile, Pacquiao’s achievements in 2008 make him a lock for Fighter of the Year. Three fights in three different weight classes produced wins over Juan Manuel Marquez, lightweight champion Victor Diaz and De La Hoya. “Speed was the answer to this fight,” Pacquiao said. “I was connecting with everything and he was connecting with nothing.”