A Night at the Fights for my Daughter and Friends

Meranda De La O and Oscar De La Hoya

A few weeks ago my daughter Meranda won some tickets to the Juan Manuel Marquez vs Michael Katsidis fight on the 27th of last month, via a contest on Twitter (Marquez won by a 9th round KO). Oscar and Golden Boy Promotions gave Meranda the VIP treatment. My daughter and her gal pals as well as the husband of one of her friends were all given good seats, and my daughter got to spend some time with Oscar and attend the post fight press conference. They all had a great time. These are a few of the photos she took. My thanks to Golden Boy  Promotions and Oscar De La Hoya for being a true gentleman with my daughter.

Meranda (center) and friends

Oscar De La Hoya

Marquez and Katsidis moments before the fight
was stopped by Referee Kenny Bayless

Marquez speaking at the post fight press confrence

Andre Berto at the post fight conference.
Berto stopped Freddy Hernandez in the 1st round

Manny and Oscar

Well, you guys know I was really pulling for Oscar. I like the kid. Always have, always will. I remember years ago when his pro career was starting to gear up, maybe after the Rafael Ruelas fight in 1995. Oscar was being interviewed and he stated that his plan was to retire by the time he was thirty. He was going to be smart. He didn't want to end up the way a lot of other guys did. I'm paraphrasing but you get the point. In the end he did what they all do, or at least most of them, he had one fight too many. They want to go out on top but instead they drag themselves down even further. I hope Oscar gets smart again.

I was there the night Oscar beat Chavez in their first fight, it was the same situation, a young strong fighter facing an older fighter, maybe up to that point still a force but clearly not what he was. Chavez became an old man that night. In the second fight Chavez was unable to come out for the fifth round. Oscar was overjoyed, as he should have been, nothing wrong with that. It's the nature of the business.

Fast forward 12 years, Oscar unable to come out for the 9th round, Pacquiao overjoyed, as he should be. It's a tough, cruel, and for the most part, an unforgiving business. Somewhere out there right now is a young fighter. Maybe he's Mexican, maybe he's Italian, Irish, Jewish or black, it doesn't matter, he's out there, skipping rope, hitting the bag, listening to his trainer. Maybe he has already had a few fights, maybe his star is just beginning to shine. Right now he has no clue he's the chosen one. He couldn't possibly. He'll be gunning for Pacquiao someday soon. it's inevitable. It's inescapable. Pacquiao's only chance is to retire at the right time. Otherwise...... Well you know the story. we've seen it enough times.

I don't know for sure but Manny strikes me as a guy that knows when to retire but then going back a few years, that's what I thought about Oscar.

I was talking to a couple of guys after the fight. The names Ricky Hatton and Floyd Mayweather Jr (remember him?) came up. I said I was 100% convinced that Pacquiao beats both, and as easy as he beats Oscar. I added that not only does he beat both, he beats Cotto too if they fought. I finished by saying if he fought Margarito he has a chance. Thatmight be stretching but right now I would believe anything about the guy.

On Oscar De La Hoya

By Rick Farris

After sixteen successful years of fighting the best, it's time for Oscar to hang 'em up. I will never forget the first time I heard his name. My former manager Johnnie Flores told me of Oscar in December, 1989, while attending the funeral of one of my stablemates. Flores was very excited about a 16-year-old amateur world champ named Oscar De La Hoya. Johnnie was Mr. Golden Gloves in Los Angeles, and the fighter was nearly three years from winning Olympic gold.

"He's the best amateur I have ever seen" Those were Johnnie Flores words, and Johnny had seen Mando Ramos, another youthful over-achiever just a few years back. Johnny had brought Jerry Quarry thru the amateurs to a National GG heavyweight title and on to a pro career that included world title bouts with Ali & Frazier. Even so, Flores told me on that day that Oscar was the best 16-year-old he'd seen. I started to tell Flores about the Ruelas brothers, who were about the same age and fighting amateur under the Goossens. Flores acknowledged Gabe and Rafael, but he waved off any suggestion that they were equal to Oscar. I'm then thinking back over Johnny's L.A. amateur experience and his familiarization with the Baltazar Boys, and Thurman Durden, Ed Sanders, Clay Hodges, Keeny Teran, Gil Cadilli . . . nope, this kid De La Hoya was the best he said he'd ever seen. Johnnie rarely made such statements, but I heard this, and a couple years later I'd see the Los Angeles boy win the Olympics, and everything else he touched.

Here's my feelings. Oscar is an L.A. guy, who came out of the same tournaments that I did, as did Mando Ramos, the Baltazar boys, Davila, Sandovals, the Quarry's, and so many more. He did it right. Was he lucky, maybe, but more so he was tough & talented. He did his mother proud, and he did all of former L.A. boxers proud, even the ones who are envious and bitter. 

VIVA Oscar!

Now hang 'em up, it's over.

-Rick

Oscar De La Hoya vs Manny Pacquiao

By Randy De La O

The saying goes "Never fall in love with a fighter because he'll break your heart every time". That sums up my feelings about last night's fight. Perhaps it was inevitable and inescapable. Oscar played the odds last night and lost. He had in front of him a 5' 6 1/2" giant of a man named Manny Pacquiao that took Oscar to a place he had never before been, a place he could never have envisioned for himself. It was a place called surrender. It is an unholy place.

I was as confident of De La Hoya's victory going into this fight as I have ever been. Despite the fact that I thought this fight was a no win situation for Oscar, I figured he would win the fight. I was caught off guard. Of course I thought the possibility of a Pacquiao victory existed. I have seen enough fights to know that in boxing anything is possible but not this.

My first inkling that things did not seem right was when I saw Oscar in his dressing room. His face seemed hollow and his skin did not set well on his frame. Still, I was confident, concerned, but confident. I saw no fire in his face when he was making the walk into the ring. A funny feeling came over me.

One minute into the first round, at least for me, it was foregone conclusion. Suddenly Oscar De La Hoya was an old man. The fact that he was facing a human dynamo, this relentless nightmare that is Manny Pacquiao, this human predator that would not be denied, had much to do with it but so too did Father Time. Still Oscar was showing some heart. He was taking his lickings and once or twice during the fight he mounted an attack but it was short lived, sporadic and unsustainable. He had nothing to offer in the way of defense or offense. Not an iota.

Somewhere during the fight, maybe the third round, I forget which because they all looked alike, I saw Oscar losing heart. There came a point when Oscar was just trying to survive. Where once Oscar De La Hoya was the hunter, relentless in his pursuit of his opponent, now he was the hunted, mere prey for the relentless Pacquiao, who was like a young wolf challenging the old wolf for his rightful place as the new leader of the pack.

It was painful for me to watch. I knew Oscar was going to fold. I saw it in his body language, I saw it in his eyes. I said out loud "Oscar, don't quit. Don't quit". At another point I turned to Ed Hernandez and said "I think he might quit on his stool". A round or two later, either the referee or the fight doctor asked "Are you alright? Do you want me to stop the fight? Can you continue? (I'm paraphrasing) Oscar just stared. His heart and spirit were gone. That he had enough of Pacquiao was evident. Age, weight loss, Manny Pacquiao, take your pick, all of them conspired in the total destruction of a fighter named Oscar De La Hoya. Unable to voice the words Oscar just stared but his eyes betrayed him, just as his once strong body betrayed him. His eyes, his body language and his overall demeanor told trainer Nacho Beristain everything he needed to know. He signaled to referee Tony Weeks to stop the fight and just like that the career of Oscar De La Hoya was over. It doesn't matter if he fools himself and fights again, it is over for Oscar De La Hoya. If you don't believe me ask the "Fat Lady" she was there last night singing.

My son Andrew called from Seattle last night after the fight to find out what I thought. We had two widely different opinions about the fight. He was disgusted with De La Hoya, once one of his favorites. His first words to me were "Dad, don't defend him!" He believes, as I'm sure many others do, and maybe rightly so, that Oscar didn't care if he won or lost, he made his money and took the easy way out. What it ultimately boiled down to is that Andrew believes Oscar would not continue and I believe he could not.

Whatever it was, only Oscar knows. He will play the fight over and over again, hoping for a different ending but the ending will remain the same. Oscar could not or would not come out for the ninth round. Time will not change that.

Never fall in love with a fighter, he'll break your heart every time. Every single damned time.

Oscar De La Hoya vs Manny Pacquiao: The Fight Card

Courtesy of  HBO World Boxing

Saturday, December 06 2008

MGM Grand / Las Vegas, NV
Welterweight Fight (12 RDs)
HBO Broadcast: 9:00pm ET
International Broadcast: 02:00 GMT
Click here for the international format

Oscar De La Hoya
10 Time World Champion
(39-5-0, 30 Ko's) vs. Manny Pacquiao

No. 1 Ranked pound-for-pound champion
(47-3-2, 35 Ko's)

10-time World Champion "Golden Boy" Oscar De La Hoya will face current No. 1-ranked pound-for-pound champion MANNY "Pacman" Pacquiao on Saturday, December 6 for a 12-round, non-title fight contested at the 147-pound welterweight limit. This exciting and intriguing match-up pits two of the most recognizable and popular talents in the sport today in what will surely be the grand finale of the 2008 boxing calendar.



NABO Junior Welterweight Championship (12 Rounds)
Victor Ortiz
Oxnard, CA
(22-1-1, 17) vs. Jeffrey Resto
Bronx, NY
(22-2-0, 13)

WBO Junior Featherweight Championship (12 Rounds)
Juan Manuel Lopez
Caguas, PR
(23-0-0, 21) vs. Sergio Medina
Salta, AR
(33-1-0, 18)

Super Middleweight Fight (8 Rounds)
Daniel Jacobs
Brooklyn, NY
(12-0-0, 11) vs. Victor Lares
Corpus Christi, TX
(14-3-0, 3)

Oscar De La Hoya vs Manny Pacquiao: In Support of Oscar De La Hoya

By: Randy De La O

I have mentioned before that I feel like the Lone Ranger in my support of Oscar De La Hoya but a more accurate analogy would be General George Armstrong Custer making his last stand against the entire Souix and Cheyenne nations. It's a lonely feeling.

Whether Oscar wins his fight with Manny Pacqiauo or not, his career is coming to an end. Even if he fights one or two more times next year, his career is winding down. It's been a great career too. A gold medal in Spain in the 1992 Olympics, several world titles and several great fights. Through it all Oscar has recieved a lot of criticism, some deserved, some not. Oscar may not have won all of his fights but I don't really see that as a big deal. Not even Babe Ruth batted a thousand. Everyone loses. Oscar never really made excuses and he was one of the few that took on all challengers. He fought the best of his era and if he came up short a few times it was only because he dared. While everyone else around him were doing their best to avoid each other, trying to keep their positions and rankings or titles, in the hope of fighting Oscar.

We lament about the fighters from the past. We remember how they could lose a fight, shake off the loss and come back and fight again. We loved the old time fighters. No trash talking and no excuses. We complain too, how promoters, managers and just about every hustler looking to make a buck would use up a fighter, then spit him out when they were done with him. So many exfighters ended up broke, alone and maybe a little punch drunk, some more than a little. Some never made it at all.

So, in Oscar De la Hoya, we have a fighter that fought the best of his day. Win lose or draw, he fought the best of his day. In 1996 when De La Hoya fought and beat the great Julio Cesar Chavez, we all thought he did something special. He made it look easy that night. At that time Chavez had suffered only one loss, by split decision to Frankie Randall only two years earlier. Chavez, though no longer at his peak, was still a force to be reckoned with. Why have we retroactively changed the dynamics of that fight?

If Oscar has fallen short at times, and who hasn't, it is only because he is a fighter who takes risks. Fighting guys like Pernell Whitaker, Felix Trinidad, Sugar Shane Mosley, Bernard Hopkins and Floyd Mayweather Jr and early in his career, Rafael Ruelas and Genaro Hernandez. In the riskiest of business' DeLa Hoya took plenty of risks.

The late Jerry Quarry, one of the bravest in what is arguably the toughest of occupations once said "No coward ever stepped in to the ring". I agree. It would be an impossibility.

To sum it all up, in De La Hoya we have a fighter that has faced the best, he has been a gracious winner and just as importantly he knew how to lose. He shook of his losses, ignored the criticism and continued to fight, winning some and losing some. Unlike most fighters, Oscar has never touted his own greatness.

In Oscar we have a fighter who made up his mind early on that no one was going use him up and spit him out when they were done with him. In that, he has succeeded like no other fighter before him.

In Oscar, we have a fighter that, despite proving himself over the years in a business where "No coward has ever stepped in to the ring" he continues to be called a coward, even by those that should know better. It's almost shameful.

Oscar fights Manny Pacquiao tonight. On paper it has the makings of a fight that can't fail. I hope it lives up to the expectations. Despite the fact that Pacquiao refuses to face his rightful challenger in Juan Manuel Marquez, he has had an admirable career.

Personally, I think too much is being made of the size difference between the two. Boxing has never been about the height, it has been about the weight.The size issue has been brought up ad nauseam but it is not unprecedented. Carlos Monzon enjoyed a height advantage over Jose Napoles. Tommy Hearns at 6' 1" towered over a 5' 7 1/2" Roberto Duran. Hearns had not only the height advantage but the youth advantage as well. Duran began his career as a 118 pounder and was a natural lightweight. He fought Hearns as a Jr Middleweight. Duran was no Jr. middleweight. Hearns ended his career as a cruiserweight. He was a big man. My point is, is that it is not unprecedented.

Tonight I will be pulling for De la Hoya to win, hopefully by knockout. Pacquiao and his fans can take solace in all the ready made, built in excuses that have been put in place by almost every boxing writer in the country. The same excuses that will ultimately, at least in perception, make De La Hoya's victory appear hollow.

To writers like Doug Krikorian of the Long Beach Press Telegram and others of his ilk, I leave you with this:

.....It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes up short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.......

De La Hoya and Pacquiao at the Statue of Liberty

Oscar De La Hoya On Fighting Manny Pacquiao

An Open Letter to Oscar De La Hoya and Manny Pacquiao

Dear Oscar and Manny,

I know you guys think that boxing fans want to see the two of you guys fight. I’m sure that your advisors have convinced you that this will be the biggest money maker of all time. Maybe they’re right, I don't know. I’m no expert on money making. I’ll tell you what I do know about. I know a little about boxing. I know that the real fans, the fans that have made both of you rich beyond your wildest dreams are owed a little something. I’m not talking about a fight like the Steve Forbes fight that was shown on “free” HBO Boxing. Trust me, it wasn’t free.

No, guys, what I’m talking about is giving the fans, the ones that made you rich, the best possible fight they can ask for. A fight they deserve. That would be you Oscar fighting Antonio Margarito and you Manny doing the right thing by fighting Juan Manuel Marquez. Manny, a lot of fans think Marquez beat you in both fights, that you were lucky to get a draw and a split decision as you did. Maybe in your heart you really don’t believe you can beat Marquez. Not being a mind reader I couldn’t say. But it can’t be because you don’t think he deserves it, because if Marquez doesn’t deserve a rematch, then no one in boxing history ever deserved one.

Oscar, believe me when I say I have been one of your biggest supporters. Even when the press and fans started to write or say some unflattering things about you, I was there, showing them why you were still the best man out there. I converted and reconverted a lot of boxing fans into Oscar De La Hoya fans. I didn’t charge you for it either because I believed in what I was saying. Lately though, it’s been difficult to defend your actions. C’mon Oscar, forget about Pacquiao. It’s not that I don’t think you can beat Manny. That's just it!  I know you can but it almost seems unfair. No Oscar, the fight for you is Antonio Margarito. Oscar, very few people believe me when I say you can beat Margarito. Maybe you don’t believe it, but you can. It's possible. He is not a machine. 

For once Oscar, forget about what Mexican fight fans think about you. You have been fighting profesionally since 1992. It doesn't matter to them who you fight. They are not, in 2008, going to think more, or less of you than they already do. That's a done deal. For once Oscar, think about your Mexican American fans that have supported you. Consider us. Consider the American fans! Mexican fans pay to see you lose Oscar, the rest of us pay to see you win. 

There was a time Oscar, when you used to speak about boxing history, your legacy and how you wanted to leave boxing with class. You used to speak with a certain reverence about your own legacy. You don’t speak that way anymore Oscar. Don’t let your reverence and legacy be about the almighty dollar. Let it be about what you did in the ring, the way you fought, the way you ducked no one, the way you won with grace and more importantly, the way you lost. It says a lot about a fighter, Oscar in the way he loses. You always lost with dignity. If you lost to Margarito in fight where you gave your all, who could fault you? You're thirty five years old. Past your prime years but still one of the best, still formidable.

Manny, in your case it really would be an accurate perception of you ducking your hardest, fiercest rival. You are still at your peak, there is no excuse for you. To be honest, I don’t think you can beat Marquez and my guess is, neither do you. Don’t let your legacy be that you won your best fights against aging Mexican greats that were well past their best days. Do the right thing Manny. Fight Marquez! You will never find a worthier opponent.

Randy De La O

Oscar De la Hoya vs Manny Pacquiao

As you know, this is not the fight I wanted to see as Oscar's farewell fight (whether it really is a farewell fight remains to be seen). I would have preferred he went out against Antonio Margarito. I'm not being critical of Oscar but I just feel with this fight he puts himself between a rock and a hard place. Though Oscar is certainly not the first fighter to take on a smaller opponent, he has, at the very least, been the most criticized, and wrongly so.

A loss to Manny Paquiao, would not keep him out of the Hall of Fame but it would certainly tarnish his legacy, and for what? A win would produce jeers, no matter how the fight turns out. An easy win over Paquiao would seem like a foregone conclusion and produce a collective "So what". A hard fought narrow victory would justify (at least in perception) all the criticism.

However, since they are going to fight, my hope is that De La Hoya will whip himself into the best shape of his life and fight as if he means it. Don't let it become a battle of attrition, because Manny will be there fighting, swinging and trying his damnedest to win, from the first bell to the last. It's what he does. If Paquiao wins this fight he won't just be the national hero of the Philippines, he'll be their god.

Oscar De La Hoya vs Antonio Margarito?

Who should Oscar De La Hoya fight next? To my way of thinking there is only one fighter out there for Oscar to face and that is Antonio Margarito. Forget Manny Paquiao, forget Sergio Mora, and please, forget Felix Trinidad, whom Oscar has already beaten once fair and square. Trinidad is just a shell of his former self. He should fight Antonio Margarito. It’s the only real win -win fight out there for him and, just as importantly, for boxing fans.

It has to be tempting for Oscar to think about going out with a win over Manny, but that’s the business side of Oscar. This fight is a no win situation for Oscar, though I doubt he would lose this fight, it would really mar his career if he did and a win over Manny would produce more yawns than a George Bush State of the Union address. Because of the size difference Oscar has been criticized for even considering this fight. Personally, I don’t see the problem, especially when you consider that Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, and especially Tommy Hearns, all made a good living fighting Roberto Duran and were all naturally bigger men than Duran, who began his career as a 118 lb fighter and was the lightweight champ for seven years before moving up to the welterweights and then ultimately, the middleweights, where at the age of 38, he beat a much larger and younger Iran Barkley in 1989 to win the WBC Middleweight title. The truth is he was just a blown up light weight. As far as I’m concerned that cancels out any criticism of De La Hoya.

Again, with all that being said, Oscar should fight Margarito. Call me crazy, but It’s not inconceivable to me that Oscar, even at the age of 35, could win against Margarito, though the odds would certainly be stacked against him. Miguel Cotto has already laid out the blue print for beating him, but even if he had not, Oscar possesses the skills to out box Margarito. Style wise, and you can disagree with me if you want, Margarito is tailor made for Oscar but that is not what Oscar has to concern himself with. The bottom line with Margarito is heart and chin but he is not unbeatable, despite how unbeatable he looked against Cotto.

There is no trickery or dishonesty about the way Margarito fights, he just fights. Again, you can disagree with me if you want but Oscar De La Hoya is also an honest fighter, though his style is different than Margarito. When he has lost, he never made excuses , he took it like a man and when he has won, he did so with grace and he never ducked anyone. What more can we ask of him? My hope is that Oscar will think with the fighter side and not the business side of him, his heart not his brain and decide to fight Margarito. This would be a classic Chicano vs. Mexican fight. I’m starting to feel like one of the last of the Mohicans in my support of Oscar De La Hoya but I would like to see this fight and I would like to see Oscar win. Win, lose or draw this is the way to go out.

Oscar De La Hoya's Career Record

Antonio Margarito's Career Record

Oscar De La Hoya vs Steve Forbes

Former IBF and USBA Super Featherweight Champ Steve Forbes will be taking on Oscar De La Hoya, in what many consider a "tune up" fight for Oscar. No doubt Oscar will win this fight, but as he learned when he fought Felix Sturm in 2004, don't take anything for granted. I expect Forbes, who is a competent fighter in his own right, to make the best of his "Golden" opportunity. Forbes was also a participant of "the Contenders" reality boxing series.

I'll be out of town this weekend and may or may not see this one. The fight will be taking place at The Home Depot Center in Carson, California, tomorrow, Saturday May 3, 2008 and will be aired on HBO.

Oscar De La Hoya vs Floyd Mayweather

Now that “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather Jr. has beaten Carlos Baldomir last Saturday, November 4, and fairly easy at that, albeit in a somewhat lackluster style, to become the new Welterweight champ, he has thrust Oscar De La Hoya back into the picture. He seems to feel that he doesn’t need Oscar in his future, but the numbers show otherwise, and he has been very vocal about his disdain for De la Hoya. But if he really wants to be considered the “Pound for pound” king, he should fight Oscar.

Oscar, on the other hand, really doesn’t need Floyd to finish off his Hall of Fame career, but it would be the icing on the cake, so to speak. They do have two common opponents, Genaro Hernandez and Arturo Gotti, whom they have both beaten , but Oscar did it first, he did it better, and he did it when they were both younger and considerably stronger, than when they fought Mayweather. Personally. I feel if Mayweather wants to secure his legacy, which is substantially less then he believes it to be, he should stay away from Oscar.

Throughout his career De La Hoya has continued to fight the best, and if he has slowed down somewhat, I think he can be forgiven, especially when you consider the overall quality of his opponents. Win, Lose or draw, Oscar has faced; Bernard Hopkins, Fernando Vargas, Felix Trinidad, Ike Quartey, Pernell Whitaker, Sugar Shane Mosley (twice), and Julio Cesar Chavez (twice). It can be argued that Chavez was past his prime when Oscar beat him, but to some degree Oscar was still a pup, when they fought in 1996. His loss to Felix Trinidad in 1999, and in the second Shane Mosley fight, proved that Oscar was not a judge favorite. In other words, the fights Oscar won, he won on merit, he earned them, including the Whitaker fight .

Mayweather, for his part, has taken a very different route, more akin to Roy Jone‘s approach, taking as little risk as possible, despite his obvious skill. Arguably, the two best fighters that Floyd has faced, thus far, in his career, were Diego Corrales, whom he stopped, to his credit, in ten rounds in 2001., and two wins over tough Jose Louis Castillo, the first one a very controversial win. He did show championship quality and heart by giving Castillo a rematch and beating him, again, to his credit.

Mayweather is the younger and faster of the two, though Oscar is no slouch in the speed department, but Oscar does hit considerably harder. Floyd Mayweather has never faced a fighter of Oscar’s caliber, this is clear, and Oscar has just faced so many better fighters in his career. I think a focused, in shape, Oscar De La Hoya, can not only beat Floyd Mayweather, he can knock him out. The only weak link in all of this of course, is Floyd Mayweather Sr., Floyd Jr.’s father, and Oscar’s trainer, and I have no idea how that will play out, but this is a fight that can happen, and I hope it does. I hope they can put aside their personal dislike for each other and give the fans a fight they really want to see. But I have news for Mayweather, if he truly believes he’s in the drivers seat, regarding negotiations, he’s truly kidding himself!