Oscar De La Hoya

[slappy]

I was reading old records and what jumped out at me was that ODLH didn't just seek out the best of his era but challenged them at their peaks. After being pretty dominant at 130, 135 and 140 he sought out (and probably beat) peak Trinidad at his best weight, Sugar Shane at his best, prime Quartay and (at his sixth weight class) peak Hopkins. Vargas was probably a bit faded post-Trinidad but still very very dangerous at 154.

Oscar definitely lost some even at his best (first Mosley fight definitely not his, got a bad decision win against Sturm and the Whittaker decision was shaky). But how often do you see fighter seek out the best at their very best?

While Mayweather naturally will rank higher on the all-time list, some of his best wins remain against past-peak greats (Mosley, De La Hoya, Pac, Cotto). Not putting him down. He is a transformational talent. But the record could have been better.

Credit to De La Hoya for fighting not just the best of his era, but for fighting them while they were at the apex of their careers.

[BoxBuzz]

An example of a fighter who's good record is not as good as his actual skill set.

[gilgamesh]

I was reading old records and what jumped out at me was that ODLH didn't just seek out the best of his era but challenged them at their peaks. After being pretty dominant at 130, 135 and 140 he sought out (and probably beat) peak Trinidad at his best weight, Sugar Shane at his best, prime Quartay and (at his sixth weight class) peak Hopkins. Vargas was probably a bit faded post-Trinidad but still very very dangerous at 154.

Oscar definitely lost some even at his best (first Mosley fight definitely not his, got a bad decision win against Sturm and the Whittaker decision was shaky). But how often do you see fighter seek out the best at their very best?

While Mayweather naturally will rank higher on the all-time list, some of his best wins remain against past-peak greats (Mosley, De La Hoya, Pac, Cotto). Not putting him down. He is a transformational talent. But the record could have been better.

Credit to De La Hoya for fighting not just the best of his era, but for fighting them while they were at the apex of their careers.

Vargas was only like 24 or 25 when he fought De La Hoya. While I don't doubt that there were some lingering affects on Vargas following the Tito fight I certainly wouldn't say you got Vargas after his prime. I mean if that wasn't the guys physical prime then he never had a prime.

[SenorPipino]

I was reading old records and what jumped out at me was that ODLH didn't just seek out the best of his era but challenged them at their peaks. After being pretty dominant at 130, 135 and 140 he sought out (and probably beat) peak Trinidad at his best weight, Sugar Shane at his best, prime Quartay and (at his sixth weight class) peak Hopkins. Vargas was probably a bit faded post-Trinidad but still very very dangerous at 154.

Oscar definitely lost some even at his best (first Mosley fight definitely not his, got a bad decision win against Sturm and the Whittaker decision was shaky). But how often do you see fighter seek out the best at their very best?

While Mayweather naturally will rank higher on the all-time list, some of his best wins remain against past-peak greats (Mosley, De La Hoya, Pac, Cotto). Not putting him down. He is a transformational talent. But the record could have been better.

Credit to De La Hoya for fighting not just the best of his era, but for fighting them while they were at the apex of their careers.

I agree.

Oscar dodged no one. Ridiculous to think that at one time he was referred to in derogatory fashion as "Chicken De La Hoya."

I'm glad to hear that he's in secret training for a comeback.

[Kalan]

Vargas was only like 24 or 25 when he fought De La Hoya. While I don't doubt that there were some lingering affects on Vargas following the Tito fight I certainly wouldn't say you got Vargas after his prime. I mean if that wasn't the guys physical prime then he never had a prime.

Vargas's best fights were his Winky Wright.. Ike Quartey.. and Trinidad Fights... Anything past that he seemed vulnerable because they should have pulled him out of the Trinidad fight earlier... They WOULD have if that fight hadn't been so close and competitive... But 5 tough knockdowns and 12 rounds before they stop it??? ... That's a tough way to go for somebody 22 years old with 20 professional fights.

Guys who get brutally knocked out at a young age seem to have a bigger chance of not lasting as long as other boxers.. Terry Norris got brutally knocked out by Julian Jackson. Wilfred Benitez took a tough beating from Sugar Ray Leonard when he was 20 or 21 before the fight was stopped late in the 15th.. I remember Bill Slayton, and another trainer who's name I can't remember, saying that fight was going to stay with Benitez because he was so young.. For me, you reach physical maturity at 18 so I didn't see how it could matter. He's already in his 20's.. It sure as Hell didn't look like it would hurt Benitez with the great wins he had after that.. But he did seem to wilt early so possibly it's a problem.

[gilgamesh]

Vargas definitely gave an admirable effort against De La Hoya though (of course as I recall he failed the Post fight drug test, and was suspended for a year ). I thought he won the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 9th rounds against Oscar pretty clear, and was a handful all the way through the early rounds, but Oscar eventually got to him as it went on.

It was a really entertaining boxing match.

Even though he lost those fights, I think his bouts with Tito and Oscar are both classics in their own right.

[ElJefe]

I said this about Manny the other day but I think it holds true for Oscar as well, I don't think we'll ever see a fighter compile a resume (including wins and losses) quite like it again. For all his good looks and marketability, Oscar was a true fighter.

[jas80s]

I was reading old records and what jumped out at me was that ODLH didn't just seek out the best of his era but challenged them at their peaks. After being pretty dominant at 130, 135 and 140 he sought out (and probably beat) peak Trinidad at his best weight, Sugar Shane at his best, prime Quartay and (at his sixth weight class) peak Hopkins. Vargas was probably a bit faded post-Trinidad but still very very dangerous at 154.

Oscar definitely lost some even at his best (first Mosley fight definitely not his, got a bad decision win against Sturm and the Whittaker decision was shaky). But how often do you see fighter seek out the best at their very best?

While Mayweather naturally will rank higher on the all-time list, some of his best wins remain against past-peak greats (Mosley, De La Hoya, Pac, Cotto). Not putting him down. He is a transformational talent. But the record could have been better.

Credit to De La Hoya for fighting not just the best of his era, but for fighting them while they were at the apex of their careers.

Great post...It's not just the names, but WHEN he fought them as well. The guy's resume is something else.

I can't imagine a big money star today being steered toward a fighter like Ike Quartey. Today, they need to protect the investment and that means avoiding losses. It's one thing for a guy like Timothy Bradley to be a warrior, he kind of had to be to make money. But, De La Hoya could have totally gotten away with exploiting his stardom to pick and choose his spots and he obviously didn't.

[slappy]

Yeah. Quartay was all risk, no reward.

I hadn't really thought about Bradley. True. Dude came to fight every time.

Someday boxing fans (and by fans I mean TV) have to learn how to drop the fetish for undefeated records. It's bull.

[Kalan]

But how often do you see fighter seek out the best at their very best?

De La Hoya sure didn't... Oscar and Winky Wright were 154-pound Champions at the same time... A unification fight was big...

Oscar avoided Winky Wright to fight Luis Ramon Campas -- a certain win for him...

Shane Mosley also offered Oscar a 3rd fight with him. After Oscar pissed and moaned about the well deserved UNANIMOUS DECISION VICTORY that Mosley earned in their rematch... Mosley said, "If you think you can beat me let's fight again" ... Oscar asked for 80% of the money effectively ducking the 3rd fight.

BTW... It took several YEARS for De La Hoya to agree to a Mosley rematch, even though he lost.. He waited for Shane to have a 3-fight winless streak before pouncing... It didn't work. He still lost.. He NEVER agreed to a rematch with Trinidad even though he bitched and pissed about the decision in that one as well.. You think he would have offered Felix Sturm a rematch??? ... Hell no.

[jas80s]

But how often do you see fighter seek out the best at their very best?

De La Hoya sure didn't... Oscar and Winky Wright were 154-pound Champions at the same time... A unification fight was big...

Oscar avoided Winky Wright to fight Luis Ramon Campas -- a certain win for him...

Shane Mosley also offered Oscar a 3rd fight with him. After Oscar pissed and moaned about the well deserved UNANIMOUS DECISION VICTORY that Mosley earned in their rematch... Mosley said, "If you think you can beat me let's fight again" ... Oscar asked for 80% of the money effectively ducking the 3rd fight.

BTW... It took several YEARS for De La Hoya to agree to a Mosley rematch, even though he lost.. He waited for Shane to have a 3-fight winless streak before pouncing... It didn't work. He still lost.. He NEVER agreed to a rematch with Trinidad even though he bitched and pissed about the decision in that one as well.. You think he would have offered Felix Sturm a rematch??? ... Hell no.

Oh, Kalan.....Always so negative...You must learn to be more forthcoming in your praise for your fellow supremely talented fighters.

Never gave Sturm a rematch? Yes, the world was just dying to see that one. Moreover, he never fought at Middle again after Hopkins, can't the guy simply realize he shouldn't be campaigning at that weight? Or, must he now be a "ducker"?

And only you could dump on a guy for "only" fighting Shane Mosley twice including once at the height of his ascendancy when he was still almost completely unknown outside of boxing circles. But, what can I say, you always give me food for thought, if only he had the kind of resume that you simply CANNOT pick apart, like...oh, I don't know,...Vitali Klitschko or Edwin Valero.

[SenorPipino]

But how often do you see fighter seek out the best at their very best?

De La Hoya sure didn't... Oscar and Winky Wright were 154-pound Champions at the same time... A unification fight was big...

Oscar avoided Winky Wright to fight Luis Ramon Campas -- a certain win for him...

Shane Mosley also offered Oscar a 3rd fight with him. After Oscar pissed and moaned about the well deserved UNANIMOUS DECISION VICTORY that Mosley earned in their rematch... Mosley said, "If you think you can beat me let's fight again" ... Oscar asked for 80% of the money effectively ducking the 3rd fight.

BTW... It took several YEARS for De La Hoya to agree to a Mosley rematch, even though he lost.. He waited for Shane to have a 3-fight winless streak before pouncing... It didn't work. He still lost.. He NEVER agreed to a rematch with Trinidad even though he bitched and pissed about the decision in that one as well.. You think he would have offered Felix Sturm a rematch??? ... Hell no.

Oh, Kalan.....Always so negative...You must learn to be more forthcoming in your praise for your fellow supremely talented fighters.

Never gave Sturm a rematch? Yes, the world was just dying to see that one. Moreover, he never fought at Middle again after Hopkins, can't the guy simply realize he shouldn't be campaigning at that weight? Or, must he now be a "ducker"?

And only you could dump on a guy for "only" fighting Shane Mosley twice including once at the height of his ascendancy when he was still almost completely unknown outside of boxing circles. But, what can I say, you always give me food for thought, if only he had the kind of resume that you simply CANNOT pick apart, like...oh, I don't know,...Vitali Klitschko or Edwin Valero.

....or Wilt Chamberlain's.

[ewenhay]

It's a sad day when a fighter is being given a hard time for taking on the best around and being criticised for losing a few as a result. Or criticised for not having multiple rematches.

Oscar was a good fighter with a lot of heart. He deserves a bit of respect for his fight career.

[littlepug]

Vargas was only like 24 or 25 when he fought De La Hoya. While I don't doubt that there were some lingering affects on Vargas following the Tito fight I certainly wouldn't say you got Vargas after his prime. I mean if that wasn't the guys physical prime then he never had a prime.

Vargas's best fights were his Winky Wright.. Ike Quartey.. and Trinidad Fights... Anything past that he seemed vulnerable because they should have pulled him out of the Trinidad fight earlier... They WOULD have if that fight hadn't been so close and competitive... But 5 tough knockdowns and 12 rounds before they stop it??? ... That's a tough way to go for somebody 22 years old with 20 professional fights.

Guys who get brutally knocked out at a young age seem to have a bigger chance of not lasting as long as other boxers.. Terry Norris got brutally knocked out by Julian Jackson. Wilfred Benitez took a tough beating from Sugar Ray Leonard when he was 20 or 21 before the fight was stopped late in the 15th.. I remember Bill Slayton, and another trainer who's name I can't remember, saying that fight was going to stay with Benitez because he was so young.. For me, you reach physical maturity at 18 so I didn't see how it could matter. He's already in his 20's.. It sure as Hell didn't look like it would hurt Benitez with the great wins he had after that.. But he did seem to wilt early so possibly it's a problem.

Norris won about 23 title bouts after the Jackson Defeat

[Kalan]

Doesn't mean it didn't hurt him... The Simon Brown KO probably put his punch resistance at a crossroads... because he had already been iced.

[Kalan]

De La Hoya sure didn't... Oscar and Winky Wright were 154-pound Champions at the same time... A unification fight was big...

Oscar avoided Winky Wright to fight Luis Ramon Campas -- a certain win for him...

Shane Mosley also offered Oscar a 3rd fight with him. After Oscar pissed and moaned about the well deserved UNANIMOUS DECISION VICTORY that Mosley earned in their rematch... Mosley said, "If you think you can beat me let's fight again" ... Oscar asked for 80% of the money effectively ducking the 3rd fight.

BTW... It took several YEARS for De La Hoya to agree to a Mosley rematch, even though he lost.. He waited for Shane to have a 3-fight winless streak before pouncing... It didn't work. He still lost.. He NEVER agreed to a rematch with Trinidad even though he bitched and pissed about the decision in that one as well.. You think he would have offered Felix Sturm a rematch??? ... Hell no.

Oh, Kalan.....Always so negative...You must learn to be more forthcoming in your praise for your fellow supremely talented fighters.

Never gave Sturm a rematch? Yes, the world was just dying to see that one. Moreover, he never fought at Middle again after Hopkins, can't the guy simply realize he shouldn't be campaigning at that weight? Or, must he now be a "ducker"?

And only you could dump on a guy for "only" fighting Shane Mosley twice including once at the height of his ascendancy when he was still almost completely unknown outside of boxing circles. But, what can I say, you always give me food for thought, if only he had the kind of resume that you simply CANNOT pick apart, like...oh, I don't know,...Vitali Klitschko or Edwin Valero.

....or Wilt Chamberlain's

Unfortunately Chamberlain was stiffed by Ali who "accepted" his challenge https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mF57P1uUG0s

And reneged...