Oscar De La Hoya is a man who stirs passion among those who follow boxing. He’s been on top of the sport for more than a decade and has his share of detractors, as well as ardent supporters.
On the eve of yet another De La Hoya mega-fight, when he’ll meet pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, it seemed appropriate to make a list of the pros and cons of De La Hoya’s career.
So here are one man’s take on five great things about De La Hoya and five not-so-great things about him.
The good
1. Longevity: De La Hoya won an Olympic gold medal in 1992 and has pretty much been one of the game’s biggest names ever since. He’s fought at an exceptionally high level for 16 years and helped keep the business relevant when interest in the sport was otherwise fading.
2. Competitiveness: De La Hoya has a fierce competitive streak and has pushed himself to take on challenges that others in the sport have not done. His fight with Pacquiao is the second time in his last three bouts in which he’s taking on a man recognized widely as the best in the business. How many other 35-year-old fighters do you know who do that?
3. The left hook: The left hook has long been De La Hoya’s signature punch and is one that has led to many memorable moments. He used the power in his left hand to beat back the bully when he stopped archrival Fernando Vargas in 2002. If there’s an enduring picture of De La Hoya that should stick in one’s mind, it has to be a photo of him landing his left hook.
4. The speed: Speed and quickness have long been two of De La Hoya’s greatest attributes. And as he’s hit middle age, a time when boxers often rely more on guile, De La Hoya’s speed remains one of his greatest assets.
5. Faced just about everyone: There are few fights in his career that De La Hoya could have taken that he didn’t. Yeah, he didn’t meet Kostya Tszyu at 140 pounds or Vernon Forrest at welterweight, but no one can legitimately argue that De La Hoya ducked anyone.
The not-so-good
1. Flip flopper: Those who have followed De La Hoya’s career over the years have come to realize you can’t believe what he says entirely when he makes these definitive long-term statements. He insisted he’d retire at the end of 2008, but now says he’s fighting indefinitely. He said he’d never fight another bout without Freddie Roach, but he dumped Roach after just one fight.
2. Whining: He didn’t accept his decision losses very well and whined incessantly about them. In the case of his 2003 loss to Shane Mosley, he suggested some sort of conspiracy against him and demanded an investigation. That was hardly good for the integrity of the sport that made him rich.
3. Firing trainers: De La Hoya has gone through a series of the game’s best trainers, which is his prerogative. However, he’s fired most of them without first telling them personally. Roach find out he was axed by reading the newspaper. De La Hoya sent subordinates to tell most of the others they were gone. Changing those who work for him is his right, but he should have been man enough to deliver the bad news himself.
4. Fading: De La Hoya’s conditioning often betrayed him late in fights and he frequently was running on fumes. It seems to have been more of a mental issue than a physical one, but it’s something he’s never really solved.
5. Lost the big one: As good as he is, he’s lost his most significant fights. Most of those bouts were close, too. One figures a fighter as skilled as De La Hoya would have been able to find a way to win at least one of them, but he’s 0-for-5 in his top bouts. He lost twice to Shane Mosley as well as once each to Felix Trinidad, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Bernard Hopkins. By Kevin Lole / Photo by Ethan Miller
So do you like Him or Not ?