Oscar De La Hoya believes there was just one fighter capable of defeating him during the prime of his professional career.
After his Gold Medal triumph at the 1992 Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona, De La Hoya entered the paid ranks and would establish himself as a serious contender within the first 18 months of his tenure.
‘The Golden Boy’ would go on to capture various world titles across six weight divisions along the way, producing legacy-defining wins over the likes of Julio Cesar Chavez Sr, Arturo Gatti, Ike Quartey and Pernell Whitaker to name a few.
His career eventually came to an end in 2009 after he was beaten by Filipino great Manny Pacquiao, walking away from the sport with an impressive record of 39 wins against just 6 defeats.
In a feature with Mail Sport Boxing, ‘The Golden Boy’ backed himself to beat a number of legendary fighters in fantasy clashes, although he came unstuck when asked to predict a match-up between himself and arguably the greatest fighter of all time – Sugar Ray Robinson.
“Oh man, That’s a good one. I’m going to go with Sugar Ray Robinson.”
In the eyes of many, Robinson remains one of, if not the greatest fighter to have ever laced up a pair of boxing gloves, an opinion that is shared by fans and analysts globally.
The Georgia-native fought on no less than 201 occasions during his decorated professional career, earning himself a posthumous induction into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990.
He reigned as the world champion at both welterweight and middleweight along the way, defeating the likes of Gene Fullmer, Randolph Turpin and Jake LaMotta prior to his retirement in 1965.
