A former world welterweight champion has claimed that he dropped pound-for-pound great Oscar De La Hoya twice before forcing him to quit during a sparring session.
Known as ‘The Golden Boy’, De La Hoya enjoyed outstanding success during his professional boxing career, in which he became world champion in six weight classes.
He rose to stardom during the 1990s, where he produced legacy-defining victories over the likes of Pernell Whitaker, Hector Camacho, Ike Quartey and Julio Cesar Chavez, one of his own boxing heroes.
It wasn’t an easy ride for De La Hoya during the later stages of his career however, as he suffered several defeats before eventually announcing his retirement from the sport in April of 2009.
One of those defeats came against Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao, who stopped De La Hoya in the 8th round of their clash at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas back in December 2008.
Prior to his showdown with Pacquiao, De La Hoya called on former WBC welterweight champion Victor Ortiz to assist him in sparring at his camp at the Big Bear gym in Southern California.
Speaking to Fight Hype recently, Ortiz claimed that he dropped ‘The Golden Boy’ on two occasions before forcing him to quit after just two sparring sessions.
“So I get to training camp in Big Bear. This is my first time ever speaking about this so Oscar, if I offend you hey the truth will set you free …
“Boom, I go “Okay that’s an easy jab”, he throws a straight right. Boom. Dropped him, he’s on his knees … I go “Check this out, I’m gonna finish him”. Nacho’s saying “Why are you hitting him so hard?” I’m like “I’m working with this guy, he’s the 10-time world champion. What are you talking about?” Again, boom. Drops again. Gets out of the ring, takes all his stuff, leaves.”
Ortiz would go on to have an impressive career of his own, becoming the WBC welterweight champion when he defeated Andre Berto in April of 2011. Perhaps the most notable moment of his tenure came just a few months later however, when he was controversially stopped in the 4th round of his showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Mayweather caught Ortiz with a two-punch combination whilst the latter had his hands down following a referee’s break, which left viewers outraged.
