In his day, Oscar De La Hoya was the biggest box office star in the sport of boxing.
Turning over to the pro ranks after a Gold Medal at the 1992 Olympics, ‘The Golden Boy’ kicked off his campaign with a huge amount of pressure on his shoulders, pressure that he would handle comfortably through 31 fights undefeated.
His first loss came to Felix Trinidad, and he would later fall short against Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao – the two men who overtook him in pay-per-view revenue – as well as Shane Mosley and now business partner Bernard Hopkins.
De La Hoya’s world titles in six divisions massively outweigh those defeats and the names he has in his winning column were some of the best – Ike Quartey, Julio Cesar Chavez and Pernell Whitaker to name a few.
It’s Whitaker De La Hoya picks over the rest as having the best skills. He explained why in a feature with The Ring Magazine.
“Whitaker had to be one of the most skillful fighters in any generation – the fact he could stay right in front of you and could still slip the punches.
Whitaker wasn’t a runner; he was just someone who stood right in front of you and knew how to slip. Whitaker knew how to knock you out, too. Punching power, skill, I.Q. – Whitaker had it all. He’s probably one of the all-around best boxers I faced.”
De La Hoya made the move from 140 to 147 in the late nineties and had an immediate title shot against WBC Champion Whitaker, who was undefeated in a quite incredible 42 fights and had held the title for four years.
The challenger took the fight – called Pound for Pound on the poster for good reason – on the scorecards via unanimous decision despite Whitaker, in the eyes of many, doing the best work with his jab and securing a knockdown.
As De La Hoya moved forward as champion, Whitaker’s career quickly spiralled and finished. His next win was switched to a No Contest after he tested positive for cocaine, and two losses thereafter saw him hang up the gloves.
The four-weight world champion will be remembered as having one of the best defensive styles in the sport. He sadly passed away in 2019 at the age of 55 after being struck by a car.
