Oscar De La Hoya has had his say on who he believes is the greatest fighter in boxing history.
The hall-of-famer’s career is one of the most decorated of all time. ‘The Golden Boy’ captured an Olympic Gold Medal at the 1992 Summer games in Barcelona, before entering the professional ranks in November of the same year.
De La Hoya would go on to capture world titles in six weight classes, ranging from super featherweight to middleweight. Over the course of his tenure, the 52-year-old from California defeated the likes of Julio Cesar Chavez, Arturo Gatti and Fernando Vargas to name only a few.
It wasn’t all plain sailing for ‘The Golden Boy’, who tasted defeat on six occasions. He fell short in contests against fighters such as Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Bernard Hopkins.
Speaking to ESNEWS, De La Hoya made no mistake in revealing Sugar Ray Robinson as the greatest of all time in his eyes.
“Sugar Ray Robinson is the greatest of all time! That’s basically it, look at this here [his shirt] all the weight divisions, hardest puncher, best footwork, he would fight multiple times a month, took on the very best, took on the toughest challenges. Sugar Ray Robinson, he’s literally the GOAT.”
The career and accomplishments of Robinson are nothing short of incredible. In a career that spanned 25-years, Robinson fought over 200 times, losing on just 19 occasions. He captured the world championship on six occasions during his tenure, defeating a number of legendary fighters such as Jake LaMotta and Henry Armstrong.
In April 1989 aged just 67-years-old, Robinson passed away. His legacy lives on to this day, with many fans, pundits and ex-fighters recognising him as being the greatest fighter of all time.
