In the aftermath of his humiliating loss to Manny Pacquiao, our impression that Oscar De La Hoya should retire may have been misguided. Oscar can?t go out like that, and he won?t.
While the loss to Pacquiao proved De La Hoya was too slow at 35 to deal with one of the quickest fighters of all time, and that he has an insurmountable problem with left-handers (so he?ll avoid Paul Williams and Winky Wright), it didn?t prove he wouldn?t still pose a problem for some of the biggest names in the welterweight and middleweight ranks. They include some Freddie Roach would never let Pacquiao face.
How ironic, for example, that De La Hoya was scorned in the recent pre-fight buildup for taking on Pacquiao instead of Antonio Margarito. De La Hoya poses problems for Margarito, whom most of us consider the pre-eminent welterweight these days, that Pacquiao might not. Win or lose, De La Hoya would land at least 10 times as many punches against the ponderous Margarito as he landed against Pacquiao, including a left hook that would be one of the most formidable the seemingly impervious Margarito has felt. If Margarito gets past Shane Mosley in their Jan. 24 matchup (I think he?ll win, because Mosley has been troubled by taller, longer opponents such as Wright and Vernon Forrest), I?d want to see Margarito-De La Hoya.
Miguel Cotto: Margarito beat Cotto because of a granite chin and a hulking frame. So might De La Hoya, although Cotto?s quickness probably would penetrate Oscar?s defenses as easily as did Pacquiao?s. At least Cotto is easier to hit than Manny.
Vernon Forrest: Just because the Viper?s long right hand was too much for Mosley, who beat De La Hoya twice, doesn?t mean it would faze Oscar. Like Mosley, De La Hoya destroyed Ricardo Mayorga, the man who threw Forrest?s career out of whack for a few years.
Kelly Pavlik: Oscar?s buddy Bernard Hopkins can become his trainer and show him how it?s done.
Felix Trinidad: Beating Felix at a catch-weight of 160 would be a far more satisfying adios than sitting on the stool against Pacquiao.
