Watching Oscar De La Hoya being battered to defeat against Manny Pacquiao on Saturday night, it might have seemed superficially sad that this once outstanding fighter had hung on too long. But sympathy can only be extended so far because De La Hoya had ultimately received what was always likely to come his way.
Was De La Hoya a great fighter? Certainly not in the five years or so since he lost to Sugar Shane Mosley for a second time. There followed a highly debatable points win over the German Feli
