Oscar De La Hoya?s brain is in no way nonpartisan or bipartisan. It?s completely divided.
The left side tells him to fight one more time perhaps to make his series against his colleague Sugar Shane Mosley a fistic trilogy.
But the right side of Oscar?s brain tells him what his wife, Millie, and his top business associate Richard Schaefer told him after he was pummeled by Manny Pacquiao.
The right side?s drumbeat message is no more, no mas, it?s over. I’m not sure if Pacman knows what a pinata is but that’s what the ill-trained, unprepared Oscar was Dec. 6 in Las Vegas. I;ve seen heavy bags make better moves than ODL did that night.
De La Hoya is in a truly unique position in boxing history because there?s never been such a high profile fighter who also built and headed such a thriving promotional outfit.
You know what this man who has everything?fame, fortune, a gorgeous wife and children?needs for a Christmas? Only thing I can think of is a hat rack for his two thinking caps, one being that of the diminished but still tempted ring warrior and the other being the businessman.
Oscar told a Southern California newspaper?I call it that only because The LA Times boxing scribe Lance Pugmire attritubed a Boxingconfidential scoop to ?an Internet boxing publication??that right now he is 60-40 on the retirement issue. His words lead one to believe that the 60 percent edge leans toward packing it in formally and finally.
I?m surprised at those numbers but maybe ego is still outpointing reason in Oscar?s cerebellum. He should be leaning to quitting by a 90-10 margin by now.
I think Oscar should retire and stage his announcement, as usual, for maximum publicity. He could do during Pacquiao-Ricky Hatton fight week at the end of April.
Oscar is deluding himself if he thinks he can be even slightly competitive with the Mosley who trampled Antonio Margarito.
Oscar?s retirement can be turned into a leading by example move for all fighters. Very few will ever earn the millions that the Golden Boy has but each and every one will have to wrestle with retirement.
By quitting now, Oscar goes out on top everywhere except in the last bout win column. He remains wildly popular and his company continues to ride high.
I can hear Oscar?s words, not all of them hollow, now.
?I hope my decision can influence the fighters coming along, the Victor Ortizes and Danny Garcias, because the time will come when they will be faced with such a tough decision. For my health and safety and for my family and my friends, I will never lace up the gloves again.?
That?s a public image grand slam.
If Oscar is as smart as he thinks he is, then he will not let the issue linger. He will make his decision known in the next couple of months.
And, in case Oscar not as smart as I think he is, then he can rewatch the Pacquiao and watch the brutality as Dr. Pacquiao took him to finishing school.
And the key word is finishing.
