Heading into the later stages of his fight against Felix Trinidad on Sept. 18, 1999, Oscar De La Hoya looked like a fighter destined for greatness.
He had outboxed the undefeated Trinidad over the previous seven or eight rounds with superb boxing ability. Moving in and out behind a sterling jab, De La Hoya was turning the so-called “Fight of the Millennium” into an epic mismatch.
Then, something happened.
De La Hoya, thinking the fight was “in the bag,” grabbed caution like it was his dance partner, and began to run like Forrest Gump.
And that proved the difference between a great career, and a very good one.
De La Hoya retired this week at the age of 36. The fact remains that the “Golden Boy” never beat a great fighter who was in his prime.
He lost to Shane Mosley. He lost to?Bernard Hopkins. He lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr.?He lost to Manny Pacquiao.
And he lost to Trinidad, whom he would have beaten had he just fought for three more measly minutes.
Football isn’t the only game of inches. De La Hoya missed greatness by that much.
Give him credit
Despite that, the “Golden Boy” deserves credit.
He deserves credit for never ducking an opponent. He fought the best fighters of his era, whether they weighed 130 or 160 pounds. And while he seemed to pick on older, smaller fighters early in his career, he more than made up for that by challenging middleweight king Hopkins in a fight that he had no business taking.
He also made boxing exciting.
It all started in 1995, when a revved-up crowd saw him destroy fellow Californian Rafael Ruelas for the IBF lightweight title. From the beginning, De La Hoya was a matinee idol who drew as many females as males to his fights. The loud shrieks that came from ringside often annoyed the purists.
But the all-around interest translated into more good publicity for boxing, especially in the Hispanic community, where De La Hoya was seen as either the conquering hero or the villain.
De La Hoya’s popularity may have hit an all-time high right here in El Paso, when 45,000-plus fanatics showed up to watch him mop the floor with Frenchman Patrick Charpentier on June 13, 1998.
The week that preceded the “fight” was mayhem, as mobs of people converged to watch him do little more than smile and wave. The madness was the cover story of a Ringmagazine article, and the crowd was one of the largest ever to witness a boxing match in the United States.
In that way, De La Hoya was a true star. He could turn a meaningless mismatch into an event. Besides that, De La Hoya’s fights mostly were crowd-pleasers. His showdown with Quartey was compared to Leonard-Hearns I. His first fight with Mosley was a slugfest. And the battle with Fernando Vargas was?thrilling from the second it was signed.
Giving back
Best of all, De La Hoya gave back.
He formed his own company, Golden Boy Promotions, with a philosophy of protecting the long-term health of its fighters. He has donated to countless charities and causes — most notably to cancer research in memory of his mother.
And, as important, De La Hoya cares about the sport that made him a star. He wants to make boxing major again, and he is putting his money where his mouth is to make sure that happens.
Love him or hate him, De La Hoya has been one of the most positive influences the sport has ever seen.
And you have to give him credit for that.
Matthew Aguilar may be reached at [email protected]
