LAS VEGAS – The Golden Boy still has the luster. Oscar De La Hoya made an impressive return to the ring after a 20-month absence, emphatically stopping Ricardo Mayorga in the sixth round to claim the WBC’s 154-pound title on Saturday night.
Showing no signs of rust or reluctance, the 33-year-old De La Hoya was a whirlwind in what he claims will be the penultimate fight of his storied career, which includes an Olympic gold medal, titles in six weight classes and a promotions company in his business empire.
De La Hoya (38-4, 30 KOs) clearly hadn’t lost his passion for the ring since Bernard Hopkins stopped him in the ninth round with a devastating body punch in September 2004. He overwhelmed the wild-punching Mayorga with clinical right hands and a handful of devastating left hooks, stalking him around the ring and controlling nearly every moment of the fight.
He sent Mayorga to the canvas just 60 seconds in, artfully ducking a wild punch and responding with a strong right and a brutal left hook. The crowd stood, and De La Hoya cast a disdainful glance over his shoulder as he walked to the neutral corner.
The fight got no better for Mayorga (27-6-1), with De La Hoya’s tactical precision and surprising power taking a quick toll.
De La Hoya knocked him down again in the sixth, and a glassy-eyed Mayorga stayed on his wobbly feet before finally going down at 1:25 of the sixth. De La Hoya also went to the canvas when referee Jay Nady pushed him away from his fallen opponent, but he sprung up to leap onto the rings in triumph.
De La Hoya chose Mayorga as his comeback opponent partly because of the chain-smoking, beer-swilling Nicaraguan’s reputation for reckless behavior in and out of the ring. During their pre-fight publicity tour, El Matador wore bullfighting outfits and repeatedly insulted his opponent, questioning everything from his heritage to his sexuality.
They didn’t touch gloves beforehand, but the beaten Mayorga was humble.
“You are a great champion,” Mayorga said to De La Hoya. “You are a great fighter. I apologize for everything I said to you.”
“I forgive you,” De La Hoya replied.
