LAS VEGAS?Oscar De La Hoya?s gilded pro boxing career has ended with the Golden Boy taking a trip to a hospital emergency room here.
A Nevada State Athletic Commission doctor ordered that ODLH go to be checked out carefully after he took a wicked beating at the hands of Pinoy Idol Manny Pacquiao.
?It was nothing in particular,? a commission source told Boxingconfidential. ?But Oscar took a pretty thorough licking from Manny and it?s always better to err on the side of medical caution, better to be safe than sorry.?
The older legends keep fallinh by the wayside. Last month it was Roy Jones and now it is De la Hoya.
I ran into one disgruntled Oscar bettor who was not happy with his betting choice quitting on his stool after the eighth round.
?I hope they took Oscar to a veterinarian because he quit like a dog,? the losing gambler said.
Meanwhile, a fight fan from Detroit who was in the bar at the Alexis Park Hotel near the MGM seemed happy to hear that the younger man had kicked Oscar?s butt.
?That is a problem with boxing, all these older guys still living off past glory. Leave it to the young guys, let them be on the stage now. I am glad Oscar is gone because me and a lot of other people were sick and tired of him and how he handpicked opponents who felt he was sure to beat.
?Old Oscar?he picked the wrong one this time.?
Surely Oscar’s friends and family will now urge him to abandon his plans to extend his carrer with May and September Mexican holiday bouts in 2009.
