Oscar De La Hoya is not awed by Manny Pacquiao?s punching power.
Almost three months after being beaten to a pulp by the Filipino puncher, De La Hoya remains in a quandary over his future in the sport, telling The Ring magazine in an article that appeared online and the Los Angeles Times as well that there?s still that possibility that the Golden Boy would return to the ring.
While De La Hoya admitted that Pacquiao trainer Freddie Roach was right in telling him that he can no longer pull the trigger, he is also inclined to believe that his high-protein diet may have something to do with his defeat.
“When he (Pacquiao) started landing punches at will, something in my mind happened as if I said to myself, ?You know what? It?s just not going to happen.? I felt as if he could just land anything and I couldn?t do anything about it,” De La Hoya, who turned 36 early this month, told ace fight scribe Michael Rosenthal of The Ring. “I just didn?t care. I didn?t care if he was hitting me because I couldn?t do anything about it. Luckily he doesn?t hit hard. Obviously, if he would?ve hit hard, he would have knocked me out with no problem,” said De La Hoya, who was prevented by his corner from answering the bell for the ninth round.
It is believed that De La Hoya was so obsessed in proving that he still has what it takes that he got drained making the welterweight limit of 147 lbs in the runup to the Pacquiao fight.
Despite his anemic showing, De La Hoya insists that he prepared long and hard under trainer Nacho Beristain and a battery of backup men who watched over his food intake and his conditioning and was upbeat about scoring a sensational victory over a fighter who started out as a light-flyweight.
But as early as the end of the first round, De La Hoya tells The Ring, he already felt he was in deep trouble.
“I felt like I was walking in quicksand,” De La Hoya said, stressing that it was not him but his cornermen who pulled the plug.
“I was sitting in my corner. The fighter always wants to continue; that?s the bottom line. A fighter is always proud. I had by brother. I could hear my wife Millie. I can see (Golden Boy Promotions CEO) Richard (Schaefer) with a white towel in my corner I guess ready to throw it in. After seeing all that, I was just irresponsive. When the referee was telling me, telling my corner, ?Can you continue? Can you continue?? I was irresponsive. I was leaving it up to the corner. I guess it was my brother?s, everybody?s actions, the referee said, ?OK, enough is enough.? So that moment I was just frozen. If they would?ve told me to continue, I would?ve continued. And I?ll continue to take my beating,” he said.
Still, De La Hoya made it clear that if ever he decides to fight again, it won?t be at welterweight.
