As Marvelous Marvin Hagler stated, “It’s hard to get up in the morning to do road work when you are sleeping on silk sheets.”
And after watching Oscar De La Hoya’s previous two fights, one would think Oscar was sleeping on the finest silk money could buy.
De La Hoya had entered his previous two fights visibly out of shape both physically and mentally. He fought in spurts, he was uninspired, and very flat footed. As a result, Oscar lost two of his last three fights. One could even argue that his lone victory against Felix Strum was a gift from the judges.
During De La Hoya’s last fight, which was over twenty months ago, we saw him pounding the canvas with his fist as he grimaced with pain after being stopped in the 9th round by Bernard Hopkins.
Who could blame Oscar for living the good life; he is the biggest non-heavyweight draw in the history of Pay-Per-View (a close second behind Mike Tyson), he’s the President of Golden Boy Promotions, and he also has very lucrative real estate investments. Oscar has been very successful and fortunate. All three businesses have given “the boy” from the East L.A. Barrio a life he probably never could’ve dreamed of.
Yet, make no mistake, boxing is still the business of pain. And at the end of the day, boxing is the base and foundation for the “Golden Boy” empire.
Even though Oscar has been successful at everything he’s done, there were still some lingering questions after his last few fights. Did Oscar have it in him to fight anymore? Which Oscar would show up to fight the hard charging WBC Junior Middle Weight Champion, Ricardo Mayorga (28-6-1-23 KO’s)? Did the silk sheets of success make Oscar soft?
All the questions of ring rust, desire, toughness, and dedication would be quickly answered. In the first round Oscar dropped the hard nosed banger from Managua, Nicaragua with a crisp right cross followed by vicious short left hook. It was a vintage De La Hoya combination that brought the 14 thousand in attendance to their feet.
The first round showed an “in shape” De La Hoya (38-4 30 K.O’s). It also showed a De La Hoya that was there to impose his will on Mayorga. This was very impressive considering Mayorga usually tends to take on the role of the imposer. As De La Hoya stated in the post fight interview, “I had to show the bully that I wouldn’t back down.”
And back down he didn’t as most of the fight had De La Hoya staying in the pocket and willing to exchange leather with the hard hitting Mayorga and getting the better of the exchanges with the shorter and crisper punches. In the end, De La Hoya possessed too much skill and strength for the game Nicaraguan. The sixth round saw De La Hoya land a barrage of punches that sent Mayorga to the canvas for the second time in the fight and brought the rambunctious De La Hoya contingency to its feet. It was here that De La Hoya brought a killer instinct that hadn’t been seen in some time from the Golden Boy. He hunted down Mayoraga and pummeled him with lefts and rights until referee Jay Nadi had seen enough and stepped in to stop the fight as Mayorga went down for a third time.
Although Oscar did give a good account of himself, make no mistake about it, this fight was tailor made for Oscar. Mayorga has never been a fluid boxer and fights in spurts of two or three punches, while his victories have come against individuals who have foolishly tried to bang away with him toe to toe. Mayorga has yet to win a fight against an established marquee name. Yet, many people in press row and at ringside couldn’t have envisioned Oscar disposing of Mayorga by the sixth round.
So now the questions arise, what’s next for the Golden Boy? Oscar has said that he would like to have one more fight. Some have speculated that Felix “Tito” Trinidad would come out of retirement for one last mega-fight and mega payday for both combatants. This would give Oscar the opportunity to avenge a controversial decision to Trinidad back in 1999. There has also been talk about a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. (whose father Floyd Mayweather Sr. trains De La Hoya), who some consider one of the top pound for pound boxers. And last there are other possible fights which would pit De La Hoya against Winky Wright or Antonio Margarito.
Whichever way De La Hoya chooses to end his career, he will no doubt go out with a mega fight that will generate a PPV of at least $26 million dollars not including gate receipts. De La Hoya has proven (even at the end of his career) why he’s known as the “Golden Boy.” He’s also answered many questions about his toughness and whether he can sleep on silk and still bring the pain.