Posted:
#1
A reply to Josh_Nagel:
Against the very best off his opponents, he lost. Felix Trindad (close fight), 2 losses to Mosley (close fights), Hopkins he was KO'd and undersized for that match. Now don't forget about Felix Sturm, they gave Oscar the decision because he had a mega fight with Hopkins. He fought well against Mayweather but clearly lost, and the Manny fight was just a joke.
He beat Vargas, who every top champion Vargas fought he lost against. Chavez was on a serious downslide after so many battles in the ring. Mayorga is not a boxer, he is a target. Camacho had now power and couldn't beat any real fighters. Arturo Gatti's speeed was way to slow for that to be a contest. Pernell is a crafty fighter, but in no means a physical threat to De La Hoya who just had to jab and keep him at bay.
If you are considering De La Hoya as a top fighter off all time, he wouldn't rate very high. He often let down in his biggest fights. I'm not saying he wasn't entertaining or that he didn't give it his all. Let's say both decades (1990-2009). Roy Jones Jr, Floyd Mayweather Jr, Manny Pacquiao, Juan Manuel Marquez, Bernard Hopkins, Shane Mosley, Joe Calzaghe, Lennox Lewis, Evander Hoylfield, and the tragic story of Gerald McLellan. You talk about entertainment, winning when it counts, looking spectacular, going toe-to-toe, great ring technicians, etc... This was off the top of my head, but I'm sure there are quite a few names I forgot to mention. De La Hoya was a great fighter, but it seemed when he was either the weaker or slower fighter, he didn't overcome those obstacles. That's was separates a very good fighter from the very best.
The subjective arguments will come and go, but the objective stats are here to stay along with the footage. I thought Oscar did a great thing for boxing, and even better for his promoting. He re-invigorated what was a surely declining economy for boxing. It's even possible that if it wasn't for his involvement in Golden Boy, MMA would be that much closer to revenues and fans. All in good time though... it's all in good time.
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Chavez the most respected athlete all time down here
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