Pete’s Ponderings: Oscar Never Ducked Anybody

This Tuesday Oscar De La Hoya, former multi division world champ and the most profitable fighter in the history of boxing, will announce his plans regarding his future.

 

Following an unexpected beat down at the hands of Manny Pacquiao, many people feel that De La Hoya’s announcement will be his retirement from fighting. If that’s the case, what’s De La Hoya’s legacy? If he elects to continue fighting, what’s next?

 

If indeed this is the end, De La Hoya will have a few different ways people will remember him. He made more money than any fighter in the history of the sport. He did lose most of his big fights, but was entertaining enough and those fights were generally close enough that he was not adversely affected financially in his next outing.

 

However, what should we remember his for? The fight’s he gave us.

 

Oscar never ducked anybody. He fought a murder’s row of pound for pound candidates and champions: Pernell Whitaker, Julio Cesar Chavez (twice), Ike Quartey, Felix Trinidad, Shane Mosley (twice), Fernando Vargas, Arturo Gatti, Bernard Hopkins, Ricardo Mayorga, Floyd Mayweather, and Manny Pacquiao to name some.

 

With his good looks and easygoing manner, he was boxing’s cash cow and didn’t need these opponent’s to make a good payday, yet he still took them on. Sometimes winning, sometimes losing. Just look at Mayweather, Pacquiao, Hopkins or any other guy De La Hoya fought throughout his career. His opponent’s PPV buy rates, aside from their fight with Oscar, didn’t do half of what their bouts with De La Hoya did.

 

So what if Oscar announces he’ll fight on, who will he fight?

 

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. would make sense. It’s a marketable fight considering that Chavez Jr. is Mexican and De La Hoya is Mexican- American. De La Hoya also TKO’d Chavez Jrs. father twice in the 90’s and Chavez Jr. could play up a revenge factor.

 

However, De La Hoya’s close friend and business partner Richard Schaefer was quoted recently by espn.com saying, “I never say never, but this time I'm saying never, never, ever, ever. Oscar will never fight him." On the prospect of that bout.

 

It was rumored that De La Hoya would fight Sergio Mora for a little while while initial contract negotiations with Manny Pacquiao went south. However, Mora is already scheduled to fight middleweight champ Kelly Pavlik in June.

 

Floyd Mayweather: we’ve seen that already. Shane Mosley: they’re business partners and friends now.

 

What about a Felix Trinidad rematch? Trinidad’s 1999 win over De La Hoya was very controversial. Many feel Oscar deserved the decision and almost everyone thinks De La Hoya could have won had he not given away the last 4 rounds of the fight. Trinidad is now past his prime, so is Oscar. It could be competitive if they decide on what weight to fight at. Too much to ask?

 

My gut tells me Oscar’s retired. Thanks for the memories.

 

More Ponderings:

 

The April 25^th card at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods is shaping up to be excellent. Already headlined by an excellent main event, the super middleweight title fight between Carl Froch and former middleweight champion Jermain Taylor, the under card now boasts top contenders Allan Green vs. Carlos De Leon Jr. at 168 pounds, former junior welterweight titleholder Paulie Malignaggi in an 8 rounder against Chris Fernandez, a fight between undefeated Massachusetts' fighters when Worcester’s Edwin Rodriguez meets Lawrence’s Eddie Caminero, and an appearance from 2008 Olympic alternate Danny O’Connor. The people who buy tickets and don’t show up until the main event are doing themselves a disservice. This show is stacked.

 

Tomasz Adamek defending the cruiserweight championship against Roy Jones? Adamek had the ultra talented Steve Cunningham, a fighter in his prime, down 3 times and hurt in their bout. What will Adamek do to an aging Roy Jones? It could get ugly.

 

If I was Larry Army or Peter Manfredo Sr., Peter Manfredo Jr.’s management team, I would request that Marlon Sterling not referee his bout against Walid Smitchet in Montreal this Saturday.

 

Alexander Povetkin deserved the decision over Jason Estrada. However, how did anyone score the fight 99-94 for Povetkin? That’s a peculiar amount of even rounds. Estrada’s cornermen Ernest “Tuna” Shelton’s facial expression when that score was announced said it all.

 

Floyd Mayweather’s AT&T commercial is actually kind of funny.

 

Comments? Questions? Concerns? Email me at P.Czymbor@Hotmail.com