De la Hoya by Unanimous Decision

It's not what I want.... it's what will happen. As I've said many times before, DLH is a good fighter, but he's a better fight-picker. In his own, careful, market-savvy, calculating way, DLH has cultivated his career by picking fights with a minimum of risk and maximum potential for image gain (with the possible exception of Hopkins, where he bit off way more than he could chew).

He's fought damaged fighters (Vargas, Mayorga), and fighters over the hill (Chavez). Oh, he's extremely driven. He wants nothing more than to leave a legacy as one of the best ever, not to mention his other interests (singing, promoting, and eventually... acting). Yes, he's the Golden Boy... matinee idol... hero to millions.

He's fighting Mayorga at the right time and at the right weight. Hey, the boy's smart. So, although I'd love nothing more than to watch Mayorga land one of those wild right hand bombs and lay Oscar flat out on the canvas, it ain't gonna happen people.

When all is said and done, however, and the votes are being counted (votes by knowledgeable boxing people)...... Oscar will go down in history as a good enough fighter, but below other contemporary fighters who had much better careers and career records, but just lacked Oscar's marketing abilities.

:coolclick:

firstly, thats for making a topic that caught my interest and was nough for me to write a long(ish) reply



ODLH is a great fighter of his era and will be a hall of famer, he's a 5 weight titilist, look at others with that pedigree,tommy hearns for example, Oscar is a alltime great at welter and is without doubt the greatest junior-middle of all time IMO. ( proper junior-middle not other legends who stayed there for a few fights won the belts and dissapeared up or down in weight)

There Great fighter credentials


I'm not saying he's better than hearns or SRL and welter but he's damn near close

You mentioned damaged fighters, well it's been proven before, the wounded lion attacks and dominates but Oscar didnt allow that too happen

personally i think ODLH is a boxing great and a marketing genius and if he gets K.O then i know ill be criticized for this post but i will stand by my views.

:dance:

Ha,ha I love dancing monkeys

I personally have always felt that ODLH's image has exceeded his accomplishments, but have a CC back for your heartfelt opinions. It's always been my opinion that the press chooses its champions, and Oscar was earmarked for greatness even before he did anything to earn it. There's been many great fighters in the divisions you mention, and to say DLH is the greatest jr. middleweight ever is quite a stretch, IMO. But again, that's what makes boxing great.... all the well-expressed differences of opinions between fans.