Oscar De La Hoya has shared the ring with elite technical fighters, but there was one that stood out from the crowd.
‘Golden Boy’ was a truly world class operator, who incredibly won 11 world title belts in six weight classes during his stellar time perfecting the sweet science.
On his resume, De La Hoya has the likes of boxing legends Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao whom he was beaten by at the back end of his time as a professional.
He first fought Mayweather in his third to last career battle in 2007, and was unfortunate to have lost by split decision on the judges scorecards.
In the final bow of his career the following year, he fared much differently in his clash with Pacquiao, succumbing to a defeat after retiring in the eighth round.
But De La Hoya has incredibly claimed that it was Pernell Whitaker, who he fought and beat in 1997, was the highest skilled of his 45 professional opponents.
De La Hoya said: “Whitaker had to be one of the most skilful fighters in any generation – the fact he could stay right in front of you and could still slip the punches.
“Whitaker wasn’t a runner; he was just someone who stood right in front of you and knew how to slip.
“Whitaker knew how to knock you out, too. Punching power, skill, I.Q, Whitaker had it all. He’s probably one of the all-around best boxers I faced.”
Whitaker showed a raft of incredible defensive skills that night, frustrating De La Hoya offensively despite succumbing to a unanimous decision defeat.
The American had fantastic boxing intelligence and lightning reflexes, which helped guide him to a record of 40 wins and four defeats.
Whitaker sadly passed away in 2019, but left a huge legacy for himself in the boxing world.
De La Hoya too has a legendary legacy and headlined some iconic nights in the US.
He has continued to be an influential figure in the world of boxing since his retirement.
De La Hoya formed Golden Boy Promotions, which has seen him nurture some of the sport’s biggest current stars including Canelo Alvarez and Ryan Garcia.
Mayweather and Pacquiao too went on to become two of the greatest to have ever laced up the gloves.
They finally met themselves in a long-awaited clash in 2015, which became the highest-selling pay-per-view event in boxing history.
Mayweather won and he has forever been linked with rematches against both fighters, even after retiring himself in 2017.
