Tuesday, December 23, 2008 Quijano: If Oscar retires, how will he be remembered? By Jingo Quijano Last Round
(Conclusion) The truly great fighters, the ones we revere as mythical figures in this sport, have career-defining moments imprinted in the collective consciousness of fight fans.
Who can forget Sugar Ray Leonard who flurried brilliantly in the 14th round to score a TKO win over Thomas Hearns in a fight that was awarded Fight of the Year honors for 1981?
Or how about when he bucked the odds to defeat the much-feared middleweight champ Marvin Hagler after three years in retirement?
Or how about Muhammad Ali who avenged his defeats to Ken Norton, Joe Frazier and Leon Spinks?
FALTERED. On several occasions where Oscar de la Hoya was called upon to define his greatness, he faltered. First was his unification match with Felix Trinidad at the welterweight division.
Instead of stamping his class over a foe he had outboxed the first three quarters of the fight, he opted to backpedal his way during the championship rounds and lost via decision.
Then there was the challenge presented by lightweight champ “Sugar” Shane Mosely. Oscar lost a close fight, but he failed to follow the path of the immortal ones, by losing the rematch a few years later-albeit controversially.
He moved up to middleweight but failed in his bid to wrest the diadem from reigning king Bernard Hopkins in a fight that drew several comparisons to Leonard-Hagler.
Then of course, there’s the Pacquiao debacle. The impression made especially to other Mexican fighters and fans was that Oscar was fighting a small guy for the same amount of money. The fact that he lost badly was perceived by some as poetic justice.
Of course, he also had his highlights. The kayo win over Rafael Ruelas. The two wins over Mexican legend Julio Cesar Chavez, the first one when Chavez still had enough in his tank. The grudge match victory over Fernando Vargas and the good, competitive fight with pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr.
But the hits pale in comparison to the misses which are fare more emblematic of his career. GRADE: B-
TITLES WON. Here is where Oscar scores well again. In his sojourn through six different weight classes, he has amassed a variety of alphabet titles. His critics would argue that these mean little in terms of determining a fighter’s value, but the fact remains that they are still title belts and that he has beaten several world champions. GRADE: A
OVERALL GRADE: A-
There are some who boldly claim that Oscar never was a great fighter and that he probably was one of the greatest B level fighters who happened to have been luckily guided and matched throughout his career.
I beg to differ.
A B-level fighter would be someone like Arturo Gatti. And when a top-shelf fighter meets a B-type fighter like Gatti, the results are patently clear. Oscar scored a TKO in 5.
The “Golden Boy” may not even be in consideration as one of the all- time greats, but he certainly was an A level fighter who entertained the fans and carried the sport with his crossover and mainstream appeal.
To me Oscar de la hoya meant more to the sport than his 30 wins, six losses and 30 knockouts. He transcended levels and broke down barriers. Because of his success, several successful fighters have opened up their own promoting outfits with Golden Boy Promotions as the template.
He was protean in his approach to the sport he loved, but therein lies his appeal and the foundation of his success.
One final note. It’s still not too late for Oscar. We are not sure yet if he will retire. I think he can still beat a couple of good
fighters at his own weight class. He deserves to end his career on a bright note.
Otherwise, the last image that we will have of him in the ring is the one wherein he quit on his stool after being given a frightful beating by a man he was favored to beat.
LAST ROUND. It’s on Secretary Cerge Remonde, who recently celebrated his 50th birthday with a flourish. Cheers!
