Why never a Whitaker-de la Hoya rematch?

I don't think Oscar's team wanted any part of that rematch

 

The Tito non-rematch, and the probable fake Hopkins fight was not mentioned either.

 

IIRC, I think Arum opposed it because he thought that Whitaker's style made for fights where Oscar would look ugly no matter how he performed. Thought it was lose-lose for Oscar's brand.

 

You don't think Oscar and his team wanted the Tito rematch? They chased it for years.

 

As in the Chavez fight - Oscar knew that he was lucky.

 

And here's what really happened...

If De La Hoya should lose, he would certainly be interested in a rematch. But if he wins, his dance card is already filling up. De La Hoya is tentatively scheduled to fight David Kamau on June 14 in San Antonio. Tentatively because Kamau must first fight tonight in Las Vegas against Juan Carlos Rodriguez. Then if all goes well for De La Hoya in his next two fights, he'll face Hector Camacho in September.

So Oscar already had a deal in place to fight Kamau and a 9 million dollar fight with Camacho prior to even stepping in the ring with Whitaker. Arum didn't rule out a rematch but felt it was not a priority.

''Eventually, he'll fight him, but that was a stinking performance,'' De La Hoya's promoter, Bob Arum, said of Whitaker. ''He didn't even throw a punch in the 12th round. He clowned around. Who wants to see him again?'

On Sunday, the core of Whitaker's promotion-management-training team--Lou, Dino and Kathy Duva--felt so doubtful about a rematch they offered a $10 million guarantee to De La Hoya for a September fight

However, Arum wouldn't back out on the Camacho/Oscar Mexican Independece Day fight citing that he didn't believe Whitaker/Oscar II would make as much money and criticized Whitaker's style once more. Then Whitaker got himself banned for cocaine after a poor performance in a title eliminator and wouldn't return until 1999 by which time any hope for a rematch was gone.

 

Why go over old ground? ODLH won by a mile and Sweat Pea had other sniffing interests.
ODLH had nothin to gain from a second fight.

 

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Nope. As explained, the only public rematch offer from Duva was for a September date already reserved for a super fight with Camacho. Why Duva and Whitaker did that..I have no idea, but there was no way in hell Arum was going to drop a "Mexican vs Puetro Rican" fight on Mexican Independence weekend to accommodate Sweet Pea. As Arum said he would have to wait, but Whitaker got himself suspended from the sport just a month after the Oscar/Camacho fight.

And I must disagree on your assumption that Sweet Pea would win the rematch. I have little doubt Oscar would have soundly defeated the severely declined coke addicted Whitaker that barely edged Pestryaev in his final fight before the suspension.

 

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I had Whitaker winning the first fight close, how did you see it?

 

Won by a country mile LOL. Did you get paid to say that like some of the judges that night?

 

That is probably part of it but also the fight really sucked. Neither guy looked good. Ofcourse Whitaker was spiraling down pretty fast with Cocaine. I know I didn't want to see it again.