Kostya Tszyu vs Oscar De La Hoya?

DeLa Hoya by decision.

 

@ChrisJS @Jel thoughts? I have a feeling you two would like this one. I haven't seen enough prime Zoo to make a pick.

 

Oscar by decision. He was a fantastic fighter around this weight.

 

Oscar wins this one. I'm huge fan of Koysta but Oscar is too big and fast.

 

I actually might lean towards Tszyu. Tszyu’s weaknesses IMO were susceptibility to right hand over the top and if you got in his chest. Oscar has no right hand and would try a distance fight. Tszyu is smart enough to set traps, not get his head jabbed off and even though he’s slower, his timing and control of space/distance was superb. Oscar always tired down the stretch and wasn’t the smartest fighter. I can see Tszyu edging him out.

 

Oscar wins, and I wouldnt rule out a late stoppage. A fatigued Tszyu might walk into a big hook and get stopped.

Either way, DLH wins. Just a better fighter.

 

At this point (96/97) Tszyu would be clearly the best and most dangerous fighter Oscar had faced. And like @ChrisJS says, Tszyu is a smart enough fighter not to just walk into whatever Oscar is throwing. Plus I think he'd be fully focused against a fighter like De La Hoya and not overconfident so wouldn't be taking unnecessary risks.

Intelligent pressure would close the distance Oscar would try to create and Tszyu was a hard enough puncher to make De La Hoya wary of engaging too much. Add Oscar's stamina issues into the mix and I think Tszyu could win this or at least keep it close enough to give the judges a tough decision. I'm going Tszyu on a split.

 

Both guys at their very best, I think Tszyu could get it done. It doesn't really matter how. Support for this view can be taken from how fights with common opponents at 140 played out. I think Tszyu's performance against a solid type like Miguel Angel Gonzalez was more convincing than Oscar's, for example. Similarly, he put a faded Julio Cesar Chavez down hard in a way that Oscar never did in two attempts, including at welter.

If they had fought when they were supposed to (sometime during 1997), I think Oscar takes it. Maybe with a bit of help from the judges. Timing is everything in this sport.

There was a plan to match them up when they both fought on the same show first up in 1997. Oscar decisioned Miguel Angel Gonzalez while Tszyu received a technical draw for the result in the Leonardo Mas fight (changed years later to a NC).

Tszyu wasn't happy with the outcome of the Mas fight. The fact that it didn't go past one round wasn't what he needed at that point in his career & it left him underdone going into his next one (which happened to be Vince Phillips).

The Oscar fight was out the door at that point & so was Oscar. Onwards & upwards to welterweight.

 

Good post. Once Oscar beat Chavez for the WBC 140lb title, a unification fight between them around that point was a natural - one of the biggest potential fights in the sport at that time.

I was massively frustrated at the time that this one didn't come off. Still am.

 

Yes,he was. And Kostya was no slouch either

 

Delahoya

 

Absolutely Clint!!!!!

 

This thread is further evidence that the myth of Kostya Tsyzu is strong.

Who in the world did Tszyu ever beat to suggest he could defeat a fighter the level of DLH? And once again, this is coming from the biggest Oscar hater you'll ever find.

DLH has a sizable edge in reach, and handspeed, and if it turns into a firefight, he has by FAR the better chin of the two. Plus, Oscar actually proved he could dig deep to pull out fights late. Tszyu, front-runner that he was, never showed that.

Tszyu, "to this DAY", gets absurdly overrated.

Oscar would be crucified if he got dismantled by Vince Philips.

 

KT himself admits to the lessons he learned from the Phillips loss just as Joe Louis did with his loss to Max Schmeling. KT is no Joe Louis but his pinnacle was hardly Vince Phillips either.

https://www.theleader.com.au/story/...n-tim-to-learn-lesson-ahead-of-brubaker-bout/