What wins would have made Oscar De La Hoya an all time top 25 p4p great?

Currently, I do not have Oscar in the top 100.I don't know if he ever could have been all-time top 25 guy but beating at least four of the five men he lost to would have given him a chance. Mosley, Hopkins, Mayweather, Pacquiao and Trinidad were greats and he needed to beat some of those guys. Most of his fights with great opponents were about age. Whitaker and Chavez were old whem Oscar beat them and the Golden Boy's losses to Hopkins, Mayweather and Pacquiao came when he was old.

It is the fights closer to prime vs. prime that he really needed to win to move up the ladder but he lost to Trinidad and twice to Mosley.

 

Everyone thinks he beat Tito already. If his first official loss were to Hopkins, he’d probably make it. Pretty much a lock if his first loss were to Floyd.

 

Between beating both Floyd and Pac while keeping the rest of his losses, and beating Mosley both times, Tito, and Hopkins. And I'm not even sure if either would cut it, the top 25 area has monsters. He'd have to keep company with the likes of Jimmy McLarnin, Sandy Saddler and Holman Williams. Men with wins over fighters as great as Oscar's best opponents, and far greater quantity than Oscar.

Frankly he might need to win every fight he ever lost except Hopkins for this. Perhaps he even needs Hopkins as well. That could put him closer to the top 15-20 area than top 25 tho.

 

I currently rate him from my own judgment of beating Tito and once over Mosley. People can laugh but I don't think it's unreasonable to have him as, say, number 25, on that list. At his best, the durability, the athleticism, the accomplishments, they're not bad arguments. I don't feel that weird saying it though, since we've had regulars arguing Wlad is p4p above Hearns or close pretty recently. That alone makes me feel almost normal in saying it. But, considering that, I don't know if I would have him that high, so, what would it have taken to make him definitely there?

I think Hopkins would've locked that up for me. If not Hopkins where they fought, I would say either Mayweather or a combo of Forrest at welter and Wright at 154 would've done it also. But it'd have taken both to be worth the May or Hop win. Truthfully he wasn't that far from a May win and I think he could've by a narrow margin pulled just ahead of both Forrest and Wright on the cards or put Forrest out. I don't think that's too far-fetched. But they're both potential justifiable losses too. I directly favoured Wright, never made up my mind on a strong feeling on if Forrest got the fight.

 

De La Hoya fought an insane level of competition and had he rightfully gotten the nod over Mosley in the rematch and Tito in their only bout he’d be discussed in a much different way today. Throw him a sketchy draw with Mayweather and he’d have a case. He may have defeated some post prime guys but the majority of his big fights were against absolute prime killers. Mosley, Tito, Floyd, Quartay, Pac-Man, Hopkins, all prime guys and Oscar fought them all. Wow

 

Oscar had a fine career and fought top guys that's really all you can ask, it would have helped his legacy with a few more wins no doubt. However can't see him in the top 25 at all. Top 50? perhaps depending on your criteria. He's prob be a bit lower for me maybe way lower.

 

ODLH doesn't make my top 50 p4p fighters of all time either.

If he'd won every fight he contested, and assuming each opponents careers otherwise unfolded the same, I suspect he'd have a case for making my top 25, though, which is, I think the essence of the question posed in the OP.

 

I always felt he was robbed in the Mosley rematch and Floyd fight. Had he been rightfully declared the winner he is easily Top 20. He also got bad advice from his corner in the Trinidad fight, if he was more aggressive in the final rounds he wins.

 

You might want to rewatch the Floyd fight.

 

It was around 8-4 Mayweather for me.

 

Yeah, it's pretty clear that Oscar was competitive in the first half and lost the second half, losing the fight.

 

I have several times, each time I score it 115-113 for Oscar. Judge Tom Kaczmarek scored it the same.