Oscar De La Hoya in 1997

BigBone · Sep 26, 2008

What a year that was for the Golden Boy. Most young and non-hardcore fans think DLH’s career started at WW and his first big fight was vs. Trinidad, which he lost as all of his big fights. Maybe the disappointment of the fight and a controversy turned a lot of people’s attention to boxing and Oscar, maybe they just forgot what he did before his WW run, but a great career was made before the Tito, Mosley, Vargas, Hopkins, Mayweather and PacMan fights.

This thread is about DLH’s amazing year of 1997. He stepped into the ring five times, all world championship fights. That’s something special. Something today’s boxing lacks. Most champs fight 2 or 3 times a year, and there’s no reason (other than the TV contracts and promoter protection) not to fight 4-5 times... so... why don’t they fight more often?

Before 1997, DLH’s resume was this:
1992-94: Olympic gold, first pro fights
1994: TKOs SFW champ Jimmy Bredahl, undefeated Giorgio Campanella, former champ Jorge Paez for LW title, Carl Griffith, John Avila
1995: UD over 3x champ John John Molina, unifies by TKO vs. IBF champ Genaro Hernandez (only other loss is to PBF), James Leija (1st stoppage loss), The Ring Fighter of the Year award
1996: TKO over Daryll Tyson, the reigning LWW champ (past-his-prime) JCC (2nd loss in career, first by TKO, on cuts), DLH now a 3-division champ

The year of 1997 (age: still just 24):
01/18: UD over undefeated long-time LW champ Miguel Angel Gonzalez
04/12: Close UD over 4-time and reigning WW champ, over-the-hill Sweet Pea, some say controversial, most had DLH winning (most by a point). Only 2nd loss of Whitaker
06/14: KO2 David Kamau, first KO loss, 2nd loss altogether (1st was to JCC)
09/13: UD over 4-time champ Hector Camacho who came from grandpa SRL and Roberto Duran victories
12/06: TKO8 Wilfredo Rivera, 1st stoppage loss, only other 2 to Whitaker

Of course up to the Tito fight DLH beat Charpentier, JCC again, undefeated Quartey (some had Ike, most had DLH winning) an Oba Carr. And while DLH’s career continued well after the Trinidad loss (some had Tito, most had DLH winning), inlc. the wins and losses we all remember, 1997 was Oscar’s last busy year, one of the best years IMO a boxer ever had.

What do you think of this busy year? How do you look at DLH's achievements up to 1998/1999? Do you think the days of a champ fighting 5 times a year are over?

BewareofDawg · Sep 26, 2008

Oh but he was just beating smaller men then atsch Forget the fact that he was making weight, when it comes to Delahoya double standards do apply :good

MancMexican · Sep 26, 2008

A big name champ fighting 5 times a year is unbelievable by todays standards. Fighting 3 times a year seems too much for todays champions. I think we won't see that again. For most big fighters boxers want at least a couple of months in camp, if not three months.

sweet_scientist · Sep 26, 2008

BigBone said:

What a year that was for the Golden Boy. Most young and non-hardcore fans think DLH’s career started at WW and his first big fight was vs. Trinidad, which he lost as all of his big fights. Maybe the disappointment of the fight and a controversy turned a lot of people’s attention to boxing and Oscar, maybe they just forgot what he did before his WW run, but a great career was made before the Tito, Mosley, Vargas, Hopkins, Mayweather and PacMan fights.

This thread is about DLH’s amazing year of 1997. He stepped into the ring five times, all world championship fights. That’s something special. Something today’s boxing lacks. Most champs fight 2 or 3 times a year, and there’s no reason (other than the TV contracts and promoter protection) not to fight 4-5 times... so... why don’t they fight more often?

Before 1997, DLH’s resume was this:
1992-94: Olympic gold, first pro fights
1994: TKOs SFW champ Jimmy Bredahl, undefeated Giorgio Campanella, former champ Jorge Paez for LW title, Carl Griffith, John Avila
1995: UD over 3x champ John John Molina, unifies by TKO vs. IBF champ Genaro Hernandez (only other loss is to PBF), James Leija (1st stoppage loss), The Ring Fighter of the Year award
1996: TKO over Daryll Tyson, the reigning LWW champ (past-his-prime) JCC (2nd loss in career, first by TKO, on cuts), DLH now a 3-division champ

The year of 1997 (age: still just 24):
01/18: UD over undefeated long-time LW champ Miguel Angel Gonzalez
04/12: Close UD over 4-time and reigning WW champ, over-the-hill Sweet Pea, some say controversial, most had DLH winning (most by a point). Only 2nd loss of Whitaker
06/14: KO2 David Kamau, first KO loss, 2nd loss altogether (1st was to JCC)
09/13: UD over 4-time champ Hector Camacho who came from grandpa SRL and Roberto Duran victories
12/06: TKO8 Wilfredo Rivera, 1st stoppage loss, only other 2 to Whitaker

Of course up to the Tito fight DLH beat Charpentier, JCC again, undefeated Quartey (some had Ike, most had DLH winning) an Oba Carr. And while DLH’s career continued well after the Trinidad loss (some had Tito, most had DLH winning), inlc. the wins and losses we all remember, 1997 was Oscar’s last busy year, one of the best years IMO a boxer ever had.

What do you think of this busy year? How do you look at DLH's achievements up to 1998/1999? Do you think the days of a champ fighting 5 times a year are over?
Click to expand...

Fights with Kamau, Camacho and Rivera were utterly meaningless and served no other purpose than to dodge a Whitaker rematch.

Not sure where you got the opinion that most thought DLH beat Whitaker either, unless you mean most in the stadium, which was of course a DLH crowd. I must say I've never thought that most astute boxing observers thought DLH won that fight.

Ring Magazine had Oscar losing the fight and put out a cover demanding that he fight Whitaker, but DLH basically went on a bit of a holiday after the Whitaker fight, fighting the three fights already mentioned and then Charpentier and Chavez again, all meaningless fights.

You could say he was within his right to take some easy fights, being so early in his career and all, but personally I lost heaps of respect for him when he didn't give Pea a rematch. Most annoying was that ****wit Arum claiming that the Whitaker fight was boring and that no one would want to see it again, and then going out and dishing up Oscar's next 5 hopeless opponents.

Sad.....

SHADOW BOX · Sep 26, 2008

Its not about if you lose...its how you lose. The only fight that DLH looked ugly in a loss was against Hopkins.

jimmie · Sep 26, 2008

BigBone said:

What a year that was for the Golden Boy. Most young and non-hardcore fans think DLHs career started at WW and his first big fight was vs. Trinidad, which he lost as all of his big fights. Maybe the disappointment of the fight and a controversy turned a lot of peoples attention to boxing and Oscar, maybe they just forgot what he did before his WW run, but a great career was made before the Tito, Mosley, Vargas, Hopkins, Mayweather and PacMan fights.

This thread is about DLHs amazing year of 1997. He stepped into the ring five times, all world championship fights. Thats something special. Something todays boxing lacks. Most champs fight 2 or 3 times a year, and theres no reason (other than the TV contracts and promoter protection) not to fight 4-5 times... so... why dont they fight more often?

Before 1997, DLHs resume was this:
1992-94: Olympic gold, first pro fights
1994: TKOs SFW champ Jimmy Bredahl, undefeated Giorgio Campanella, former champ Jorge Paez for LW title, Carl Griffith, John Avila
1995: UD over 3x champ John John Molina, unifies by TKO vs. IBF champ Genaro Hernandez (only other loss is to PBF), James Leija (1st stoppage loss), The Ring Fighter of the Year award
1996: TKO over Daryll Tyson, the reigning LWW champ (past-his-prime) JCC (2nd loss in career, first by TKO, on cuts), DLH now a 3-division champ

The year of 1997 (age: still just 24):
01/18: UD over undefeated long-time LW champ Miguel Angel Gonzalez
04/12: Close UD over 4-time and reigning WW champ, over-the-hill Sweet Pea, some say controversial, most had DLH winning (most by a point). Only 2nd loss of Whitaker
06/14: KO2 David Kamau, first KO loss, 2nd loss altogether (1st was to JCC)
09/13: UD over 4-time champ Hector Camacho who came from grandpa SRL and Roberto Duran victories
12/06: TKO8 Wilfredo Rivera, 1st stoppage loss, only other 2 to Whitaker

Of course up to the Tito fight DLH beat Charpentier, JCC again, undefeated Quartey (some had Ike, most had DLH winning) an Oba Carr. And while DLHs career continued well after the Trinidad loss (some had Tito, most had DLH winning), inlc. the wins and losses we all remember, 1997 was Oscars last busy year, one of the best years IMO a boxer ever had.

What do you think of this busy year? How do you look at DLH's achievements up to 1998/1999? Do you think the days of a champ fighting 5 times a year are over?
Click to expand...

MAG and Pea where robbed,Rivera never beat anyone,Camacho was old and Kamau was a bum. DLH is 0-5 in big fights and ducked Winky Wright,Kostya Tszyu,Vernon Forrest and a Tito rematch :good

DINAMITA · Sep 26, 2008

BigBone said:

What a year that was for the Golden Boy. Most young and non-hardcore fans think DLHs career started at WW and his first big fight was vs. Trinidad, which he lost as all of his big fights. Maybe the disappointment of the fight and a controversy turned a lot of peoples attention to boxing and Oscar, maybe they just forgot what he did before his WW run, but a great career was made before the Tito, Mosley, Vargas, Hopkins, Mayweather and PacMan fights.

This thread is about DLHs amazing year of 1997. He stepped into the ring five times, all world championship fights. Thats something special. Something todays boxing lacks. Most champs fight 2 or 3 times a year, and theres no reason (other than the TV contracts and promoter protection) not to fight 4-5 times... so... why dont they fight more often?

Before 1997, DLHs resume was this:
1992-94: Olympic gold, first pro fights
1994: TKOs SFW champ Jimmy Bredahl, undefeated Giorgio Campanella, former champ Jorge Paez for LW title, Carl Griffith, John Avila
1995: UD over 3x champ John John Molina, unifies by TKO vs. IBF champ Genaro Hernandez (only other loss is to PBF), James Leija (1st stoppage loss), The Ring Fighter of the Year award
1996: TKO over Daryll Tyson, the reigning LWW champ (past-his-prime) JCC (2nd loss in career, first by TKO, on cuts), DLH now a 3-division champ

The year of 1997 (age: still just 24):
01/18: UD over undefeated long-time LW champ Miguel Angel Gonzalez
04/12: Close UD over 4-time and reigning WW champ, over-the-hill Sweet Pea, some say controversial, most had DLH winning (most by a point). Only 2nd loss of Whitaker
06/14: KO2 David Kamau, first KO loss, 2nd loss altogether (1st was to JCC)
09/13: UD over 4-time champ Hector Camacho who came from grandpa SRL and Roberto Duran victories
12/06: TKO8 Wilfredo Rivera, 1st stoppage loss, only other 2 to Whitaker

Of course up to the Tito fight DLH beat Charpentier, JCC again, undefeated Quartey (some had Ike, most had DLH winning) an Oba Carr. And while DLHs career continued well after the Trinidad loss (some had Tito, most had DLH winning), inlc. the wins and losses we all remember, 1997 was Oscars last busy year, one of the best years IMO a boxer ever had.

What do you think of this busy year? How do you look at DLH's achievements up to 1998/1999? Do you think the days of a champ fighting 5 times a year are over?
Click to expand...

I think you might enjoy this thread I started a while back:

http://www.eastsideboxing.com/forum/showthread.php?t=82172&highlight=oscar+hoya+years+career

DINAMITA · Sep 26, 2008

BewareofDawg said:

Oh but he was just beating smaller men then atsch Forget the fact that he was making weight, when it comes to Delahoya double standards do apply :good
Click to expand...

Perfect point. When people bring that up I really do feel like the one sane man trapped in the asylum.

Thread Stealer · Sep 26, 2008

KO Magazine gave him Fighter of the Year for 1997, while The Ring gave it to Evander Holyfield.

Very good year. The wins over Camacho and Kamau didn't mean too much, but the wins over Gonzalez and Rivera were very solid victories. The Whitaker fight could've gone either way.

Thread Stealer · Sep 26, 2008

sweet_scientist said:

Fights with Kamau, Camacho and Rivera were utterly meaningless and served no other purpose than to dodge a Whitaker rematch.

Not sure where you got the opinion that most thought DLH beat Whitaker either, unless you mean most in the stadium, which was of course a DLH crowd. I must say I've never thought that most astute boxing observers thought DLH won that fight.

Ring Magazine had Oscar losing the fight and put out a cover demanding that he fight Whitaker, but DLH basically went on a bit of a holiday after the Whitaker fight, fighting the three fights already mentioned and then Charpentier and Chavez again, all meaningless fights.

You could say he was within his right to take some easy fights, being so early in his career and all, but personally I lost heaps of respect for him when he didn't give Pea a rematch. Most annoying was that ****wit Arum claiming that the Whitaker fight was boring and that no one would want to see it again, and then going out and dishing up Oscar's next 5 hopeless opponents.

Sad.....
Click to expand...

The Whitaker fight was ugly as hell, but Whitaker did deserve a rematch.

Here's the cover you were talking about.

This content is protected

cannon5974 · Sep 26, 2008

SHADOW BOX said:

Its not about if you lose...its how you lose. The only fight that DLH looked ugly in a loss was against Hopkins.
Click to expand...

Totally agree!

lenin · Sep 26, 2008

Floyd mayweather fought 10 times in 97 :yep

Jack Presscot · Sep 26, 2008

BigBone said:

What a year that was for the Golden Boy. Most young and non-hardcore fans think DLHs career started at WW and his first big fight was vs. Trinidad, which he lost as all of his big fights. Maybe the disappointment of the fight and a controversy turned a lot of peoples attention to boxing and Oscar, maybe they just forgot what he did before his WW run, but a great career was made before the Tito, Mosley, Vargas, Hopkins, Mayweather and PacMan fights.

This thread is about DLHs amazing year of 1997. He stepped into the ring five times, all world championship fights. Thats something special. Something todays boxing lacks. Most champs fight 2 or 3 times a year, and theres no reason (other than the TV contracts and promoter protection) not to fight 4-5 times... so... why dont they fight more often?

Before 1997, DLHs resume was this:
1992-94: Olympic gold, first pro fights
1994: TKOs SFW champ Jimmy Bredahl, undefeated Giorgio Campanella, former champ Jorge Paez for LW title, Carl Griffith, John Avila
1995: UD over 3x champ John John Molina, unifies by TKO vs. IBF champ Genaro Hernandez (only other loss is to PBF), James Leija (1st stoppage loss), The Ring Fighter of the Year award
1996: TKO over Daryll Tyson, the reigning LWW champ (past-his-prime) JCC (2nd loss in career, first by TKO, on cuts), DLH now a 3-division champ

The year of 1997 (age: still just 24):
01/18: UD over undefeated long-time LW champ Miguel Angel Gonzalez
04/12: Close UD over 4-time and reigning WW champ, over-the-hill Sweet Pea, some say controversial, most had DLH winning (most by a point). Only 2nd loss of Whitaker
06/14: KO2 David Kamau, first KO loss, 2nd loss altogether (1st was to JCC)
09/13: UD over 4-time champ Hector Camacho who came from grandpa SRL and Roberto Duran victories
12/06: TKO8 Wilfredo Rivera, 1st stoppage loss, only other 2 to Whitaker

Of course up to the Tito fight DLH beat Charpentier, JCC again, undefeated Quartey (some had Ike, most had DLH winning) an Oba Carr. And while DLHs career continued well after the Trinidad loss (some had Tito, most had DLH winning), inlc. the wins and losses we all remember, 1997 was Oscars last busy year, one of the best years IMO a boxer ever had.

What do you think of this busy year? How do you look at DLH's achievements up to 1998/1999? Do you think the days of a champ fighting 5 times a year are over?
Click to expand...

1. I thought that, and still think that Whitaker outboxed his overrated ass and got ROBBED.

Thread Stealer · Sep 26, 2008

I liked DLH's 1995, 1997, and 1999. Less fights in 1999, but 2 of the 3 fights were against Quartey and Trinidad.

The early 1990s schedules of Toney and Chavez were great.

In 1991, Toney had 6 fights, 4 title fights in a period of less than 8 months. One fight against the top middleweight and #3 ranked p4p fighter (Nunn), another against Mike McCallum in what should've been a unification bout but the WBA for some reason stripped McCallum, and he also fought Reggie Johnson and Merqui Sosa.

Chavez was fighting about a half dozen times per year when he was champ and on top of the p4p rankings.

el diablo pelu · Sep 26, 2008

whitaker and ike got robbed and if tito didn't beating convinsely he would of got robbed too, i'm glad he made him run for his life but i should admitt that i was hoping for de la hoya to stand and trade with tito

Log in or Sign up

Oscar De La Hoya in 1997

BigBone Boxing Addict Full Member

BewareofDawg P4P Champ Full Member

MancMexican Blood & Guts Forever Full Member

sweet_scientist Boxing Junkie Full Member

SHADOW BOX SHADOW BOX Full Member

jimmie Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

DINAMITA Guest

DINAMITA Guest

Thread Stealer Loyal Member Full Member

Thread Stealer Loyal Member Full Member

cannon5974 Member Full Member

lenin *what the **** you say?* Full Member

Jack Presscot Boxing Addict Full Member

Thread Stealer Loyal Member Full Member

el diablo pelu Member Full Member

Log in or Sign up

Forums

Oscar De La Hoya in 1997

BigBone Boxing Addict Full Member

BewareofDawg P4P Champ Full Member

MancMexican Blood & Guts Forever Full Member

sweet_scientist Boxing Junkie Full Member

SHADOW BOX SHADOW BOX Full Member

jimmie Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

DINAMITA Guest

DINAMITA Guest

Thread Stealer Loyal Member Full Member

Thread Stealer Loyal Member Full Member

cannon5974 Member Full Member

lenin what the **** you say? Full Member

Jack Presscot Boxing Addict Full Member

Thread Stealer Loyal Member Full Member

el diablo pelu Member Full Member

lenin *what the **** you say?* Full Member