De La Hoya (WBO sfw champ, '94) vs Morales (WBC Int'l sfw champ, '05)

Oscar did everything better than Morales.

Speed
Power
Footwork
One punch KO Pwer

 

DLH wasn't just any fight though..By the time DLH had been pro 3 years he had accomplished more than most World Champions do in an entire career.

 

are u f*cken serious???? a prime hoya vs a 2005 hasbeen version of erik?

f*ck boxing fans are getting dumber by the minute..

 

I can't believe the ignorance here.

Oscar was a great fighter but you have to judge him on how good he was then. The people talking about Oscar's size and power aren't thinking about the 130lb version. People tend to think of Morales the 122/126lber and Oscar the 147/154lber, which isn't what this thread is about.

It's like a thread on the British forum asking about modern fighters against those in the early 90's. Hindsight has skewed their perception, like it is doing here.

There is no way a green De La Hoya beats any ATG at that weight. None. Morales has huge advantages in experiance and skill and would take this version to school, with ease. They were the same size: Morales was beating Pacquiao, De La Hoya was still fighting easy challenges.

 

I see it more like Duran/Moore.

The comparisons are actually pretty apt. Moore was a highly rated young fighter, huge potential, good background, a lot of hype and for a good reason: He was skilled and looked to be a case of "when" not "if".

However, he needed time to mature and his fight against Duran came far too soon.

Duran was a great fighter but aging and seen as the perfect foil for the young Moore. The difference in age was supposed to show through and be the reason why Moore beat the aging legend.

We know that's not how things ended up though and why? Experience. The difference in the mentality between Moore/De La Hoya and Duran/Morales is very significant and would be key. The veterans had seen it all before and hadn't shown any easily exploitable weaknesses. When the young fighters are confronted with that, they often don't know how to react and I don't believe De La Hoya, at that stage, would be any different. He didn't have anywhere near enough ring experience to beat a truly great veteran. He was faster, stronger and younger but he wasn't fast enough, strong enough and, crucially, would lack the experience which youthful boxers lack.

It's not a knock on De La Hoya either. A great fighter but he wasn't at 130lbs. By the time his mental game was good enough to beat great boxers, he had outgrown that division.

 

Every time Oscar smiles, he's thinking "I got your money"

 

Morales by UD. It would had been very hard for someone to beat Morales that night especially a young and green DLH, that was Morales night and not even the great Manny Pacquiao could not do anything about it, what makes people think that a green kid would.

 

Morales by KO.

 

The GREAT Manny Pacquiao didn't have the Jab the KO power or the Footwork the YOUNG De La Hoya had.

Oscar was a monster at 130, 135, 140. He became a pro with a 225-5 amateur record.

Oscar wasn't really green when he fought at 130, he was already a great fighter, fighting since he was a kid, and having one of the best amateur runs ever.

 

At 130 Morales had problems with Jesus Chavez...and more significantly, Jesus Chavez was fighting with only one arm that night.

De La Hoya, as fast, and as powerful as he was at 130 would have surely done better than Chavez, and used his superior speed, power, and skills to beat Morales.

 

Im as big an Oscar fan as anyone here but Oscar hadnt quite raised to an elite PFP type yet in his 11th fight. Im not just talking resume im talking about little mistakes or ODLH getting caught and dropped by journeyman like Narciso Valenzuela and Giorgio Campenella both had him down and these guys were far from top guys at JL. Morales was just coming off a career best win over Pac and most likely would have been to experienced, although Oscar would have the size,Speed,Power advantages i think Morales takes him into deep waters. Foward this one year to 2005 and i like ODLH big as he improved and stepped it up even more,getting even stronger and more experienced. I think the after the Molina fight ODLH improved more, but this thread said his 11th fight. So in that case im taking Morales by a close decision. Oscar would do well early but i see Morales pulling every trick in the bag and possibly dropping Oscar late. Morales UD or maybe Majority decision 12.