Oscar De La Hoya: best 1st 5 years of any career ever??

My "warped" theory is that I go with the general concensus of boxers and the wider boxing community in recognizing the WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO champions as legitimate world champions, and any other organization title as a minor alphabet trinket not worth a damn. How very warped.

 

Don't be ridiculous!! "Mapped out"?! He chased and secured fights with the VERY VERY best fighters of the 1990s and 2000s, no-one since the 1980s has fought a higher standard of opponent, and on account of this he has incurred some losses- the very OPPOSITE of a mapped-out career.

For the definition of a perfectly mapped-out career, I give you Floyd Mayweather Jr.

 

ICEMAN 71!

i will be glad to rebutt all your points my brotha

- MAR 1994: Wins 1st world title 18 months later at age of 21 with a 11-0 record, WBO super-feather, stopping Jimmy Bredahl (16-0)
(fights the weakest of all "champs" HBO doesnt count WBO as a world championship title at the time

OK, here is the link to the page:
http://www.boxrec.com/media/index.php/The_Ring_Magazine%27s_Annual_Ratings:_1993
Jimmy Bredahl was ranked 7th at super-featherweight by The Ring at the end of 1993, so he was a legitimate world ranked champion. Would you rather a 21-year-old with 11 fights challenged Azumah Nelson and got beaten up when he wasn't ready for that yet? No. Would he have been better advised to not fight Bredahl who he believed he could beat, and not gain some world title experience? No.
And at the time DLH fought for a WBO title, Michael Carbajal held WBO at junior-flyweight, Johnny Tapia held the junior-bantam, Steve Collins held the middle, Chris Eubank held the super-middle, and in the next 18 months, Marco Antonio Barrera, Naseem Hamed, Riddick Bowe and Winky Wright would all fight for and win WBO titles, so I think it's fair to say the top boxers took it seriously at the time, even if you didn't.



- JUL 1994: Wins 2nd world title, WBO lightweight title, 4 months later by KOing Jorge Paez (53-6-4) in 2 rounds
(beats up a over the hill feather weight with 60 plus fights, wars)

A second world title at age 21, knocks out an experienced opponent, at this stage in a young fighter's career, that can't be criticized.



- 1995: Stops Rafael Ruelas (43-1) in a unification fight, then stops Genaro Hernandez (32-0-1). Ends the 3rd year of his career at #4 The Ring p4p, behind Whitaker, Jones Jr and Ricardo Lopez, and ahead of Trinidad, Tszyu and Barrera
(ruelas was KOd in 2 rounds a year earlier, so he was pretty over rated.... i give you the LEGIT win over Genaro Hernandez)

Here's the link to the page:
http://www.boxrec.com/media/index.php/The_Ring_Magazine%27s_Annual_Ratings:_1994
Ruelas was ranked 2nd at lightweight. He had 1 loss in 44 fights. If you remember the build-up to that fight at all, you will recall that Ruelas was viewed as a very live threat to DLH, and it was a brilliant performance.


- Wins The Ring Fighter Of The Year for 1995
(so?)

So being voted the best fighter of the year by the biggest boxing magazine in the world is generally considered a great achievement and a good thing, no?? Especially when its your 2nd year as a world champion, and you're fighting at the same time as Pernell Whitaker, Roy Jones Jr, James Toney, Ricardo Lopez, Felix Trinidad and Gerald McClennan.


JUN 1996: Stops Julio Cesar Chavez (96-1-1) to win world title at a THIRD weight division in his 4th year as a pro. Record is only 21-0 and he is just 23
( ANCIENT CHAVEZ who s armore was *****ed ,had over 100 frigging fights!, not really a surprise there) ( didnt see oscar going after frankie randalls WBA belt back then, he avoided the surgeon like the plague)

96+1+1 does not equal over 100 frigging anything. Chavez was not shot, he was well past prime, but had won 7 out of 7 including 5 stoppages since the 1st Randall fight, and he was the reigning WBC champion.


APR 1997: Beat Pernell Whitaker (40-1-1) to win a world title at a FOURTH weight division. He is now p4p #2 behind Roy Jones Jr, and the 1st man ever to legitimately defeat Whitaker (his only other loss a ridiculous robbery decision to Jose Luis Ramirez in 1988 which was subsequently avenged)- the decision over Whitaker was very very close, but it was right IMO
(most everyone thought OSCAR LOST including HBO announcers)

I do not believe 'most everyone' thought that. Many did, mostly Oscar-haters and Sweet Pea fans, but I believe the majority did not. I have watched the fight many times and scored it, and Oscar did sneak it IMO. I myself am a Sweet Pea fan and I know he is a far better boxer p4p than DLH, but as an objective boxing fan, DLH racked up enough points to win, despite Whitaker showing better skills.


SEP 1997: His last fight before his 5 year anniversary in November, a landslide points win over Hector Camacho (63-3-1).
(gee, another over the hill champ that started off at feather weight, waaaay past his prime, no brownie points here, just a scalp on his belt)

I wasn't saying it was Hagler-Leonard, just noting the last fight of the 1st 5 years, another convincing victory.


His record is now 25-0(20), and he has won FIVE world titles at THREE weights (WBO super-feather, WBO & IBF light, WBC light-welter, WBC welter)
(wonder why he picked the WBO belts at the time? maybe because people like whitaker, chavez, were around who he fought 5 years later )

He picked the WBO belts when he had had less than 20 fights and was young and green because it was the smart thing to do. It is worth noting that in his 1st 5 years he won more non-WBO titles than WBO titles, since you have something against the WBO. WBC,IBF,WBC- that's three of them baby.


He is now The Ring's no1 pound-for-pound fighter on the planet- ahead of a peak Roy Jones Jr at #2, Holyfield #3 and Trinidad #4.
he has to be one of the most micromanaged fighters ever. he fought great names, just not when they were great. and when he did fight great names that werent over the hill, he got beat. he is so over hyped its unreal. hes an excellent boxer no doubt...butwith who he fought and when he fought them, he wont be considered great. hall of fame ....yes. because hes poplular. popular got him wins over strum and quartey which he most likely should have had a loss. especially STRUM.

He is definitely one of the LEAST micromanaged fighters EVER. What an insane comment. Who has fought better fighters since the 80s?! No-one. He chased all the big names and got them, and in doing so lost some coz he was always fighting the very best. THE OPPOSITE OF MICROMANAGEMENT! His name is Felix STURM by the way. And if you bring up the Sturm win (DLH definitely won the Quartey fight), you have to bring up Mosley II and Trinidad- both of which he won.
But the most important point to note about your last paragraph is: the point of the thread is DLH'S 1ST 5 YEARS, so why are you bothering to criticize his later career? Not the point.


Rebutted.

 

What an irrelevance. At least read the title of the thread before posting. Take your Oscar-hating elsewhere, there's absolutely no need for it in a specific subject discussion.