Circa '07/'08 @ 140/147, who wins and how? Oscar was crazy for not getting this fight too happen. He (and Hatton) would have made serious bank. It was kind of mooted at the time, IIRC.
I would say with the utmost confidence that the ONLY version of Oscar that wouldn't beat Hatton is the version of Oscar that fought Pac. DLH knocks out Ricky. Probably knocks out Ricky early if we're talking the 90s DLH. Oscar and Hatton are actually good friends, and I think I know why. Let's just say they have a mutual hobby...
De La Hoya would've outboxed and stopped him, Hatton comes forward with no defence and De La Hoya being a boxer puncher would've picked him off and controlled him with the left hand with that hard jab and lead hook that he had, he'd've broke him down and stopped him late
Hatton is so underrated it's not even funny. Peak Del a Hoya kicks **** outta him, but this one isn't peak. I'm confident Hatton could've beaten Del a Hoya from the Pacquiao fight.
I remember in late 2008 the mumblings of this fight being made over here for the following Spring or Summer. Hatton versus Oscar at the new Wembley Stadium with 80,000 in attendance was the word around the camp fire. I'm not sure De la Hoya would have come over the UK, but pundits and fans alike were definitely predicting the fight. To be honest, Hatton was on the slide by this stage. He looked pretty poor in his homecoming fight against Lazcano and was even hurt a couple of times, needing a timely intervention from the ref because of his untied boot laces. Around the same time, De la Hoya looked very average against Forbes. But Hatton beating Malignaggi later that year convinced a lot of people that he was revitalised and back near the top of his game. There was still a consensus that De la Hoya, even draining himself down to 147, would just be too big for Pacquiao a few weeks later and simply push, club and bully him all over the ring, bearing in mind that Pacquiao had still been at 130 less than a year before. Once he'd bullied Pacquiao into submission he'd be taking on Hatton. Hatton was no Welterweight but he'd have had too much for De la Hoya at that stage, because Oscar would have been beaten on the scales judging by how he looked (both in appearance and when the bell rang) against Manny. But as has been said above, that's the only version of De la Hoya he's ever beating.
I do remember Ricky needing saving in the Lazcano fight. Lazcano had him out on his feet from a left hook. Without the crooked ref who let him recover that woulda been the end of Hatton's career right there. Left hooks were NOT good to Ricky.
