Was Oscar dela hoya boxing's biggest gatekeeper

Olympic champion, top 5 P4P fighter in the world at his very best, 5/6 weight world champion (not sure if he ever captured one at light heavyweight of the top of my head) Does that sound like a gatekeeper to you?

 

I think the OP means Gate as in $.

 

nah he was never a gatekeeper. especially when you're talking about the hopkins fight. you can't really think oscar was a mw gatekeeper? he's one of the bigger showman for sure though. those were all big money spectacles.

Trinidad: big money big spectacle. i still think he beat trinidad though it's his own fault for running to the point that the judges could take it from him).

Hopkins: big money big spectacle. hell he pretty much got beat by sturm in the previous tune up fight i always saw that outcome as a foregone conclusion. the most impressive thing about that to me was hopkins coming in under oscar's weight.

Pac: big money big spectacle. probably had no business being in the ring even freddie roach said he could see the IV track marks on his arms in the ring and knew then it would be a blow out.

SSM: wash, rinse, repeat. first fight huge spectacle one of my favorite fights.

Floyd: yes more of the same.

Oscar is/was a great showman who can put asses in seats. Gatekeepers don't put on "fights of the century" and don't put asses in seats. Just my two cents.

 

MW strongman Mustafo Hamsho. He challenged Hagler twice for the title. Virtually cleaned out the division and Bobby Cyz and Wilfred Benitez made the mistake of trying to use Hamsho as a stepping stone and were severely bashed by Hamsho.

 

DLH was indeed known as the cashcow of boxing. From the ladies who loved him, and an olympic champ, he was indeed the man to beat.

Pre Oscar, Floyd was never a PPV, but afterwards.
Not sure about Pac, I think his style was destined to be loved, DLH just solidied it?
I remember one fight, RJJ had the nerve to call out DLH! Know what that was about$

I didn't really notice the gatekeeper, LOL I thougth it was gateseller! Hell yeah DLH was at one point boxing's biggest gate seller!

 

No, he never fought at light heavy and didn't capture a title at super middle, either... you were right about six divisions, though - he reached the mountaintop from super feather through middleweight.

 

Not sure I'd see him as a gate keeper but I see your meaning. I think it's just a case of him meeting a lot of top names as they were moving on to important bouts in there life. I'd see guys like chuvalo and wepner more as gate keeper s .You expected those to lose ,where as Oscar was more a favourite in some of those u mentioned.

 

That is a term with a specific contextual meaning in this sport but in a sense (in the more literal sense) the OP is correct about the role DLH played as launchpad for mega stars.

 

I meant light middleweight to be fair. He looked scary good at the lower weights. Him vs Mayweather at 130 would have been nuts had their careers corresponded. Both made mince meet of Genaro Hernandez and Artuo Gatti

 

i'm not an oscarsexual by any stretch but you really think his punching arsenal was limited to amateurish straights? you don't think he had a decent left hook?

prime for prime he'd leave ricky hatton in a pile of himself.

 

Bunch of really good fighters from 130 lbs -160 (a bridge too far)lbs....during ODH's career.

In reality, ODH bootstrapped a lot of opponents up to greater $$$ levels.

Even "fishnet" sales showed an unexpected peak in sales during that period.