Editing Oscar De La Hoya (section)

==Professional career==

===Super featherweight===
On November 23, 1992, De La Hoya made his professional debut by scoring a first-round KO victory over Lamar Williams in 1 minute 42 seconds.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gustkey |first1=Earl |title=De La Hoya's Debut as a Pro Is Golden |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-11-24-sp-1096-story.html |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |access-date=20 September 2024 |date=24 November 1992}}</ref>

====De La Hoya vs. Concepción cancellation====
De La Hoya was scheduled to fight Jesús Vidal Concepción in a ten-round junior lightweight bout on December 9, 1993, televised by ESPN's "Thursday Night Fights" at the Paramount Theatre in New York City, but pulled out due to a wrist injury. Some found the injury suspicious and speculated that Oscar was being overdramatic. Oscar said that he aggravated an old ligament injury while hitting the heavy bag a week before. Later that month De La Hoya would fire his co-managers Mittleman and Nelson over money issues.
<ref>{{cite web |last1=Friend |first1=Tom |title=De La Hoya Puts Managers On the Unemployment Line |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/11/sports/boxing-de-la-hoya-puts-managers-on-the-unemployment-line.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=11 December 1993 |access-date=20 September 2024}}</ref>

====First title shot and defense====
{{main|Jimmi Bredahl vs. Oscar De La Hoya|Oscar De La Hoya vs. Giorgio Campanella}}
In his twelfth professional fight, he won his first world title at age 20, stopping [[Jimmy Bredahl]] (16–0) in the tenth round to win the [[World Boxing Organization|WBO]] [[super featherweight|junior lightweight]] title.<ref>{{cite news |title=IN THE CLUTCH, DE LA HOYA DELIVERS |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1994/03/07/in-the-clutch-de-la-hoya-delivers/6eb4d06d-4e01-40e5-9dc4-d553058efcff/ |access-date=21 September 2024|newspaper= Washington Post|agency=Associated Press |date=6 March 1994}}</ref> He defended the title once, stopping Giorgio Campanella (20–0) in three rounds.

===Lightweight===
{{main|Oscar De La Hoya vs. Jorge Páez|Oscar De La Hoya vs. Carl Griffith|Oscar De La Hoya vs. John Avila|Oscar De La Hoya vs. John John Molina}}
On July 29, 1994, he knocked out [[Jorge Páez]] (53–6–4) in the second round to win the vacant WBO [[Lightweight]] title. He would successfully defend the title twice to close 1994, defeating fringe contenders Carl Griffith and John Avila, both by technical knockout. In February 1995, he defeated [[John-John Molina]] (36–3), who had recently vacated his [[International Boxing Federation|IBF]] Super Featherweight title, by unanimous decision.

====De La Hoya vs. Ruelas unification====
{{Main|Oscar De La Hoya vs. Rafael Ruelas}}
On May 6, 1995, De La Hoya defeated IBF lightweight champion [[Rafael Ruelas]] (43–1–0) in a unification bout. De La Hoya knocked Ruelas down twice before the fight was stopped in the second round. The IBF then ordered De La Hoya to defend against Miguel Julio.

====De La Hoya vs. Hernández====
{{main|Oscar De La Hoya vs. Genaro Hernández}}
He relinquished the IBF title and defended the WBO title against undefeated [[Genaro Hernández]] (32–0–1), who relinquished the [[World Boxing Association|WBA]] super-featherweight title to fight De La Hoya.<ref>Michael Katz [https://archive.today/20120708032039/http://articles.nydailynews.com/1995-07-13/sports/17983745_1_peter-mcneeley-wbc-lightweight-champion-alphabets Oscar Revolts Against the IBF]. nydailynews.com (July 13, 1995)</ref>

====De La Hoya vs. Leija====
{{main|Oscar De La Hoya vs. Jesse James Leija}}
Hernandez quit after six rounds because of a broken nose. In his sixth and final defense of the WBO lightweight title, he knocked out [[Jesse James Leija]] (30–1–2) in two rounds at New York's Madison Square Garden.

===Light welterweight===

====Chávez vs. De La Hoya====
{{Main|Julio César Chávez vs. Oscar De La Hoya}}
On June 7, 1996, Oscar De La Hoya fought Mexican legend [[Julio César Chávez]] (96–1–1) for the [[lineal championship|lineal]] and [[World Boxing Council|WBC]] [[light welterweight]] championship.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/jrwelt.htm |title=The Lineal Junior Welterweight Champions |publisher=The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia}}</ref> De la Hoya, with a record of 21–0 with 19 K.Os, defeated Chavez by a fourth-round TKO. The fight was stopped due to several bad cuts suffered by Chavez above his left eye. Until their rematch in 1998, Chávez stated that De La Hoya did not defeat him since the fight was stopped. 

====De L Hoya vs. González====
{{main|Oscar De La Hoya vs. Miguel Ángel González}}
De La Hoya successfully defended his titles with a twelve-round unanimous decision against undefeated former WBC Lightweight Champion and number one light welterweight contender [[Miguel Ángel González (boxer)|Miguel Ángel González]] (41–0–0).

===Welterweight===

====Whitaker vs. De La Hoya====
{{Main|Pernell Whitaker vs. Oscar De La Hoya}}
In 1997, De La Hoya moved up to the [[welterweight]] division and fought [[Pernell Whitaker]] (40–1–1).<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/1997/04/11/1997-04-11_big_picture_for_oscar__de_la.html |location=New York |work=Daily News |title=Big Picture For Oscar De La Hoya Image Concerns Arum |date=April 11, 1997}}{{Dead link|date=February 2012|bot=RjwilmsiBot}}</ref> The fight proved to be a difficult one. Whitaker frustrated De La Hoya with his defense, and landed more overall shots than De La Hoya, but De La Hoya's power punches and aggression swayed the judges more in his favor. De La Hoya won a twelve-round unanimous decision to capture the lineal and WBC titles.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/welter.htm |title=The Lineal Welterweight Champs |publisher=The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia}}</ref> He also became the Ring Magazine's number-one ranked pound-for-pound fighter.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-oYfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=hs8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=5032,3563809&dq=oscar+de+la+hoya+whitaker+controversial+decision&hl=en De La Hoya likely to dodge rematch against Whitaker]. Herald-Journal April 14, 1997. News.google.com (April 14, 1997). Retrieved on May 19, 2012.</ref>

====De La Hoya vs. Kamau====
{{main|Oscar De La Hoya vs. David Kamau}}
On June 14, 1997, De La Hoya made the first successful defense of his WBC welterweight title, defeating [[David Kamau]] by second-round KO.

====De La Hoya vs. Camacho====
{{Main|Oscar De La Hoya vs. Hector Camacho}}
On September 13, 1997, De La Hoya defeated [[Héctor Camacho]] (63–3–1) by unanimous decision.

====De La Hoya vs. Rivera====
{{main|Oscar De La Hoya vs. Wilfredo Rivera}}
On December 6, 1997, De La Hoya defeated [[Wilfredo Rivera (boxer)|Wilfredo Rivera]] by eighth-round TKO.

====De La Hoya vs. Charpentier====
{{main|Oscar De La Hoya vs. Patrick Charpentier}}
On June 13, 1998, De La Hoya defeated mandatory challenger [[Patrick Charpentier]] by third round TKO.

====De La Hoya vs. Chavez II====
{{Main|Oscar De La Hoya vs. Julio César Chávez II}}
On September 18, 1998, De La Hoya fought a rematch with Julio César Chávez (100–2–2) and defeated him by eighth-round TKO.

====De La Hoya vs. Quartey====
{{main|Oscar De La Hoya vs. Ike Quartey|Oscar De La Hoya vs. Oba Carr}}
In his next bout, he faced undefeated former WBA Welterweight Champion [[Ike Quartey]] (34–0–1) and won by a somewhat disputable split decision. De La Hoya was knocked down once in the fight, while Quartey was down twice.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://boxrec.com/media/index.php?title=Fight:15163 |title=Oscar De La Hoya vs. Ike Quartey - BoxRec |website=boxrec.com}}</ref> He then defeated [[Oba Carr]] (48–2–1) by eleventh-round TKO.

====De La Hoya vs. Trinidad unification====
{{Main|Oscar De La Hoya vs. Félix Trinidad}}
After seven defenses of his lineal and WBC welterweight titles, De La Hoya fought rival and IBF Champion [[Félix Trinidad]] (35–0) on September 18, 1999, in one of the biggest pay-per-view events in history, setting a record for a non-[[heavyweight]] fight. De La Hoya stayed just outside Trinidad's range while generating much success with his stiff jab and blitzing combinations, but in the last 2-3 rounds of the fight, heeding the strict instructions of his corner, who felt that De La Hoya was way ahead on the scorecards, De La Hoya shut down much of his offense and evaded trading with Trinidad. De La Hoya virtually gave away the last couple of rounds. Though landing well over 100 more punches, Trinidad was ultimately awarded a majority decision. The judges scorecards came under question after the decision. Fans and boxing analysts called for a rematch, which never happened.

====De La Hoya vs. Opponents ====
{{Main|Oscar De La Hoya vs. Derrell Coley|Oscar De La Hoya vs. Shane Mosley|Oscar De La Hoya vs. Arturo Gatti}}
On February 26, 2000, De La Hoya knocked out Derrell Coley (34–1–2) in a WBC eliminator. The WBC later awarded De La Hoya its welterweight title after Trinidad vacated it,<ref>{{cite news |date=21 March 2000 |title=WBC declares de la Hoya welterweight champion |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/wbc-declares-de-la-hoya-welterweight-champion-283460.html |work=The Independent |url-status=live |archive-date=September 29, 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210929125503/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/wbc-declares-de-la-hoya-welterweight-champion-283460.html |access-date=29 September 2021 }}</ref> which he lost to [[Shane Mosley]] (34–0) by a split decision on June 17, 2000. One judge scored the fight 115–113 for De La Hoya, and the other two scored it 116–112 and 115–113 for Mosley.

De La Hoya successfully sued Bob Arum in 2000 to break his contract with the promoter. The courts ruled in favor of De La Hoya in February 2001."<ref>Michael Woods [https://web.archive.org/web/20061230125000/http://www.thesweetscience.com/boxing-article/3839/next-foe-hoya-bob-arum/ The Next Foe For De La Hoya: It's Bob Arum]. thesweetscience.com (May 25, 2006)</ref>

De La Hoya defeated [[Arturo Gatti]] (33–4) by fifth-round TKO on March 24, 2001.

===Light middleweight===
He then moved up to [[light middleweight]], challenging the lineal and WBC champion [[Javier Castillejo]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/jrmiddle.htm |title=The Lineal Junior Middleweight Champions |publisher=The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia}}</ref> De La Hoya won the fight, winning almost every round and knocking Castillejo (51–4) down with ten seconds to go to win the title by a unanimous decision.

====De La Hoya vs. Karmazin cancellation====
On October 8, 2001 it was announced that De La Hoya would return to the Grand Olympic Auditorium where he won his first title to defend his WBC light middleweight championship against the WBC No.1 challenger [[Roman Karmazin]], but on November 8, 2001 it was announced the fight was cancelled. Suffering from a torn cartilage in his left wrist, De La Hoya has been forced to cancel his December 8 title defense. He was hoping to fight again on May 4, a date he had already reserved before the injury. It was an old injury, one that De La Hoya incurred in the first round of his 1999 fight against Oba Carr. "It was from a left hook I threw in that fight," De La Hoya said, "and the pain has been there ever since. "On a scale of one to 10, I would say it was a five or six."
Ten days ago, on his first day of sparring for the Karmazin match, De La Hoya threw a punch that severely aggravated the wrist. De La Hoya planned on facing a major opponent in May—Trinidad, Mosley, Hopkins, or Vargas—and says he still hopes to do so if he can get WBC approval to put off his mandatory match. De La Hoya said the hand bothered him in his losses against Trinidad and Mosley. "It was always bothering me," he said, "but we are fighters and we have to tough it out." The fight seemed to have been cursed from the start. When Karmazin's two trainers, his manager and his doctor were all denied visas, the Russian fighter had threatened to go home to train. Karmazin's promoter, Frank Moloney, went further, questioning whether the fight would happen.

====Rivalry with Fernando Vargas====
{{Main|Oscar De La Hoya vs. Fernando Vargas}}
De La Hoya did not fight for the 15 months and in this time the rivalry between him and WBA champion "Ferocious" [[Fernando Vargas]] (22–1) grew. They knew each other as amateurs and it is said the rivalry began when Vargas was angered by De La Hoya laughing at him after he fell into a snowbank. De La Hoya said he would never fight him. Eventually, however, De La Hoya accepted a match. The fight was scheduled for May 2002, but De La Hoya had to withdraw because of a hand injury.

The unification bout, labeled "Bad Blood," finally took place on September 14, 2002, at the Mandalay Bay on the Las Vegas Strip. The fight was even for the first six rounds, with Vargas landing punches on the ropes in the odd rounds, while De La Hoya outboxed him in the even rounds. De La Hoya took over the fight in the seventh round and hurt Vargas with a left hook in the tenth. In the next round, De La Hoya knocked Vargas down with a left hook and stopped him moments later. The win is widely considered to be the biggest of De La Hoya's career. Vargas tested positive for [[stanozolol]] after the fight.

====De La Hoya vs. Mosley II====
{{Main|Oscar De La Hoya vs. Yori Boy Campas|Oscar De La Hoya vs. Shane Mosley II}}
De La Hoya defended his unified title against [[Yori Boy Campas]] (80–5) with a routine seventh round stoppage then faced Shane Mosley (38–2) in a rematch. The fight, billed as "Retribution" and staged at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, was more of a boxing match than their first encounter, and while some rounds were close, De La Hoya's game plan utilizing his jab seemed to be paying off, leaving Mosley visually frustrated. It was De La Hoya who seemed to be landing the cleaner, more effective punches, and obliterated Mosley in Compubox, landing over 100 more. But judges apparently didn't see it that way awarding Mosley with the controversial unanimous decision. Mosley was later connected to the [[Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative|BALCO Labs]] [[BALCO scandal|steroid scandal]]. [[Jeff Novitzky]], a lead investigator on the BALCO case, reported that documents seized from the lab show that Mosley received "[[Tetrahydrogestrinone|the clear]]" and "[[the cream]]," both designer [[Anabolic steroid|steroids]]. Mosley reportedly began his doping regimen prior to his rematch with Oscar De La Hoya.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/more/09/28/mosley/index.html?eref=mostpop |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120524145142/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/more/09/28/mosley/index.html?eref=mostpop |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 24, 2012 |work=CNN |title=BALCO-related claim casts doubt on De La Hoya bout |date=September 28, 2007 |access-date=May 2, 2010}}</ref> Mosley would later admit to using performance-enhancing drugs from [[Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative|BALCO]] for this bout, saying he thought they were legal supplements.<ref>[https://www.espn.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=3041449 Mosley admits he unknowingly took BALCO steroids – boxing – ESPN]. Sports.espn.go.com (September 29, 2007). Retrieved on May 19, 2012.</ref>

===Middleweight===

====Sturm vs. De La Hoya====
{{Main|Felix Sturm vs. Oscar De La Hoya}}
De la Hoya next challenged [[Felix Sturm]] (20–0) for the WBO [[middleweight]] title, on June 5, 2004, with the winner also getting a shot at the undisputed world middleweight champion [[Bernard Hopkins]]. De La Hoya was awarded a unanimous decision, becoming the first boxer in history to win world titles in six different weight divisions. All three judges scored the bout 115–113 in favor of De La Hoya. The decision was very controversial, far more so than his decision wins over Pernell Whitaker or Ike Quartey. Whereas the Whitaker and Quartey fights were considered close bouts that could have gone either way or been called a draw, general opinion was that De La Hoya lost to Sturm, with Compubox counting Sturm as landing 234 of 541 punches, while counting De La Hoya as landing 188 of 792.<ref>Chris Gielty [https://web.archive.org/web/20090108081953/http://www.thesweetscience.com/boxing-article/701/hoya-gets-decision-but-hopkins-wins/ De La Hoya Gets Decision – But Hopkins Wins | TheSweetScience.com Boxing] (June 5, 2004)</ref> There had been some rumblings throughout the boxing community already before the fight, that a decision would be made to insure that De La Hoya would fight Hopkins in a mega-dollar fight that would've drawn more money than a Hopkins-Sturm matchup would.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.proboxing-fans.com/5-more-of-the-worst-decisions-in-boxing_071511/ |title=5 More Of the Worst Decisions in Boxing |first=Bryan |last=Parkhurst |date=July 15, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1677686-ranking-the-15-worst-judging-decisions-in-boxing-history |title=Ranking the 15 Worst Judging Decisions in Boxing History |first=Kevin |last=McRae |website=Bleacher Report}}</ref> Iain Darke of ''Sky Sports'' said the decision looked "tailor made" to set up De La Hoya versus Hopkins. "(De La Hoya) got the benefit of high charity," Darke said.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.boxing247.com/weblog/archives/116757 |title=Debacles and Blindness – The ten worst decisions of the past 10 years: De La Hoya-Mosley, De La Hoya-Sturm, Lewis-Holyfield, Trinidad-De La Hoya, More! • Boxing News |date=December 20, 2007 |website=Boxing News Archive}}</ref> Sturm & his promotional team, Universum Box-Promotion, filed a protest with the Nevada State Athletic Commission over the decision, but it was to no avail, and the decision still stands today.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Felix_Sturm_vs._Oscar_De_La_Hoya |title=Felix Sturm vs. Oscar De La Hoya - BoxRec |website=boxrec.com}}</ref>

====De La Hoya vs. Hopkins====
{{Main|Bernard Hopkins vs. Oscar De La Hoya}}
De La Hoya fought Bernard Hopkins (44–2–1) in a unification match on September 18, 2004, in Las Vegas. Hopkins held the WBC, WBA, and IBF middleweight titles, was recognized as lineal and ''The Ring'' champion, and was considered by many to be the number one pound for pound fighter in the world. Although the fight was at a [[Weight class#Catchweight classes|catchweight]] of {{convert|158|lb|kg}}, many thought De La Hoya was too small for the weight class and Hopkins was considered a heavy favorite.

Several days before the fight, De La Hoya's hand was cut when his wraps were being cut off after training, requiring eleven stitches to close. He and his corner both maintained it was not an issue going into the bout.

De La Hoya fought a tactical fight. After eight rounds, De La Hoya was ahead 77–75 on one scorecard and behind 78–74 and 79–73 on the other two. In the ninth round Hopkins threw a left hook towards De La Hoya's body, sending him crumbling to the canvas, where he was counted out. It was the first time in De La Hoya's career that he had been KO'd. De la Hoya later stated that he couldn't get up because the pain of a well-placed liver shot was unbearable. Despite losing, De La Hoya made over $30 million from the fight. Hopkins eventually became a minor shareholder in Golden Boy, and served as the east coast representative for the company.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/19/sports/othersports/de-la-hoyas-promotional-strategy-packs-a-wallop.html Sandomir, Richard] "De La Hoya's Promotional Strategy Packs a Wallop", ''New York Times'', July 19, 2005. Retrieved September 4, 2018.</ref> Bob Arum claimed De La Hoya "quit."<ref>[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-mar-08-sp-simers8-story.html Simers, T. J.] "Arum-De La Hoya Can Be a Great Reality Show", ''Los Angeles Times'', March 8, 2005. Retrieved August 2, 2018.</ref> Like Mosley, Hopkins would subsequently be represented by Golden Boy Promotions.<ref>[http://www.doghouseboxing.com/DHB/KenH0123a08.htm Oscar De La Hoya: Is The Gold Becoming Tarnished?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100211040238/http://doghouseboxing.com/DHB/KenH0123a08.htm |date=February 11, 2010 }}. Doghouseboxing.com (January 23, 2008). Retrieved on May 19, 2012.</ref>

===Comeback===

====De La Hoya vs. Mayorga====
{{Main|Oscar De La Hoya vs. Ricardo Mayorga}}
De La Hoya took a layoff of 20 months before signing to fight WBC light middleweight titleholder [[Ricardo Mayorga]] (27–5–1). In the buildup to the fight, Mayorga insulted everything from De La Hoya's sexuality to his wife and child,<ref name="eastsideboxing.com">[http://www.eastsideboxing.com/index.php?m=200605 Boxing News and Views :: May :: 2006]. Eastsideboxing.com. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419054847/http://www.eastsideboxing.com/index.php?m=200605 |date=April 19, 2012 }}</ref> but when they fought on May 6, 2006, De La Hoya knocked Mayorga down in the first minute of the fight with a left hook. He knocked him out in the sixth round to take his tenth world title.<ref name="eastsideboxing.com"/>

===De La Hoya vs. Mayweather Jr.===
{{Main|Oscar De La Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr.}}
In early 2007, De La Hoya signed to defend his title against WBC welterweight champion [[Floyd Mayweather Jr.]] (37–0–0). De La Hoya was a two to one underdog in the fight.

The fight took place on May 5, 2007, at a sold-out arena at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. De La Hoya pressed throughout, doing best when using his left jab. Mayweather controlled the later rounds and was awarded a split decision, with judge Chuck Giampi scoring the bout 116–112 for Mayweather, Jerry Roth 115–113 for Mayweather, and Tom Kaczmarcek 115–113 for De La Hoya. The Associated Press had it for Mayweather, 116–112.

Although Oscar chased Mayweather and threw many combinations en route to throwing over 100 more total punches, Mayweather landed at a higher rate; according to Compubox he connected on 207 of 481 punches thrown, De La Hoya on only 122 of 587.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/boxing-mayweather-defeats-de-la-hoya-on-split-decision-447715.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091123173341/http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/boxing-mayweather-defeats-de-la-hoya-on-split-decision-447715.html |url-status=dead |title=Mayweather defeats De La Hoya on split decision |website=[[Independent.co.uk]] |archive-date=November 23, 2009}}</ref>

===De La Hoya vs. Forbes===
{{main|Oscar De La Hoya vs. Steve Forbes}}
On May 3, 2008, at the [[Dignity Health Sports Park|Home Depot Center]] in Carson, California, De La Hoya fought [[Steve Forbes (boxer)|Steve Forbes]] (33–5) in a tuneup for a possible rematch with Mayweather. De La Hoya showed a more relaxed style, throwing a constant jab and always staying on his toes.<ref>[https://archive.today/20130505150937/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/boxingandmma/2299363/De-Le-Hoya-defeats-Forbes-with-points-win.html De Le Hoya defeats Forbes with points win]. Telegraph. Retrieved on May 19, 2012.</ref> He opened a cut near Forbes' eye in the sixth round, going on to win by unanimous decision in 12.`<ref>Iole, Kevin. (May 3, 2008) [https://sports.yahoo.com/box/news?slug=ki-roundbyround050308&prov=yhoo&type=lgns De Le Hoya scores unanimous decision – Boxing – Yahoo! Sports]. Sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved on May 19, 2012.</ref>

On June 6, 2008, [[Floyd Mayweather Jr.]] announced his first of many subsequent retirements from boxing, effectively ending talk of a rematch.

===De La Hoya vs. Pacquiao===
{{Main|Oscar De La Hoya vs. Manny Pacquiao}}
[[File:Oscar De La Hoya at Morongo Casino.jpg|thumb|right|200px|De La Hoya in 2008]]
De La Hoya faced [[Manny Pacquiao]] (47–3–2) on December 6, 2008 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Presented by [[Golden Boy Promotions]] and [[Top Rank Boxing|Top Rank, Inc.]], the bout was a twelve-round, non-title fight at the {{convert|147|lb|kg|adj=on}} [[welterweight]] limit. Although Pacquiao went into the fight recognized as the leading pound for pound boxer in the world, some pundits speculated that 147 pounds could have been too far above his natural weight against the larger De La Hoya.<ref>[https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/columnists/mcguigan/2008/08/30/this-little-and-large-freak-show-makes-me-feel-queasy-115875-20717101 This little and large freak show makes me feel queasy from 30 Aug 2008]. mirror.co.uk (August 30, 2008). Retrieved on May 19, 2012.</ref> However, Pacquiao's trainer [[Freddie Roach (boxing)|Freddie Roach]] was confident of a victory as he stated that De La Hoya could no longer "pull the trigger" at that stage of his career.<ref>[https://www.espn.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=3742771 Freddie Roach confident he has the plan to shut down Oscar De La Hoya – ESPN]. Sports.espn.go.com (December 4, 2008). Retrieved on May 19, 2012.</ref> De La Hoya, who was favored to win the bout due to his size advantage, was expected to be the heavier of the two on fight night. However, though Pacquiao weighed {{convert|142|lb|kg}} and De La Hoya {{convert|145|lb|kg}} at the official weigh-in on Friday,<ref name="nydailynews.com">{{Cite news |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2008/12/06/2008-12-06_de_la_hoya_is_golden_boy_no_more-2.html |location=New York |work=Daily News |title=De La Hoya is Golden Boy no more |first=Tim |last=Smith |date=December 9, 2008 |access-date=December 7, 2008 |archive-date=March 25, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325201301/http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/more_sports/2008/12/06/2008-12-06_de_la_hoya_is_golden_boy_no_more-2.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> De La Hoya entered the ring at 147 pounds to Pacquiao's {{convert|148.5|lb|kg}}.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SPORT/12/07/pacquiao.delahoya.ap/index.html |work=CNN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208001855/http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SPORT/12/07/pacquiao.delahoya.ap/index.html |archive-date=December 8, 2008 |date=December 7, 2008 |title=Pacquiao pummels aging De La Hoya}}</ref>

De La Hoya took a beating and his corner stopped the fight after the eighth round. Pacquiao was ahead on all three judges' scorecards before the stoppage, with two judges scoring the fight 80–71 and the other judge scoring it at 79–72.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-spw-boxing7-2008dec07,0,2656956.story |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217042944/http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-spw-boxing7-2008dec07%2C0%2C2656956.story |archive-date=December 17, 2008 |author=Kevin Baxter |date=December 7, 2008 |title=Pacquiao forces De La Hoya to quit |work=Los Angeles Times |access-date=May 2, 2010 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}}</ref> After the bout, Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach stated, "We knew we had him after the first round. He had no legs, he was hesitant and he was shot." Confirming Roach's pre-fight predictions that he'd grown too old, De La Hoya crossed the ring to Pacquiao's corner after the bout was stopped and told Roach, "You're right, Freddie. I don't have it anymore."<ref name="nydailynews.com"/> When asked by reporters whether he would continue fighting, De La Hoya responded, "My heart still wants to fight, that's for sure," De La Hoya said. "But when your physical doesn't respond, what can you do? I have to be smart and make sure I think about my future plans."

===Retirement and proposed comeback===
De La Hoya announced his retirement on April 14, 2009, ending any speculation about a potential fight with [[Julio César Chávez Jr.]], son of the former champion and Mexican icon [[Julio César Chávez, Sr.]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-04-14 |title=De La Hoya announces retirement from boxing |url=https://www.espn.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=4068202 |access-date=2021-09-05 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref> Later in 2009, De La Hoya held an exhibition boxing fight versus basketball player [[Shaquille O'Neal]] as an episode of the television show ''[[Shaq Vs.]]''

On November 25, 2020, De La Hoya told [[DAZN]] that "I'm 90 percent positive that I'm coming back the first quarter of next year," and that he was open to fighting [[Gennady Golovkin]] in a bout.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.dazn.com/en-US/news/boxing/oscar-de-la-hoya-comeback-2021-gennadiy-golovkin/76d0r6q4xnb81ohjj4j0j4s33 |title=Oscar de la Hoya '90 Percent Sure' He Will Make Comeback in Early 2021, Targets Gennadiy Golovkin |last=Hale |first=Andreas |work=DAZN News |date=November 25, 2021 |access-date=June 21, 2021}}</ref> On June 17, 2021, it was announced that De La Hoya would return to the ring in an exhibition bout against [[Vitor Belfort]] on September 11, 2021, under the [[Triller (app)]] Fight Club banner.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/31653028/oscar-de-la-hoya-vs-vitor-belfort-exhibition-match-set-sept-18 |title=Promoter: Oscar De La Hoya vs. Vitor Belfort exhibition boxing match set for Sept. 11 |last=Raimondi |first=Marc |work=ESPN News |date=June 17, 2021 |access-date=June 22, 2021}}</ref> On July 21, it was announced that the match would not be an exhibition, and instead would be an official boxing match sanctioned by the [[California State Athletic Commission]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/id/31858008/oscar-de-la-hoya-vitor-belfort-boxing-match-sanctioned-fight-rather-exhibition |title=Oscar De La Hoya-Vitor Belfort boxing match to be sanctioned fight rather than exhibition |last=Coppinger |first=Mike |work=ESPN |date=July 21, 2021 |access-date=July 22, 2021}}</ref> On September 3, De La Hoya announced that he would not be fighting Belfort due to contracting [[COVID-19]]. In a message to his fans, he stated that he was fully [[COVID-19 vaccine|vaccinated]] and receiving hospital treatment.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Oscar De La Hoya hospitalised with coronavirus; Vitor Belfort to fight Evander Holyfield instead |url=https://www.skysports.com/boxing/news/12183/12398801/oscar-de-la-hoya-hospitalised-with-coronavirus-vitor-belfort-to-fight-evander-holyfield-instead |access-date=2021-09-05 |website=Sky Sports |language=en}}</ref>