Oscar De La Hoya Retires

It's official Oscar De La Hoya retires.

The Golden Boy announced his retirement earlier today after days of speculation. Rumors began circulating last week when it was announced that the former champ would be holding a press conference today to disclose his future.

He leaves after a brilliant career which was full of accomplishments, titles and highs. Unfortunately the last memory of Oscar as a boxer may be one of the lowest moments in his career when he was destroyed by Manny Pacquiao.

His professional boxing career began on 11/23/92 versus a fighter by the name of Lamar Williams. It was a relatively easy KO victory in the first round. His brilliance continued for many years to come. A career full of great moments which included an incredible comeback victory against Ike Quartey and the destruction of Fernando Vargas. The latter fight seemed to have been one of the most personal battles in his career as Vargas played to the Mexican fans, claiming he was a real Mexican unlike the champ. The rivalry was all about Mexican pride and Vargas took a beating and a TKO loss in the 11th round.

He fought some legends which included Cesar Chavez, Pernell Whitaker and Tito Trinidad. The fight versus Trinidad resulted in his first loss and it was a controversial decision. Many fight fans and reporters gave the fight to the Golden Boy who controlled the first 7 rounds. The judges however saw this fight differently and gave Trinidad a gift win by a slight margin. I myself have watched this fight several times and can never seem to find a way to agree with the judges.

The last six fights were a roller coaster ride, with 3 wins and 3 losses within the time span of 2004 to 2008. He had some easy and impressive wins versus Steve Forbes and the always controversial Ricardo Mayorga. He also had one win versus Felix Sturm which he clearly did not deserve. The little known Sturm was a warm up fight before he took on Bernard Hopkins. Sturm gave De La Hoya everything he could handle and then some. Losses in this six year span included bouts versus Bernard Hopkins, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. The beating The Golden Boy took versus Pacquiao was unbelievable. I was truly saddened to see such a legendary fighter take such a beating. When interviewed Oscar said it was hard because his mind wanted to fight but his body just wouldn't. Like many fighters well passed their prime, Oscar realized it was time to retire during a fight.

I hope the lasting memory of this great champ will be his wins, his professionalism and all his accomplishments which included a Gold Medal in the 1992 Olympics and wins over seventeen World Champions. He won ten belts in six different weight classes. His career as a fighter may be over but we will surely see him again as he is becoming one of the most powerful and influential boxing promoters in the sport.