By Sammy Rozenberg
After it was all said and done, one thing was certain when the smoke cleared - Oscar De La Hoya (38-4, 30 KOs) is still the biggest draw in boxing. The MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada was buzzing all week with anticipation for Oscar's return after a 20-month layoff. The stars were out, hundreds of fighters were in attendance and thousands of fans bought tickets.
After months of trash talking by Ricardo Mayorga (28-6-1, 23KOs) and near brawls at press conferences, De La Hoya made his return to the ring against one of the wildest fighters in the game to capture his ninth world title in six different weight divisions. Some of the critics thought he was off for too long, he was too old, Mayorga was too strong, but Oscar De La Hoya proved all of them wrong.
It was a marvelous return as De La Hoya picked up his best victory since he knocked out Fernando Vargas in 2002.
The first round began with a bang as Mayorga was talking trash before the start of the first round, the two men did not touch gloves and the fight was on. It was a minute into the first round when De La Hoya erased any doubt about his punching power when a picture perfect left hook dropped Mayorga down to the mat. The scourge of Nicaragua was able to beat the count, but he was never the same fighter for the remainder of the bout as he became a defensive fighter.
In the third round, Mayorga had his best round as he landed an uppercut that pushed back the head of De La Hoya and managed to land several hard punches. When the fourth round began, De La Hoya went right back to work with combinations and right hands that barely ever missed their mark as Mayorga was a very stationary target.
The beginning of the sixth round was the begging of the end for Mayorga, who was blasted with a left hook that was followed by a barrage of punches that sent him back down to the canvas. Mayorga beat the count, but was visibly hurt as De La Hoya jumped on him with numerous unanswered punches on Mayorga while trapping him against the ropes. As Mayorga was about to collapse to the canvas for his third trip, referee Jay Nady had to jump in and rip De La Hoya off Mayorga to call a halt to the bout.
De La Hoya won the respect of Mayorga, who gave him accolades after the bout.
With the victory, De La Hoya captured the WBC 154 pound title, the ninth world title of his career in his sixth weight division. The plan now is for Oscar De La Hoya to face Floyd Mayweather, Jr., the recognized pound for pound fighter in the sport. The bout is rumored to take place in September, which will mark the final bout of De La Hoya's career. While most insiders felt the two would meet at 147 pounds, it appears more likely that the two men will met at an agreed upon weight between welterweight and junior middleweight.
The bout with Mayweather is not set in stone as De La Hoya's trainer, Floyd Mayweather Sr., said that he would do everything in his power to discourage De La Hoya from fighting his son.
The only two scenarios that would generate the most money for Oscar is if Winky Wright defeats Jermain Taylor in June or Fernando Vargas defeats his promotional partner Shane Mosley in July. The problem with making a fight with Vargas or Wright is meeting the target date in September. Whether or not Vargas or Wright win and want the fight with De La Hoya, it may be difficult for them to properly train in order to make the September date. The other problem is giving the promoters enough time to properly promote the pay-per-view, the last of De La Hoya's career.
"I will sit down with my trainer, Floyd Mayweather, with my wife, with my team and see what my next move will be," De La Hoya said.
On the undercard,
After suffering a first round knockdown, Kassim Ouma (24-2-1, 15KOs) got off the deck and boxed his way to a twelve round split decision over Marco Antonio Rubio (32-3-1, 29 KOs). The scores were 116-111 for Ouma, 117-110 for Ouma and a mind-boggling 114-113 for Rubio.
Joan Guzman (25-0, 17KOs) scored an easy ten round decision over Javier Jauregui (51-13-2, 35KOs). The scores were 100-90, 100-90 and 99-91, all for Guzman. Guzman was unable to make the 131 pound contracted weight for the fight, and was forced to pay Jauregui $6,000 dollars of his purse.
Undefeated Lightweight prospect Jorge Paez Jr. (9-0, 8KOs) scored a four round decision over Lowell Brownfield (7-1, 2KOs). The scores were 40-36, 39-37 and 40-36, all for Paez. The bout marked the first time Paez went the distance.
Undefeated former Olympian Rock Allen (7-0, 5KOs) won a six round decision over Juan Hernandez (2-2, 0KOs). The scores were 60-54 on all three cards, all for Allen.
Junior featherweight Jonathan Oquendo (9-0, 5KOs) scored a decision over Torrence Daniels (5-2-1, 2KOs) in an eight round contest. The scores were 78-74, 78-74 and 79-73, all for Oquendo.
Featherweight Saul Ochoa (4-2-1, 2KOs) upset undefeated prospect Aaron Garcia (7-1, 2 KOs) by way of third round TKO. Ochoa caught Garcia with a big punch in the third to put him down. Garcia was able to beat the count, but never fully recovered as he was eating enough punches to force a stoppage.