This excerpt was taken from the conference call yesterday right after Dela Hoya's retirement announcement. The boxing media were given a chance to ask their questions to Oscar. I would advice to read the entire transcript, it's an interesting read.
http://www.15rounds.com/oscar-de-la-hoya-conference-call-transcript-041509/
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J. Michael Falgoust, USA Today: Hi there. Can you step back now that you’re when you look at your career and yourself, where do you put yourself if not in terms of history? I don’t know if you’re prepared to kind of compare yourself to guys, you know, like the Jimmy McLarnins and Jose Napoles but at least in terms of your era right now with the guys you came up with, Roy Jones was in this era, Evander Holyfield’s in this era, Mike Tyson is in your era: where would you put yourself? Can you give an honest assessment of where you think you would rank in terms of not only what you meant to the sport but where you would place yourself in terms of the big picture?
Oscar De La Hoya: Well I’ve honestly never thought about it, but I would have to say top ten.You know I have accomplished a couple things in my career. I mean I’m probably most proud of jumping up in different weight classes and fighting in six different weight classes. It’s not every day that you can see a fighter try to compete in those various weight classes.But I would have to say top ten because, you have a great fighter like let’s say for instance Roy Jones, Jr. who is very talented and accomplished so much but there’s accomplishment that I - that he can say, “Well Oscar never accomplished it.” But there are accomplishments that I did that he can’t say, “Well, you know, I accomplished what Oscar accomplished.”
So it’s - I ultimately have to say top ten, because we’ve had some great fighters in our era and I’ve just been very fortunate enough to be at least mentioned with these other top fighters.
Yes, I am definitely saying that. Tszyu was good; Oscar was better. My opinion. The best fighters Oscar beat were better than those Tszyu did and Oscar lost to better fighters as well.
Lopez was had three real potential opponents ahead of him all with HOF talent (Carbajal, Johnson, Arbachkov). He faced zero. He would probably rate ahead of DLH is an all-time sense because of the numbers he put up but I don't think his resume merits the respect he gets and I don't think he was really better than Oscar.
I'm a big fan of Kostya and Oscar but De La Hoya had the better career, no doubt. Shawn has a real hard-on for KT.
No on Tszyu? No on Ricardo Lopez? You are seriously going to try and argue that Oscar De La Hoya is better than Tszyu, yet alone Ricardo Lopez?
Please don't tell me you are going to exclude Tszyu on resume because you sure can't exclude him on skill.
Not only has Tszyu consistently fought world class opposition his whole career, his best wins are better than Oscars best wins, and don't try and tell me he actually beat Quartey or Whitaker, because we know damn well he didn't.
I think you will wake up in the morning and realize how stupid what you just wrote really is. I can accept that Quartey is arguable, but it is not possible for a rational human being to argue that Oscar is better than Kostya Tszyu or Ricardo Lopez.
I'm not even going to go into Ricardo Lopez, because that just speaks for itself. Ricardo Lopez, with the possible exception of Salvador Sanchez, is the best fighter to ever come out of Mexico, but yet you don't believe he is better than Oscar De La Hoya?
I respect you as a writer, you are good, your articles are some of the only ones I read, but what you just said is really really... please tell me you are drunk.
Yes, I am definitely saying that. Tszyu was good; Oscar was better. My opinion. The best fighters Oscar beat were better than those Tszyu did and Oscar lost to better fighters as well.
Lopez was had three real potential opponents ahead of him all with HOF talent (Carbajal, Johnson, Arbachkov). He faced zero. He would probably rate ahead of DLH is an all-time sense because of the numbers he put up but I don't think his resume merits the respect he gets and I don't think he was really better than Oscar.
Co-sign.....
People are emotional bitches and let their personal feelings interfere with rational thought.
I don't like Floy Mayweather Jr. but would be an idiot not to see the man is a great fighter.
Oh the Irony!
I am being real do you see me saying i though tito won? I said I had it 6 rounds a piece i though tito won 2 rounds in between 1-8 and they were close rounds. The one dlh won Other than the first and another round i though DLH won clearly and big. DLH dominated most rounds he won except like the 3 close ones and the last 4. I though dlh shoulda atleast fought back cause he was running and not throwing punches back. Anyways I though dlh and tito shoulda fought again at whatever weight they could agree on and both retire, and I also seen that fight so many times to be honest with you i cant see trinidad winning 7 rounds at all but judging the close rounds closely i saw him win 6. Anyways we all kno its a whole different fight when its up close judges dont get to see all the angles and punches that may have been blocked or not landed it may seem as if they did land.
Well I appreciate you are honest and like I said, I wouldn't have been mad at a draw.
When I talked to Oscar when he was down here in Miami last year for his book signing, he told me that the Tito fight was the one that haunted him more than any other. He said he tried everything to get that fight but that Tito's father was being unreasonable and wanted to fight at too high a weight and didn't even want an even split.
Sad because I think that's one fight that would have been one of Oscar's real last mega fights and we missed it.
he's probably right, let me do a list of top 10 fighters in the last 10 years excluding oscar
1. roy jones
2. manny pacquiao
3. bernard hopkins
4. floyd mayweather
5. joe calzaghe
6. lennox lewis
7. felix trinidad
8. marco antonio barrera
9. erik morales
10. shane mosley
we could put oscar in the top 5 of that easy enough
I scored the fight 6-6 I gave tito i think the 7th and the 2nd round. The Only reason the fight in my opinion looks like oscar won by alot is because in my opinion the rounds oscar won except the 1 and like one more round he won them big like they were clearly his rounds. The rounds tito won in my opinion were close rounds that i felt tito won by pressure and the landed shots. Then the last four rounds 9-10-11-12 I felt tito won them all in my opinion it should have been a draw I felt if oscar boxed one more round instead of running he woulda had the fight. Anyways like i said thats the reason it looked like oscar dominated because he won most of his rounds big !
Let's be real here for a second ok...
I know you love Tito, I can tell by your sig. The fact is, I have watched that fight at least 5 times and I can't see Tito winning more than 5 rounds, I can't.
I was in a room full of Puerto Ricans and they ALL said Oscar won that fight. Should he have not run the last 4 rounds? Yes, I agree 100% with you but there is no way you come in and take the title from the champion like that, no way.
Don King was Tito's promoter and had serious problems with Oscar and Top Rank, I think there was something to that.
Oscar won that fight but I would have been ok to have seen it called a draw. I agree, Oscar made a critical mistake in not standing and fighting with Tito in the end and I think he didn't do it because of fatigue. Because the first 8 rounds, Oscar was getting the better of the exchanges....easily.
Oscar was/is the much better pure boxer and he showed it that night. It was one that Oscar should have gotten but at the same time, Oscar got a gift in his decision over Sturm.
That's the way boxing goes sometimes.
Sorry but dlh lost to tito if he woulda fought for one or 2 more rounds he woulda beat tito but he decided to run and not fight
do you really believe that? Ive always liked Trinidad more than DLH, but DLH already had enough rounds to win the fight by the time he started running.
dont get me wrong, it wasnt like an ownage in the rounds that DLH won. he really only won his rounds by small margins, but they were still clearly his. and we have to judge a fight on round by round basis.
and even if DLH was only ahead by 1 round, it still should be a win for him.
oh, and for the record, I voted 'maybe' on this poll. Im not sure what I would call an 'era', and there have been some extremely accomplished fighters in the last 10-15 years.
Sorry but dlh lost to tito if he woulda fought for one or 2 more rounds he woulda beat tito but he decided to run and not fight
Keep repeating that to yourself and you will eventually believe it. I know everyone on that tiny island does.......
Those who voted NO don't know anything about boxing and has no respect on the sport..
Co-sign.....
People are emotional bitches and let their personal feelings interfere with rational thought.
I don't like Floy Mayweather Jr. but would be an idiot not to see the man is a great fighter.
def top ten. those who say otherwise- y'all musta forgot! oscar, since felix sturm, was not the same the oscar who was undefeated until he 'lost' to tito trinidad. still, completely shot, he managed to almost beat mayweather. oscar was a force!
what does he mean by era? generation? lets say 25 years. all you have to do is pick 10 fighters who are better qualified for that list, let me try:
1. Bernard Hopkins
2. Roy Jones
3. Lennox Lewis
4. Shane Mosley
5. Manny Pacquiao (Don't even say that DLH is better, Manny wins his big fights, DLH loses his big fights)
6. Mike Tyson
7. Joe Calzaghe
8. Either Klistokos
9. Evander Holyfield
10. James Toney
and many more...
Oscar wasn't such a incredible fighter. He was just good looking (no homo) for a fighter and won the medal thats why he was so popular, but he doesn't constitute a legendary fighter. People wanted to watch him because the ladies loved him and he had charisma, but he wasn't that great of a fighter.
This is why some of you aren't very bright and need to drop your emotions and call shit like it is. First off, Pacman isn't of Oscars era, he's in his prime right now where as Oscar was in his prime 8 years ago.
I also wouldn't put Calzaghe, Kiltchkos or JamesToney above Oscar if you do your blinded by the hate you have for Oscar or don't understand the level of accomplishments Oscar had in his carreer.
1. Jones
2. Hopkins
3. Lennox
4. Floyd
5. Holyfield .......
Maybe there is a top ten spot for Oscar, maybe not. He lost all his biggest fights so maybe not.
Jones above Hopkins? Serious? Hahaha, had to laugh at that one.
top 10...??? maybe
but he is #1 when it comes to the impact he has had on boxing in his era.
he is even over tyson.
but in terms of accomplishments and merit. He is not a lock for top ten.
He makes my list.
Heres my list of fighters since late 1980's-
1. Mike Tyson
2. Roy Jones Jnr
3. Floyd Mayweather jnr
4. Bernard Hopkins
5. Lennox Lewis
6. Evander Holyfield
7. Manny Pacman
8. ShaneMosley
9. Oscar DeLaHoya
10.
No he isn`t...
He had a great influence on boxing. His PPV numbers talk themselves. But he isn`t TOP or even TOP 20 of last couple of decades.
He had a great competition and his record is impressive... But he had lost MANY of very important fights, and in terms of class... Well IMO he just lacks that...
So, he is a great fighter and promoter of boxing, but not a great boxer/champ.
what does he mean by era? generation? lets say 25 years. all you have to do is pick 10 fighters who are better qualified for that list, let me try:
1. Bernard Hopkins
2. Roy Jones
3. Lennox Lewis
4. Shane Mosley
5. Manny Pacquiao (Don't even say that DLH is better, Manny wins his big fights, DLH loses his big fights)
6. Mike Tyson
7. Joe Calzaghe
8. Either Klistokos
9. Evander Holyfield
10. James Toney
and many more...
Oscar wasn't such a incredible fighter. He was just good looking (no homo) for a fighter and won the medal thats why he was so popular, but he doesn't constitute a legendary fighter. People wanted to watch him because the ladies loved him and he had charisma, but he wasn't that great of a fighter.
wow u got em!! damn you got them!!. also you can put floyd ahead of him and i dont even like floyd. he wasnt better than prince naseem in his prime either or riddick bowe
Let's say that "this era" is from the early-mid 90s to today.
Floyd Mayweather
Roy Jones
Bernard Hopkins
Joe Calzaghe
Lennox Lewis
Evander Holyfield
Juan Manuel Marquez
Manny Pacquiao
Erik Morales
Marco Antonio Barrera
Winky Wright
Shane Mosley
Tito Trinidad
Ricardo Lopez
That's 14 right there, and I believe Oscar deserves to be AT LEAST in the top 15, so I'm not mad at his statement. He was asked a question and gave his opinion without giving it much thought, and it's very subjective anyway, someone could say "he should be #8" and another person could say "13 is more like it"
P.S. - F*ck James Toney and Mike Tyson