BIG Oscar De La Hoya Interview

El_Chicano16y ago

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: OSCAR DE LA HOYA By G. Leon GL: As always Oscar, I'm honored by the interview request. Let's get right to it, who's decision was it to match Victor Ortiz against Maidana? ODLH: "Well look, obviously we had different options for Victor. We all wanted Victor to fight for a world title. He's more than ready and prepared to face the top guys. HBO approved Maidana and nobody else. "He fought Maidana and Victor basically said, he fought a stupid fight. I told Victor this is a guy he should have beat easy. He was just like a Mayorga. A guy who punches hard, is a strong fighter, but one who can be taken apart. Now he's kicking himself in the rear end knowing he should have done that. He let the bright lights and the big events get to him a little and he allowed Mr. Macho to get in the way. "He made a mistake. He's 22 year old and he made a mistake." GL: What's more concerning to boxing fans than the strategy or lack thereof he brough to the ring, is the way the fight concluding with him quitting and his post fight interview on HBO. How do you feel about that? Do you think he quit? ODLH: "Obviously Victor is a very smart and intelligent young fighter. When you're in the heat of the moment after the loss, you say things that come out in the heat of the battle. I spoke to Victor afterwards and he apologized for fighting the wrong fight and making the comments that he made, but it happens. It happens to most great athletes. Look what happened when I lost to Trinidad and Shane, sometimes you let your emotions get the best of you. One thing I know for sure is Victor will be back and he's hungrier than ever, that's for sure. I don't have any doubt in my mind that he's going to take a few days off and go right back to the gym." GL: Do you think it's fair to label him a quitter? Do you think he will rebound from this loss? ODLH: "He's definitely going to rebound from it, that's for sure. I know Victor and I was very at ease with myself after talking with him after the fight. The comments he made to me were made by someone who is very focused and determined to become a world champion. I wouldn't label him a quitter, not at all." GL: You said HBO approved Maidana and only Maidana. Do you think that's a problem? ODLH: "It goes to show you that us at Golden Boy Promotions, we are not going to baby our fighters. We could make him 100-0 if we wanted to and put him on small PPV shows and keep on fighting him and fool the crowd and fool Victor. We're not building records and looking to keep guys undefeated, we're making fights. We believe in Victor and HBO believes in Victor. We made the fight with Maidana, but we all felt comfortable that he was beatable if he stuck to his game plan and fought the right fight. Victor acknowledges that and he won't make the same mistake again." GL: Do you think HBO should trust promoters and matchmakers more than their fellow execs? ODLH: "They want tough, competitive fights and that's fine with us. We believe in our fighters and we believe in their abilities. Obviously other promoters don't. They'll do their small PPV shows to build their fighters up against no competition, but we're not going to do that. We're obviously going make even match-ups and that's what HBO is all about." GL: Earlier you touched on how easy it would be to make Victor 100-0 and fool the crowd. Now that we've seen the nature of which the fight ended, hypothetically speaking, had he closed the show in round three or four and the story became how lesser fighters were able to deck guys like Trinidad and yourself, but you were able to get up and find a way to win via stoppage and (with that HBO emphasis) SO WAS YOUNG ORTIZ. Would that have been fooling the public? ODLH: "What happened with Victor was, he was in with a very difficult fighter and he made the mistake of fighting the wrong fight. He got caught with big punches and cut with a devastating right hand. His eye got swollen and there's really no shame in losing to a fighter like Maidana. He's only 22 years old. He'll be able to bounce back and he told me he wants the rematch." GL: Immediately? ODLH: "We wouldn't do an immediate rematch. I think it's up to us to get him a couple of fights for him to gain his confidence back to put him in the rematch, but that's the fight that he wants. He knew that he fought the wrong fight. Maidana against anybody at 140 and he'll beat them." GL: Let's move on to a more positive discussion. I'm sure you're thrilled about being able to reschedule Mayweather-Marquez for Mexican Independence weekend. Tell us all about it. ODLH: "We're extremely excited. July was going to be a huge event and the rescheduling makes it that much bigger. All of Mexico is going to be behind Marquez and all of the world is going to be behind Mayweather. It's going to be the biggest event of the year and we're excited to be a part of it. It goes to show you how much of an impact we have with these big events. When there's a big event in boxing, Golden Boy is always right there.' GL: How much better PPV wise does Mayweather-Marquez do in September as compared to July? ODLH: "Just because of the month alone it's going to add a significant amount of PPV. Our corporate sponsors are ready to go to make sure the fight is marketed around the wrong. That's obviously an advantage we have because of the relationships we've established. History has shown that September, if you have big fight, people are going to watch and we feel September is going to be the biggest fight of the year by far." GL: Following his masterpiece over Margarito, Mosley has been unable to get any of the fights with the elites that he craves. Why do you think that is? ODLH: "I think it's obvious nobody wants to fight him. He's the man at 147 and he's the most dangerous fighter at 147. With Manny Pacquiao versus Miguel Cotto, I mean look, Top Rank obviously has their plans with Manny Pacquiao. Bruce Trampler and Bob Arum know what the outcome is going to be, I know what the outcome is going to be... GL: (cutting in) So what will the outcome be? ODLH: "Pacquiao is right now young and a guy that Top Rank is protecting and a guy they have big plans for. We all know that fight with Miguel Cotto wouldn't be as dangerous as a fight with Shane Mosley, so that's why they're doing it." GL: Do you think they'll ever want to make Pacquiao with Shane Mosley? ODLH: "I personally don't think so because he's too dangerous. They'll be derailing their cash cow. Top Rank has plans obviously and Pacquiao is on top of their list and their going to protect him as much as possible." GL: What can you tell us about some of the other events Golden Boy has cooking this summer? ODLH: "We're going to have a triple-header from Houston with Juan Diaz and Malignaggi in the main event. Robert Guerrero will be fighting for a world title on the show and we're going to have Danny Jacobs against somebody. HBO and us are working on approving opponents for him. We're going to have the place sold out in the Toyota Center in Houston and it's going to be a great night of boxing on HBO." GL: Can you tell us why you think Juan Manuel Marquez will beat Floyd Mayweather Jr? ODLH: "I just feel that styles make fights. I feel that Juan Manuel Marquez, the style, the guts, the speed and power he has. Obviously Mayweather has been off for two years and that has to effect your timing and confidence and a fighter like Marquez is not going to be a walk in the park. I have to take my hat off to Mayweather for choosing Marquez because he's a very dangerous fighter." GL: Can you tell us about your new series at the Nokia Theater featuring your young talent? ODLH: "Oh we're extremely excited. It was a huge success. Versus was extremely excited that they were able to watch competitve fun fights. And it goes to show you that we don't put on no boring one sided fights. We don't put any heavyweights we're trying to build to 50-0. My idea was to keep at 4-8 rounders for the fighters who never get TV time. It's worked for the fighters. It's worked for the sponsors and it's worked for live TV." GL: Guys like yourself, Mayweather, Jermain Taylor and Cotto were in real fights early, but against guys we've heard of who had seen better days or fought in lower weight classes. I look at you guys as investments that panned out. Making the winnable fights enabled you guys to become superstars. Don't you think that the network have been rushing the young fighters a bit? ODLH: "We could make handpicked fights all day, but I think the fight fans is tired of that. We want to build up our fighters and build towards the future, but at the same time we don't want to turn off the fans. We don't want to do Latin Fury 30 with good fighters against opponents who are going to take dives. We want to grow the fan base to ensure that boxing is alive forever." .....to be continued

Comments (20)

Cuauhtmoc1520

Name one young fighter that GB has signed from 0-0 and built into a world champion? You can't. I know more about promoting than you think and you are truly showing your lack of knowledge. Pushing yourself to HBO, Showtime or ESPN? PLEASE! You don't think Oscar made HBO commit all of these dates to him due to the fact he made them untold millions due to the Mayweather and Pac Man fights? You need to open your eyes. de la hoya is a promoter, hence he promotes... He doesn't get it. He gets emotional because he doesn't like DLH, it's what he's supposed to do....sell the fukin fights... As far as Golden Boy bringing up a champion, how long has Golden Boy been around? You do realize that DLH has gone into arguably the most corrupt business in sports dominated by two sharks (King and Arum) who have a monopoly in the game. Do you know anything about Don Kings life? His involvment with the mafia and the fact he was convicted of "manslaughter" once upon a time? These aren't pussy cats DLH is dealing with, what he's doing will take time but he's doing an incredible job very quickly. I have forgotten more about boxing than you know little kid....

16y ago

Beater_of_ass

getting his ass beat by an asian midget with a tache. Can't blame him bwahahaha!!!!!

16y ago

deanrw

When you listen to Oscar over the past few months, he almost always comes across as defensive and bitter.

16y ago

DC_Fight_Fan

Classy come back EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: LAMONT PETERSON By G. Leon GL: I imagine I owe the honor of this phone call to Oscar De La Hoya's recent interview, so let's get right to it. What would you like to say in response to the Golden Boy? "I would just like to first say that I'm not mad at him and I didn't get insulted by his comments. I want to know two things, why does he think that and why did my name come up in the conversation in the first place? If you're mad at somebody else about something they said, keep it with them. If I'm mad at you I'm not going to punch somebody else in the face, I'm going to punch you in the face. If his beef or problem is with somebody else, I wish he would just keep my name out of his mouth." GL: What did you think of Victor Ortiz's performance against Marcos Maidana and were you surprised Ortiz quit? Lamont Peterson: "I was very surprised that he quit. All of the fighters in my gym feel that going out on your back is better than laying down or quitting. I'm always going to fight until the final bell and if I get knocked out in the process, than that's what's going to happen. Fighters shouldn't quit, they should go out on their shield." GL: What's next for you? LP: "I'm supposed to get the winner of Timothy Bradley and Nate Campbell. But this is boxing and you know how it goes, anything can happen. But I'm definitely hoping that's how it turns out. Hopefully I can get the winner in November or December." GL: Do you plan on fighting again between now and then? LP: "I would like to, but if not, I'll be fine. I'm still training hard like if I was going to fight next week. It don't matter, I'll be ready." GL: Since you've signed with Top Rank you haven't been as busy as you were with Prize Fight. Does that concern you? LP: "Not really a concern. I like to fight on a monthly basis really, but I understand that it's tough now because each fight is strategical and meaningful to get me on the top of the division. I want to fight for the title and once I'm champion the pace will pick up again so I'm not too worried about that right now." GL: If you were to fight the winner of Bradley-Campbell next, would the seven or eight months off between fights concern you at all? LP: "It's all mental. I'd make sure that mentally, I don't let that get to me. Boxing is boxing and I do this everyday. I'm in the gym every day practicing my craft, so it's not going to hurt." GL: Can you tell us why the winner of Bradley-Campbell woudln't be too much too soon? LP: "Because I've been working to get to this point and eventually I have to fight these guys. It's not like I've never been in the ring with a guy on their level. It might be sparring or an amatuer fight, but it's still all the same. If it's a title fight it's different, but I have to stay focused on fighting the man that's in front of me, then I'll have nothing to worry about." GL: Who do you like in the August 1st Showtime fights? LP: "I really don't have no predictions, but I'm kind of rooting for the young guys. I know they'll be around with me, so the more they build their names up and I build my name up, the bigger fights can be later on." GL: Closing thoughts? LP: "Look out for me this year. I would like to just say, there's a reason why people in boxing aren't mentioning my name, I'm just wishing that it stays like that. I want to thank all of my fans, especially in Memphis and Mississippi, keep on supporting me and I'm going to become champ. I won't let you down."

16y ago

johnle43

If you think Cotto is a better pure boxer than Mosley, your an idiot. im an idiot too...i think cotto is a better pure boxer than mosley...now when it comes to a slugfest i'd choose mosley. he can brawl and is p4p one of the strongest in the sport imo.

16y ago

El_Chicano

I am a Cotto fan but i think mosley in his prime was better than Cotto,Cotto beat mosley but Mosley is getting old.Cotto is better now cause he is younger but to say that he is better boxer is an overstatement good post; I also agree, a prime Shane (first Oscar fight) would whoop on Cotto.

16y ago

ericsantos

16y ago

DC_Fight_Fan

Amatuer is amateur, it isn't the pros. Maidana has been in with better opposition and it shows in his experience. Promoting IS what Golden Boy does, you think promoting fights is just getting the fighters together? LOL, it's signing fighters to your stable, it's pushing yourself to someone like HBO, Showtime or ESPN. It's doing a million other things in the background that you obviously don't know shit about. I laugh at youngsters like you that think you know what Oscar is doing, I think the guy has done pretty good on his own. Goldne Boy is the future of boxing and that's a good thing because instead of seeing Victor Ortiz demolish someone we have no interest in, they actually are testing the kid. Isn't that what people want? Competative fights? And now we are complaining about that to?....man Name one young fighter that GB has signed from 0-0 and built into a world champion? You can't. I know more about promoting than you think and you are truly showing your lack of knowledge. Pushing yourself to HBO, Showtime or ESPN? PLEASE! You don't think Oscar made HBO commit all of these dates to him due to the fact he made them untold millions due to the Mayweather and Pac Man fights? You need to open your eyes.

16y ago

mikeyh1015

If you think Cotto is a better pure boxer than Mosley, your an idiot. Cotto is a better pure boxer than mosely stupid he out boxed him. Molseys will kept him in the fight.

16y ago

PittyPat

all of the world is going to be behind Mayweather. Really...? http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/7573/raisingeyebrow6.gif

16y ago

Sox8055

Ortiz did fight a stupid gameplan, BUT it doesnt change the fact that his chin and heart was exposed when he gets hurt...or bullied himself.

16y ago

Cuauhtmoc1520

You don't know boxing if 1. You think Maidana is more experienced than Peterson! Take a look at Peterson's amateur pedigree. 2. You think Oscar can spell "PROMOTE". Oscar has never promted a fight or a fighter in his life. HBO does that for him. Amatuer is amateur, it isn't the pros. Maidana has been in with better opposition and it shows in his experience. Promoting IS what Golden Boy does, you think promoting fights is just getting the fighters together? LOL, it's signing fighters to your stable, it's pushing yourself to someone like HBO, Showtime or ESPN. It's doing a million other things in the background that you obviously don't know shit about. I laugh at youngsters like you that think you know what Oscar is doing, I think the guy has done pretty good on his own. Goldne Boy is the future of boxing and that's a good thing because instead of seeing Victor Ortiz demolish someone we have no interest in, they actually are testing the kid. Isn't that what people want? Competative fights? And now we are complaining about that to?....man

16y ago

DC_Fight_Fan

You are crying like a bitch and don't understand PROMOTION of fights. Relax, take a deep breath....... First off, Mosley is a much more dificult fight for Manny than Cotto. Anyone who understands boxing knows this. This doesn't mean Cotto isn't a good fighter, its just the style match ups that they each pose to Manny. Mosley is faster and a better boxer than Cotto. I know you don't want to admit that because everytime you see Cotto's tattoo running down the side of his ass you get wet between your legs. They are two different fighters with two different style but don't you think a boxer like Mosley would be slightly more difficult than Cotto who is going to stand more in front of you? Common fukin sense..... As far as Peterson, I think Ortiz does destroy Peterson because Maidan is much more experienced and that counts or a lot. He's a seasoned fighter with many rounds under him, Peterson is still just a prospect at this point. I think you need to understand what a promoter does, he PROMOTES fights. What do you want the guy to say? "NO don't tune in because the fight is going to suck, Golden Boy has nothing to offer and we don't know anything about boxing".........hahaha Learn soemthing..... You don't know boxing if 1. You think Maidana is more experienced than Peterson! Take a look at Peterson's amateur pedigree. 2. You think Oscar can spell "PROMOTE". Oscar has never promted a fight or a fighter in his life. HBO does that for him.

16y ago

pugil1st

It's amazing how many people on this forum don't really know boxing. For someone to say that Peterson would have been KO'd in the 1st is insane. One thing about Ortiz is he is slow as hell... even against a puncher. Peterson would have beat him to the punch every time because his hands are quicker. I'm not saying that Peterson would have won because he does take more punches than he should especially when he puts his hand up to his head, but I think it would have gone the distance. And now we know that Ortiz is a quitter, that would be the last thing on the mind of a hungry fighter like Peterson.

16y ago

Piper_the_Great

million dollar questions for the brass boy. ytf didnt shane get the fight with the cult leader? are u trying to milk the return of the cult leader by given him an easy fight with one of ur top but way out his wieght class fighters? did u make floyd sign a contract saying he has to fight shane next if he wins? im just curious

16y ago

swizz

This is about the only thing I agree with in this interview. But it isn't like Top Rank doesn't put his fighters in there with nothing but bums, a look at Cotto's career and hell even Paq's career prove that wrong. I wanted to comment on Mosley as a boxer vs Cotto, first watch the mosley/cotto fight and the interviews after, Mosley admits that while Cotto is more of a fighter he mixes it up with boxing and its tricky to work with. Second, Cotto beat Mosley boxing, at least in the later rounds, Cotto had Mosley come in and try to do some damage and that's when Mosley got caught, coming forward. Mosley is at his best when his opponent comes to him and then he can exchange with them, whereas Cotto does better when he is going at his opponent. So who is the better boxer? Who really gives a shit, neither man is really a true boxer, neither use the jab to keep their opponent at bay, neither man has Mayweather/Clottey like defense or countering ability. Mosley is a combo of speed and power, where Cotto is a balanced fighter with more power vs his defensive ability. If I HAD to pick though I'd go with Cotto just because his jab is one of the best in the sport, though he doesn't use it in the "traditional" way it just sets stuff up for his attacking style. great post

16y ago

Cuauhtmoc1520

No, Margarito is not a better boxer than him like Castillo was not a better fighter than Mayweather. They used pressure and non stop agression to nullify their opponent's superior skills and speed. Cotto is the inferior fighter compared to Mosley when we talk about athleticism, speed, power and physical strenght. You agree with that, so how the hell Cotto did beat a superior puncher/fighter if it's not with boxing skills. Watch the fight again and you will see. I don't care how good he was as an amateur but you still didn't answer to my arguments about Cotto being a more versatile fighter than Mosley. Defense, jab, body punching, footwork, fighting backwards are all the areas where Cotto dominates Mosley. So he is the superior boxer. Period. On the other hand, you may be right on the promoting thing with De La Hoya. you made my point.......That's why Cotto beating Mosley doesn't prove he's a better pure boxer, it just proves he's a better fighter at this stage of his career against a 36 year old Mosley. Which by the way was EXTREMELY close. A prime Mosley boxes Cotto's ears off and that's the truth.....ruth. Look, I'm not taking anything away from Cotto, he's a very good fighter. It's just that if you think he's a better pure boxer than Mosley, you are mistaken. For a 37 year old past his prime fighter, Mosley is a beast. IMO he's a HOFer, his resume is sick and beating Marg the way he did was something nobody expected.

16y ago

brently1979

lol at the idiots who think mosley can box at a high level anymore.....he hasnt been able to box for shit since he fell in love with his power after the KO streak at welter after the oscar fight....he is basically a speedy mid range brawler.....theres a reason they call him black mexican......cotto out boxed him.......and im a shane nuthugger....but seriously, wtf....some fans dont even know what the **** theyre watching..... I couldn't agree with you more sir.

16y ago

Hyperion

16y ago

Beater_of_ass

Oscar is right about lots of things on his interview. At least in my opinion. I rather watch Juan Diaz vs Magic Man on HBO than a fighter like Gamboa or JML or Chavez on a PPV card fighting bums. This is about the only thing I agree with in this interview. But it isn't like Top Rank doesn't put his fighters in there with nothing but bums, a look at Cotto's career and hell even Paq's career prove that wrong. I wanted to comment on Mosley as a boxer vs Cotto, first watch the mosley/cotto fight and the interviews after, Mosley admits that while Cotto is more of a fighter he mixes it up with boxing and its tricky to work with. Second, Cotto beat Mosley boxing, at least in the later rounds, Cotto had Mosley come in and try to do some damage and that's when Mosley got caught, coming forward. Mosley is at his best when his opponent comes to him and then he can exchange with them, whereas Cotto does better when he is going at his opponent. So who is the better boxer? Who really gives a shit, neither man is really a true boxer, neither use the jab to keep their opponent at bay, neither man has Mayweather/Clottey like defense or countering ability. Mosley is a combo of speed and power, where Cotto is a balanced fighter with more power vs his defensive ability. If I HAD to pick though I'd go with Cotto just because his jab is one of the best in the sport, though he doesn't use it in the "traditional" way it just sets stuff up for his attacking style.

16y ago