De La Hoya Hears It From The Boobirds

[Golden Boy 360]

If I had a chance I would boo him too. Every loss he ever had was against a bum, and he fought no one.

Sarcasm at it’s finest!

you almost had me going for a second

[Jone2ts]

**** all that I don't even like De La Hoya but thats ****ed up he's a ****ing Icon who has fought in many tough fights and is now a promoter who puts on good bouts. Whatever the reason was he lost be it that he was weight drained or shot or just didnt have it that night whatever he deserves some respect for what he has done for boxing and that says alot coming from me cause i hate Oscars fighting style and still think he lost the sweet Pea fight...but at the end of the day he's a ring legend and desrves some respect.

[Da Hammer]

the reason DLH is being treated like this now is because everyone has finally seen what he became late in his career which is a money making whore. i honestly dont say it to hate on Oscar because honestly i have nothing against him. The only fights i ever rooted against him were the Chavez fights, against Pacman,, and i was split when he faced Vargas. I had no problem with him going after Pac but i think thats when a lot of people realized he was just in it purely for the money now. People normally dont care unless you make it obvious and thats what Oscar did. He would have gained a lot of respect if he had faced Antonio Margarito but he chose to go another route. and when he got his ass handed to him well it just made him look pathetic! People hate fakes and thats the impression that DLH gives off!

[Uncle Ruckus]

De La Hoya love him or hate him brought in millions of fans to the sport he even made women become interested in boxing, I was at the Diaz vs Marquez fight and there were hundreds of women fighting through the crowd to get a picture with Oscar.

[Weebler I]

the reason DLH is being treated like this now is because everyone has finally seen what he became late in his career which is a money making whore. i honestly dont say it to hate on Oscar because honestly i have nothing against him. The only fights i ever rooted against him were the Chavez fights, against Pacman,, and i was split when he faced Vargas. I had no problem with him going after Pac but i think thats when a lot of people realized he was just in it purely for the money now. People normally dont care unless you make it obvious and thats what Oscar did. He would have gained a lot of respect if he had faced Antonio Margarito but he chose to go another route. and when he got his ass handed to him well it just made him look pathetic! People hate fakes and thats the impression that DLH gives off!

yep, its the ruthless pursuit of money whilst putting on the nice guy act like anyone's is gonna be fooled.

[Low Blow Armo]

Good. That's what he gets for turning boxing into his own personal playground. You should've heard how they booed his ass at the last Affliction fight in Anaheim. It was great.

[Low Blow Armo]

De La Hoya love him or hate him brought in millions of fans to the sport he even made women become interested in boxing, I was at the Diaz vs Marquez fight and there were hundreds of women fighting through the crowd to get a picture with Oscar.

It gets over shadowed by the millions he turned away from boxing. The man has completely ****ted on the sport. Hopkins/DLH and DLH/Mayweather were the two most damaging things to happen to boxing of the last twenty years.

[Bhopreign]

De La Hoya Hears It From The Boobirds
By Raymond Markarian

During the HBO BAD event in San Jose this past weekend, I witnessed one of the strangest scenes in my 27 years of existence as a sports fan. Oscar De la Hoya was booed… and booed loudly.

De la Hoya was not only mocked when he walked into the ring to congratulate his fighter, James Kirkland, on a knockout victory. The Los Angeles native was ridiculed by the thousands in attendance each time his name was mentioned by the ring announcer.

At most boxing events, there is plenty of downtime in between bouts. So, instead of watching a mascot jump through a hula-hoop, boxing fans have a choice to run to the concession stand, or sit and stare at the ring announcer stand alone inside of the ring until the next fight begins.

In order to bring a rise out of the crowd, the ring announcer points out notable celebrities in the audience. On that night, men like Lennox Lewis, Harold Lederman, and local favorite Andre Ward were in attendance at The Tank in San Jose, Ca, and all received a warm applause.

When it was De la Hoya’s turn to be presented, the crowd was not pleasant.

As the elephant in the room was being introduced, jeering was immediate. De la Hoya left his seat and awkwardly walked towards the squared circle. When he slipped between the ropes, wearing a tight black leather jacket, and casual jeans, it felt like I was witnessing Barry Bonds rounding the bases at Dodger Stadium. The guy did not even leave the neutral corner. You would suspect a notable boxing celebrity to stand in the center of the ring in a tipping-of-a-cap-type of appearance.

But De la Hoya just walked between the ropes raised his hand halfway for a few seconds, heard the despising crowd jeer his name, and went back down the steps that entered the ring.

What a difference a decade makes. In 1999, Oscar De la Hoya was a media darling. The most popular fighter in boxing at the time was a crossover star, an aspiring musician, and his boxing career was booming, fresh off a comeback victory against the undefeated Ike Quartey.

But in 2009 the Golden Ticket is seen as damaged goods in the eyes of a portion of the boxing community.

It was difficult to determine whether the crowd in San Jose was upset about his last performance, an 8th round knockout loss to Manny Pacquiao or they finally saw through the past few years of Oscar De la Hoya’s fighting career and felt cheated.

Since that gut check against Quartey, De la Hoya’s record is 9-6. That is not exactly a resume of an elite fighter. But he was and still is probably the most popular figure in the sport today.

Should we blame him for losing against the pound for pound elite? Probably not… over the last ten years, De la Hoya has lost three times to the men that were at the time, considered to be the top P4P fighters in the world (Hopkins, Mayweather, and Pacquiao.)

And De la Hoya was the underdog in two of those fights. Against Pacquiao, De la Hoya got old overnight. In boxing this is common. Let me be frank, questioning a man’s commitment is borderline insulting. However, boxing fans have a right to be bitter about our favorite fighters especially when they pull a no show.

Hearing the disapproving crowd in San Jose must have struck a nerve for De la Hoya. He knows why they were upset. I believe that the fighter inside of De la Hoya wanted to please them. But the hunger to be a fighter is not there anymore.

The desire to fight may still be with De la Hoya, but the preparation it requires to become a fighter is no longer present.

James Kirkland, the man that knocked out Joel Julio last Saturday is a great example of a fighter that wants it. His seek and destroy style screams “watch me.” His commitment to become a champion is clearly evident. And his confidence seems unshakable.

Fight fans are aware De la Hoya had that same fire at one time, or else they would not be upset. The Oscar De la Hoya that charged out of the corner in the 12th round in an attempt to behead Ike Quartey was the last time the Golden Boy’s hunger matched his talent.

In my opinion, in order for boxers to make the big bucks, two things are needed to be successful: hunger and talent. Talent is what turns a contender into a world champion. But, when the hunger is gone, talent does not really matter.

Speak to an unknown fighter that desires glory and you will hear the right things. They want to be recognized. You won’t just hear them, you will feel them. Then watch them fight.

Studying a hungry fighter that has what it takes to be a champion is like witnessing a starved tiger racing to find a meal. Hungry fighters have ambition. They strive to succeed, to be famous, and to be regarded as the best. But when the lights turn on, and the cash comes in, sometimes things change.

Call it human nature at its finest form. Some of the greatest fighters in the current era have fallen victim to fame. I am sure Oscar De la Hoya’s decision to continue fighting would not be as difficult if he was having trouble paying his mortgage.

The 1994 version of Roy Jones that defeated James Toney was much more determined than the 2004 version that lost to Glen Johnson.

The image of a weeping Floyd Mayweather Jr. after his sound beating of Diego Corrales transcended his career. After the fight, there was little talk of “Money May,” Lamborghini cars, and most of his other pecuniary indulgences. Mayweather spoke about the next challenge.

And that is who hardcore boxing fans are searching for, hungry fighters that seek tougher competition.

Granted, De la Hoya, Jones, and Mayweather have been to the mountain top and they are sure fire Hall of Famers.

But at one time, they were like James Kirkland. At one time, they were hungry.

The old saying goes, with more money comes more problems. For fighters, the problem with becoming wealthy is more complicated than paying extra bills every month. Fighters that sleep in silk pajamas have more problems with training, more problems with ambition in the gym, and more problems keeping the ego right-sized.

So do not resent Oscar De la Hoya for quitting on his stool against Manny Pacquiao. Perhaps we should give him a pass for that showing him because he forgot what it is like to be a hungry boxer, a situation that all of us, given the opportunity, might too fall prey.

This is why you should fight for yourself and only yourself instead of trying to please couch potato chip eating fans.

[mrpain81]

People have hated DLH since he smashed up on old Chavez twice, the "running" "Body shot" and "statue" haven't helped his cause. Although he gets booed pretty bad I hear he was getting mobbed for pictures and autographs after the event.

[mrpain81]

It gets over shadowed by the millions he turned away from boxing. The man has completely ****ted on the sport. Hopkins/DLH and DLH/Mayweather were the two most damaging things to happen to boxing of the last twenty years.

Holyfield vs Tyson 2 and Holyfield vs Lewis I were much worst then those.