Was De La Hoya Really That Skilled?

[KingHippo]

I'm not going to lie, I'm just a few years into this, but was De La Hoya really that skilled? I'm reading those Lopez comments about Garcia, and to me, he seems much better technically than De La Hoya (yes, I know about the jab) who looked very sloppy at times with square stances and wild ineffective flurries.

I feel like Garcia is so much more polished, educated, efficient, and has better mechanics. Is this nostalgia, or is there some Oscar magic in there I'm missing?

[Fat_asian]

You know what, he had the looks and story to sell. A Mexican American gold meddle olympiast with good looks. It's true he doesn't look like a boxer, but he really is one. Underneath the glitz and the glamour, beats the heart of an assassin.

Roy Jones told Hopkins " stay at 160, u will beat all the trinidads and the de la hoyas of the world." He was spot on right.

Oscar had some dubious fights ( some duds, some great) what he did to gatti was pretty cool. And his 3 weight classes 3 knockouts was pretty cool. He threw everything at castillejo except for the kitchen sink. I think he floored him in the twelvthe. He also had the benefit of fighting a post- Trinidad Vargas. I'd say talent wise, him and Mosley are split down the middle.

In the Floyd fight what was up with his "it wasn't the night of the jab" excuse. In his book he rrevealed that he was so frustrated during the Floyd fight that he was hoping money broke his hand against his hard head, and that was the game plan? Lol

He won some he lost some, didn't carve out the perfect career his handlers wanted but none the less a hall of famer and fought the best level of competition most of the time.

[davefromvancouv]

I'm not going to lie, I'm just a few years into this, but was De La Hoya really that skilled? I'm reading those Lopez comments about Garcia, and to me, he seems much better technically than De La Hoya (yes, I know about the jab) who looked very sloppy at times with square stances and wild ineffective flurries.

I feel like Garcia is so much more polished, educated, efficient, and has better mechanics. Is this nostalgia, or is there some Oscar magic in there I'm missing?

One of the best of his era. Please watch:

ODLH vs Ike Quartez
ODLH vs Felix Trinidad
ODLH vs Fernando Vargas

And my favorite:

ODLH vs Sugar Shane Mosley I

[_Rexy_]

Extremely talented, but had no business at middleweight.

was one of my favorite fighters in his prime.

[Roadblock]

You know what, he had the looks and story to sell. A Mexican American gold meddle olympiast with good looks. It's true he doesn't look like a boxer, but he really is one. Underneath the glitz and the glamour, beats the heart of an assassin.

Roy Jones told Hopkins " stay at 160, u will beat all the trinidads and the de la hoyas of the world." He was spot on right.

Oscar had some dubious fights ( some duds, some great) what he did to gatti was pretty cool. And his 3 weight classes 3 knockouts was pretty cool. He threw everything at castillejo except for the kitchen sink. I think he floored him in the twelvthe. He also had the benefit of fighting a post- Trinidad Vargas. I'd say talent wise, him and Mosley are split down the middle.

In the Floyd fight what was up with his "it wasn't the night of the jab" excuse. In his book he revealed that he was so frustrated during the Floyd fight that he was hoping money broke his hand against his hard head, and that was the game plan? Lol

He won some he lost some, didn't carve out the perfect career his handlers wanted but none the less a hall of famer and fought the best level of competition most of the time.

Oscar was for real, he was an aggressive boxer puncher that went nip and tuck with the very best of his era from 135 to 160..

Oscar is no easy fight for anybody in history his size, on his best night beating anyone his size in history would not surprise me either, elite level fighter.

[Luilun]

Skills I give Oscar a 6 what he had was size over 130 135 140 and 147 is about the weight his size should be at had good wins at 147 but 154 and 160 he was carefully matched. He was robbed though against Mosley 2 and Trinidad got a gift against Stern. I think in the Mayweather fight losing 3 of the last 4 rounds cost him the fight. In my opinion he should have retired after the Mayorga bout. Fighting Mayweather and Pacquaio cost him in rankings of all time greats he was embarrassed by smaller men

[Dip_Slide]

Olympic gold medalist, tremendous talent and skills, 10 time world champion, was never a slugger or a face first brawler. Hung in there, skillwise, with the best of them like Whitaker, Hopkins, Mosley and Mayweather. Totally outclasse Trinidad imo. Never outclassed except by Pacquiao because he was nothing but a corpse that night. No non skilled fighters accomplish any of that.

Ryan still has a very long way to go to be put in the same sentence. We still have to see him at the top level before we make any judgments about him.

[kidbazooka]

Yes Oscar was that skilled you don’t win a gold medal without being highly skilled.

Nuff said.

[Ca$ual Fan]

Skills I give Oscar a 6 what he had was size over 130 135 140 and 147 is about the weight his size should be at had good wins at 147 but 154 and 160 he was carefully matched. He was robbed though against Mosley 2 and Trinidad got a gift against Stern. I think in the Mayweather fight losing 3 of the last 4 rounds cost him the fight. In my opinion he should have retired after the Mayorga bout. Fighting Mayweather and Pacquaio cost him in rankings of all time greats he was embarrassed by smaller men

Would you give up 2 of the biggest paydays in your life just to save your reputation and a little portion of your legacy?

[White Mandela]

That mofo has some serious kitchen skills!