Countdown to De La Hoya Vs Margarito

By Moncayo Blackbull  File photos: Eric Van Dyke/InsideBoxing.com (Click on pictures for larger view)

(IB-August 17, 2008) - It has to happen… this is the only fight that makes sense (or Dollars in this case) for Oscar de la Hoya to choose as his farewell to the fistic ring against Antonio Margarito.

This is the match up the people want to see, this is the match up the Mexican fans want to see and this is the match up the Mexican Americans want to see. This contest will go beyond fight fans and will grasp the attention of universal sports fans all around the world.

With this fight, win lose or draw, De La Hoya will most certainly seal his place in boxing history as one of the all time greats. Leaving the fight game in the same manner as he started, taking all comers, never shying away from the competition would be golden to his legacy, this is the way De La Hoya should be remembered.

Presented in front of De La Hoya is the shot of a lifetime, the chance to go down in history as a great but only he can make the move and take the fight. Margarito has gone on record as wanting and accepting the challenge. I don’t believe the 70-30 revenue split would be an issue for Margarito as for he will be fighting for the pride of his country, therefore the only thing possibly stopping this contest from happening is De La Hoya himself.

Mexico Vs. USA

De La Hoya was successful in representing the USA in the Olympics and brought home the Gold as an amateur, now can he defeat a hungry Mexican warrior at the top of his game and represent the U.S. as a professional? I guess the question is not so much can he but will he?

The path to glory for De La Hoya and Margarito came from different angles, for De La Hoya the road was smoothly paved and driven in the luxury of a Mercedes Benz. For Margarito he had to settle for the dirt roads having to push start the Chevrolet Vega on many occasions.

Margarito’s first 10 fights were all in Tijuana, Mexico, losing two.  Margarito’s next couple of fights were in California where Margarito would split, winning one and losing the other. With three losses in his first dozen contests, the future certainly did not spell “World Champion”. Regrouping and putting things together, Margarito would go undefeated in his next 22 fights, defeating the likes of Danny Perez, David Kamau, Frankie Randall and Antonio Diaz.

The outlook for this Mexican fighter had changed, during this winning streak, Margarito would pick up the NABO crown followed with the WBO world title. Margarito would successfully defend his title against Danny Perez, Andrew Lewis, Maurice Brantley and Hercules Kyvelos before stepping up in weight to challenge Daniel Santos for the WBO light middleweight title. The contest against Santos was stopped in the tenth round due to a cut over the eye of Margarito caused by a head butt.  Margarito loses via technical decision.

Margarito dropped back down to welterweight and has never looked back, although he lost his title to Paul Williams in a close and controversial decision, Margarito has been the danger of the welterweights that all others shy away from. And with his victory over Miguel Cotto, Margarito may as well pin a sign on himself reading “Danger – Stay Away!”

De La Hoya’s path to success was a little more lucrative, winning the Gold medal in the 1992 Olympics put De La Hoya on a smooth path to success as a professional however, a smooth path does not necessarily mean an easy one.

Today when you see an undefeated fighter you see a protected fighter, a fighter that fights carefully selected opponents by their promoters. A protected fighter is nothing more than an investment to a promoter and the promoter will build the fighter until the time comes when the promoter can cash in and profit from the venture.

De La Hoya’s climb to the top was somewhat different in that the kid could fight. De La Hoya made it easy for Bob Arum, his promoter in that there was no need to “scout” for inferior competition. De La Hoya was the cream of the crop while he was working his way up the ranks of boxing.

In De La Hoya’s fifth fight as a professional he took on and defeated a 23-2-2 Jeff Mayweather, stopping Mayweather in the forth round. De La Hoya took all comers, not shying away from anyone, defeating fighters like Troy Dorsey, Jimmy Bredahl, Jorge Paez, Rafael Ruelas and Genaro Hernandez during his first three years as a professional.

De La Hoya’s natural talent in the ring would have surely taken him to the top regardless but being the only American to win Gold in the 1992 Olympics for boxing certainly made the hike a lucrative one. I’m sure De La Hoya was able to eat a Filet Mignon now and then.

Love him or hate him, De La Hoya has become a legend in the sport and wants to seal his place in boxing with one final contest.

De La Hoya has split his last six outings, winning three and losing three and in his mind I believe he just wants to leave the sport with a victory. De La Hoya can select an inferior opponent to end his career but why? Why now at this stage of his career, he took on the best throughout his career, took on all challenges, so why shy away from the fight the world wants to see?

A De La Hoya – Margarito contest has the potential to shatter box office records, gross more money than any of his previous fights and win lose or draw would place De La Hoya in an unreachable spot in the history of boxing.

Oscar de la Hoya Vs. Antonio Margarito… It has to happen

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