The Oscar DeLaHoya Page
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News & Notes
LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- Oscar De La Hoya awoke five weeks ago,
startled by a realization: he was no longer the fighter that he was.
"It just hit me; what am I doing boxing?" he said. "I'm not a boxer. I'm a
fighter. What am I doing boxing guys like Pernell Whitaker and Ike
Quartey?"
So, De La Hoya, undefeated in 30 fights, will unveil what he calls "his
new old style" against Oba Carr (48-2-1) at the inaugural boxing show at
the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on Saturday night.
"Enough with all that boxing stuff," De La Hoya said. "Let's just take care
of the job and just fight. Let our fists do the talking. Whoever is left
standing is the winner. I'm finally happy with my boxing. I'm going to be a
real fighter. Not this up-on-the-toes boxing stuff. Still a smart fighter, but
I'm going to be a real fighter."
De La Hoya, 26, the World Boxing Council welterweight champion, has
the ability to both box and slug. So, his decision to go back to being a
banger is one that most likely will satisfy his ego.
Robert Alcazar, De La Hoya's longtime trainer, said he supports De La
Hoya's more aggressive offensive approach.
"He hasn't been happy with his boxing for the last three years," Alcazar
said. "He had so many different people around him telling him to do one
thing this way or that way. I felt like I had built up a wall and I kept trying
to knock it down. Finally, three weeks ago, he just exploded."
De La Hoya said that he began taking it out on his sparring partners. De
La Hoya has gone through a few trainers in the last four years, including
Jesus Rivera and Emanuel Steward. It was Steward who had advised De
La Hoya to become more aggressive and look for knockouts. Alcazar
said he agreed with Steward's approach, but De La Hoya and his father,
Joel Sr., fired Steward because Steward did not want De La Hoya
sparring too many rounds.
In the first three years of his career, fighting as a lightweight, De La Hoya
knocked out 18 of his 20 opponents. As a welterweight he has knocked
out four of his seven opponents, but only David Kamau and Julio César
Chávez in a spectacular way. Alcazar said that De La Hoya had not
looked like a banger since he fought Rafael Ruelas on May 6, 1995.
Since then, De La Hoya has felt like he was slipping as a feared fighter.
Even his sparring partners were taking advantage of him.
"I was having sparring partners for a while making me go backwards,"
De La Hoya said. "That had never happened to me in four or five years. I
was losing total respect, the respect that I had four years ago. I'm going
to make sure that it's back after this fight. My opponents are going to feel
that stiff jab against and that hard left to the body."
Carr, a veteran whose only losses have been to Quartey and Felix
Trinidad, will not allow De La Hoya to have his way. And De La Hoya
does not expect him to.
"He's a veteran fighter with a lot of experience. I have to place that fight
right up there, because every opponent I have turns it up and becomes a
different opponent," De La Hoya said. "They want to be the first to hurt
Oscar."
De La Hoya believes that his new approach is going to be a boon to his
already skyrocketing career.
"You'll see a big difference in my boxing career," De La Hoya said. "I'm
finally happy with everything inside the ring, because I'm doing what I
want to do."
Merchandise
- 92 U.S. Olympicards ROOKIE
- 92 Classic World Class Athletes(ROOKIE)
Fight Reviews
Wow, did anyone else think that the Quartey fight was the best fight of Oscar's career? I wasn't sure when it was over what the scoring would be. I said when Oscar signed this fight that he was nuts!
Oscar, do not sign a rematch! Maybe in a few years but not now. Quartey is one of the top 5 fighters in the game right now(so is Oscar!).
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