Oscar De La Hoya shared the ring with a who’s who of boxing stars over the years but one stands out to him as the clear best.
De La Hoya competed professionally for over 15 years from 1992 to 2008, becoming a six-division world champion in the process.
During the mid to late 1990s he was regarded as the number one pound-for-pound fighter on the planet, claiming notable wins over fellow greats such as Julio Cesar Chavez, Pernell Whitaker and Hector Camacho.
‘The Golden Boy’ did suffer several defeats as his career entered the latter stages, losing against the likes of Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, Bernard Hopkins, Shane Mosley and Felix Trinidad, and it is one of those men that he feels is the best he ever faced.
Speaking to The Ring, De La Hoya explained why he classes Pacquiao as the number one fighter he went up against.
“I would have to say Pacquiao [is the best I faced]. I think his determination, his conditioning, his skill, his power, speed, footwork … he’s one of the fighters I most appreciated.
“Mayweather-Pacquiao would have been a lot different [if they’d fought] in their primes. Pacquiao would have beat [Mayweather] easy, absolutely.”
De La Hoya faced Pacquiao in his final bout in December 2008, and despite ‘The Golden Boy’ being seen as a pre-fight favourite due to the naturally bigger size he possessed, he was comprehensively beaten, as ‘PacMan’ claimed the eighth round retirement win.
That would arguably kickstart Pacquiao’s time as one of the biggest names in the sport, leading to the eight division world champion’s aforementioned clash with Mayweather, which ended in a unanimous decision loss against the American.
