Oscar De La Hoya suffered defeats against two of the all-time greats, but labeled this incredible knockout as the worst moment of his boxing career.
At the end of his career, Oscar De La Hoya was beaten by both Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, knocking him into retirement with some brutal beatings.
Mayweather took his WBC Light Middleweight title in 2007, before an incredible defeat by Manny Pacquiao that saw “Golden Boy” quit on his stool, forcing him into retirement.
These two losses forced De La Hoya to reevaluate his career, but a loss to a two-weight world champion was something he viewed as the worst moment of his career.
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Oscar De La Hoya named Bernard Hopkins’ defeat the ‘worst moment’ of his boxing career
In 2004, De La Hoya was beaten by knockout by Bernard Hopkins, who hit a brutal liver shot to finish the Olympic gold medalist for the first time in his career.
De La Hoya took the loss badly, staying out of the ring for nearly two years before a 2006 return against Ricardo Mayorga.
In a 2009 press conference (H/T BoxingScene) where he announced his retirement from boxing, De La Hoya spoke to the press and was asked about his worst moment from his boxing career.
The former world champion admitted that the loss to Hopkins in 2004 was the worst feeling he had in his career. It took De La Hoya 20 months to return to the ring after the bout, and he admitted it was hard to get over.
He left out the losses to Mayweather and Pacquiao in that answer, despite the latter defeat driving him into retirement.
De La Hoya said: “Well, my worst moment was losing to Bernard Hopkins, getting knocked out by Bernard Hopkins. That was the worst.
“That was the worst feeling, and it was very difficult for me to get over. But that was the worst feeling I ever had in boxing.”
This admission was odd, as De La Hoya has admitted that Pacquiao beat him up so badly that he had to retire.
Oscar De La Hoya claimed Manny Pacquiao ‘beat the hell’ out of him and made him retire
While the Hopkins loss was devastating for De La Hoya, the beating he took did not compare to his final bout against Pacquiao.
De La Hoya quit on his stool against the Filipino, ending his career with a whimper against the younger, quicker, and more powerful fighter.
The loss forced De La Hoya to retire, as he told Larry King in an interview years later.
De La Hoya said: “It was very hard. It actually took a very tough beating to get me out of the sport. Manny Pacquiao.
“I mean, he beat the hell out of me, but I’m glad he did because it made me retire.
“I’m like a shell of myself, and Manny Pacquiao beats me, and he’s the next champion. It felt a little… I felt humiliated.
“Manny Pacquiao would be right in front of me. He would jab me 15 times, and then I would be ready to hit him, and he would be wide open, and I couldn’t pull the trigger.