Oscar De La Hoya is one of the most prolific names in boxing, from his time as a champion to a notable promoter.
Few men have accomplished what ‘Golden Boy’ has. Among his many achievements, De La Hoya is the fastest man to ever claim world titles in six weight classes.
As well as this, he has beaten the likes of Julio Cesar Chavez, one of the greatest Mexican boxers of all time, and shared the ring with Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.
Over the course of his career, there are plenty of notable outings from De La Hoya. This means that fans of ‘Golden Boy’ may have a tough time picking a favorite performance of his.
However, in 1997, he was able to beat a dominant champion who was considered the pound-for-pound best in the sport.
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Oscar De La Hoya dethroned Pernell Whitaker in 1997
Defeating Chavez in 1996, De La Hoya claimed the WBC World Super Lightweight title. After defending the title once, the Mexican-American set his eyes on another division.
He would move to the welterweight division in 1997, taking on Pernell Whitaker on April 12th. The champion was the holder of the WBC World Welterweight title, with a professional record of 40-1-1.
Whitaker had not tasted defeat in nine years and was considered to be the pound-for-pound best boxer on the planet. However, De La Hoya was also in the prime of his career.
Meeting in Las Vegas, De La Hoya would have an incredible performance against the champion. Landing more significant and damaging shots than his opponent, ‘Golden Boy’ was given the victory by the judges.
The bout was scored 116-110, 116-110, and 115-111 for the challenger, who became a four-division world champion. The welterweight title would mean De La Hoya had now been a champion from 130lbs to 147lbs.
Oscar De La Hoya would go on to capture world titles at super welterweight and middleweight
Following his win over Whitaker, De La Hoya would defend his WBC World Welterweight title seven times. Eventually, he would drop the title in his first loss to Felix Trinidad in 1999.
However, losing his welterweight title would not stop De La Hoya from pursuing gold in more weight classes.
In 2001, De La Hoya would challenge Javier Catillejo for the WBC World Super Welterweight belt. Winning by unanimous decision, De La Hoya would become a five-division world champion.
Three years later, De La Hoya would add a sixth and final division’s belt to his incredible resume.
Fighting and defeating Felix Sturm in 2004, De La Hoya claimed the WBO World Middleweight title. The win would make De La Hoya a six-division champion, aged 31.
However, he would drop the belt in his next fight as De La Hoya was stopped by Bernard Hopkins.