Oscar De La Hoya may be best known to newer fans as a promoter, however, ‘Golden Boy’ had a very impressive fighting career.
Fighting up until 2008, De La Hoya ended his lengthy career after a fight with Manny Pacquiao. Capping off an impressive career, De La Hoya defeated the likes of Hector Camacho and Pernell Whittaker on his way to a 39-6 record.
Starting his career in 1992, a 19-year-old De La Hoya began his journey to becoming a six-division champion.
Just a year into his career, De La Hoya would be forced to face adversity in an action-packed first round.
Both Oscar De La Hoya and Narciso Romo were knocked down in their 1993 meeting
A 20-year-old De La Hoya would have his 11th professional fight in October 1993, as he had won every outing to that point.
‘Golden Boy’ was building momentum in his career when he was paired with Mexican fighter Narciso Romo (34-13-2) in Arizona. Eight years De La Hoya’s senior, Romo went into the bout in losing form, winning just one in his previous six.
In the opening minute of the round, it appeared as if form was not a factor in the fight. A sharp shot from Romo caught De La Hoya, sending him to the canvas.
It was the first time in the career of ‘Golden Boy’ that he had been knocked down, as he was seemingly stunned by the punch.
Despite his inexperience, De La Hoya was able to recover well from the blow. Staying composed, the American would land his own downing blow just seconds later.
Romo would also recover from the blow to continue the action. However, De La Hoya would sense a finish and pile on the pressure.
Seconds after the restart, De La Hoya’s approach on the front foot would pay off. Knocking Romo down again, De La Hoya would end the bout.
Unable to beat the count, Romo was declared the loser as De La Hoya’s blushes were spared from the early knockdown.
Oscar De La Hoya wasn’t stopped until his 40th professional fight
Although De La Hoya would be dropped by an unlikely fighter in Romo, the fighter would show durability throughout his career. The first time De La Hoya was stopped came in 2004.
When De La Hoya faced Bernard Hopkins in a middleweight unification bout, things would not go the way of the now-promoter.
A brutal body shot in the ninth round would see De La Hoya’s record fall to 37-4 against boxing’s oldest world champion, Hopkins.
The only other time De La Hoya would be stopped in his career would be in his final fight against Pacquiao.