Monday, December 8, 2008

Oscar de la Hoya pounded at MGM Grand Saturday night

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=3751751&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab4pos1

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/columns/story?columnist=rafael_dan&id=3751226


I saw the final two rounds, the seventh and eighth, which were unusually brutal. But from the two articles I linked above, it sounds like poor Oscar, age 35, was never in the fight to begin with. This prompts the question: what the hell was he doing in the ring? He is a multimillionaire. He has a family and a successful promoting company, Golden Boy Productions. Does he need to risk his health, his reputation, his record, and his good looks for more fame and fortune?

No, he doesn’t. But imagine, if you will, how then-Sen. Barack Obama felt when he walked to the podium at Invesco Field in Denver Aug. 28 to the cheers of 80,000 people. Imagine how he felt as he walked to the podium in Grant Park Nov. 4 to the cheers of more than a million people. Imagine how Oscar felt when he walked or jogged to the ring in the Grand Garden Arena to the cheers of 15,000 people. Intoxicating, I’m sure. Better than….? I don’t know. But I’m sure it makes the prospect of retirement all the more difficult.

Congratulations to Manny Pacquaio, the new best pound-for-pound fighter in the world! I look forward to watching him beat Briton Ricky Hatton in April or May, in Las Vegas, I hope.

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