Umm, Hey Guys—Did Oscar De La Hoya Just Retire?

While we were sifting through the annihilation of Oscar De La Hoya at the hands of Manny Pacquiao on Saturday night, we were thinking what everyone else was—is this the end of Oscar De La Hoya as a brand name in boxing? Sure, he’ll always have Golden Boy Productions, and he’s been more businessman than boxer since losing to “Sugar Shane” Mosley a few years back. But after being exposed as the antithesis of what he’s always been—fast—at the hands of Manny Pacqiuao, does that make him just not a draw anymore? We think we all know the answer to that, and reading this excerpt in Bill Dywre’s column in the LA Times lets us know that Oscar knows that.

After eight rounds of taking a barrage of punches from the stocky, supposedly undersized Pacquiao, De La Hoya walked across the ring to Pacquiao. But not to box. To congratulate Pacquiao on being the better man, the better fighter, the new No. 1 kid on the block.

De La Hoya then told Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, who had predicted all this, “You were right, Freddie. I don’t have it anymore.”

Sure, De La Hoya could find Jesus or lose all his money and come back, but something that bites as hard as that quote just isn’t something we can overlook. While saying that could be a gracious way of De La Hoya giving Roach his props, maybe it’s more an act of regret, of him coming to terms with many something his former trainer told him when they worked together for the Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight. Our feeling is that now that he’s returned to Puerto Rico, he’s going to come to the conclusion that we’ve come to—he’s done in the sport. But what the key indicator will be is whether he pursues a lawsuit to void the loss to Mosley because of his admitted EPO use before the fight. If he goes through with it, it could mean that it’s a way to improve his record without returning to the ring. If not, it could mean a part three is in the works. Because at this point, a lot of people would rather see him duke it in a classic battle that reminds them of the old Oscar, and not put his reputation on the line against a new foe that could blindside him the way Pacquiao did.
Earlier: The Golden Boy Versus The Power Packin’ Pinoy: Oscar De La Hoya Versus Manny Pacquiao Fight Liveblog!
Fix The Record: “Sugar” Shane Mosley Admits To Doping Before 2003 Oscar De La Hoya Fight
Manny Pacquiao leaves no doubt against Oscar De La Hoya [LA Times]
Oscar De La Hoya could sue to KO “Sugar” Shane Mosley’s ‘03 victory [Daily News]
Image [LA Times]