Boxing | International Three greats in Hall of Fame 09 June 2014, 07:12 Oscar de la Hoya called for unity in the sport when he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame on Sunday. The now 41-year-old Mexican-American earned his place in the boxing shrine in Canastota, New York, during a professional career that included ten “world” titles in six weight divisions. He turned professional after a sparkling amateur career that included an Olympic gold medal. Today marks an incredible personal achievement, but it is only the latest milestone that never would have been possible without my family, my friends and, most of all, my fans, De la Hoya said at his induction ceremony. He went into the Hall as part of an All Star class that included Felix Trinidad of Puerto Rico and former undefeated super-middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe of Wales. Calzaghe, 42, finished a 15-year professional career with a record of 46-0, including 32 knockouts. He defended his title 21 times. In his final fights, at light-heavyweight, Calzaghe defeated Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones. Trinidad, 41, finished with a record of 42-3, with 35 knockouts. He win the IBF welterweight title in his 20th professional fight and made 15 successful title defences, winning 12 of them by knockout. Among his victims were De la Hoya and Pernell Whitaker. Trinidad won two “world” titles at light-middleweight and in 2001 moved up to claim the WBA middleweight crown. His only defeats were against Hopkins and in his last two fights, against Winky Wright and Jones. De la Hoyas last fight was in December 2008 when he lost to Manny Pacquiao. The Filipino stopped him in the eighth round. By the time he officially announced his retirement in 2009, De la Hoya had already launched his Golden Boy Promotions, which he has built into a top promotional firm. But in his role as a promoter De la Hoya has found himself at odds with rivals such as Bob Arum of Top Rank in a schism that has prevented some attractive bouts between fighters from the rival stables being made. De la Hoya has recently extended an olive branch to Arum, but has suffered turmoil within his own firm that resulted in the departure of longtime chief executive Richard Schaefer. The former champion touched on numerous topics during his speech, including the familial nature of boxing, his legendary matches with a cadre of superstars and the future of the sport. We must put aside the egos that have damaged our brand and sullied our reputation, De la Hoya said. We, the promoters, must stop carrying petty grudges that serve no purpose but to divide our sport. And most important, we must give the fans the fights that they want.
Posted on: Mon, 09 Jun 2014 05:31:13 +0000
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