Oscar De La Hoya was the “people’s champion” during his boxing days. De La Hoya earned a 39-6 record during his professional career which included victories over Julio Ceaser Chavez Sr. and Pernell Whitaker. De La Hoya was nicknamed “The Golden Boy” during his fighting days and he has been able to segway to a new career that has kept him in the boxing spotlight. In 2002 at the age of 29, De La Hoya began Golden Boy Promotions as he would begin to promote fights. De La Hoya now has some of the top pugilist in the world fighting under him which is highlighted by the current WBC and WBA Junior Middleweight Champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.
De La Hoya has a lot riding on the powerful right hand of Alvarez. Recently these two have been attached at the hip as you will not see one without the other as De La Hoya has been doing a good job of taking care of his meal ticket. In preparations for Alvarez’s last fight against former WBA Junior Middleweight Champion Austin Trout, Alvarez arrived in San Antonio, Texas for the fight on De La Hoya’s private jet while Trout was on a commercial flight.
Alvarez’s 42-0-1 record with 30 knockouts have now earned him a date with destiny as he will face WBC Welterweight Champion Floyd Mayweather on September 14.
This fight is what De La Hoya, Alvarez, and Mayweather all want. De La Hoya lost via a split decision to Mayweather in 2007 so he has now recruited someone that he hopes can accomplish what he couldn’t which is to knock off the current king of boxing. Alvarez is a rising star and a victory over Mayweather could solidify his status as boxing’s next great champion. At 36-years of age Mayweather is trying to remain the king of the mountain as a young lion in Alvarez is looking to knock him off. Alvarez will look to do what De La Hoya couldn’t do which is to defeat a top pugilist at the top of his game.
When De La Hoya defeated Chavez Sr. and Whitaker, both fighters were past their prime. Along with Mayweather, De La Hoya lost to Shane Mosely (twice), Felix Trinidad, Bernard Hopkins, and Manny Pacquiao.
Alvarez defeated a 40-year old Mosely in May 2012, but prior to his bout with Trout he had become snake bit by potential opponents. Former WBC Junior Middleweight Champion Paul Williams was scheduled to face Alvarez until a motorcycle accident left him paralyzed from the waist down. Former WBC Welterweight Champion Victor Ortiz was then scheduled to face Alvarez until he suffered a broken jaw in a bout against Josesito Lopez. The next man up for Alvarez was to be former WBA Junior Middleweight Champion Miguel Cotto, but he fell to Trout last December. Albeit a little controversial, but Alvarez passed the test this past April against Trout which now sets up this bout against Mayweather.
Alvarez will look to take the city of Las Vegas away from the grasp that Mayweather has on it. When Mayweather fights at the MGM Grand Las Vegas he brings out all of the celebrities from Justin Bieber to 300lbsofsportsknowledge.
During Alvarez’s last fight against Trout, De La Hoya began to take jabs at Mayweather talking about how he (Mayweather) looked a little slower in his fight with Cotto. Mayweather shrugged it off because he felt as if he wasn’t focused on the fight with a prison sentence looming over his head. Mayweather put to bed any doubt about his skills with a dominant victory over Robert Guerrero last month.
De La Hoya knows about star appeal as he has had it for quite some time and he is now trying to groom Alvarez. With plenty of potential the spotlight will certainly be on Alvarez to become the new glamour face of boxing.
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