DE LA HOYA SHINES WITH SURPRISE ANNOUNCEMENT
By Ed de la Vega, DDS
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 13 Apr 2011
Las Vegas, NV:- Golden Boy Promotions President Oscar de la Hoya was extremely ecstatic last Saturday at the post fight conference after the Maidana-Morales fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
It could be that he had some good measure of Tres Generaciones Tequila. But be that as it may, de la Hoya has plenty of reasons to be overjoyed.
For once he was proven right and he could not help it but rub it in.
Eric Morales? losing performance against the Argentinean slugger Marcos Maidana is certainly the very first reason.
Many, including his bitter rival Bob Arum criticized him for putting ?an aging Morales? against a very strong and a much younger foe in Maidana. Some expressed concerned about Morales? well being. ?He just doesn?t match up with the fast raising Maidana,? they said. ?He may get really hurt,? they added.
At the middle of round one, it appeared that de la Hoya?s critics were right on the button. Maidana hit Morales with a wicked upper-cut that immediately made his right eyelid swell.
Morales? eye damage got significantly worse as the fight progressed. There was nothing his cut man can do about it particularly after his poor efforts of ?pushing? the swelling with that ice cold-devised in an effort to perhaps spread it around the surrounding tissues. A poor technique to say the least.
But despite the obvious disadvantage of fighting with one eye severely closed, Morales showed a lot of that great Mexican machismo. With that, he took the fight to Maidana for 12 long and hard rounds and almost pull-off an upset. The fight was so close that it could have gone to his favor. In fact one judge called it even.
Morales? effort proved two significant things. First, he has plenty of gas in his old tank and Juan Manuel Marquez better watch out. Old man Eric may be coming after him.
Secondly, with his two great victories against Morales, Manny Pacquiao shows that he indeed is top of his class. But that story is for another day.
The other reason that gave de la Hoya so much to cheer about last Saturday was the performance of an unknown Japanese pug that was matched-up against a knock-out artist who never tasted defeat before.
Nobuhiro Ishida (23-6-2, 8KO) was brought in from Japan and was supposed to lose to James Kirkland (27-1-0). But the Japanese had other plans. He wanted to show the world that he is a fighter worth his salt.
And boy, did he prove it.
Ishida wasted no time and pummeled Kirkland around the ring from the get go and put him on the canvas three times for a TKO victory at 1:52 of round 1. Referee Joe Cortez has seen enough after the third KD and stopped the fight.
De la Hoya was so proud and happy about the Japanese pug that right there and there at the presscon, announced that all the profits from the PPV that night will be donated to the Japanese earthquake/tsunami victims in honor of Ishida.
De la Hoya?s announcement was indeed high-minded. And, it could not have come at a better time.
This writer salutes him for such a great gesture and hopefully many more boxing people will find it in their hearts to do the same.
Indeed de la Hoya shined that night.
Much like Morales and Ishida and the whole fight card!
What a night!
Top photo: Oscar de la Hoya (L) and Nobuhiro Ishida at the post fight press conference last Saturday in Las Vegas.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ed de la Vega, DDS.
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