Manny Pacquiao’s victory over Oscar De La Hoya continues to be scrutinized by the man he sent into retirement.
The Filipino superstar battered De La Hoya into submission back in 2008, earning massive praise for stepping up in weight and facing a fighter outweighing him massively. But over the years, De La Hoya has kept adding new reasons for the loss, with the latest only adding further to the furor surrounding his final professional contest.
Speaking on the PBD Podcast, De La Hoya was asked about his tendency to stray from the sporting lifestyle later in his career.
“Ironically, I was so focused on my training and boxing [in the beginning]. All that [other stuff] came afterward when I started getting fame and money,” said De La Hoya. “I became a little reckless after all that fame. But I think it was after I retired from boxing. I believe I was thirty-eight years old.
“I started feeling empty in my last fight against Pacquiao. When I knew that my skill level was diminishing when I knew that I wasn’t the same fighter as when I started boxing. I was a hard worker. But I was the first to be in the gym and the last one out. I put my body and my mind basically through hell for all those years. I dedicated my life.”
De La Hoya added that the end of his career affected his family life, “I had people around me that were great for me that I would just shoot away because I was so focused. I lost a lot of friends and a lot of family because of the sport. But once I retired, I knew my body wasn’t the same anymore. My mind wasn’t the same anymore.
“Lowest Moment In Life” – @OscarDeLaHoya Hits ROCK BOTTOM: Boxer Shares Drug & Alcohol Struggles.@patrickbetdavid pic.twitter.com/6sm55EOP5F
— PBD Podcast (@PBDsPodcast) August 10, 2024
“I was so disciplined in my craft for so many years that when I realized that I couldn’t perform anymore in the ring, I started to convince myself that I wasn’t worthy of anything. It was a time in my life that was the lowest moment. A lot of things happened that I regret. But at the same time, I use everything that I have done and everything that has happened in my life as motivation.”
Pacquiao’s win over De La Hoya added to Floyd Mayweather’s defeat of ‘The Golden Boy’ a year earlier. That loss was a changing of the guard when it came to the sport’s top Pay Per View star.
Mayweather was number one until he took time out of the sport around 2010. Manny Pacquiao then became the pound-for-pound king with a victory over Antonio Margarito. However, when Mayweather returned, Pacquiao was forced to take a backseat until he eventually lost to his nemesis in 2015.
De La Hoya was far too long in the tooth when the younger, fresher pair came to the fore and took his throne.
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
