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For my part I think that reconsiderations of his legacy are not only premature but downright ignorant. In truth, Oscar is still a good fighter who has already left an impact on the world of boxing. Even with the knockout loss he will probably reside in the Boxing Hall of Fame with Hopkins, the Valhalla for boxing's greats. And I think he was right for seeking a mega-fight elsewhere following his second loss to Sugar Shane. In my opinion his only mistake was moving in the wrong direction.
De La Hoya could have broken that mold of moving up in weight class rather than down. To date, no fighter had really made noticeable waves in doing so, or even a ripple come to think of it. The closest recent examples I can think of is when Roy Jones lost his heavyweight padding to attempt a return at 175, or when Arturo Gatti returned to junior welterweight following his loss to De La Hoya himself. But he made it clear that the heavyweight game was a temporary one; no one has made a serious commitment to moving down more fame and fortune.
But it was at a much lighter weight class that De La Hoya had his wins and truly displayed dominance over his opponents. He usually had a substantial size advantage over his opponents, and knew how to maximize every inch. But much as Diego Corrales fights today, De La Hoya had the power uncharacteristic of a much leaner man, and could move around the ring as he chose. And although he won two belts at 154 pounds, it is arguable that he probably shouldn't even have moved there. His only major win at light middleweight was a win over Fernando Vargas; most boxing pundits agree that his power began to piddle out somewhere about the 147 pound area, and by then his height advantage began to matter less and less. He was home then in the ring, and as he moved to middleweight it became a glaring fact.
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Consider:
Welterweight - I'd hate to start this one off on a boring note, but such things happen when you discuss undisputed champ Cory Spinks. Oscar would have had enough of a height advantage to utilize it, and lest we forget he actually had punching power when he boxed in this division. Oscar could have landed enough punches to force Spinks to go on the offensive, a startling change for the defensive wizard. But I doubt very much that Oscar would have lost this one. He would have won a unanimous decision, and by taking the welterweight belts done the boxing world a service.
Junior Welterweight - Now this class has potential. Unlike the welterweight class, the juniors feature a fragmented championship with big name contenders and juicy match-ups. Kosta Tszyu and Shamba Mitchell are fighting it out by year's end for the IBF, but regardless of who wins there will still be four junior welterweight champions.
Either match-up between WBA champion Vivian Harris or WBO champ Miguel Cotto would have been crowd-pleasing, but not too profitable, for none of them have really amassed too many big-name wins, save a mistaken draw by Vivian Harris over Ivan Robinson. The winner of the IBF belt would have been far more profitable, for Kosta is more or less recognized as the dominant fighter in the division, and the winner would be bestowed with the coveted #1 ranked spot on the rankings.
But I'm of the mind that Arturo Gatti and his WBC belt would have made for the most exciting fight. De La Hoya defeated Gatti once before with way of TKO back in 2001, but at 140 pounds Gatti is far more suited for his weight class. Few doubt that the Gatti who lost to Oscar and the Gatti who KO'd Leonard Dorin are not are not the same person. The trilogy with Mickey Ward has transformed him into a contender an a crowd-pleaser; a rematch could have had the potential to be a Fight of the Year candidate and a defining moment the Oscar had a much greater chance of winning.
Floyd Mayweather is another fight that could have cropped up for him. I hesitate to say too much about this fight, as Mayweather’s former trainer—and father—is now on De La Hoya's payroll. But again, a fight that Oscar has a much better chance of winning.
Lightweight - An easy opportunity for De La Hoya. To date, the departure of Floyd Mayweather has left the division wide open, and only Diego Corrales stands in De La Hoya's way for sure.
It would be interesting, a match of like-minded men; both are of them same height, of the same power, and both know how to utilize both to their advantage. Neither one of them is too flat-footed either, and even if Oscar has lost this one it probably wouldn't have been by knockout, or even by embarrassing defeat. It would have been more along the lines of the Corrales-Casamayor super-fights, where the loser is no less discredited than the winner.
The rest would not stand in the way of either De La Hoya or Corrales unifying the titles. The Diazes - Juan and Julio—would most likely have fallen before him. No knock against them, but a lighter De La Hoya had the advantages they lack. WBC champ Juan Luis Castillo likewise.
Super-Featherweight - I'm sure the fight with WBA champion Yodsanan Nanthachai would have been interesting, and the fight with WBO champ Mike Anchondo certainly worth a gander. But if you ask me, the juice in this division lies not in the current champions but with the possibility of the featherweight ranks trickling their way into the 130-pound arena. Thus far, Erik Morales has made the move and now holds two belts that he'll be defending against Marco Antonio Barrera by year's end. A fight with either is now a possibility.
Manny Pacquiao has likewise made clear his intention to move up further after he takes care of the rest of the featherweight hopefuls. But a shot against De La Hoya could have been too tempting to wait. And despite a thoroughly disappointing performance on the Hopkins-De La Hoya under card a match-up with Juan Manuel Marquez at 130 could have been worthwhile as well.
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And there you have it, take it or leave it. Maybe my estimations were off; maybe he would have been stopped by Spinks or flattened by Floyd. What I do know is that De La Hoya is not a middleweight, a fact ignored by De La Hoya's trainers, managers, and even himself. And I will admit a certainly level of ignorance as to whether De La Hoya left his old weight classes for more glory or because he was having trouble maintaining them. Some of these opportunities may be impossibilities.
But I will not concede that in any one of these divisions he would have had opportunities he lacked against Hopkins, and in would the day have ended with a liver sizzling in anyone's sauce.
