De La Hoya, among other short-comings, is just too nice a kid at LW. He'd be shocked by Duran's dirty tactics & general menace. He'd also be exposed as a lesser fighter, & this would be punctuated by Duran's superior experience. Duran in ten, IMO. De La Hoya may score an early knockdown (he was a huge puncher at the weight), but he'd only be competitive for stretches, not the entire fight.
Not a good road to go down for anyone calling themselves a Tyson fan. I mean, if anyone has underlying currents of repressed homosexuality...
Duran TKO 14. The first 8 rounds or so are even, Oscar may even be a point ahead, but his corner retire him at the end of the 13th as his face swells, his lips split, his ribs bruise, his inners bleed etc.
Like it or not, DLH is a very formidable challenge to anyone at lightweight history. He was quick, huge puncher, had great chin and reach. Considering that inside humping was not Oscar's best game, I'd make Duran the favorite, but De La Hoya would put up a helluva fight.
I'm not quite sure I'd go as far as your opening sentence. It's an awful steep division historically, & De La Hoya, for all his (considerable) talents, was pretty raw at this weight. I think he'd be outclassed by at least a few of the top dogs, maybe more. He was a beastly 135lber though, no question.
I wouldn't go so far as to argue that he had a great chin, especially at the lower weights. But I do agree that while I'd favor Duran, the LW version of Oscar is being sold very short here. Ramonza, two of your posts are confusing, if not contradicting. In your first post in the thread, you claim LW Oscar to be "too nice of a kid" yet later in the thread, you refer to him as a "beastly 135 lber." Which is it?
Physically beastly, psychologically too meek. Hi, Im Ramonza. I live in Hut*Hut's alternate sculpture of reality. Send help.
Perhaps... but I was disputing the claim that he had a great chin. I think it's fair to say, though that his punch resistance improved as he moved up in weight.
I mean I think he was a very big, strong LW, with a punch to match his speed & youthful zeal. Though inexperienced, he was certainly a bruiser --- but a bruiser within the rules. I think Duran's foul tactics would leave De La Hoya feeling a little bewildered, to be honest. I don't think he'd take it well. He wasn't the kind to hit low back, or foul in kind. Duran could use it to throw him from his game, IMO. It might be a factor.
Yeah, it really wasn't, Im just gibbering. I just caught myself in the act of answering a question on your behalf then the notion that 'Ramonza' existed as an alternative psyche inside my crazy head typing a plea for help before I regained the reigns and became Hut*Hut again tickled me for a moment. Help Im stuck in a toothpaste factory, send help! I'd just had a large black coffee, sorry.:scared:
Duran via TKO 13. Its competitive in spots because of De La Hoya's speed and height and reach advantages, but Duran would keep it at mid range or in the phonebooth where Oscar would not be able to fight the kind of fight he would to or need to so that he could win. By the 10th, De La Hoya as usual would start to tire and Duran could go to the body like no other.
I didn't say that. I said if he began fouling, it'd have flustered De La Hoya & contributed to his downfall. I didn't say, "Duran needs to foul to win this," or imply it anywhere.
Good? Maybe. But at these weights it was certainly no better than that. People were calling Oscar chinny right up until he starting taking welterweight shots for a reason....and thats because he wasn't taking many from the lightweights without going down or being shaken.
