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End Of An Era: Pacquiao Demolishes De La Hoya

In professional prizefighting, its common to see high level fighters go from viable to geriatric before your eyes. Boxers, in particular, have a difficult time outrunning the ravages of age. Fighters seldom grow old gracefully, at least in the competitive sense. The exceptions--Archie Moore, George Foreman, James Toney--are few and far between. More often than not a professional prizefighter goes from being a legitimate contender to the brink of retirement in a matter of minutes. It can happen that suddenly, and most recently Mexican superstar Oscar De La Hoya was the latest victim. He looked utterly lost as a relentless Manny Pacquiao used his speed and workrate to completely frustrate De La Hoya en route to a 8th round TKO victory at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Ironically, much of the concern before the fight centered on Pacquiao and his ability to handle the naturally larger, stronger and more powerful Mexican warrior. These doomsday scenarios quickly dissipated as boxing's reigning 'pound for pound' king completely overwhelmed De La Hoya From the outset. He was able to hit his opponent at will, while De La Hoya was unable to find the elusive 'Pac Man' to return fire.

As the fight progressed, De La Hoya became less and less able to do anything except take a beating from the Filipino dervish across the ring. He managed to land a few body shots and a late round flurry in the 5th, but that was really his only effective offense of the fight and did nothing to delay the inevitable. Between the 7th and 8th round, trainer Nacho Berenstein told his fighter that he wasn't going to let him stay out there and take a beating if he wasn't throwing punches. After the 8th round, Berenstein pulled the plug and Oscar smartly didn't object to what was clearly the right decision.

De La Hoya displayed the class of a champion following the fight, as he deflected Larry Merchants pointed questions about his relatively low weight to keep the focus on Pacquaios masterful performance. He stopped short of retiring in the ring, but certainly sounded as if he were leaning in that direction as he observed:

"At this stage when you face someone like Pacquiao, it's going to be a hard fight. I worked hard and trained really hard to get ready for this fight, but it's a lot different story when you're training than when you are actually in the ring. I just felt flat, like I didn't have it. My heart still wants to fight, but when you physically don't respond, you have to be smart."

De La Hoyas post fight behavior should be required viewing for all aspiring prizefighters to learn how a champion carries himself with class, dignity and respect for the sport even in defeat.

The most poignant moment came as De La Hoya prepared to leave the ring to allow Pacquiao to enjoy his glory. As De La Hoya gave him a final congratulatory hug, Pacquiao assured him that "You're still my hero".

To which the incredibly classy De La Hoya responded: "No, now you're my hero.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on World Cup betting. His writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and sportsbook directory sites. He lives in Las Vegas with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

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The Legacy Of Mexican Boxing Great Carlos Palomino

The US mainstream sports media likes to proclaim certain athletes as good or bad 'role models', but they're almost single minded in their obsession with winning. Great NBA players like John Stockton, or NFL players like Dan Marino are criticized for never having won 'the big one'.

While frequently maligned by the mainstream sports media, the sport of boxing more than any other sport lives by the how you play the game mantra. Serious boxing fans talk more about great fights than in terms of who wins or loses. The greatness of fights like the Ward-Gatti trilogy, the Barrera-Morales trilogy, Hagler-Hearns, Hagler-Leonard and, most recently, the Morales-Pacquaio classic from March 2005 are almost exclusively about how the game was played. Most of these fights were very closely contested, but even in the event of a decisive victory like Hagler-Hearns much credit is given to the opponent for making the fight great. Perhaps the best case in point is the first fight between Manny Pacquaio and Juan Manuel Marquez, which was at or near the top of most serious boxing journalists fight of the year lists for 2004. Despite the fights wall to wall action, the official decision was a draw.

In that context, an undefeated record for a veteran fighter is almost a mark of derision. After a fighter has a dozen fights or so under his belt, an undefeated record is often construed as a reflection of a poor quality of opposition and not a sign of dominance. There are exceptions, of course: Floyd Mayweather, Jr. has a zero in the loss column and thats due to his ungodly skills as a prize fighter. Assuming that Mayweather doesn't stay in the game longer than he should, hes got a decent shot at retiring undefeated. Nevertheless, simply being undefeated wont earn him the mantle of greatness in the eyes of boxing historians. That has to be earned in the ring.

For a combination of accomplishment and championships, along with class and humility, few fighters can match welterweight great Carlos Palomino. A native of Sonora, Mexico, Palomino held the welterweight title for two years during the late'70's. While he was champion, he earned his college degree from Long Beach State University in California and in the process became the first reigning world champion to do so.

Palomino came to the United States when he was ten and, like many Mexican immigrants, started to train as a boxer during his teenage years. He displayed a good deal of skill at an early age, but delayed becoming a professional until after a 2 year stint in the Army where he was the All-Army Welterweight Champion. He also won the national AAU championship in'72 before turning pro later that year. He was brought along slowly and steadily despite a decision loss to Andy Price in'74. By the middle of the decade he had put himself into championship contention and finally won the title in June'76. Palomino scored a TKO victory over Englishman John Stracey in a very hostile environment (London, England) and became the WBC Welterweight Champion. He defended his title seven times over the next two years, before dropping the belt to a hall of fame level opponent in Wilfred Benitez in a split decision (January'79). He lost his next bout to another hall of fame fighter in Roberto Duran and decided to hang up his gloves. He made a short comeback in the late'90s, posting a 4-1 record before retiring for good.

After his boxing career ended, Palomino took on another challenge as an actor. He's worked steadily both in movies and television, appearing in shows like "Taxi" and "Hill Street Blues" along with countless action films. He's done a number of commercials, live theater work and has always devoted a lot of his time to charitable causes.

As a fighter, Palomino was much more technical and deliberate than the 'blood and guts' stereotype of a Mexican fighter. He had deceptive power, and a left hook that could end a fight, but would more often break his opponent down over the course of a fight with a punishing body attack and relentless pace. While he might not fit the mold established by men like Julio Cesar Chavez and Erik Morales, Palomino no doubt rates among them as one of the greatest fighters in the proud history of Mexican boxing legends.

Ross Everett is a freelance sports writer and respected authority on sports betting odds comparison. He writing has appeared on a variety of sports sites including sports news and betting odds portal sites. He lives in Southern Nevada with three Jack Russell Terriers and an emu. He is currently working on an autobiography of former energy secretary Donald Hodell.

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