- 6 months ago
Oscar De La Hoya makes the first defense of the WBC Super Lightweight title against Miguel Angel Gonzlaez in the main event of TVKO HBO PPV
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00:00:00Well, I've been around, that's for sure. I've been in boxing 29 years.
00:00:05He's clashed with seven former or current champions, and he's smoked them all.
00:00:11Similar to a popular commercial, Oscar De La Hoya makes money the old-fashioned way.
00:00:16He earns it. Thus far in his brief four-year professional career,
00:00:21Oscar De La Hoya has earned every accolade that has been bestowed upon him.
00:00:25Not just because of the perfect record and 20 knockouts he scored in his 22-pro vows,
00:00:31but for the level of competition Oscar De La Hoya has faced and destroyed.
00:00:36In all, seven former or present champions have succumbed to the punishment of Oscar De La Hoya.
00:00:44Troy Dorsey, a one-time featherweight champion, couldn't survive the first round.
00:00:48Here we see the talent of Oscar De La Hoya, and already Dorsey is busted up.
00:00:55Jorge Paez, also a former featherweight title holder, managed to last only one more round than Dorsey.
00:01:12John John Molina, once a junior lightweight champion, is the only De La Hoya opponent to go 12 rounds.
00:01:18Yet the outcome would still be the same.
00:01:21The winner, and still champion, the golden ball, Oscar De La Hoya!
00:01:34Rafael Ruelas, a lightweight champion, was to have been De La Hoya's biggest test to date.
00:01:40One punch pretty much told the story in this highly anticipated matchup.
00:01:44There he goes!
00:01:46Great left foot!
00:01:48Undefeated Gennaro Hernandez, a junior lightweight title holder, represented the bragging rights for East L.A.
00:01:55Hernandez, though, had little to brag about after his nose had been broken in 22 places.
00:02:01Oscar De La Hoya with about 10 stops in a row!
00:02:03The next victim would be former Super Featherweight Champion Jesse James Leija, who would suffer the first knockout in his seven-year career.
00:02:12There goes Leija off a left hook inside!
00:02:15And then, the opponent everyone had been waiting for, the 100th fight of Julio Cesar Chavez, holder of six titles and three weight platters.
00:02:26In the first round, De La Hoya opened a deep gash over Chavez's left eye.
00:02:30And Chavez is already starting to flow above the left eye!
00:02:35Three rounds later, Chavez would be stopped for the first time in his 16-year career.
00:02:40And De La Hoya would finally receive the recognition that he long deserved.
00:02:50And so, tonight, Oscar De La Hoya must once again make his money the old-fashioned way,
00:02:56as he faces lightweight champion Miguel Angel Gonzalez, sporting a record of 41-0 with 31 knockouts.
00:03:02Gonzalez has no interest in being the eighth member of De La Hoya's infamous and ever-growing list of defeated champions.
00:03:10is the watts.
00:03:11and the
00:03:26so
00:03:30has
00:03:34the
00:03:36seven months ago in this very city oscar de la hoya came of age when he soundly defeated mexican's
00:03:47legendary julio cesar chavez tonight de la hoya faces a man who now claims that he is the best
00:03:55fighter in mexico miguel angel gonzalez for the super lightweight championship of the world
00:04:00for pride and country is being brought to you by beatwood age budweiser it's always been true
00:04:07this bud's for you by at&t your true choice
00:04:15it's saturday night in las vegas a city running at full throttle right now as you can hear and see
00:04:20but we're about to reach the pinnacle of this weekend certainly for fight fans who have come to
00:04:25see whether a legend in the making can derail yet another obstacle on his bullet train ride toward
00:04:31greatness hello again welcome back to las vegas for the main event oscar de la hoya against miguel
00:04:39angel gonzalez two men with perfect records they both desperately want to hold on to and build on
00:04:45de la hoya is a champion at 140 pounds gonzalez gave his title up at a lower weight and is gunning for
00:04:52another one tonight namely oscar a guy he has wanted badly gonzalez is proud he's confident and he knows
00:05:01this is his defining moment his job though is to topple a guy some call the most magnetic presence in
00:05:08boxing oscar de la hoya last fought over seven months ago when he melted down an icon julio cesar chavez
00:05:16this is de la hoya's final fight at this weight looming ahead as we've talked about is pernell whitaker
00:05:21at 147 pounds this spring but now on this dead of winter january night de la hoya knows he has
00:05:27to deal with a guy who's also done nothing but win we're about to find out who this night really
00:05:33belongs to and so let's go ringside for the main event with george foreman larry merchant and jim
00:05:39lampley for the blow by blow all right thank you very much nick yes you're quite accurate in saying
00:05:44miguel angel gonzalez is confident how could he be otherwise 63 amateur fights he won 62 of them
00:05:52losing only by decision to a korean in the olympic final at seoul south korea as a professional 41-0 but
00:05:59george foreman he's never been in the main event on a big pay-per-view card like this he's never
00:06:05experienced the atmosphere in a bit of an event like this the way de la hoya has this has become the
00:06:10norm in oscar's career how big an advantage for de la hoya a great advantage of course you got to
00:06:15be careful when you put a cat into a corner he'll scratch and i mean scratch big this guy is out of
00:06:20his elements and he knows he's out of the element and he's got nothing to do now but to go out there
00:06:24and fight but oscar's got no doubt an advantage tonight this is this is the arena how much max
00:06:30gonzalez bringing in for this fight emmanuel steward to improve his training situation or so he sees it
00:06:37it's a little odd to bring in a new trainer before the biggest fight of your career larry merchant you
00:06:41said earlier though that a strong case could be made that miguel angel gonzalez is the best opponent
00:06:47so far in de la hoya's career so make that case yes sir the case is this gonzalez is an undefeated
00:06:55fighter from a chilly hot mexican fight culture which means at the very least that he has great ambition
00:07:03great dedication great will and probably at least some skills second he is a very well schooled
00:07:12offensive fighter third a victory here tonight would make him a great man in mexico how much more
00:07:19incentive do you need than that and fourth he is an undefeated fighter in the prime of his career
00:07:26fighting at his best weight for now that's relative to tonight's fight because de la hoya however
00:07:34formidable and however brilliant he's been coming up to now has had his biggest victory over fighters who
00:07:42were past their primes like chavez and molina or perhaps fighters who've had to move up and wait where
00:07:49he was just too strong for them like hernandez that's the case for gonzalez the challenger and if
00:07:57he wins or pulls an upset or makes a great fight out of it i don't think it's an accident well it's no
00:08:04accident also that oscar de la hoya the mexican-american once again must face a native mexican to defend his
00:08:11pride and his honor and before he does the national anthems from both nations
00:08:19ladies and gentlemen your attention please in the ring at this time
00:08:22is the honor guard from nellis air force base located right outside of las vegas nevada
00:08:39and the
00:09:06Oh
00:09:36Oh
00:09:58Anybody want to follow that act?
00:10:06Mr. Sherman James
00:10:14Mr. Sherman James
00:10:20Oh
00:10:22Say
00:10:24Can you see
00:10:28By the dawn's
00:10:32Early light
00:10:34What
00:10:36So proudly we
00:10:38Hailed
00:10:40At the twilight
00:10:42Last gleaming
00:10:44Whose broad stripes
00:10:46And bright stars
00:10:48Through
00:10:50The perilous
00:10:52Flight
00:10:54Oh
00:10:56The ramps
00:10:58We watched
00:11:00Were so gallantly
00:11:02Streaming
00:11:04And the rockets
00:11:06Red glare
00:11:08The bombs bursting
00:11:10Bursting
00:11:12In air
00:11:14Gave proof
00:11:16Through the night
00:11:18That our flag
00:11:20Was still there
00:11:22Oh
00:11:24Say does
00:11:26That stars
00:11:27That stars
00:11:28Spangled
00:11:29That
00:11:30Nighed
00:11:31Ways
00:11:32O'er the land
00:11:36Of the free
00:11:38And the home
00:11:40Of the brave
00:11:42O'er the brave
00:11:44O'er the brave
00:11:48O'er the brave
00:11:58Co
00:12:12class delahoya with only a half inch height advantage here as opposed to the long height
00:12:17advantage he's enjoyed against most of his previous opponents only a one inch reach advantage
00:12:22larry and many people in his camp are nervous about this fight because they say he's having
00:12:28as much trouble making this weight as at the start of his career he had making 130 pounds
00:12:35for whatever that's worth punch that number here we have a profile of the average fight of these two
00:12:43fighters and how they proceed offensively you can see gonzalez throws more punches delahoya as he's
00:12:50learned to balance offense and defense is throwing fewer punches and landing a higher percentage
00:12:57now you're seeing what they do on defense both of them appear to be very good defensive fighters
00:13:04the numbers on delahoya both his offense and his defense the widest plus minus rating of any fighter
00:13:11we have ever cracked in other words he hits more and gets hit less in return than any other guy
00:13:20rules of the bout with our unofficial ringside scorer harold letterman he asked at delahoya
00:13:25miguel angel gonzalez fighters scheduled for 12 rounds there is no standing eight counts no three
00:13:30knocks on rule only the referee can stop the fight and you can be saved by the belt in the 12th and final
00:13:36round the holy gym
00:13:43miguel angel gonzalez enters the music that underlines and reinforces his mexican heritage
00:13:51his performance against lamar murphy in august of 1995 was seen by his handlers as good reason
00:14:00to leave the 135 pound weight division and move up to 140. we should point out he has a reputation for being a
00:14:09very slow starting fighter which probably is connected to the fact that he seems to be a young man of high
00:14:18intelligence who tries to figure out his opponents before he goes earnestly to work
00:14:29regular trainer abel sanchez follows miguel angel gonzalez into the ring and
00:14:35emmanuel stewart recent addition to the group steps in through the ropes as well
00:14:40miguel and as we mentioned to you in building up to this fight miguel angel gonzalez 41 wins no losses no
00:14:49draws 31 ko's add that to his 63 amateur fights with only one loss he's won 103 out of 104. records of the
00:14:59the fighters tonight being brought to you by the ring the bible of boxing
00:15:10uh
00:15:194
00:15:2111
00:15:232
00:15:231
00:15:242
00:15:55I believe that that inactivity has been good for De La Hoya because after a highly charged, highly emotional fight with his idol, Julio Cesar Chavez, I think he needed a layoff before he got back into the ring.
00:16:24That takes a lot out of a fighter emotionally and mentally as well as physically. All the preparation, all the thinking about it, all the working toward it.
00:16:33But that wasn't the reason for the layoff. It was to allow for the repair of a damaged shoulder. And it may be because of that damaged shoulder and the speculation about it that the odds have been dropping on the fight.
00:16:45There's been a lot of late Gonzalez money and it's now down to 4-1 De La Hoya from an original 11-1 or so.
00:16:53Oscar De La Hoya's record as a professional fighter. 22-0, 20 KOs, a recent string of victories by knockout against horrific fighters.
00:17:02And let's go up to Michael Buffer for the free fight introduction.
00:17:08Ladies and gentlemen, by way of Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, Bob Arum, Top Rank Incorporated, in association with your undisputed, undefeated King of Beers, Budweiser.
00:17:23This Bud's for you. Present 12 rounds of boxing for the WBC Super Featherweight Championship of the World.
00:17:34This bout is sanctioned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
00:17:40Chairman, Dr. Elias Ghanom.
00:17:42Commissioners, Nat Carasali, Lorenzo Fertitta, Luther Mack, and Dr. James Knave.
00:17:49Executive Director, Mark Ratner.
00:17:51Physicians at ringside, Dr. Flip Homansky, Dr. Robert Boyd, Dr. William Berliner, and Dr. Margaret Goodman.
00:17:58The timekeepers are Al Bicek and James Cavan.
00:18:01His contest is also sanctioned by the World Boxing Council, President at ringside, Jose Suleiman.
00:18:09Supervisor in attendance, Héctor Garcia.
00:18:12The three judges scoring this bout on a 10-point bus system are an ex-Hong Kong Cam, John Keane, and Bob Logite.
00:18:22And when the bell rings, the man in charge of the action in the ring, referee Mills Lane.
00:18:31And now, ladies and gentlemen, for the thousands in attendance here in Las Vegas, and the millions watching around the world.
00:18:40This is the moment we've all been waiting for.
00:18:44By way of the site where legends are made, Caesar's Palace.
00:18:49Ladies and gentlemen.
00:18:50Let's get ready to rumble!
00:18:58Site where legends are made, Caesar's Palace.
00:19:03Ladies and gentlemen.
00:19:06Let's get ready to rumble!
00:19:09In the blue corner, wearing black, trimmed with gold, weighing 140 pounds, he brings a professional record of 41 victories without a loss, including 31 knockouts and a world title to his credit.
00:19:30Ladies and gentlemen, Tomas y Caballeros, from Mexico City, Mexico, here is the number one ranked challenger in the world, former lightweight world champion, the undefeated, Miguel Ángel González!
00:19:52And across the ring, in the red corner, wearing white, trimmed with red and blue, also weighing 140 pounds.
00:20:08In 1992, he captured Olympic gold.
00:20:11And now, as a professional, he has a perfect record of 22 victories without a defeat, 20 by knockout, and three world titles to his credit.
00:20:22Ladies and gentlemen, Tomas y Caballeros, here is the pride of East L.A., presenting the three-time world champion and reigning, undefeated, super lightweight champion of the world,
00:20:38the golden boy, Oscar de la Hoya!
00:20:45All right, gentlemen, we've already been through the instructions in the dressing room one time.
00:21:05I expect a tough, clean fight.
00:21:08Protect yourself at all times.
00:21:11Any questions from the challenger?
00:21:12No, no, sir.
00:21:13The champion?
00:21:14Let's get it on!
00:21:20Nobody says it better than Mills Lane.
00:21:25Let's get it on.
00:21:26If De La Hoya is too powerful for González, as he has been for most of his opponents, this could be quick.
00:21:34You've already heard Larry tell you that González is a notoriously slow starter.
00:21:38De La Hoya's fight plan in return is to, quote, attack him like a dog and pressure him from the get-go.
00:21:44And once again, as has been the case in so many recent fights, De La Hoya somehow looks bigger and stronger than a man who weighed in at the same weight.
00:21:58Oscar fading with the right hand and sticking the left jab.
00:22:16No offense from González so far.
00:22:20Throws the left out lazily.
00:22:22Now he fires a jab.
00:22:23First punch from González.
00:22:24De La Hoya on the button with those two jabs.
00:22:30And the second one snapped González's head back.
00:22:35De La Hoya missed with the left hook.
00:22:40George, I'm just not sure González looks ready.
00:22:43Well, Oscar De La Hoya, of course, is a quick starter.
00:22:46He knows that if you mix those jabs up, he added that to his repertoire about two years ago.
00:22:51A stiff jab, get a gal wondering about it, and then come on top of the right hand.
00:22:56The first thing you notice about González is that his head sits still.
00:23:01He doesn't move his head very much.
00:23:06That's bad news against a power puncher.
00:23:08And right now, Oscar is using that to pile up points with the left jab.
00:23:14González starts to fire his own jabs.
00:23:16So far, he's been content to let Oscar set the pace.
00:23:21They trade jabs at center ring.
00:23:24Oscar lands the left hook.
00:23:29De La Hoya with this measured punch output.
00:23:32Not throwing as many punches as he did earlier in his career,
00:23:34but trying to make each punch count more.
00:23:37Well, if he can get González to throw in jabs with him,
00:23:41it'd be a long night for González.
00:23:43Mills Lane is going to tell González not to throw low blows.
00:23:47That's one warning.
00:23:49Why would it be a long night for González if he throws the jabs, George?
00:23:51If he starts trying to match jabs with Oscar De La Hoya, his face will get swollen.
00:23:55And Oscar De La Hoya's got the better because he's educated himself well with a left jab.
00:24:00Right hand for De La Hoya, right past the guard of González.
00:24:03Left hook stuns González.
00:24:05De La Hoya sharp from the get-go.
00:24:07Again, De La Hoya blocks with his own right hand and lands his left hook.
00:24:16González getting swapped in the first round by the De La Hoya assault.
00:24:28All those González bettors better wonder why it looks like this for the beginning.
00:24:33They've got to hope their man warms up.
00:24:35A punch after the bell by González, and De La Hoya just kind of stared at him as if to say,
00:24:52how dare you.
00:24:53As we go to the corners, where you hear Spanish being spoken, our interpreter is Ray Torres.
00:25:00Are you okay now? Is everything all right?
00:25:11Marino, I'm at the center of the frame here.
00:25:20toxin.
00:25:21Paladou.
00:25:21Go ahead.
00:25:22Go ahead and stop him.
00:25:23Go ahead.
00:25:24Stop him.
00:25:25Stop him.
00:25:26Stop him.
00:25:27You're the fink of the rectum.
00:25:27Paralo.
00:25:28Paint him and then show that right hand.
00:25:29de la Hoya looked like he could knock over a building with his straight left
00:25:34jab and that set up these hooks later in the round jabs in round one by punch
00:25:40stat count de la Hoya through 42 landed 30 it was a jab clinic in round one
00:25:51Gonzalez obviously wants to start faster in the second round
00:25:59what the dollars have to do is he gonna get delahoyah discouraged make him miss
00:26:20with those jabs get that head moving right hand lead across the top by
00:26:26delahoyah and he clocked gonzalez with that one gonzalez starting to loosen up
00:26:31offensively starting to land a little bit but
00:26:34delahoyah is finding some opportunities to counter
00:26:36delahoyah goes in real effective with a good stiff left hand then he gets this
00:26:42guy waiting on it and he throws a quick right hand lead
00:26:53there's a jab for gonzalez steps in and tries to land an uppercut delahoyah misses with the counter in
00:26:58return but that was good for gonzalez for the first time he made Oscar delahoyah do something he had not
00:27:03intended to do throw a right hand that was not intended to be thrown and that's what you want
00:27:09to do with the young fighters make them do what they did not intend to do another good thing
00:27:13gonzalez has begun to do here in the second round is to go to the body he was all upstairs in the
00:27:17first round didn't accomplish anything but he's landed a couple of shots to delahoyah's ribcage here in round two
00:27:23right hand off the top of delahoyah's head
00:27:26gonzalez's offense heating up the slow start seemingly over with and now oscar has something entirely different to deal with
00:27:33it
00:27:36ourselves is trying to work on getting the right hand in now
00:27:39just to find him with the right hand so he's keeping his left low
00:27:46not trying to start anything with his job at all
00:27:49delahoyah cautious here in round two paying a lot of respect to gonzalez gonzalez able to sneak in a little
00:27:54quick left hook
00:28:02and save this for miguel angel gonzalez he seemed outclassed in round one
00:28:06he's begun to find the target in round two but now here comes delahoyah with combinations again
00:28:13seldom you see a young fighter once a guy dropped his hand and showboard on him delahoyah hit him in the
00:28:17stomach delahoyah lands the left hook and this is a pro delahoyah crowd we have not always seen that here in vegas
00:28:31and i've never seen delahoyah do this kind of an act
00:28:35where you want a corner now to kind of steady him it's telling to cut it out go back to what got you here
00:28:40left hook to the body by delahoyah and he punctuates the round with a vicious left hook upstairs
00:28:53okay
00:29:06okay listen very good you're catching the punch it very well but you've got to stay alert this all you've
00:29:12got is about three more rounds okay but you're doing very good from setting everything okay
00:29:16okay you've got to be alert okay okay once again the left hand of oscar delahoyah
00:29:31the left hand is his best hand but he fights in a conventional side later in the round
00:29:38the big hook
00:29:39every fight we see delahoyah in he's a little better at something i have never seen him
00:29:47thunder that jab the way he is tonight now gonzalez steps out in round three and begins to step up
00:29:53the level of his own jab firing the jab with much more aggression than was the case in round one
00:29:59almost as though gonzalez needed the entire first round to warm up and get ready to fight
00:30:03oscar delahoyah by punch stat computations has landed more than 60 percent of his punches in the first
00:30:10two rounds but now it's gonzalez who's throwing more
00:30:16and the gonzalez contingent in the crowd begins to make its presence felt
00:30:20well if you're going to be throwing a good stiff left jab you don't want to move on your legs too much
00:30:25because that's where all of that stiffness come from in the legs
00:30:36delahoyah blocking gonzalez's left hook with his right elbow missed the counter in return
00:30:40short with the right hand there short with the jab
00:30:44good body punch by gonzalez and you know i've always said about oscar delahoyah the one thing
00:30:50in his armor that was bad he never tries to win fights on points he's always trying to set up a
00:30:57knockout sooner or later someone is going to be around there and hear the points well particularly
00:31:04if they can get to his body enough to take away some of the power in the early rounds and gonzalez is
00:31:08starting to do some damage
00:31:16good left hook by gonzalez under delahoyah's chin
00:31:23and another one and gonzalez starting to leave with the left hook to good effect yeah because oscar
00:31:29standing back trying to get his left jab started rather than moving around if you're going to move
00:31:34move move if you're not keep your head moving move your leg or your hand so as gonzalez becomes the
00:31:41aggressor dispenses with the jab and throws power punch leaves he starts to get effective but now
00:31:47now delahoyah lands a left and a right
00:32:04you always tell the fighters move on your legs if you're not going to move those legs keep their head
00:32:10moving at all times delahoyah was moving his legs and he stopped and stopped moving his head and gonzalez
00:32:16has started to beat delahoyah to the punch at long range didn't look in the first round as
00:32:20though he'd have any chance of doing that now delahoyah goes back to the jab and gonzalez answers
00:32:25confidently
00:32:28so miguel angel gonzalez begins to fight as though the first round was an aberration
00:32:34and he's got some stuff that can challenge de la hoya but the one thing delahoyah is a puncher
00:32:40and you don't want to follow a puncher around the ring you don't want to do that
00:32:46as we were saying gonzalez you gotta paint him fight okay okay
00:33:05all right now you gotta move your weight
00:33:06use your jabs because the jabs are getting in and jab and across
00:33:25you need to start throwing the uppercut go in the middle
00:33:28move real well
00:33:40in the last two rounds gonzalez has been able to throw more punches than delahoyah not landing at
00:33:46his higher rate but throwing many more punches and no fighter in a while has been able to do that
00:33:52see what de la hoya does to adjust now and try to find the opportunities that gonzalez has to give him to be
00:33:57aggressive yeah delahoyah goes right to the left hook to the body because his trainer told him now
00:34:02get in there get in the middle of him and get that left hook in there
00:34:07harold letterman how you got it jim two rounds to one 29 28 aske de la hoya he hit me going into
00:34:13this house so hard in the first two rounds you had to see gonzalez's hit snap back but the third round
00:34:18gonzalez that's here
00:34:19delahoyah landing two left hooks there as he chases gonzalez across the ring and a straight
00:34:25left and a busting left hook that swiveled gonzalez's head
00:34:32delahoyah is good and he knows how to do so many things sometimes that can confuse you more than
00:34:37anything because you don't know one thing to do you got to stick to your left jab and do everything from
00:34:43the left jab good right hand of the body by gonzalez he misses with the left uppercut a couple of
00:34:49people have questioned gonzalez's chin off what he's shown in these first four rounds he certainly
00:34:53can't do that the guy who's undefeated doesn't think he can lose and that makes his chin stronger
00:35:01delahoyah's jab continues an awesome weapon three straight solid connects snapping gonzalez's head back
00:35:09and gonzalez answers in kind
00:35:16low blow by gonzalez and mills lane says keep it up that's the second time lane has spoken to gonzalez
00:35:23delahoyah backing into the ropes
00:35:36you'll make it two and a half warnings
00:35:40get off that net come on gonzalez lost two points to low blows in that lamar murphy fight back at 135
00:35:47pounds august 19 1995. hard to believe but delahoyah can win this thing just by using his left jab
00:35:57gonzalez hits on the break
00:36:04still no point deduction by mills lane at least three solid fouls by gonzalez delahoyah unruffled fires
00:36:11the left hook and lands
00:36:22de la jolla just missed over the top of the right hand after jabbing twice
00:36:26and landing the left hook gonzalez still taking everything well and coming back
00:36:3010 seconds left in this round
00:36:50well already gonzalez has lasted longer than julio cesar chavez did
00:36:55the only punch he's landing is the jab okay move your head these are moving more okay
00:37:05that's your only problem
00:37:09no more low blows okay be careful
00:37:11but your only problem you can hit with one punch
00:37:13the jab you're making a mr left hook and the right hand mostly
00:37:17so more head okay
00:37:19roll your head moving okay you're not moving your head enough
00:37:21you heard emmanuel stewart telling gonzalez to move his head and this is the reason why as we noted
00:37:30earlier very early start in the fight he keeps his head standing up there looking to get hit
00:37:38not unusual for mexican fighters who are very offensive minded
00:37:42but already i think he is showing that he is the most formidable fighter that delahoyah has fought to date
00:37:55small mouse under the right eye of miguel angel gonzalez that's no big surprise oscar tattooing with the jab
00:38:01through four rounds he landed 25 of 31 jabs by punch count numbers in round number four
00:38:07one thing about getting caught on the top of the head with those left jabs after a while it affects
00:38:17your backbone i've been hit a few times when your back go out it's not that you're being hurt but
00:38:23something happens along the spine not only have you felt it george your jab has done it to a lot of
00:38:27opponents delahoyah blocking the right hand of the body with his elbows he's done a pretty good job of
00:38:32that although gonzalez has gotten to the body a few times particularly in round three
00:38:44and delahoyah has got the real established the dominance of the left jail
00:38:49and just slide to the side with it and let that right hand just develop by itself and you saw gonzalez
00:38:55taking advantage of the chance to get in about four more body blows as they hugged its center ring
00:38:59and gonzalez totally the aggressor in this round comes twice with the uppercut
00:39:06gives delahoy a chance to land the left hook and oscar clucks it
00:39:15and another left hook and another and delahoyah thinks he's hurt gonzalez goes to the body and comes
00:39:23back with a combination and gonzalez goes to the body in return furious action and round five
00:39:29another solid left hook and gonzalez is backed off of his fans oscar delahoyah following his plan to
00:39:41attack like a dog
00:39:48and all that conspires to slow gonzalez's aggression down
00:39:51but still he keeps punching well this is like running wind sprints after you throw that many
00:39:58punches like delahoyah did you take a breather but you got to be careful that you're out of range
00:40:03to take that breather
00:40:07gonzalez landing the straight left jab there something that hasn't been all that easy for him to do
00:40:12delahoyah was staying in close quarters and not throwing punches he's sprinting himself out and he's
00:40:18trying to recuperate and that's what happened when you're in good shape you can recuperate but you
00:40:22got to make sure you've got distance this is the kind of fight that a lot of fans thought chavez
00:40:27would give to delahoyah he's getting it seven months later
00:40:40gonzalez is bringing out the best in delahoyah to this point
00:40:54all right he needs to come in and as soon as he gives you an opportunity
00:41:05you face him and then then hit him in the uppercut that's a best shot
00:41:12you make sure you pick him up with that uppercut let me talk
00:41:22here you will see the flurry of delahoyah in that round with his amazingly quick
00:41:29hands the big right followed by the left
00:41:32putting gonzalez on the defensive
00:41:44elahoyah has taken some shots but his face so far unmarked we've shown you the mouse
00:41:48under the right eye miguel angel gonzalez round six of a scheduled 12. once again in that round
00:41:55gonzalez throwing many many more punches than delahoyah delahoyah landing at an extraordinarily high rate
00:42:05harold letterman if you see something in what delahoyah is doing that affects it is affected by the rules
00:42:10him absolutely oscar de la hoyah measures you he sticks that left glove out he opens it up and then
00:42:16he whacks it with a right hand and he does it a lot and a lot of referees won't allow that you can't
00:42:20open a club he holds it out he pushes gonzalez off and then he whacks it with the right hand and he's done
00:42:26it one and once
00:42:32george you think mills lane is something of a laissez-faire referee lets a lot of things go in
00:42:36the ring i don't think so because oscar's not touching him with that open hand he's more or
00:42:40less keeping it out there as long as your hand is out there as part of your body another flurry of
00:42:46lefts by delahoyah two jabs and a left hook another good show of tough chin by miguel and
00:42:53hel gonzalez and gonzalez again takes advantage at close quarters to whack delahoyah mills has to talk about
00:42:59still no deduction
00:43:06it's not quite as aggressive now as he was in the last couple of rounds
00:43:15maybe because he's been made to pay so frequently
00:43:20delahoyah content to avoid gonzalez and look for a chance to land another big shot
00:43:36good combination by gonzalez he takes a better one in return from delahoyah oscar delahoyah
00:43:46stands on the bowels of his feet and he rides those things like a quarterback in the pocket
00:43:50and he comes back with his eyes wide open
00:43:52and when he throws the left hook george he does it with murder in his heart
00:44:01every punch bad intentions
00:44:05this is why he has to take or when he throws a lot of punches he takes a big rest in between there
00:44:10because it's like sprinting takes a lot out of you to throw that much power another sensational left hook
00:44:22gonzalez's pace has slowed in this round
00:44:25delahoyah has countered him at every opportunity
00:44:30now the effect of that jab it made him move his body back i've seen it happen i felt it happen
00:44:36don't jab to just affect your spine and make you fall backwards if you're not careful
00:44:40oh what a left hook what a tim gonzalez has
00:44:45that punch has knocked out most delahoyah opponents right now he's taking apart a good fighter
00:44:54like a jeweler taking apart a good watch
00:44:56quiet
00:45:04don't jab that him first you understand no jab but you know jab make him he jab first okay
00:45:10because after you're jabbing he's picking it and then he's jabbing your back okay
00:45:14make him jab first in the middle okay
00:45:18keep your head moving all you can do is move your head more okay more head movement okay
00:45:28folks these are the kind of punches
00:45:34that are a visual textbook later in the round
00:45:39there you go look it's out
00:45:40go manny that's a punch from the front seat
00:45:47going after it putting everything into it i don't know if we've ever seen a fighter
00:45:52against an excellent unbeaten opponent like gonzalez go through six rounds landing 67 of his punches
00:46:02but that's what delahoyah has done according to punch that computation against the fighter who up to
00:46:06now has been landing 25 of us allowed his opponents to land 25 exactly now here you see delahoyah with
00:46:14his glove open but i think it's hard for the referee to see that all the time good overhand right good
00:46:21right hand by the first one tonight because delahoyah started to play around a little too much
00:46:27sometimes and he's turning the fighting to now it's called trap fighting you let the guy have a gap
00:46:33you let him have a right to the body and then the next time he tries either one you go over top
00:46:38and sometimes you can get caught in with your own truck well delahoyah went a little left-hand
00:46:43happy in the last round but obviously gonzalez either was told or decided i can throw right hand
00:46:49counters over that and he landed a big one well when you're a trap fighter you allow the guy to
00:46:53throw that a punch but you don't intend for him to have that much power at this stage of the fight
00:46:58by a trap slider george you mean like a baseball hitter looking for his pitch just waiting for one
00:47:04particular pitch to knock out of the ball that's right but oh you landed another good left hook in
00:47:11close but it has to happen behind one shot that the guy has confidence in allow him to do something
00:47:17that he's comfortable in and then make him pay for it setting traps oh good right hand body shot and a left
00:47:25took upstairs by delahoyah just textbook stuff as larry has been pointing out
00:47:35and oscar's doing a good job of he steps back and then he circles make two steps and then circle
00:47:41come on come on come on come on let's go here we go
00:47:50that's two to one on warnings on low blows if you're counting
00:47:54another left hook backs up gonzalez
00:47:58delahoyah hasn't been able to bring blood from that right eye yet you remember how easily he cut
00:48:03chavez with a jab in the first round good uppercut
00:48:06it's alis tries it again he was open there for a right hand but delahoyah let it go by
00:48:14and now mills lane is going to deduct the point
00:48:17yeah he's right this time he's given him every opportunity to be a good guy and yeah
00:48:21he could have done it before very easily so that's one point gone from god gonzalez's scorecards
00:48:27sometimes when you want to work that left jab you got to kind of put it to your waist a little bit
00:48:36just to draw the guy in but you got to make sure that you you're pretty alert to his right hand
00:48:42another glory of power punches by delahoyah another left hook inside lands flood gonzalez comes back but
00:48:49if there was any doubt about who won the round oscar settled it in the last 10 seconds
00:49:04all right it's very well
00:49:08good job after two jabs on the top faint and a right hand to the body
00:49:14you're going to confuse them make sure the jabs are
00:49:32you go ahead and fake them don't don't wait for him
00:49:3869 now
00:49:44okay baby come on four or five fights ago i don't think delahoyah would be ready for this gonzalez
00:49:54a year a year and a half later he appears to be ready for anyone
00:50:04round eight of the schedule 12. delahoyah's wbc junior welterweight championship at stake harold
00:50:11letterman how do you have it so far jim 69 63 six rounds to one oscar de la jolla the only one
00:50:17without giving gonzalez is the third he lost the point in the in the seventh round for rabbit
00:50:21punching but that was just an accumulation of fouls bills then got tired of it he took that point for
00:50:25rabbit punching most of the time gonzalez was hitting low i have the same score now oscar once again has
00:50:33taken a little breather he's a sprinter he throws power punches and he throw them quick and you got to
00:50:38take a break and that's what he's doing you know because oscar's got so much respect for gonzalez
00:50:46he's probably going to give him an unnecessarily unnecessary beating he had not such respect he
00:50:53would have knocked him out already but he figured i better save something no matter what well i don't
00:50:57know gonzalez is taking so much george his ken is awfully good obviously but you don't mean that he's
00:51:03carrying him jordan no not in the back of his mind he's thinking you know i'm going to save something
00:51:07in case this guy comes back so you're saying that gonzalez has showed enough of him that he's not going
00:51:12to spend himself on one big long rally and if he it's because of the respect factor delahoya landing
00:51:19two more left cooks one about 20 seconds ago was another that might have finished most of his previous
00:51:25opponents yeah because he's he's been listening to the propaganda about this guy is a good fighter he's
00:51:30undefeated he's the best you don't just go to sleep and say ah that means nothing to me
00:51:37delahoy is always kind of sparing with the right hand he's never been he's never been a real frequent
00:51:42right hand puncher because he has so much confidence in his left hand his left hook but some observers are
00:51:47now suggesting doesn't ringside that maybe oscar's hand or shoulder is hurt because he's throwing the
00:51:53right so infrequently let's keep an eye on that george of course when you're this good with the left hand
00:51:58you might just hold it back in reserve now he's dropping his hand to set those traps again
00:52:03makes two steps back and circles around and this guy seemed to follow him right into the trap now
00:52:08he's throwing right hands i i think the right hand is fine i think he's just doing so much damage with
00:52:13the left he's sticking with it nice step back to jab and then he fakes like he's going to throw a jab and
00:52:20doesn't tell him what may come a left hook or right hand this round has been another boxing clinic for
00:52:26delahoy as gonzalez has once again slowed the pace and miguel angel is not doing any damage to oscar
00:52:32who is piling up points with the left jab and the left hook
00:52:35gonzalez's punches seemingly slowing down just a little bit george
00:52:48of delahoy you're such a student of boxing he's wanting to learn something all the time
00:53:05and there you see the great the legendary willie pep brought here because
00:53:18jesus rivera the trainer of delahoya has used him as a model for delahoya that doesn't mean that delahoya
00:53:28is trying to fight like pep what he is trying to learn about pep is how to stay in control
00:53:37how to use your intelligence in the ring as well as
00:53:41your fists and when you get to meet these guys brings a little extra confidence to you that
00:53:47they would be associated with you and not the other guy
00:53:49believe me delahoy has thrown his best shots early on and he knows this guy's going to be around
00:54:16unless he catches them with a hard right hand
00:54:22oscar de la hoya has scored late knockouts before he knocked out john abila in the ninth jimmy
00:54:27friedahl in the tenth so he's still thinking a knockout is possible as we get to the ninth of a
00:54:32scheduled 12. miguel angel gonzalez it would appear to our eyes ought to be so far behind on points that
00:54:39he needs a knockout to have a chance to win the fight and i think he's fighting like that it goes back
00:54:44to what george said earlier he's looking to set some kind of a trap to land a punch that can change
00:54:50the fight around
00:54:54delahoya it's like i dare you to throw your right hand
00:54:59emmanuel stewart was quoted now about time that the referee warns him about that hand the left hand out
00:55:05there you're right harrow it's time to get warning now and also you know a wealth is opening is as
00:55:11raised under delahoya's left eye so apparently gonzalez has landed some of those rights it's a slight
00:55:20wealth by his right eye i believe left eye left eye and it would come from the right hand leads which
00:55:25were gonzalez's most effective punches in those moments when he's done well and gonzalez becoming
00:55:31the aggressor again and his fans and the crowd rise to the occasion to try to build support for him
00:55:37and gonzalez's dangerously dropping that left hand for whatever reason i don't know he's carrying it
00:55:43low you got to bring it up to stop the shot and you got to bring it up to throw the punch so you
00:55:49need to keep it up for a while good maybe he's tired to throw it so much no doubt about it and that left
00:55:56eye is swelling pretty rapidly now for oscar de la hoya so this is one of the bigger challenges that's ever
00:56:02faced him in the ring as the left eye begins to swell and may conceivably affect his vision in the
00:56:07last three rounds with about meanwhile he stiffens gonzalez with the left and backs him up again
00:56:14that's what happens when you have a good fighter and you play around and let him in and out the
00:56:18hook he comes it comes back to haunt you if you're scoring and you're looking for a round
00:56:23to get to gonzalez this is your best chance in quite some time all right since the third round
00:56:40gonzalez missing with that overhand right de la hoya cautious as round nine comes to a close
00:56:46miguel angel has chased him around the ring and bit the aggressor in this round and de la hoya tries to
00:56:51finish with one big left hook but misses by a fraction of it are you tired
00:57:09so um
00:57:13don't worry about it now if it goes out you're gonna keep the blood close okay
00:57:18tell me we got the problem okay
00:57:22he's gonna quit he's gonna quit on you
00:57:31all right go ahead and move that waist
00:57:33right here's the Gonzalez right hand that has been marking up
00:57:42Delahoya for perhaps the first time in the fight in his career
00:57:46and you heard during the round referee Mills Lane
00:57:50tell the corner of Delahoya to make him stop fighting with an open glove
00:57:57as Harold Letterman pointed out earlier in the fight
00:57:59and you saw the punch stat numbers for round nine
00:58:02that had Miguel Angel Gonzalez doubling Delahoya's punch output
00:58:06Oscar landed just as many but the judges are likely to be impressed
00:58:10by the degree to which Gonzalez was the aggressor in that frame
00:58:13now Delahoya is going to have to establish more than the left jab
00:58:19to keep this guy off of him
00:58:20he's going to have to come with some combinations and make him stop
00:58:23then he can move
00:58:24part of the crowd beginning to boo as it appears Delahoya is coasting and sitting on his lead
00:58:38either that or he's trying to trap Gonzalez just like that
00:58:43that's why I said it's dangerous to follow a puncher because anything he hits you with can drop you
00:58:53but when you follow him you better have some punches on him at all times
00:58:57it's an abundantly clear George that Oscar wants to land the big left hook
00:59:01and get that eye back to the dressing room
00:59:03Gonzalez still working in there
00:59:08Delahoya being cautious
00:59:10looking to land one big shot
00:59:12all Delahoya has to do is to pick his left hand up
00:59:16pick your left hand up
00:59:18this is going to be another round in which Gonzalez will have a much higher
00:59:32punch out with the Delahoya
00:59:34and Oscar better hope that that lead on the scorecard is pretty safe
00:59:38because the momentum of the fight is changing
00:59:40and Delahoya is allowing it to change
00:59:43or maybe he's trying to impress Willie Pett
00:59:58who once went around without throwing a punch right?
01:00:01correct
01:00:02but this is a fight you're going to have to throw a punch to win
01:00:07not only throw a punch but you're going to have to keep this guy out of you
01:00:10he has a devastating right hand Gonzalez
01:00:13you want to be careful not to play too cozy with the scorecards
01:00:19anywhere in the world but
01:00:20a lot of people would say particularly here
01:00:23why do we think
01:00:27that Delahoya is doing this
01:00:29Delahoya is having some difficulty out of that
01:00:32left eye and he's tired
01:00:35he's sprinted with some hard shots
01:00:36he's not been able to knock this guy down
01:00:39and he's trying to save himself for the last round
01:00:41so even though he was landing that jackhammer jab
01:00:46almost at will through most of the fight
01:00:48and winning the fight with it
01:00:49suddenly he stops throwing it
01:00:51and starts
01:00:52and starts to
01:00:54do this
01:00:55you're in that round too okay
01:01:02you'll be the new world champion just two more rounds baby okay
01:01:07just keep the pressure on him when you get close
01:01:09drop a short one two okay
01:01:11short
01:01:12short rider get close to him drop the right hand short
01:01:17but you're winning the fight now keep the pressure on okay
01:01:19keep the pressure
01:01:24when you stop make sure you cross
01:01:36throw that right here
01:01:38round 10 was another one in which Oscar Delahoya was very sparing in his use of the right hand you heard his corner telling him to go ahead and throw the right
01:01:45how letterman how do you have it for 10 rounds Larry 97 92 seven rounds to three
01:01:58after the boy what I'm saying is is that legal for those would either need sensation
01:02:01around or a knockout to win this fight because their lawyers quite points ahead including the point that mills laying to fourth in the seventh round for rabbit punching
01:02:15we're on the same page here though
01:02:18I don't know where I've gone wrong
01:02:20Delahoya's face is not going to be the first one in the seventh round for rabbit punching
01:02:24we're on the same page here Harold
01:02:27I don't know where I've gone wrong
01:02:30Delahoya's face is swelling so rapidly George that you wonder if maybe there's a broken bone in there
01:02:36yeah you wonder about that but I said earlier that if you use a stiff left jab you can't use your leg you'll just get tired
01:02:43you got to take a choice one or the other
01:02:45I just think Jim we're unused to seeing him marked up
01:02:49I just think he's got a swollen cheekbone
01:02:52I wouldn't think he has anything broken in there
01:02:56Well he's much more swollen now than is Gonzalez and it's it's all happened within the last two or three rounds
01:03:03well you're right there
01:03:05he's often talked about not wanting to walk around with cuts and bruises like a real fighter
01:03:13tonight
01:03:15he looks like a real fighter is
01:03:17and he'll look like that for a few weeks
01:03:20and his jab is getting awful slow Oscar
01:03:24hasn't the confidence now to step in because he's thinking his guy might count him with a right hand
01:03:28but you got to keep it up
01:03:30this isn't a pretty game don't try to look pretty
01:03:32all right I hear what you're saying George and I think you you might have put your finger on it
01:03:39but he doesn't want to get hit by that right hand on the cheekbone and that's why he's not throwing as many lefts as he was before
01:03:45not throwing as many of anything and interestingly
01:03:49Emmanuel Stewart elected to tell his fighter Miguel Gonzalez between rounds that he was winning the fight
01:03:57I'm not sure that I would have done that
01:03:59get off that neck come on
01:04:00it's not an easy thing for a fighter who's never been hurt in the ring or mocked up for it to happen
01:04:04you got to make up your mind hey this is the business I am I'm in and let's go
01:04:13this is going to raise a lot of questions about De La Hoya as he goes into the Whitaker fight in what in April
01:04:20if in fact Whitaker can get past her title next week and if in fact De La Hoya gets the victory here
01:04:26and I think the adversity is really good for De La Hoya
01:04:29now he's gone through it he knows what it's all about
01:04:32and he's doing a good job with it
01:04:34why is Gonzalez throwing so few punches in this round George
01:04:37Oscar De La Hoya even when he touches you a little bit he has hands like he's like they're bricks in there
01:04:44you go and miss him and he makes you pay
01:04:55De La Hoya finishing the round strongly
01:04:57three more minutes to go
01:05:02three more minutes to go
01:05:03three more minutes to go
01:05:04one more minutes to go
01:05:06and then leave the thrown
01:05:08a big
01:05:09Start here
01:05:10The last round
01:05:11Last round
01:05:13Last round
01:05:14Last round
01:05:15last round
01:05:16we would go over this
01:05:18how are you going?
01:05:20Last round
01:05:21this round will probably win the fight
01:05:22do you understand?
01:05:23you can hold the same
01:05:24let's go
01:05:25You have to be first, though, first, instead you have to be first, you can't wait, last
01:05:35round coming up.
01:05:36I'm going to give you a chance to whatever song that De La Hoya sings, meaning he would
01:05:58fight him according to the way De La Hoya fought him, right now he's the one that has to sing
01:06:04the song he's not aggressive he's actually boxing and the guy's running
01:06:13right into the punting power
01:06:22three judges seated at ringside one from Bangkok Thailand one from London England
01:06:28WBC judges this is the organization which has produced among many other
01:06:36controversial decisions the infamous straw between Brunel Whitaker and Julio
01:06:41Cesar Chavez in San Antonio September 21 1993 we saw Oscar de la Hoya turn himself
01:06:48out for a second he said he would do it against Chavez but now he's doing it tonight
01:06:53what's in the crowd booing de la Hoya now and they perceive that he's trying to
01:06:59run away from Gonzales and protect himself take another point off take a point off
01:07:05take a point off that could damage Gonzales dramatically
01:07:12and another left hook by de la Hoya well if Gonzales had any chance to win the fight on
01:07:18the scorecards it was just damaged severely by the second point deduction by Mills
01:07:23lane and Delahoy is finding the target again
01:07:33he looks like a fighter in every way now not just the face but the fists as well
01:07:39he knows how to close the show George does he not he did this against Molina too when a lot of the
01:07:47skeptics thought Molina could take him in a decision he tore him up in the 12th round he's doing it again
01:07:52to Gonzales tonight
01:07:55he's learned every trick in the book and he's had to use him tonight no doubt he could
01:08:00he would not have been able to survive without his tricks
01:08:02Gonzales had heart and a good right hand
01:08:06with his right hand
01:08:09the La Hoya fighting with what I personally suspect could turn out to be a broken cheekbone
01:08:14which is it which if true would certainly delay any fight with Whitaker and showing some grit in the 12th
01:08:20some grit in the 12th
01:08:23and
01:08:27Gonzales appears to have accepted his fate
01:08:30he wants to finish the fight he doesn't want to leave himself open to be stopped
01:08:35here comes the 10-second signal
01:08:38here comes another
01:08:40and he attempts to finish the fight with a big show
01:08:43will he throw one more left hook
01:08:45all he needs is one good combination
01:08:48to be stopped. Here comes the 10-second signal. Here comes another De La Hoya rally as he
01:08:54attempts to finish the fight with a big show. Will he throw one more left hook? All he needs
01:09:00is one good combination.
01:09:01As we said, gentlemen, this was his most formidable opponent. I don't know if he's going to get
01:09:21the credit that he deserves for doing this to a real fighter.
01:09:31Harold Lederman, how did you score it? Jim, 117-109, nine rounds to three, Oscar De La Hoya.
01:09:44He gets an extra point in the 12th round because Mild Lane pulled one for hitting on a break.
01:09:48He gets an extra point in the seventh round for the rabbit punching. He's six points ahead
01:09:53because of these six rounds that he won by. So 117-109, decisive for Oscar De La Hoya.
01:09:58I'm willing to bet you that none of the three official judges' scorecards will be that one-sided.
01:10:04I'd like to see it.
01:10:06Just a wild guess. We'll see.
01:10:12WBC chairman Jose Suleiman seated at ringside, observing now as his three judges get ready
01:10:18to deliver the verdict on the fight. You heard Emmanuel Stewart talking to his fighter as
01:10:22though he believed Gonzalez was headed for victory. Let's go to Michael Buffer to find out who won.
01:10:28Ladies and gentlemen, by way of Caesar's Palace here in Las Vegas, we go to the scorecards.
01:10:38Bob Logiste scores the bout, 117-111.
01:10:42John Keene scores it, 117-110.
01:10:45And Anek Hongkongkam scores it, 117-109 for the winner and still WBC super lightweight champion
01:10:58of the world, the golden ball, Oscar De La Hoya.
01:11:04Final punch stat numbers will reflect the amazing accuracy of Oscar De La Hoya, who in 12 rounds
01:11:23lands 64% of his punches. Gonzalez with a huge accomplishment, outthrowing De La Hoya by 175 punches.
01:11:32This is a guy who had been limiting opponents to an output of only 26 punches per round.
01:11:37Coming in. So what an effort by Gonzalez, but an easy victory by De La Hoya.
01:11:42And really, this is the category that made the difference, George.
01:11:45212 out of 319 jabs, 66%.
01:11:49And we saw it all. It kept him out of trouble. It saved him from time to time.
01:11:53And it kept his opponent mixed up.
01:11:55Another good lesson on why it's the best weapon to have in a boxing ring, right?
01:11:58Another left jab is going to be a hard career.
01:12:02Scores, just in case you didn't catch him, 117-111, 117-110.
01:12:06117-111, or 109 for the third judge, just like Harold Letterman, so I lose that bet.
01:12:16Unanimous decision for De La Hoya.
01:12:19And Larry Merchant is with Oscar in the ring.
01:12:22Thank you very much, Jim.
01:12:24Oscar, congratulations.
01:12:26Did you hurt a hand during this fight?
01:12:30Well, you know what? Actually, I mean, my thumb was a little sore, but it wasn't no big deal.
01:12:35I mean, I was prepared for this fight.
01:12:37I told everyone, this guy's a tough guy.
01:12:39I mean, he has a chin. He's undefeated, 41-0.
01:12:41And I give this guy a lot of credit.
01:12:43What about your cheek?
01:12:47You know you have a bruise there. It'll hinder you in any way.
01:12:50Oh, yes. He popped me with a beautiful right hand.
01:12:53And I felt it when he...
01:12:54Actually, I saw it coming when he connected it.
01:12:56And I knew I had to get away from it, but hey, that's boxing.
01:13:00I mean, did it hurt? Is it seriously bruised?
01:13:02Could you feel it? Because it seemed for a while you weren't throwing that great jab,
01:13:06and it seemed because you didn't want to get popped by that right again.
01:13:09Exactly. After, like, the maybe eighth, ninth, tenth round,
01:13:13I was worried that he was going to throw that right hand again.
01:13:15But we were being very careful.
01:13:17We tried to box this guy as much as possible, and it worked.
01:13:20I've been saying that he is your most formidable opponent
01:13:24in terms of being in his prime, being undefeated, being at the proper weight.
01:13:28So what did he bring out in you, do you think, tonight?
01:13:31Well, hold on, sugar. It's tight.
01:13:33I believe what he brought out of me was more boxing movement to throw my more jabs,
01:13:38and I was being effective with that jab, and that was the key for my success tonight.
01:13:43And it worked.
01:13:43I mean, Miguel Ángel González is a very formidable opponent,
01:13:48and I feel that this guy, I mean, was no slouch.
01:13:52All right, this is your last fight at 140.
01:13:55You're moving up at 147, fighting the fighter next.
01:13:59If he wins his next fight, many regard as the best well-await in the world.
01:14:04What are your thoughts about fighting the great Pernell Whitaker?
01:14:07Well, now I can focus on Pernell Whitaker.
01:14:11I mean, of course, I was focusing for Miguel Ángel González.
01:14:14It was very tough to focus on him, but now I can really focus on Pernell Whitaker.
01:14:19He's next. He's the best pound-for-pound in the world,
01:14:21and it's going to be a very interesting fight.
01:14:23He's a softball. He's very difficult,
01:14:24and I feel that it's going to be a very entertaining fight for that night.
01:14:28Thank you very much for a terrific performance once again, Oscar De La Hoya.
01:14:32Jim?
01:14:33Larry Merchant, and once again, let's turn to George Foreman
01:14:36for a final comment on De La Hoya.
01:14:39Given what you saw tonight, how about the audacity of this choice?
01:14:43He gets ready to move up to 147 pounds,
01:14:45and for his first fight in that weight class,
01:14:47he takes on the guy who for most of the last 10 years
01:14:49has been regarded as the best fighter pound-for-pound in the world, Pernell Whitaker.
01:14:53What he said earlier, he could focus now on Pernell Whitaker.
01:14:56I think it was difficult tonight because he had to focus on Gonzalez and Whitaker.
01:15:00I've got to get past this. I can't lose. I've got to look good.
01:15:03And now he can just narrow things down to Whitaker,
01:15:05and I think it's going to be better because of it now.
01:15:07What about Oscar's very conventional attack,
01:15:10coming in behind the jab, depending on the jab and the left hook,
01:15:12against the southpaw, Whitaker?
01:15:14Whitaker, as far as I'm concerned, he's like an alligator out there.
01:15:18I don't know how you drop an alligator.
01:15:19This guy's got every trick in the book,
01:15:21and then I think he's getting ready to write a few more tricks.
01:15:24If anyone can whip him, it's Oscar De La Hoya.
01:15:26If at all anyone can whip him.
01:15:28Well, it'll be interesting to see if, in fact, the bout takes place.
01:15:31Whitaker has to get past Diobeles Furtado next week, the 24th in Atlantic City.
01:15:36Let's go back to Larry in the ring with the loser, Miguel Angel Gonzalez.
01:15:40Miguel Angel, thank you very much for a terrific effort.
01:15:45Tell us about—tell us your view of what happened in the ring tonight.
01:15:49What happened this night in the fight?
01:15:50Well, I feel like I was in front of a fast, good fighter tonight,
01:15:54and I couldn't cope with his jab.
01:15:55He was just too much tonight, and I wasn't really what I thought I would be in, the conditions that I would be in.
01:16:14You have fought some very good fighters.
01:16:17You've seen some great fighters.
01:16:19Give us the view of a prized fighter who has been in the ring about Oscar De La Hoya,
01:16:25and what kind of a fighter he is, and how difficult he is to fight.
01:16:29You've seen good fighters, you've seen a lot of fighters, and a lot of fighters are good fighters.
01:16:33But tell us, how is Oscar De La Hoya with a good fighter?
01:16:36Well, he's a strong fighter.
01:16:38He's a strong fighter.
01:16:40I feel like he's not so strong.
01:16:41I feel like he's a very strong fighter.
01:16:45But he's very strong and fast, and he's very accurate in his functions.
01:16:51It was a good fight.
01:16:53I think he liked it.
01:16:54It delighted the fans.
01:16:55And that's what the box is going on.
01:16:59And we can all assume that you're happy that he's moving up to the welterweight division.
01:17:06And we all think that he's going to hate you, that he's going to leave 140 lbs,
01:17:10and he's going to 147 lbs.
01:17:12How can you do that?
01:17:12No, I would like to show you that I'm the best fighter.
01:17:16Unfortunately, that night, he'll be the best fighter.
01:17:19I would like the revanche.
01:17:20I think he liked his fight.
01:17:22He's going to talk about it.
01:17:23He's going to learn a lot about this fight.
01:17:25I wish him the best in the future.
01:17:30It was a good fight.
01:17:32I'd still like to prove, get a rematch with him to show down the best.
01:17:35But he's a good fighter.
01:17:37Thank you very much.
01:17:41Okay, Larry Merchant, thank you.
01:17:43As we see tonight, Miguel Ángel González, a beaten fighter,
01:17:47but a guy with a granite jaw who never stopped trying to find the cracks in Oscar De La Hoya.
01:17:53De La Hoya, with a rivet gun of a jab, set the tone, as everybody saw.
01:17:58Didn't use his right a lot, but we saw that he knew how to hit and he knew how to hurt.
01:18:02He was hit before, but I thought González, of course, soaked up some savage shots
01:18:07and was still standing at the end of this.
01:18:08Once again, another learning process for Oscar De La Hoya.
01:18:13He is a work in progress, and people have to remember that.
01:18:17But so far, most of the brushstrokes have landed in all the right places,
01:18:21and so have the punches.
01:18:23That's the story from Las Vegas tonight for Pride and Country.
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01:18:43For Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant, George Borman, and Harold Letterman,
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01:18:49So long for now, from Las Vegas.
01:18:53The executive producer of TVKO is Ross Greenberg.
01:18:57Tonight's broadcast of Pride and Country was produced by Rick Bernstein
01:19:00and directed by Mark Payton.
01:19:03Associate directors Kirby Bradley and Kendall Reed.
01:19:06Assistance to the producer Thomas Odelfeld.
01:19:09The production manager, John McCalley.
01:19:11And the technical supervisor, Bob Hunter.
01:19:22We're here.
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