- 10 hours ago
WBO Lightweight Champion Oscar De La Hoya challenges IBF Champion Rafael Ruelas on TVKO HBO PPV. Plus an interview with Pernell Whitaker.
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00:00With Jimmy Garcia, and we certainly pray for a speedy recovery and a return to good health on his part.
00:05Right now, I'm joined by a young man who holds titles in four different weight classes.
00:09Certainly boxing fans know him quite well, Sweepy, Mr. Pernell Whitaker.
00:14First of all, your thoughts about the Jimmy Garcia fight earlier.
00:17Do you think, given the way Gabriel Rurales was so commanding that it should have been stopped maybe a round earlier?
00:23I think so. I think about in the last round that it should have stopped the round before.
00:28You know, the fighter was taken to a little punishment.
00:32But you can't actually blame the referee because, you know, he really is undecided at that moment.
00:38Okay, let's move ahead and talk about the main event upcoming, Oscar De La Hoya and Rafael Rurales.
00:43Oscar De La Hoya, obviously the golden boy on the track to stardom.
00:47Only 17 professional fights.
00:49Some think maybe a little too quick to be moving in the ring against Rafael Rurales.
00:53Some say, hey, the timing is right. Your thoughts?
00:55I think this is the test. You know, I think he, well, De La Hoya is deserving to be in this position, you know, regardless of how many fights he's had.
01:07But I think this is going to be the test of whether he becomes or remains champion and moving up.
01:13I think this is the test to see if he really has the heart to be a champion.
01:18I think Rurales would be a great test for him, but I think De La Hoya should pull it out.
01:24You think so? So, Rurales, maybe not as formidable a challenger as you would think?
01:29I'm not saying that he's not a formidable opponent, but I just think that De La Hoya is a very crafty young fighter.
01:35He has a lot of skills, and he has a lot of, he has a lot of dips to do.
01:41Okay.
01:41But I think that this would be his big test in this fight, you know, and it's an interesting fight.
01:49It's a good fight for the fans, and it's a good fight for the fans on TV.
01:53All right. We'll see how well he handles his test.
01:55Sweet Peek, good seeing you again, buddy.
01:56Thank you. And it's one thing, if I can get the opportunity to say hi to my wife, Ravonda, and my kids, Dominique, Pernell, and Dante.
02:03We know who the champion in your household is.
02:06All right. Sweet Peek, Whitaker.
02:07Okay. I'm also joined right now by Mr. Henry Gluck, the chairman of the board of Caesar's World and the CEO.
02:13And, again, Larry Merchant really used the wording that this is a neighborhood battle between Oscar De La Hoya and Rafael Rurales.
02:20But what was so attractive about this fight for Caesar's Palace?
02:24Well, you know, all the years that we had, Hagler and Duran and Leonard and Hearns, we had all those great middleweights.
02:30And it was such excitement because they were always paired and they were always equally matched.
02:35These two fighters are sensational fighters, and it's very difficult in any of these weight classifications
02:41to get two fighters so equal in talent and the same match at the same time.
02:47That's what makes this fight so exciting.
02:49Also, because in Southern California, these are both local heroes.
02:52And so we have the making here of a whole brand-new era of fights that we hope will continue.
02:58Certainly to be added to the number of great lightweight bouts that have been held here in the past.
03:03Let's talk a little bit about, again, the very sad situation that's taken place with Jimmy Garcia in that he was injured.
03:09Do you feel that the preparations for something of that nature were appropriate on the part of Caesar's Palace?
03:14I think we have always had very, very good fortune.
03:19I think in a dozen years, I only remember one other incident like that, and that was Richard Sandoval, and thank God he recovered.
03:26So good preparation, getting these people, evaluating them medically correctly, and then being able to deal with it quickly,
03:33getting them proper medical help and getting them to the hospital, and, of course, getting good pre-examination physicals,
03:40which is a big part of this.
03:42But we've been very, very fortunate, as I said, over the last dozen years.
03:46Yeah, you mentioned outside of the last dozen years, the only fatality, of course, involved Dooku Kim against Boom Boom Mancini,
03:52and we certainly hope for the very best, a la Sandoval, as you said, as far as Jimmy Garcia is concerned.
03:57Absolutely.
03:58And, you know, you try and you hope for the best.
04:02These are superbly conditioned fighters, and you do the best you can.
04:06Okay, Mr. Gluck, thank you very much, and we're looking forward to an exciting main event.
04:10Thank you very much, man.
04:11All right, folks.
04:12Now, if, in fact, you are a big fight fan, and we can only assume that you are,
04:16folks, the Rafael Ruelas-Oscar de la Hoya fight offers a golden opportunity to avail yourselves of memorabilia associated with this fight,
04:24and if you're interested, pay attention to this announcement.
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04:43All right, so the main event between Oscar de la Hoya and Rafael Ruelas
04:48will not only be a lightweight unification bout, but a battle for bragging rights.
04:53Residing in Los Angeles, these two have a city that has certainly seen its share of difficulties over the past few years,
04:59buzzing with an awful lot of excitement.
05:04Los Angeles, the home of Oscar de la Hoya and Rafael Ruelas.
05:08In the last three years, Tinseltown has been unraveling.
05:12This beleaguered city has had more than its share of problems.
05:17In 1992, public reaction to the Rodney King verdict was one of outrage.
05:21That quickly turned to violence.
05:24The nation's eyes turned to Los Angeles and has barely looked away since.
05:28The Malibu area wildfires were incredibly destructive and costly.
05:36The fear many people lived with had come true.
05:39Another constant terror was an earthquake, and January 17, 1994 is a morning no one will forget.
05:46The freeways might have been the most public reminder, but millions of homes and lives were shattered as well.
05:52Then there are the sensational celebrity trials, which have bruised the L.A. psyche.
06:00They started with the Menendez brothers, built with Heidi Fleiss, and now continue with O.J. Simpson.
06:08And this January, the torrential rains and floods came.
06:16More and more homes and lives were cast adrift in this latest disaster.
06:22In sports, there was the minor insult and inconvenience of the Rams moving from Anaheim to St. Louis.
06:28It seems with all the bad news, people in L.A. barely noticed.
06:31But people did rally behind the UCLA Bruins, who won the NCAA basketball title last month.
06:38For the people of L.A., it was a fun diversion and a trip down memory lane.
06:44And tonight, another escape.
06:47Oscar de la Hoya, the so-called golden boy of boxing, in the most difficult fight of his career.
06:53He faces Rafael Ruelas, the lightweight champion with an iron wheel and fist of the proverbial stone.
07:01Again, in Los Angeles, sports are providing an uplifting redemption in the midst of struggles and strife.
07:08De la Hoya versus Ruelas.
07:10The fight you've been waiting for next.
07:18And, folks, it's what you've been waiting for.
07:21The main event.
07:22Undefeated Oscar de la Hoya against lightweight champion Rafael Ruelas.
07:26We're scheduled for 12 rounds of action.
07:29La Batalla is being brought to you by Beachwood 8 Budweiser.
07:34It's always been true.
07:35This Bud's for you.
07:38And, folks, we've got nearly a packed house here just outside of Caesar's Palace.
07:42All rabid with anticipation for the fight that's been so much talked about in the lightweight ranks.
07:48That's between world champions Oscar de la Hoya and Rafael Ruelas.
07:55And, folks, this is the fight that all of Los Angeles has indeed been waiting for.
07:59Oscar de la Hoya and Rafael Ruelas, both holders of world titles.
08:03Ever since winning Olympic gold back in 1992, de la Hoya has certainly been on the track to stardom.
08:09His rapid-fire punches, his stinging left jab, his pleasing personality have certainly helped him to a 17-0 record.
08:16And that award-winning smile of his certainly has made him not only a media hit,
08:20but also given him the ability to sort through a number of media endorsements as well.
08:25Rafael Ruelas is no slouch.
08:27Make no mistake about it.
08:28Bright and articulate.
08:29He's a very hard puncher.
08:31He's fought his way out of poverty and up from obscurity.
08:35Now, in the mind of Rafael Ruelas, he feels that Oscar de la Hoya is more a media creation than a legitimate fighter.
08:42Well, Oscar feels he's answered most of those concerns in his victorious struggle against John John Molina recently.
08:49Ruelas remains unconvinced.
08:51And, folks, the answer will come in the only place that it should, and that is in the ring.
08:55Well, we now get set for the U.S. and Mexican national anthems.
08:59And for that, we take you inside the ring to ring announcer Michael Buffer.
09:04Ladies and gentlemen, in the ring at this time is the color guard from Nellis Air Force Base.
09:09And we would like everyone to please rise for the national anthems of both Mexico and the United States of America.
09:16First up, Grammy Award-winning recording star, ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Arturo Sandoval.
09:23Thank you, Mr. Arturo Sandoval.
09:23Thank you, Mr. Arturo Sandoval.
09:23Thank you, Mr. Arturo Sandoval.
09:23Thank you, Mr. Arturo Sandoval.
09:24Thank you, Mr. Arturo Sandoval.
09:24Thank you, Mr. Arturo Sandoval.
09:24Thank you, Mr. Arturo Sandoval.
09:26Thank you, Mr. Arturo Sandoval.
09:27Thank you, Mr. Arturo Sandoval.
09:28Thank you, Mr. Arturo Sandoval.
09:29Thank you, Mr. Arturo Sandoval.
09:30Thank you, Mr. Arturo Sandoval.
09:31Thank you, Mr. Arturo Sandoval.
09:32Thank you, Mr. Arturo Sandoval.
09:33Thank you, Mr. Arturo Sandoval.
09:34Thank you, Mr. Arturo Sandoval.
09:35Thank you, Mr. Arturo Sandoval.
13:15The unification bout between Oscar de la Hoya and Rafael Ruelas is just moments away.
13:20We now take you down ringside to Jim Lampley.
13:24All right, thank you very much, James Brown.
13:26And one note on this crowd and the atmosphere here before we continue the buildup.
13:31No announcement has been made from the ring about Jimmy Garcia's condition
13:35and the possibility that he may need potentially life-saving surgery
13:40for his subdural hematoma as this evening progresses.
13:43So the thousands here in this sellout crowd in Caesars Palace's outdoor arena
13:48do not share the underlying, disquieting sense of discomfort
13:52that now afflicts all of those of us who are aware of what's going on at Mercy Hospital a few miles away.
13:58Therefore, it is with great excitement that this crowd gets ready
14:02for the fight that has been talked about on the West Coast for so long.
14:06Rafael Ruelas against Oscar de la Hoya.
14:08Larry Merchant, conventional wisdom has been that this will be about
14:12between De La Hoya's great talent and Ruelas' heart and experience.
14:17What's your unconventional wisdom on the matchup?
14:20My unconventional wisdom is that heart, or if you want to call it hunger,
14:25or as I prefer, will, will not be a factor in this fight.
14:30Heart, or whatever you want to call it, is a factor in the success of Rafael Ruelas.
14:36He would not be a champion without it.
14:39But in an outstanding athlete like Oscar de la Hoya,
14:42that quality is often hard to isolate.
14:46And in him, it's called merely ambition.
14:49So it will come down to talent and experience.
14:52And I believe there's a much wider gap in the talent between these two fighters
14:57and has been generally acknowledged.
15:00De la Hoya drives a Lamborghini.
15:02Ruelas drives a Lexus.
15:05That's the size of the gap.
15:07But there's also a gap in the experience or inexperience factor.
15:12Oscar de la Hoya is still crystallizing his style as a professional fighter.
15:18Conceivably, this fight could be, he could have taken a year before he should have.
15:25All right, well, let's talk about experience,
15:26because the experiences of De la Hoya and the man who works with us tonight,
15:30Roy Jones Jr., are not entirely dissimilar.
15:33Like you, Oscar came out of the Olympics as a big star.
15:37Unlike you, he went immediately for big bouts and big money.
15:41You waited years before putting yourself into these kinds of spotlight situations.
15:46Is this too much too soon for Oscar?
15:48No, it's not too much for Oscar.
15:50Reason being is because Oscar was a world champion as an amateur.
15:54Being a world champion as an amateur myself,
15:56I realized the different styles, the different fighters,
15:59the different foreign countries you have to travel to to face different fighters.
16:03When you've had that type of experience,
16:05you are ready for any type of experience that they can ever put on you
16:08when you come back to the United States.
16:09We went over there to defend our country, in a sense, as far as boxing goes,
16:14and we're ready for anything after we come back.
16:16I chose a different direction because I did not sign with the big promoter as Oscar did.
16:21So he has to take these type fights in order to keep his name up and to keep the energy developed up.
16:26Another direct comparison.
16:28Both guys are regarded as hard punches.
16:30Who punches harder?
16:31Both guys are hard punches.
16:34It's very hard for me to say who punches harder,
16:36but Oscar is more dangerous because he has the sharper, crisper punches.
16:39I think this will be a big factor in the fight,
16:41and this is why I think Oscar may have the edge.
16:44But never count out a guy such as Ruelas because he has a great heart,
16:47a heart of a champion, and he will be there till the end.
16:50All right, you get ready to call the fight.
16:52Let's take a look at the tail of the tape between Oscar De La Hoya and Rafael Ruelas,
16:56and you will see that De La Hoya enjoys the height advantage here,
17:01as he will enjoy against almost everyone he ever fights in these lower weight classes,
17:04but this time only by a half inch against Ruelas, who's 5'10 1⁄2".
17:09A 3-inch reach advantage for De La Hoya.
17:15And we'll take a look at the punch stat numbers here,
17:17and as you can see, Rafael Ruelas will press the action.
17:21He is the more active fighter.
17:22De La Hoya is the sharper, more accurate puncher.
17:28Jabs.
17:29Both fighters throw about as many jabs.
17:32It's not really a weapon for either fighter, but they do work off it.
17:36Rules of the bout, Harold.
17:39The Oscar De La Hoya-Rafael Ruelas fight is scheduled for 12 rounds.
17:44There is no standing eight count.
17:46The three-knockdown rule is in effect.
17:49Only the referee can stop the fight,
17:51and you can be saved by the belt in the last round only.
17:54Jim.
17:55All right.
17:55Thank you very much, Harold Letterman.
17:57The crowd is pumped to a fever pitch.
18:01The celebrities have all been introduced,
18:03and now the two biggest celebrities of the night.
18:05Oscar De La Hoya lost a coin toss
18:09between these two reigning champions,
18:11so he'll enter first.
18:13And you see that in his last fight here in Las Vegas,
18:16he went 12 tough rounds against John John Molina.
18:19His critics say that that fight provided the blueprint, Larry,
18:23for how to pressure Molina,
18:25or pressure De La Hoya, I should say,
18:26and take him out of his game.
18:27I think that any quality fighter who wants to fight a pressure ugly kind of in-your-face,
18:35in-your-chest fight can make another fighter look bad,
18:39and if Ruelas has to do that,
18:40it's because he doesn't think that he can compete with him at a distance,
18:45and he's probably right.
18:54De La Hoya says he's just a puppy fighting big dogs,
18:58but he's a puppy who wants to be an alpha dog.
19:02A lead dog.
19:08A sobering note.
19:22As De La Hoya prepares to enter the ring here,
19:26we get word that Jimmy Garcia at this moment
19:29is undergoing surgery for his subdural hematoma.
19:34He is listed in critical condition.
19:37The surgery is necessary to prevent his possible loss of life.
19:42It's quite small.
19:57It's been tough.
20:05It's quite Wright.
20:07It'sIKENG TAN.
20:10trainer robert alcazar leads delahoy into the ring they've been together since early
20:18in oscar's amateur career prior to his trip to the olympics in 1992
20:22and the ring records are brought to you by the ring magazine the bible of boxing
20:31delahoya 17 and 0 with 15 ko's the most recent bout to go the distance the 12 rounds
20:38against john john molina
20:40he is a rare talent but talent doesn't always win in this game
20:50he gets ready to meet a fighter he has known since both of them were early teenagers
21:01they fought three times early in their amateur careers
21:05and according to the legend that grows with each telling of the story
21:09raphael roales won two of those three meetings they sparred with each other in 1992 prior to
21:17delahoy's trip to the olympics there are conflicting versions in what happened in those or of what
21:23happened in those two days of sparring against each other have you ever heard of two fighters
21:29getting in the ring for a title who sparred years before and both of them have the same version
21:34of what happened right no i don't think so and there is raphael roales's dressing room door which
21:41is for the second time this evening locked
21:46playing jeremy williams standing in front of the door with a smile on his face and clearly a game is
21:50being played here larry yeah i think these things backfire more often than not i don't think they
21:56mean anything these two young men have been training diligently for close to two months
22:04what do you think roy well like i said before this is part of the game that guys play especially
22:10champions to let the other guy kind of know that look i'm going to be in charge tonight so don't get
22:15feisty because i'm in control is this raphael roales's first tactical response of the evening
22:20to the fact that delahoy has had the golden boy ultra star treatment as opposed to his own rougher
22:27passage in the sport i think it is i think it is but oscar deserves it you know once you go to the
22:34olympics and represent your country i think you deserve that type of treatment if that's what you're
22:38worthy of giving you have to earn that he was the only gold medalist on the 1992 american olympic
22:45boxing team yeah you know uh it's always a mystery on why one particular fighter
22:54can be marketed more than another fighter but it is a fact of life and all credit to the fighter who
23:02can make it happen even if there are other fighters out there who maybe is equal or better
23:10and here he is rafael roales
23:14you know most most people in the country have heard a lot more about oscar de la hoya jim i know a very
23:22very respected boxing man who bet twenty thousand dollars today on relish taking two to one odds
23:35and saying he thought relish should be the favorite
23:39and he's going to go to joe goosin making his second trip to the ring tonight
23:48he guided gabriel willis through his 10-round tko victory over jimmy garcia just about an hour and a
23:57half ago
24:04rafael is not a guy that you can just count out because he does have heart he does have puncher power
24:09and like i said he will be there to the end so don't count rafael out
24:25and just as the response in the arena was big for de la hoya so too it is big for rafael
24:41you know there is a fault line among mexican and mexican americans on which fighters they root for
24:49and the mexicans often root for the fighter who seems to them most american i'm sorry most mexican
24:58rather than a crossover fighter such as delahoya
25:01rafael ruelas is normally very radisson very dignified he's been that way throughout his 44 fight
25:18professional career he lost his cool one time and that was in the one fight he lost against a tough
25:25little slugger from mexico named mauro gutierrez when gutierrez caught ruelas early and sent him
25:31to the canvas rafael watched his trainer joe goosin and waited for goosin to motion him to get up
25:38they lost track of the count
25:49you can see ruelas looking at boosin right by the side of brittorez ready to get up at the count of four
25:57lost track his only defeat that loss was later avenged in a route going decision by ruelas
26:07on route to his title winning effort against freddie pendleton he has defended that title
26:13twice and gets ready now for his fourth championship fight and let's go up the ring
26:17announcer michael buffett for the brief fight introduction ladies and gentlemen top rank
26:22incorporated in association with your undisputed undefeated king of beers bud weiser this buds for
26:30you present 12 rounds of boxing between two world champions for a unified
26:37lightweight championship of the world this battle is sanctioned by the nevada state athletic
26:45commission chairman dr james nave commissioners nat carrasali and dr elias ganham luther mack and
26:52christian rivera executive director mark ratner lead position dr philippe romansky attending
26:59positions dr james wish game and dr al cabana the timekeeper is jane broadfoot counting for the
27:05knockdown seconds mike lachella this belt is also sanctioned by the international boxing federation
27:12president robert w lee supervisor at ringside alvin goodman and the world boxing organization
27:19president francisco barcasel supervisor at ringside nick carasotis the three judges scoring this contest on a
27:2910-point 10-point must system will be mike gliena glenn hamada and jerry roth and when the bell rings
27:37the man in charge of the action referee richard steel
27:45from the site where legends are made caesar's palace of las vegas nevada
27:50damas y caballeros let's get ready to rumble
28:04introducing first playing out of the red corner wearing green and red and weighing 135 pounds he
28:12brings a professional record of 43 victories including 34 ko's against only one defeat he now lives in
28:19fights out of silmar california but he is a native son of jalisco yerba buena mexico ladies and gentlemen
28:28here is the idea right weight champion of the world
28:33the world
28:47and across the ring fighting out of the blue corner wearing green trimmed and white and weighing in
28:54and 134 and one half pounds he captured olympic gold in 1992 and now as a professional he has captured two
29:03world titles with a perfect record of 17 and 0 including 15 by ko ladies and gentlemen presenting the pride of
29:12east la the undefeated wbo right weight champion of the world
29:21the golden boy
29:23the golden boy
29:24the golden boy
29:51in the dressing room question
30:04again obey my commands at all
30:06times.
30:06They can get given the high
30:10emotions here given the styles
30:13of these fighters you should get
30:16sparks right from the start
30:18perhaps spontaneous combustion
30:21first few rounds should be
30:23exciting both guys can really
30:25crack both guys have a tendency to
30:27get tagged especially early both
30:30have been down in the first round
30:32more than once in their careers and
30:34i think that they will be locked
30:36out in this round you do do you
30:39interesting prediction by roy jones
30:41jr
30:42ruelas with both hands up high next
30:44to his head delahoy opens up with
30:46the jab
30:52oscar de la hoya wants to come
30:54straight up the middle against
30:55rafael ruelas who like his brother
30:57gabriel has a tendency to wing shots
30:59from the outside that is very dangerous
31:01against oscar de la hoya because he
31:03will be throwing sharp straight
31:05punches which will be very effective
31:06i think against the winged punches
31:15rafael ruelas breaking de la hoya with
31:16the left hook de la hoya straight up the
31:18middle with the jab
31:24down
31:26oscar promised more head movement and more
31:29flexibility bending from the waist
31:31roy jones he's off to a good start
31:42de la hoya landed one left hook that
31:44back to ellis into the corner
31:50wellis fights on his heels a lot he's too
31:52wide and he's following oscar
31:56wellis's balance doesn't look good in
31:57this first round three very bad mistakes
31:59against a sharp fighter such as oscar de la
32:01hoya
32:06if you're going to come straight in against
32:07a guy like de la hoya you better bring
32:09something when you're coming in
32:10exactly i mean my thoughts exactly
32:12because if he doesn't then he allows
32:14us to just to punch and if oscar gets a chance
32:17that's the first he will hit you
32:19you're going to fail ruelas a notoriously slow
32:21starter he's taking a lot of leather here
32:23in round one now he warms up again as he
32:26tries to get to de la hoya's body
32:31de la hoya beating the jab up the middle of
32:43ruelas's guard
32:45great step back step back
32:46well he throws his right hand and steps his right foot forward
32:49makes him lose his balance every time
32:51and de la hoya who was furious at mills lane for his handling of the molina fight
32:55is already angry at richard steel here we should argue the referee has a fight to fight
32:59don't worry about the upper reach just do what you have to do in the ring
33:02left right combination by de la hoya now ruelas
33:06don't hold him starting to get off just a little bit
33:15still raphael ruelas looks unsteady on his legs very unsteady and he's not even got hit yet
33:21he looks like an old guy who's been fighting a long time to take a few minutes
33:29and he's going to take a few minutes then he's going to take a few minutes
33:35robert alcazar comes all the way to the middle of the ring to grab richard steele and now
33:38joe goosin responds in kind
33:42Now, Rafael, you keep working.
33:53Now you got, all right, you took a little shot, you got a little ding, you came right
33:56back good.
33:57All I don't, I don't want you to do this.
33:58I don't want you to stop moving, whether it be forward, head moving side to side.
34:03I don't want you to stop moving to give them a target ever.
34:05It's a constant.
34:06Don't reach for them.
34:08Don't reach.
34:08You're better off blocking and going with them.
34:11All right?
34:12Keep on doing it.
34:12He'll track them down.
34:16De La Hoya, you see him up on his toes more than we've seen him before with a little bit
34:22more move, leg movement.
34:24Normally, he's come in straight toward his opponent.
34:28Dramatic tactical difference in round one.
34:30According to punch stat numbers, De La Hoya threw 55 jabs in the first round, landed 24.
34:36Ruelas did not land a left jab in the round.
34:39He landed a good left hook just then, but it had no effect on Oscar, I don't think.
34:46There are questions about both fighters' chins.
34:48That's part of what makes this so exciting.
34:53Hard left hook by Ruelas.
34:56No effect on Oscar again, I don't think.
34:57He's throwing very smart punches against De La Hoya, but he's still following, so he's going to be opening up soon.
35:12And I think Oscar will be able to capitalize on this mistake.
35:16With regard to style, Rafael Ruelas says, I'm an inside fighter.
35:20Oscar De La Hoya isn't.
35:21So the game plan is obvious.
35:23Ruelas wants to get on top of Oscar and pressure him from bell to bell.
35:27And if Oscar gives in to this, then it could be an interesting fight, but I don't think he will.
35:31I hope not.
35:31Oh, he will.
35:32There he goes.
35:33A great left hook.
35:35I saw him grab it back down.
35:37I don't think De La Hoya can make it back.
35:38I think De La Hoya is out.
35:40One, two.
35:41I don't think Ruelas can make it back from this.
35:44His last are weak.
35:45He shouldn't continue.
35:46This fight shouldn't be stopped.
35:47He's about to get hurt.
35:48A minute and 40.
35:49So you think De La Hoya can finish.
35:51There's the second knockdown.
35:53And Rafael is on Queer Street as he gets up.
35:58The lightning left hooks of Oscar De La Hoya.
36:01Come to me.
36:02Steele says, come to me.
36:04No quick stoppage this time by Richard Steele.
36:07De La Hoya with the punishment.
36:09And that's it.
36:10That's it.
36:10Ask a De La Hoya.
36:17Talent tells.
36:20Talent tells.
36:26You're looking at a world of talent for a world champion right there.
36:31And Rafael Ruelas says it all happened too fast.
36:34Everybody said it was De La Hoya's fight early.
36:42It would have been Ruelas' fight to win late.
36:45I don't know if that was true, but De La Hoya certainly made it happen early.
36:50Roy Jones, I said to you earlier this evening, sometimes in the first or second round, you see a look on the face of the opponents of De La Hoya that is something on the order of, where did that come from?
37:00I never felt anything like that before.
37:03This man has dynamite hands for a lightweight.
37:05Yes, he does, and he has dynamite power for a lightweight because he punches so sharply.
37:10This is what enables him to get through the things that he does in the ring.
37:13This is why the other guys can't understand the power.
37:15They don't understand where it's coming from, how he punches so hard.
37:18They watch the film.
37:19They don't realize what effect his speed has on the punching power.
37:23So it's not just the natural gift of strength and speed, but also his great technique.
37:27Yes, it is.
37:28It's a great technique, and he has a natural gift, too, though.
37:32Rafael Ruelas stunned.
37:35Second round TKO.
37:36Oscar De La Hoya put Ruelas down twice and then was able to finish him to the satisfaction of referee Richard Steele.
37:43Now let's go up to ring announcer Michael Buffer for the official particulars.
37:47Ladies and gentlemen, referee Richard Steele has to call a halt to the bout.
37:51The official time, one minute, 43 seconds of round number two.
37:58The winner by TKO victory, still undefeated.
38:02And now, the unified, lightweight champion of the world, the Golden Boy, from East LA, Oscar De La Hoya.
38:21No disparagement or disrespect to Rafael Ruelas as you get ready to look at these knockdowns.
38:34He was simply in against a great talent tonight.
38:37Here it is, Roy.
38:38There's the left hook.
38:38Yeah, and that came from throwing the wide punches.
38:42He threw wide punches, then he tried to back straight back out because he's off balance.
38:45Watch the poor balance.
38:46After he punches, he has terrible balance.
38:48Boom, he's unable to get caught with a perfect left hook, and down he goes.
38:51And that might have looked to some ringside observers like a glancing blow, but Rafael was on Queer Street afterward and here went down a second time.
39:01Rafael seemed to be on Queer Street before the fight.
39:05His balance was just so bad until it was very hard for him to just keep up with Oscar.
39:11Oscar's a very quick fighter, and there's no way a guy with this type of balance should be in the ring with Oscar.
39:15And you saw the sharp straight right hand there, the great technique that Roy Jones talked about, and then this finishing barrage, and Richard Steele had no choice but to step in and preserve Rafael Ruelas for later business in his professional career.
39:32Oscar De La Hoya goes to 18-0, 16 knockouts, unbeaten lightweight champion of the world.
39:38Here's Larry Merchant with the winner.
39:40Oscar, congratulations.
39:42What, in your view, was the decisive factor in enabling you to get in those big licks in the second round?
39:51We knew it was not a matter of time because Ruelas is a very strong, will-powered fighter, and we knew if we did not come out, he was going to come out and beat me.
40:02That's the way we were coming into this fight.
40:03We knew he was a very good fighter.
40:05So we just had to time him very good.
40:08We had to wait for the right certain punch.
40:10I was waiting for him to miss and throw counters right back and try to connect them good.
40:15You spent a lot of time in the gym modifying your style.
40:20Would you tell us how that helped you get to the point where you could deliver those punches tonight?
40:26Well, we were working a lot in the gym, not on conditioning but on different moves.
40:30Boxing more, moving my head more because Rafael Ruelas throws a lot of punches, and we had to be very, very careful because he's a very dangerous fighter.
40:38How much did the experience against John John Molina help you get to this point?
40:44It did help a lot because John John put pressure on me, but not as much as Rafael was going to put pressure on me.
40:51Rafael was a fighter who just kept on coming, kept on coming, and I had to be very careful.
40:54I give him credit, but, I mean, referees stopped the fight, and I came out victorious.
41:00What does this victory mean to you in terms of this inter-city rivalry that has gone on between you fellas for so long?
41:11Well, I believe Rafael Ruelas, of course.
41:14Hey, it's one loss against a champion like myself, and it doesn't matter, you know?
41:19But it certainly must mean something to you.
41:22For all those people who criticize you, perhaps, because they felt everything came to you too quickly, do you think you disproved those critics tonight?
41:30I think so, but not quite, because there's still more critics out there who think it's always going to be like this.
41:36I beat a worthy opponent, a tough guy in my weight division, and still there's going to be those critics out there.
41:41But for all the critics out there who doubted me, this one's for you.
41:45Thank you very much.
41:47Oscar, back to you, Jim, and we'll be right back to talk to Rafael Ruelas.
41:52All right, thank you very much, Larry Merchant, and we'll be sizing up what happened in this fight once again with world super middleweight champion Roy Jones Jr.,
42:03who has been terrific tonight in his debut as an expert commentator.
42:06But first, let's go back up to the ring where Michael Buffer has a special presentation.
42:12Now, first, we're going to have Larry Merchant interview Rafael Ruelas.
42:15Then we'll have that special presentation.
42:16All right, Larry, take it away.
42:17All right, Rafael Ruelas, were you faced with a different De La Hoya than you expected in this fight?
42:26No, I knew he was fast.
42:28I knew that he was strong.
42:29But I knew that I still had to stay on top of him.
42:32You know, I think that they shouldn't have stopped him when they did, but, you know, the fight's been stopped, so what can you do?
42:37Were you, did you feel you were clear-headed enough to go on?
42:40Oh, definitely, definitely.
42:42I could have continued.
42:43You know, I've been down before.
42:44I've gotten up and I've won the fights.
42:46This really wouldn't have been any different.
42:48What are your feelings about losing to Oscar De La Hoya after all of this rivalry going on for years,
42:56coming down to these last months of preparation for all of this, and now it ending on this note?
43:02Well, you know, it's unfortunate.
43:04I mean, I worked very hard.
43:06You know, I wish they would have allowed the fight to continue.
43:09But, you know, it's over and done with.
43:10You can't change it.
43:11You know, they stopped it.
43:12I lost the fight, but I'll be back.
43:14Give us your view of Oscar De La Hoya as a fighter.
43:19You've been around fighting professionally much longer than him, over 40 fights.
43:24You've seen a lot of good fighters.
43:26How do you rate him now?
43:27Well, you know, like I've always said, even before I fought him, I knew that he was, you know, on the top line weights.
43:32I knew that he was very fast and very strong.
43:34But, you know, I knew coming to the fight, you know, I give him credit.
43:38You know, he did what he had to do.
43:39You know, like I said, I'm watching.
43:40And they stopped the fight.
43:42But all the way back, you know, get a nice shot.
43:44Thank you very much, Raphael.
43:45Now to you, Jim and Roy.
43:47All right.
43:48Thanks very much, Larry Merchant.
43:49And once again, we will talk to Roy and get his final evaluation on this fight in just a moment.
43:53And now, Michael Buffer with a special presentation in the ring.
44:01Ladies and gentlemen, a very special presentation in the ring at this time.
44:04The winner will now receive a gift from Don Roberto Jewelers.
44:08Here's Mr. Bob Aron from Top Rank Incorporated.
44:12We had so many sponsors for this fight.
44:15None better than Don Roberto Jewelers.
44:18This beautiful gold watch to the winner.
44:20The greatest fighter in the world today.
44:23Oscar De La Hoya.
44:24Oscar De La Hoya.
44:24So Oscar De La Hoya, the recipient of that fine watch.
44:52And now, last chance to talk to Roy Jones Jr. about what he saw.
44:55Roy, as you look down the road for Oscar De La Hoya, there are a couple of possibilities.
45:00He can stay at 135 and fight perhaps as many as two fighters, Jesse James Leha and Gabriel Ruelas,
45:07who might be interested in coming up from 130 to fight him.
45:10It's impossible for me to imagine guys coming up from five pounds lower and handling that kind of punching power.
45:17What do you think?
45:17You're right, Jim.
45:18I don't think either of these two guys even should consider coming up to fight Oscar because Oscar's far, far above their talent level.
45:25He's much, much a better fighter.
45:27And they should just stay where they are.
45:29And he probably will have to move up to the 140-pound division to really find great competition.
45:34Let me give you another possibility for De La Hoya.
45:36He goes up to 140, where the opponent could be Costaszu, or it could be Frankie Randall, or in a match that Mexican-Americans would greatly love to see, Julio Cesar Chavez.
45:47What do you think of De La Hoya going up to 140?
45:50140 is a good weight division for him.
45:53Some of those guys, he's ready for us.
45:56He needs to let his body mature every one or two more years before he's chasing them on.
46:01I would have great confidence in the fight just about anybody today because he is a great fighter,
46:06and I think he deserves everything he gets, and he deserves to be where he is.
46:10Did you have fun?
46:11I had a great time.
46:12Not quite a good time, as I'm going to have next time when you see me pound Pazienza, but I did have a good time.
46:17That'll be June 24 when you have your chance at Vinny Pazienza, right?
46:21That's right.
46:21He was an interested spectator when you knocked out Antoine Byrd in the first round down at Pensacola last month.
46:27And I tried to give him a chance to change his mind, but he still thinks that this is what he wants to do, so I guess I'll have to help him.
46:33Roy, we look forward to seeing you fight, and we look forward to seeing you do this again.
46:37You were terrific.
46:37Thank you very much.
46:38All right.
46:39From Roy Jones, Jr., to the best pound-for-pound boxing commentator in the world, Larry Merchant.
46:44Larry, months of buildup, less than five minutes of fighting because of Oscar De La Hoya's brilliant talent, right?
46:51Exactly.
46:51And it's interesting to me how difficult it is for some people to accept young, brilliant talent.
46:59Very much like Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard, Oscar De La Hoya has the golden boy who won a gold medal at the Olympics, had the bright good looks and the bright smile and the glib tongue and the cockiness.
47:14And also talking so much about wanting to be bigger than just a champion.
47:21And in boxing, people have to say to themselves and to everybody else, hey, kid, it's not that easy.
47:31Prove it.
47:31Well, I think he's proving it, folks.
47:34He is a very rare talent.
47:37Enjoy him while we have him.
47:39And I'd like to finish on the note that all our prayers are for Jimmy Garcia.
47:45Ultimately, that's really more important.
47:46Yeah, that's where it's at right now.
47:49As we get ready to close this program, I concur with Larry.
47:52Our thoughts and our prayers are with Colombian Jimmy Garcia, who came here to challenge Gabriel Ruelas for his 130-pound title and is now in Mercy Hospital with a subdural hematoma.
48:03After having suffered a late-round technical knockout and a brutal event-long pounding from Gabriel Ruelas.
48:11At this moment, we're told that Jimmy Garcia is undergoing surgery for that subdural hematoma.
48:18The condition, as we told you, is listed as critical.
48:21So it is by no means certain that that young man is going to make it through the night.
48:26And, of course, we all hope that he will.
48:30Nevada State Athletic Commission Dr. Flip Homansky has left the ring now and has gone to be with Jimmy Garcia as the bigger business of saving a life is undertaken at Mercy Hospital.
48:41And with that, we appreciated our chance to be here for an entertaining night of boxing, one that leaves a disquieting feeling in the pit of the stomach.
48:51James Brown?
48:53All right, Jimmy.
48:54Thank you very much.
48:54And once again, on behalf of all of us here at TVKO, it is indeed with heartfelt concern that we extend our prayers and thoughts to Jimmy Garcia and his family and hope that he will be blessed with another day and days of life indeed.
49:07All right, so an impressive performance by Oscar De La Jolla.
49:11In fact, two classy individuals.
49:13Rafael Ruelas, classy in defeat.
49:15And, of course, Oscar De La Jolla, classy in victory.
49:18An impressive two-round display of speed, savvy, and, again, stinging punches all the way that brought him the unified title in the lightweight division.
49:29This is Oscar De La Jolla setting up Ruelas for the knockout punch there.
49:34And Oscar De La Jolla, indeed, the unified lightweight champion.
49:38La Battaglia was brought to you by Budweiser.
49:45It's always been true.
49:46This Bud's for you.
49:48AT&T, your true voice.
49:51Menin Speed Stick, protection that won't quit.
49:55And by Coconuts, Record Town and Incredible Universe stores.
50:01By Don Roberto Jewelers, the official jeweler of La Battaglia.
50:05And, finally, Latinos in Boxing Magazine.
50:11Mark your boxing calendars and be sure to tune in to HBO when Michael Mora returns to the ring for the first time since his devastating loss to George Foreman.
50:21Also on that card, Lennox Lewis has his first fight since being shot by Oliver McCall.
50:26That'll be coming your way May 13th.
50:28The next week, watch for Evander Holyfield's comeback against Ray Mercer.
50:32That's on TVKO Pay-Per-View, and it'll be May the 20th.
50:39So, for Jim Lampley, Larry Merchant, Roy Jones Jr., and Harold Letterman, this is James Brown saying goodbye from Las Vegas, Nevada.
50:49The executive producer of TVKO Boxing is Ross Greenberg.
50:53Tonight's coverage was produced by Dave Harmon and directed by Mark Payton.
51:00The associate producers were Brian McDonald and Gary Milkus.
51:04Assistance to the producer, John Crystal and Thomas Odefeld.
51:07The production manager was John McCalley.
51:10And the technical supervisor, Tom McCracken.
51:13The this season is $1,1190.
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