Oscar De La Hoya gave Manny Pacquiao a blow south of the border years after being entirely dominated by the Filipino legend when they fought.
De La Hoya hit a new low, even by his recent standards, by claiming he wasn’t one hundred percent for his 2009 loss against Pacquiao.
“The Golden Boy” lost by a wide margin to Pacquiao when he dropped weight classes to meet the divisional master at welterweight. By his own admission, the eleven-time world champion thought he couldn’t lose to the smaller man.
But he lost in complete domination by Pacquiao at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, an opponent who won belts in eight divisions. The “Pac-Man” tore De La Hoya apart before taking him out in a one-sided destruction.
De La Hoya had been gracious in defeat in the years that followed. However, he unleashed the beast in a tell-all documentary, and Pacquiao was one of his primary targets.
In a shocking revelation, De La Hoya says he hit the bottle heavily during camp, the first time in his career he’d broken from abstention before a fight.
Speaking to etonline.com, De La Hoya admits to alcoholism after some of the early sessions in the gym went wrong.
“It starts in training camp. I’m training for Manny. Keep in mind [that it’s] three months before the fight, OK?” the promoter tells ET on the De La Hoya vs. Pacquiao event.
“I was getting beaten up by sparring partners. At one point, I decided it was over for me during training camp- maybe midway. I can’t take this.
“I’m getting beaten up so much. My body doesn’t feel right. So then I started drinking during camp. I start drinking and drinking. At this point, I’m not caring anymore.
“My whole career, I’m always focused. Always determined, one hundred percent. But this time, I just felt [like my ca was] over.”
During the documentary, De La Hoya wished Pacquiao would hit him hard enough to kill him. When ET asked if that was the case, he added: “Yeah.
“When I entered the ring for Pacquiao, I knew something was wrong. But when he was hitting me – I was in the corner, hoping he would land the perfect punch – to end it all.
“At that point, it was the peak of my depression. Or one of my depressions. It was the peak of it. So, I just wanted that fight to end,” concluded the Olympic champion.
Pacquiao, his fans, and trainer Freddie Roach will not be happy with De La Hoya’s attempts to diminish the victory.
The former Philippine Senator beat up De La Hoya in Las Vegas and ended his career after Floyd Mayweather had defeated him.
The fact that De La Hoya didn’t look after himself before some of his bouts should never diminish Pacquiao’s triumph.
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Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, an experienced boxing writer and World Boxing News Editor since 2010.
