Zivic was born to immigrant parents; his father was Croatian, his mother Mary Kepele was Slovenian. As a young man, he followed the example of his elder brothers. These five brothers were known as the "Fighting Zivics". Referring to his youth in the Ninth Ward of Lawrenceville, Zivic later said, "You either had to fight or stay in the house. We went out." He started with fighting professionally in October 1931 as a featherweight (at the age of 18). By 1936 he was ranked among the top ten welterweights. In 1940 Zivic beat Sammy Angott to earn a shot at the welterweight title. He upset the great Henry Armstrong on October 4, 1940 in a 15-round decision at Madison Square Garden to take the welterweight title.

According to Zivic's own account, the first bout with Armstrong was very dirty. Armstrong started out fighting that way: "Henry's givin' me the elbows and the shoulders and the top of the head, and I can give that stuff back pretty good, but I don't dare to or maybe they'll throw me out of the ring." By the seventh round, Zivic had had enough, and began responding in kind. The referee (still according to Zivic), then told the fighters, If you want to fight that way, it's okay with me. Armstrong had built up a good lead, but Zivic went to work, cutting both of Armstrong's eyes and opening a gash on his mouth. Zivic said "pardon me" several times while fouling his opponent. In the fifteenth and final round, Zivic hit Armstrong with a left hook-right cross combination. Armstrong went down as the bell ended the fight. Zivic won a unanimous decision.

He won the rematch with Armstrong in January 1941, but lost in his next defense, to Freddie Cochrane in 15 on July 29, 1941. His last fight was in January 1949 (at the age of 36).


Although his fighting tactics were very dirty (thumbing the opponents in the eye or punching in banned areas), he was also known for always apologizing for that to his opponent. "He had a body like a wire, a mind like a chess player, a quick wit and a splendid smile.".

Standing 5'10" with a 71" reach, Zivic was an able boxer-puncher, who could pressure the boxers and take the worst from the punchers.Yet it was his rough and tumble style that came to define him. Ever the gentleman, "The Croat Comet" would mumble apologies even as he butted heads, thumbed eyes, hit behind the head and below the belt, and slashed with elbow follow-throughs. Being in the ring with Zivic was like being tossed into a mincer. Mastering the art of dirty prizefighting means throwing your ugliest blows when the referee is out-of-position and can't see what you are doing, but Zivic was also helped greatly by the generally rougher attitude towards boxing at the time. A foul was a foul, but the kind of stunt that would get a fighter disqualified today might earn a mere warning in the 1930s and 1940s. Zivic's style was geared around getting away with as much as possible, and he was never disqualified during his long career.

Up Through the Ranks Zivic turned pro in October 1931 in a bout at the Motor Square Garden in Pittsburgh. Like many fighters of the era, Zivic did not have a spotless record on his way to the top, dropping his share of learning experiences and hometown decisions. By 1933, Zivic was on the road and fighting in California, and by 1935 he was fighting the likes of Lou Ambers, a future World Lightweight Champion. Ambers beat Zivic, but not before the Croat Comet broke Amber's jaw in the 9th. In 1936, he dropped a razor-thin decision to Billy Conn, the future light heavyweight kingpin who would come within a hair of defeating Joe Louis.

Yet along the way, Zivic was also beating real contenders, men like Chuck Woods, Charley Burley, Eddie Booker and Bobby Pacheco, and the Croat Comet was a ranked contender from 1936 on. His rough-and-tumble style made him a major fan-favorite. By the late 1930s, Zivic was in his stride. By August 1940, he was 99-24-4, 27 years old, and in the ring with the reigning lightweight champion, Sammy "The Clutch" Angott. Angott was an Italian-American and no stranger to rough-house tactics, and Zivic only out-weighed him by six pounds. Nonetheless, Zivic routed Angott eight rounds out of ten, and earned a shot at the World Welterweight Title in the process.

Champion Zivic started his championship in with a farce that suited his brutal style - he thumbed hard-hitting contender Al "Bummy" Davis in the eye, which caused Davis to blow his top. "Bummy" retaliated by pitching ten successive blows at Zivic's family jewels, was disqualified, and then kicked at the referee as he was taken from the ring.

In December 1940, Zivic had a more substantial bout in the form of a challenge from the other reigning lightweight champ, Lew Jenkins. Ringside observers felt Jenkins out-boxed Zivic by a small margin, but the fight was declared a Draw and that was probably fair. That was followed by a defense of the title and a rematch with Armstrong, who was brutally stopped in the 12th Round.

Zivic gave "Bummy" Davis a rematch in July 1941 and knocked him out in the 10th, but then he met Freddie Cochrane later that same month. Even by the standards of the 1940s, fighting two top contenders in the space of three weeks was probably too much, and Cochrane outpointed Zivic by a wide margin. The Croat Comet's reign as the welterweight king was over, and he would never receive another shot at the title. However, his career as a much-feared contender was only at its mid-point.

The Contender In October 1941, the Croat Comet met the Sugarman, Sugar Ray Robinson. The sweet one was already 25-0 and had three solid fighters, including Angott. Zivic was no match for Robinson's masterful application of the sweet science and dropped a points loss. He met Robinson again in January 1942, and was knocked out for his trouble.

Zivic soldiered on, and while he dropped a few fights here and there, when the Croat Comet was at his holding-and-hitting best, he was formidable. In April 1942 he outpointed Maxie Berger, and then beat Lew Jenkins to a bloody pulp in a rematch. In September of that same year, Zivic scored revenge on Freddie Cochrane, albeit only in a non-title bout.

Zivic fought two bouts with reigning lightweight champion Beau Jack in 1943 and lost both. Jack was an exciting, accurate puncher and while both bouts were see-saw, furiously close affairs, Jack edged Zivic each time.

That led Zivic to a fourpeat series with none other than the Raging Bull, Jake LaMotta. The Italian-American middleweight puncher outweighed Zivic by five or six pounds on each occasion, and the Bull narrowly edged the Comet in June 1943. Then in the July rematch, Zivic used his jab and his skills to disrupt LaMotta's assault and carry a narrow Split Decision of his own. The two gladiators met again in November, with LaMotta winning what many at ringside considered a stinky decision. Meeting again in January 1944, the two engaged in a see-saw slug fest that saw LaMotta win on points. Along the way Zivic also fought and lost to Bob Montgomery, a lightweight who had beaten Beau Jack.

In April 1944, Fritzie Zivic was inducted into the Army, but this did not put a hold on his career. Like many athletes of the day, he continued to perform on Uncle Sam's time. His "Army days" say close wins over the Mexican contender Kid Azteca, a close and controversial win over undefeated contender Billy Arnold. These were to be Zivic's last hurrah.

The years 1938 and 1939 found Zivic headlining all over the East. He was in his prime, fighting and beating the best in the world and stamping himself as the number one contender. The valuable lessons he had learned in the tank towns were now paying dividends. Zivic became a master craftsman, adding a few tricks of his own, including the infamous thumb to the eye.

Zivic and Armstrong met for the title on January 17, 1941 and Fritzie Zivic won a hard-fought 15-round decision. The following year he knocked out Hammerin’ Henry in twelve rounds, one of two KO’s inflicted upon the ring great in his Hall of Fame career. The pug-nosed craftsman was now sitting on top of the boxing world.

However, Zivic’s tenure as champion was short-lived. On July 29, 1941 he lost a close 15-round decision to Freddie “Red” Cochrane. Fritzie couldn’t get Cochrane back in the ring for a title fight even though he did defeat the Redhead in a ten-round non-title go. Cochrane enlisted in the Navy in 1942 and the title was frozen for the duration.

Fritzie Zivic then entered the next phase of his career, a ranking contender who fought the best in both divisions. He lost a pair of bouts to the great Ray Robinson and matched gloves with Tommy Bell, Beau Jack, Bob Montgomery and even the granite-chinned Jake LaMotta.

He had four wars with Jake. Both had similar styles even though LaMotta outweighed him by ten pounds. Both had durable chins, were rough and tough and neither had a great KO punch. LaMotta won three out of four, but all were close, hard-fought battles.

After a brief stint in the U.S. Army, Zivic had 18 fights in 1945. He scored an impressive upset victory over 19 year-old knockout specialist Billy Arnold on January 15, 1945. Arnold had come out of Philadelphia with a long list of knockouts. Zivic was supposed to be just another big name on Arnold’s way to the title. Fritzie surprised the youngster and the bettors with an eight-round decision.

Starting with a loss to Harold Green on June 22, 1945, Zivic entered the final phase of his boxing career. He became a trial horse and journeyman who traveled all over America displaying his skills. He traveled to tank towns tackling local favorites and met fighters he had previously fought on the way to the title.

The year 1949 marked Zivic’s last fights. He went out a winner, taking decisions over Al Reid and Eddie Steele in Macon, Ga. In all, Zivic had 230 career bouts, winning 154. He was stopped only four times. he fought a total of ten world champions.

Reference

Fritzie Zivic – A Real Pro | BoxingInsider.com. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://www.boxinginsider.com/history/fritzie-zivic-a-real-pro/.

Fritzie Zivic. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritzie_Zivic.

Friztie Zivic: Boxing's Dirtiest Champion. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://voices.yahoo.com/friztie-zivic-boxings-dirtiest-champion-7604236.html.

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Born March 1, 1902 in Vallejo, CA. Shade turned pro in 1918 and engaged in dozens of four-rounders before garnering high praise following his knock down of welterweight king Jack Britton in 1921 (D 10). Overshadowed early in his career by the ring exploits of older brothers George and Billy, Dave eventually became the star of the family and of manager Leo P. He met Mickey Walker twice in 1921, losing in the eighth round when he broke his arm and a 12-round no-decision. He drew with Britton in a 1922 welterweight title bid. In 1925, Shade, 153 pounds, shocked the boxing world when he stopped future light heavy king Jimmy Slattery in three. He met Walker for the welter title in 1925, losing a controversial 15-round verdict. Shade eventually moved up to middleweight and defeated top men such as Ace Hudkins (W 10), Ben Jeby (W 10) and Al Gainer (W10).

When not fighting, Shade was an avid hunter. He was married and had a son named Billy.

Dave eventually became the star of the family and of manager Leo P. He met Mickey Walker twice in 1921, losing in the eighth round when he broke his arm and a 12-round no-decision. He drew with Britton in a 1922 welterweight title bid. In 1925, Shade, 153 pounds, shocked the boxing world when he stopped future light heavy king Jimmy Slattery in three. He met Walker for the welter title in 1925, losing a controversial 15-round verdict. Shade eventually moved up to middleweight and defeated top men such as Ace Hudkins (W 10), Ben Jeby (W 10) and Al Gainer (W10).

Regarded as one of the cleverest boxers of his time, Shade retired in 1935 with a record of 124-23-46 (14 KOs), 26 ND, 1 NC. He died on June 23, 1983 at 81.

Reference

Dave Shade. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Dave_Shade.

Dave Shade. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Shade.

Dave Shade. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://www.ibhof.com/pages/about/inductees/oldtimer/shade.html.

Pete Latzo (August 1, 1902 - July 7, 1968) was the boxing world welterweight champion from 1926 to 1927. Latzo fought all the top welterweights of his era and won the title from hall of famer Mickey Walker on May 20, 1926. He lost the crown to Joe Dundee on June 3, 1927.

After losing the welter crown Latzo invaded the heavier ranks. For the duration of his career he fought middleweights, challenged for the world light heavyweight title and even fought heavyweights. Latzo fought many great fighters in his career, including future heavyweight champion Jim Braddock, Light heavyweight king Tommy Loughran, and middleweight champion Tiger Flowers.

Cartoonist Ham Fisher met Latzo outside a pool hall and, impressed by his personality, sportsmanship, and physique, was inspired to create his popular character Joe Palooka. Latzo resided in Marven Gardens in Margate, NJ.He was a popular figure at many of the affairs of the Veteran Boxer Association ring #9 and other rings around the state of New Jersey, where he made his home after his retirement from boxing in 1934. He died in Atlantic City in July 1968 at the age of 66.

Reference

Pete Latzo. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Latzo.

He was unbeaten in 36 fights before losing a split decision to Emile Griffith in a 1960 non-title fight. In 1963, Rodriguez and Griffith fought twice for the World Welterweight Championship. Rodriguez defeated Griffith by a unanimous decision to win the title, but Griffith regained it three months later with a split decision. Their fourth and final meeting came in 1964, with Griffith retaining the welterweight title with a split decision.

In November 1969, Rodriguez challenged Nino Benvenuti in Rome, Italy, for the World Middleweight Championship. In the 11th round, slightly ahead on points but tiring and badly cut, Benvenuti suddenly landed a perfect left hook that left Rodriguez on the floor for 5 minutes.

El Feo, both a boxer and a puncher, was capable of accomplishing just about anything in the ring. But only aficionados and/or historians knew who he was as the slickster worked his ring magic under the radar for many years due to his short title reign and his crucial, albeit close, crossroads losses to Emille Griffith. He was cagey and cute and was unbeaten in 35 fights before losing a split decision to Griffith in 1960. In 1963, the two fought twice for the world welterweight championship. Rodriguez defeated Griffith by a unanimous decision to win the title. Unfortunately the win was overshadowed by the fateful Sugar Ramos-Davey Moore fight on the same card, but Griffith regained it three months later with a hotly disputed split decision. Their fourth and final meeting came in 1964, with Griffith retaining the welterweight title with still another split decision. Each fight was won by a razor thin margin. Many thought El Feo had been jobbed at least twice. Livid Cuban fans shouted at the Garden, “Ees terrible! Ees steenk! Ees no free countree!”.

Along other lines, Luis was very fond of a young and impressionable Muhammad Ali (Cassius Clay) and vice versa. He was so stylish that Ali reportedly incorporated many of El Feo’s moves into his own repertoire when they both trained at Miami’s 5th Street Gym by the great Angelo Dundee. Both used blazing flurries and could inflict damage on their opponents while back peddling. Both possessed great jabs. Luis had long arms that gave him a reach advantage which he leveraged (along with cat-like quickness and great timing) to launch his snake-like long, left jab. He was flashy, but less so than The Kid.

“Rodriguez is a clown, a friendly clown. He has the furrowed forehead of a bloodhound and the nose of Cyrano. ‘Cyrano and I,’ he says, ‘have more in common than our noses. We are both poets.’… He likes to sing, play the piano and dance. At his training camp, Tamarack Lodge up in the Catskills, he appeared in the nightclub where his act included ‘an old song from my country,’ Bei Mir Bist du Schoen, in Yiddish.”—Robert H.

While relegated to relative obscurity, El Feo along with Gavilan and Jose “Mantequilla” Napoles are clearly the best of the great Cuban boxers. Each is in the International Boxing Hall of Fame as is Sugar Ramos and Kid Chocolate, and Legra could well be inducted someday as his final boxing record was 134-12-4.

Reference

In Search of Cuban Flash. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://www.boxing.com/in_search_of_cuban_flash.html.

Luis Manuel Rodríguez. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_Manuel_Rodr%C3%ADguez.

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"'Let the goyim be the fighters,'" Ross later recalled being told by his father. "'The trumbeniks, the murderers – we are the scholars.'" Ross's ambition in life was to become a Jewish teacher and a Talmudic scholar, but his life was changed forever when his father was shot dead resisting a robbery at his small grocery. Prostrate from grief, his mother Sarah suffered a nervous breakdown and his younger siblings—Ida, Sam and George-were placed in an orphanage or farmed out to other members of the extended family. Dov was left to his own devices.

In the wake of the tragedy, Dov became vindictive towards everything and turned his back on the orthodox religion of his father. He began running around with local toughs (including another wayward Jewish ghetto kid, the future Jack Ruby), developing into a street brawler, thief and money runner; he was even employed by Al Capone. Dov's goal was to earn enough money to buy a home so that he could reunite his family. He saw boxing as that vehicle and began training with his friend Ruby.

After winning amateur bouts, Dov would pawn the awards—like watches—and set the money aside for his family. There is speculation that Al Capone bought up tickets to his early fights, knowing some of that money would be funneled to Dov. Plagued by his father's death and feeling an obligation not to sully his name, Dov Rosofsky took the new name "Barney Ross." The name change was also part of a larger trend by Jews to assimilate in the U.S. by taking American-sounding names. Strong, fast and possessed of a powerful will, Ross was soon a Golden Gloves Champion and went on to dominate the lighter divisions as a pro.

At a time—the late 1920s and '30s—when rising Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was using propaganda to spread his virulently anti-Jewish philosophy, Ross was seen by American Jews as one of their greatest advocates. He represented the concept of Jews finally fighting back. Idolized and respected by all Americans, Ross showed that Jews could thrive in their new country. He made his stand against Hitler and Nazi Germany a public one. He knew that by winning boxing matches, he was displaying a new kind of strength for Jews. He also understood that Americans loved their sports heroes and if Jews wanted to be embraced in the U.S. they would have to assume such places in society. So even though Ross had lost faith in religion, he openly embraced his role as a leader of his oppressed people.

Ross occupies the rarifed place as one of boxing's few triple division champions—lightweight, light welterweight and welterweight. He was never knocked out in 81 fights and held his title against some of the best competition in the history of the divisions. Ross defeated great Hall of Fame champions like Jimmy McLarnin and Tony Canzoneri in epic battles that drew crowds of more than 50,000.

His first paid fight was on September 1, 1929, when he beat Ramon Lugo by a decision in six rounds. After ten wins in a row, he lost for the first time, to Carlos García, on a decision in ten.

Over the next 35 bouts, his record was 32–1–2, including a win over former world champion Battling Battalino and one over a boxer named Babe Ruth (not the baseball player). Another bout included former world champion Cameron Welter. Then, on March 26, 1933, Ross was given his first shot at a world title, when he faced World Lightweight and Light Welterweight Champion and fellow three division world champion club member Tony Canzoneri in Chicago. In one night, Ross became a two division world champion when he beat Canzoneri by a decision in ten rounds. It should be pointed out that Ross campaigned heavily in the city of Chicago. After two more wins, including a knockout in six over Johnny Farr, Ross and Canzoneri boxed again, with Ross winning again by decision, but this time in 15.

Ross was known as a smart fighter with great stamina. He retained his title by decision against Sammy Fuller to finish 1933 and against Peter Nebo to begin 1934. Then he defended against former world champion Frankie Klick, against whom he drew in ten. Then came the first of three bouts versus Jimmy McLarnin. Ross vacated the Light Welterweight title to go after McLarnin's Welterweight Championship and won by a 15 round decision, his third world championship. However, in a rematch a few weeks later, McLarnin beat Ross by a decision and recovered the title. After that, Ross went back down to light welterweight and reclaimed his title with a 12 round decision over Bobby Pacho. After beating Klick and Henry Woods by decision to retain that title, he went back up in weight for his third and last fight with McLarnin and recovered the Welterweight title by outpointing McLarnin again over 15 rounds. He won 16 bouts in a row after that, including three over future World Middleweight Champion Ceferino Garcia and one against Al Manfredo. His only two defenses, however, on that stretch were against Garcia and against Izzy Jannazzo, on points in 15 rounds.

In his last fight, Ross defended his title on May 31, 1938 against fellow three division world champion Henry Armstrong, who beat him by a decision in 15. Although Armstrong pounded Ross inexorably and his trainers begged him to let them stop the fight, Ross absorbed the abuse and refused to stop or go down. Barney Ross was never knocked out in his career and was determined to leave the ring on his feet. Some boxing experts view Ross's performance against Armstrong as one of the most courageous in history. Some believe that Ross's will to survive every tough fight on his feet had to do with his understanding of his symbolic importance to Jews. That is, Jews would not only fight back, but they wouldn't go down.

Ross retired with a record of 72 wins, 4 losses, 3 draws and 2 no decisions (Newspaper Decisions: 2-0-0), with 22 wins by knockout. He was ranked #21 on Ring Magazine's list of the 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years.

In retirement in his early thirties, Ross enlisted in the United States Marine Corps to fight in World War II. The Marines wanted to keep him stateside and use his celebrity status to boost morale. Most of the athletes of the era like Heavyweight Champion Jack Dempsey had ceremonial roles in the military, but Ross insisted on fighting for his country.

Before he was to go overseas, Ross decked a non-com who had made an anti-Semitic remark. He was to be court martialed at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego. The other board members wanted to throw the book at Ross, but Captain Berthol E. Davis, who was also Jewish and knew of Ross' achievements, convinced the rest of the board to allow Ross to go overseas and avoid punishment. So, he was sent to the Pacific theater.

He was sent to Guadalcanal in the South Pacific. One night, he and three other comrades were trapped under enemy fire. All four were wounded; Ross was the only one able to fight. Ross gathered his comrades' rifles and grenades and single-handedly fought nearly two dozen Japanese soldiers over an entire night, killing them all by morning. Two of the Marines died, but he carried the third on his shoulders to safety; the other man weighed 230 lb (104 kg) compared to Ross' 140 lb (64 kg). Ross was awarded America's third highest military honor, the Silver Star, as well as a Presidential Citation. As one of America's greatest "celebrity" war heroes, he was honored by President Roosevelt in a Rose Garden ceremony.
During his time in Guadalcanal, Ross began a lifelong friendship with the famous Father Frederic Gehring, a wartime chaplain who wrote regular correspondences for Reader's Digest magazine. Gehring considered Ross a national treasure who defied logic when it came to bravery and the defense of principle. Ross was the only one capable of playing a temperamental organ on the tropical island. On Christmas Eve, before Barney and his Marines were to go to battle, Gehring asked him to learn "Silent Night" and other Christmas songs for the troops. After playing them Gehring asked Ross to play a Jewish song. Ross played "My Yiddishe Momma," about a child's love for his self-sacrificing mother. Many of the Marines knew the melody of the song because Ross always had it played when he entered the ring. When the Marines heard the lyrics, newspaper reports say they were all in tears.

During his recovery at the hospital from his wounds suffered in that battle, Ross developed a habit for the morphine administered for pain. Back in the states, the morphine became heroin. This habit became so bad he would sometimes spend $500 a day on the drug. Ross went to a recovery center and beat his addiction. He gave lectures to high school students about the dangers of drug addiction. His struggle against morphine addiction is the subject of the 1957 film "Monkey on My Back".

He also remained loyal to his friend Jack Ruby and testified as a character witness on Ruby's behalf at his trial for killing Lee Harvey Oswald, who was under arrest for the shooting death of Dallas patrolman, J.D.

Reference

Barney Ross. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barney_Ross.

BARNEY ROSS DVD COLLECTION

Sugar Ray Leonard (born May 17, 1956) is a retired professional American boxer, motivational speaker, and occasional actor. He as named after his mother's favorite singer, Ray Charles. Leonard was the first boxer to earn more than $100 million in purses, won world titles in five weight divisions, and defeated future fellow International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees Wilfred Benítez, Thomas Hearns, Roberto Durán, and Marvin Hagler. Leonard was named "Boxer of the Decade" for the 1980s.

Leonard was a shy child, and aside from the time he nearly drowned in a creek during a Seat Pleasant, Maryland, flood, his childhood was uneventful. He stayed home a lot, reading comic books and playing with his dog. "He never did talk too much," his mother said. "We never could tell what he was thinking. But I never had any problems with him. I never had to go to school once because of him.".

Leonard started boxing at the Palmer Park Recreation Center in 1969. His older brother, Roger, started boxing first. Roger helped start the boxing program, urging the center's director, Ollie Dunlap, to form a team. Dave Jacobs, a former boxer, and Janks Morton volunteered as boxing coaches. Roger won some trophies and showed them off in front of Ray, goading him to start boxing.

In 1972, Leonard boxed in the featherweight quarterfinals of the National AAU Tournament, losing by decision to Jerome Artis. It was his first defeat. Later that year, he boxed in the Eastern Olympic Trials. The rules stated that a boxer had to be seventeen to box in international competition, so Leonard, only sixteen, lied about his age. He made it to the lightweight semifinals, losing a disputed decision to Greg Whaley, who took such a beating that he wasn't allowed to continue in the trials and never boxed again.

Sarge Johnson, assistant coach of the U.S. Olympic Boxing Team, said to Dave Jacobs, "That kid you got is sweet as sugar." The nickname stuck. However, given his style and first name, it was probably only a matter of time before people started calling him Sugar Ray, after the man many consider to be the best boxer of all time, Sugar Ray Robinson.

Leonard suffered his last two losses as an amateur in 1974. He lost a disputed decision to Anatoli Kamnev in Moscow, after which, Kamnev gave the winner's trophy to Leonard. In Poland, Kazimier Szczerba was given a decision victory over Leonard, even though he was dominated in the first two rounds and dropped three times in the third.

Leonard won his first four Olympic bouts by 5–0 decisions. He faced Kazimier Szczerba in the semifinals and won by a 5–0 decision, avenging his last amateur loss. In the final, he boxed the great Cuban knockout artist Andrés Aldama, who scored five straight knockouts to reach the final.

Leonard landed several good left hooks in the first round. In the second, he dropped Aldama with a left to the chin. Late in the final round, he again hurt Aldama, which brought a standing eight count from the referee. With only a few seconds left in the fight, a Leonard combination forced another standing eight count. Leonard was awarded a 5–0 decision and the Olympic Gold Medal.

Shortly before the Olympics, Wilkinson had filed an application to receive $156 a month in child support payments from Prince George's County. She named Leonard as the father and the county's state attorney's office filed a civil suit against Leonard to establish paternity and get support payments for the child. Leonard learned of the suit several days after returning home from the Olympics. The headline in the Washington Star read, "Sugar Ray Leonard Named in Welfare Dept.

Wilkinson went to the Olympics to watch Leonard box, but she did not tell him about the suit and never asked him for any money. "I didn't feel like being bothered by all those complications by asking him for any money for support," she said. Leonard pledged he would support his son, even if he had to scrap plans to attend college.

Leonard had hoped to get lucrative endorsements following his gold medal win, but the publicity from the paternity suit chased off any big commercial possibilities. To make matters worse, his father was hospitalized with meningitis and his mother suffered a heart attack. With neither parent able to work, with his child and the mother of his child to support, and without any endorsement opportunities, Leonard decided to become a professional boxer.

When Leonard decided to turn professional, Janks Morton introduced him to Mike Trainer, a friend of his who was an attorney. Trainer talked twenty-four of his friends and clients into underwriting Leonard's career with an investment of $21,000 to be repaid within four years at 8% interest. Trainer then made Leonard the sole stockholder in Sugar Ray Leonard, Inc. Angelo Dundee, Muhammad Ali's trainer, was brought in to be Leonard's trainer and manager. Many of the people being considered wanted absolute control and a cut somewhere near the manager's traditional 33%. Dundee had a different proposition. Although he would prescribe the training procedures, he would leave the day-to-day work to Dave Jacobs and Janks Morton. He would also choose Leonard's opponents. For his services, Dundee would get 15% of Leonard's purse.

In his fourteenth professional fight, Leonard fought his first world-ranked opponent, Floyd Mayweather, who was ranked seventeenth. The fight took place on September 9, 1978. Leonard won by a tenth-round knockout. A month later, Leonard defeated his old amateur nemesis Randy Shields by a ten-round unanimous decision.

It was a highly competitive and tactical battle. In the first round, Leonard rocked Benitez with a left hook that came off a jab and right cross. Late in the third, Leonard dropped Benitez on the seat of his pants with a stiff left jab. More embarrassed than hurt, Benitez got up quickly.

Benitez started to do better in the fourth, slipping numerous punches and finding the range with his right hand. "I wasn't aware I was in a championship early because I hit him so easy," Leonard said. "But then he adjusted to my style. It was like looking in a mirror.".

In the sixth, there was an accidental clash of heads, which opened a cut on the forehead of Benitez. Blood flowed down his forehead and the bridge of his nose but stayed out of his eyes.

Leonard landed the harder punches and had Benitez hurt several times late in the fight, but Leonard couldn't put him away. Benitez was very slick. "No one, I mean no one, can make me miss punches like that," Leonard said.

Going into the final round, Leonard led by scores of 137–130, 137–133, and 136–134. The two went toe-to-toe in the fifteenth. Late in the round, Leonard dropped Benitez with a left. He got up, but after a few more punches, the referee stopped the fight. The time was 2:54 of round fifteen.

Leonard made his first title defense in Landover, Maryland on March 31, 1980. His opponent was Dave "Boy" Green. The British challenger had a record of 33–2. In the fourth round, Leonard knocked Green out with a devastating left hook. Leonard called it "the hardest single punch I ever threw.".

Angelo Dundee counseled Leonard to box, to move side to side and not to get caught on the ropes. However, Leonard decided to fight Durán's way. "I will not run.".

Durán forced the issue and took the fight to Leonard, cutting off the ring and denying Leonard space to fight his fight. Durán attacked at almost every turn. Leonard battled back again and again, but he had to work just to find room to breathe and swing, at times simply to survive. In the second, Durán rocked Leonard with a left hook, sending him into the ropes. Leonard started to do better by the fifth round, finding some punching room and throwing numerous multi-punch combinations. The two fought with great intensity throughout the fight. According to Bill Nack:.

It was, from almost the opening salvo, a fight that belonged to Durán. The Panamanian seized the evening and gave it what shape and momentum it had. He took control, attacking and driving Leonard against the ropes, bulling him back, hitting him with lefts and rights to the body as he maneuvered the champion against the ropes from corner to corner. Always moving forward, he mauled and wrestled Leonard, scoring inside with hooks and rights. For three rounds Durán drove at Sugar Ray with a fury, and there were moments when it seemed the fight could not last five. Unable to get away, unable to counter and unable to slide away to open up the ring, Leonard seemed almost helpless under the assault. Now and then he got loose and countered—left-right-left to Durán's bobbing head—but he missed punches and could not work inside, could not jab, could not mount an offense to keep Durán at bay.

Durán was awarded a unanimous decision, although it was mistakenly read as a majority decision in the ring. The scorecard of judge Angelo Poletti was incorrectly added and announced as 147–147. He actually scored it 148–147. In rounds, he had it three for Durán, two for Leonard, and ten even. Sports Illustrated called his scorecard "a monument to indecision." Judges Raymond Baldeyrou and Harry Gibbs scored the fight 146–144 and 145–144, respectively. The Associated Press had it 144–141 for Durán, while The New York Times had Leonard ahead 144–142.

"I did the best I could," Leonard said. "I think I pretty much fought from the heart." Asked if Leonard was the best he ever fought, Durán thought for a moment and then answered, "Si, si." Durán said. "He does have a heart. That's why he's living.".

Dave Jacobs disagreed with the decision to have an immediate rematch with Durán and terminated his relationship with Leonard when the rematch was made. "My idea is that he should have a tuneup fight before he fights with Roberto again," Jacobs said. "I think he won the fight with Durán, but I don't think it is healthy for him to be fighting Durán right away.".

After the Montreal fight Durán went on a partying binge and ballooned in weight. Leonard was aware of this, and in an interview for Beyond the Glory he said: "My intention was to fight Durán ASAP because I knew Durán's habits. I knew he would indulge himself, he'd gain 40–50 lbs and then sweat it off to make 147." Unlike the fight in Montreal, Leonard used his superior speed and movement to outbox and befuddle Durán. "The whole fight, I was moving, I was moving," Leonard said. "And Voom! I snapped his head back with a jab. Voom! I snapped it back again. He tried to get me against the ropes, I'd pivot, spin off and Pow! Come under with a punch.".

In round seven, Leonard started to taunt Durán. Leonard's most memorable punch came late in the round. Winding up his right hand, as if to throw a bolo punch, Leonard snapped out a left jab and caught Durán flush in the face. "It made his eyes water," Leonard said. He continued to taunt Durán mercilessly. He stuck out his chin, inviting Durán to hit it. Leonard kept it up, continuing to move, stop, and mug.

In the closing seconds of the eighth round, Durán turned his back to Leonard and quit, saying to referee Octavio Meyran, "No Mas." Leonard was the winner by a technical knockout at 2:44 of round eight, regaining the WBC Welterweight Championship. Leonard led by scores of 68–66, 68–66 and 67–66.

Durán said he quit because of stomach cramps, caused by overeating after the weigh-in. "At the end of the fifth round, I got cramps in my stomach and it kept getting worse and worse," Duran later said. "I felt weaker and weaker in my body and arms." He then announced, "I am retiring from boxing right now." During the night Durán was admitted to a hospital with stomach pains, and discharged the following day.

Everyone was surprised by Durán's actions, none more so than his veteran trainers, Freddie Brown and Ray Arcel. "I was shocked," Brown said. "There was no indication that he was in pain or getting weak." Arcel was angry. "That's it," he said. I've handled thousands of fighters and never had anyone quit on me. I think he needs a psychiatrist more than he needs anything else." Durán's manager, Carlos Eleta, said, "Durán didn't quit because of stomach cramps. He quit because he was embarrassed. I know this." According to Randy Gordon, who witnessed Durán's antics beforehand and was in his dressing room immediately afterwards, Durán quit because of his huge eating binge prior to the fight.

Leonard was the aggressor throughout, with Bonds circling the ring. He staggered Bonds with a right in the fourth round and dropped him with a follow-up combination. Bonds got up and continued to move, with Leonard in pursuit. Leonard dropped him again in the tenth. Bonds rose but Leonard didn't let him off the hook. The referee stopped the fight with Bonds taking punishment in a corner.

Kalule and his handlers had expected Leonard to use lateral movement against him, but Leonard took the fight to Kalule. After eight tough rounds, Leonard was ahead although Kalule appeared to be coming on strong in the eight and ninth. Leonard finally hurt him with a right to the head. Shortly afterward, Leonard dropped him with a flurry of punches. Kalule got up but the referee waved it off. Leonard celebrated his victory with a full 360-degree, no-hands flip. Despite an official stoppage time of 2.59, the fight was actually stopped at 3.06 into the round, meaning Kalule should have been saved by the bell.

Leonard, with a badly swollen left eye, came out roaring for the thirteenth round. After hurting Hearns with a right, Leonard exploded with a combination of punches. Hearns' legs were clearly gone and after more pressure from Leonard he was bundled through the ropes, no knockdown was given as it wasn't a punch that sent him there. Hearns managed to rise, but was dropped by a flurry of hard punches near the end of the round.

In round fourteen, after staggering Hearns with an overhand right, Leonard pinned Hearns against the ropes, where he unleashed another furious combination, prompting referee Davey Pearl to stop the contest and award Sugar Ray Leonard the Unified World Welterweight Championship. Hearns was leading by scores of 124–122, 125–122, and 125–121.

On February 15, 1982, Leonard defended the unified title against Bruce Finch, the WBC fourth-ranked contender. Leonard knocked him out in the third round. Leonard's next fight was scheduled to be against Roger Stafford on May 14, 1982 in Buffalo, New York. While training, Leonard started to see floaters. He went to a doctor and discovered that he had a detached retina. The fight was cancelled, and Leonard had surgery to repair the retina on May 9, 1982.

On November 9, 1982, Leonard invited Marvin Hagler and other boxing dignitaries to a charity event in Baltimore, Maryland to hear him announce whether he would continue his career. Standing in a boxing ring with Howard Cosell, the master of ceremonies, Leonard announced his retirement, saying a bout with Hagler would unfortunately never happen. Leonard maintained his eye was fully healed, but that he just didn't want to box anymore.

Missing the limelight and the competition, Leonard announced in December 1983 that he was returning to the ring. Leonard boasted that he would have a couple of ten-round bouts and then take on Milton McCrory, Donald Curry, Durán, Hearns and finally Hagler. This decision was met with a torrent of criticism from fans and the media, who felt Leonard was taking unnecessary risks with his surgically repaired eye.

A bout with Philadelphia's Kevin Howard, who was 20–4–1, was scheduled for February 25, 1984. The fight was postponed when Leonard had minor surgery on his right eye to fix a loose retina. This latest eye problem further fueled the flames of those who opposed Leonard's comeback.

Before the fight with Howard, Dave Jacobs rejoined Leonard's team in a limited role. Jacobs had quit in 1980, disagreeing with Leonard's decision to have an immediate rematch with Durán.

Leonard and Howard fought on May 11, 1984 in Worcester, Massachusetts. Howard knocked Leonard flat on his back in the fourth round. It was the first knockdown of Leonard's professional career. Leonard came back to stop Howard in the ninth round, but the stoppage was disputed, with some feeling that the referee stopped the fight prematurely. Leonard was ahead on all three scorecards at the time of the stoppage. At the post-fight press conference, Leonard surprised everyone by announcing his retirement again, saying he just didn't have it anymore.

On May 1, 1986, Leonard announced on a Washington, D.C. talk show that he would return to the ring to fight Hagler. The announcement generated a lot of controversy because of Leonard's inactivity and eye injuries, yet it also excited many sports fans who had hoped to see them fight years earlier. Hagler took a few months to decide, then agreed to the match.

The original fight plan for Leonard was to go toe-to-toe with Hagler and try to cut him, but the plan changed about five days before the fight. Leonard got hit by sparring partner Quincy Taylor and was badly buckled. "He almost knocked me out," Leonard said. After that, Leonard decided to box Hagler.

By the fifth, Leonard, who was moving a lot, began to tire and Hagler started to get closer. Hagler buckled Leonard's knees with a right uppercut near the end of the round, which finished with Leonard on the ropes. Hagler continued to score somewhat effectively in round six. Leonard, having slowed down, was obliged to fight more and move less. However, he was able to outpunch Hagler along the ropes and got the better of several bristling exchanges. Hagler never seized total control of the fight as he had against Thomas Hearns two years earlier, when he brutalized Hearns and scored a third-round knockout. Hagler's punches lacked snap and, although he was scoring solidly to the body, he looked nothing like the powerful fighter who had dominated the middleweight division for the previous five years. Leonard's observation that the Hagler who beat John Mugabi was older and slower proved to be spot on.

Despite requests from the Hagler camp, Leonard was uninterested in a rematch and retired on May 27, 1987. "I'll try, I'll give it a shot," Leonard said of his latest retirement. "But you guys know me." A month after Hagler's formal retirement in June 1988 Leonard would announce another comeback.

This would be Leonard's first professional fight without Angelo Dundee. For Leonard's fight with Hagler, Dundee worked without a contract and received $175,000, which was less than 2% of Leonard's purse. Dundee was unhappy with that amount. He requested a contract for the Lalonde fight and Leonard refused. "I don't have contracts. My word is my bond," Leonard said. Janks Morton and Dave Jacobs trained Leonard for the Lalonde fight.

Lalonde's size and awkwardness troubled Leonard. In the fourth round, a right hand to the top of Leonard's head dropped him for just the second time in his career. Early in the ninth, Lalonde hurt Leonard with a right to the chin. Leonard fired back and hurt Lalonde with a right. He drove him to the ropes and unleashed a furious assault. Lalonde tried to tie up Leonard, but got dropped with a powerful left hook. He rose but was soon down again, and the fight was stopped. Judges Chuck Giampa and Franz Marti had Leonard ahead by scores of 77–74 and 77–75, respectively. Judge Stuart Kirshenbaum had Lalonde ahead 76–75.

After the fight, Leonard vacated the light heavyweight title, but kept the super middleweight title. Also, Leonard and Janks Morton split because of personal differences. Morton was replaced as co-trainer by Pepe Correa, who had worked with Leonard for most of the previous fifteen years.

Hearns dropped Leonard with a right cross in the third round, but Leonard came back and battered Hearns around the ring in the fifth. Early in the seventh round, Hearns hurt Leonard but punched himself out going for the knockout. With Hearns fatigued, Leonard came back and had a strong finish to the round. Rounds nine and ten were good rounds for Leonard, but he ran into trouble in the eleventh round. Three booming rights from Hearns sent Leonard down for the second time in the fight. Knowing he needed a big finish, Leonard fought furiously and had a big final round.

The judges scored the fight a draw and Leonard retained the title. Judge Jerry Roth scored the fight 113–112 for Hearns, Judge Tom Kazmarek scored it 113–112 for Leonard, and Judge Dalby Shirley scored it 112–112. Shirley was the only judge to give Leonard a 10–8 margin in the twelfth. If he had scored it 10–9, as his two colleagues did, Hearns would have won by a split decision. The decision was soundly booed, as most felt that Hearns had won. Eventually, Leonard admitted that Hearns deserved the decision.

For the Durán fight, Leonard cut his entourage from twenty-one to six. Dave Jacobs was one of the people let go, leaving Correa as the sole trainer. Correa was instructed not to spare the whip. "For the first time in a long time, I allowed someone to push me," Leonard said.

The fight took place at the new Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas. Leonard used constant lateral movement and won by a lopsided twelve-round unanimous decision over a listless Durán. The scores were 120–110, 119–109, and 116–111. In a fight that many considered to be very boring, both fighters were booed often by the fans and many left the arena before the decision was announced. Pat Putnam of Sports Illustrated wrote, "Leonard gave them artistic perfection when they wanted heated battle, and they booed lustily. Most fight fans would not spend a dime to watch Van Gogh paint Sunflowers, but they would fill Yankee Stadium to see him cut off his ear." Although Leonard dominated the fight, he suffered several cuts. His lower lip was cut from a headbutt in the fourth round, his left eye was cut in the eleventh round, and his right eye was cut in the twelfth round. The cuts required a total of sixty stitches.

In January 1990, Leonard relinquished the WBC Super Middleweight Championship, saying that he was unsure whether he would fight again. When Leonard decided to continue his career, he offered Hagler a rematch, but Hagler decided to stay retired. He then offered Hearns a third fight, but Hearns said he could no longer make the weight and moved up to the light heavyweight division.

On February 9, 1991, Leonard went down to 154 lbs and fought WBC Light Middleweight Champion Terry Norris at Madison Square Garden. Leonard entered the bout as a 3-1 favorite but Norris dominated the fight, giving Leonard a heavy beating. He knocked Leonard down with a left hook in the second round, and in the seventh, he dropped Leonard again with a short right. Leonard had no answer for the skillful, younger, faster man. Leonard went the distance but lost by a lopsided decision. The scores were 120–104, 119–103, and 116–110. After the verdict was announced, Leonard announced his retirement. "It took this fight to show me it is no longer my time," Leonard said. "Tonight was my last fight. I know how Hagler felt now.".

In October 1996, the 40-year-old Leonard announced that he was coming out of retirement to fight 34-year-old Héctor Camacho for the lightly regarded IBC Middleweight Championship. Camacho, a light-hitting southpaw, was a three-time world champion with a record of 62–3–1. However, Camacho was also considered to be past his prime. Leonard decided to fight Camacho after commentating on his fight with the 45-year-old Roberto Duran the previous year. Camacho won by a disputed unanimous decision, which Leonard called "an early Christmas gift.".

Leonard blamed his poor performance against Norris on lack of motivation, a rib injury, moving down in weight, and divorce, which was being litigated while he was in training. "It was stupid for me to fight Norris at 154 lbs," Leonard said. I'm in the best shape possible.".

For the Camacho fight, Leonard had a new trainer, Adrian Davis. "He's a great trainer, a throwback," Leonard said. "He has really helped me get ready.".

In January 1997, it was announced that Leonard had been voted into the International Boxing Hall Of Fame in Canastota, New York. The rules state that a boxer must be retired for five years before being eligible for induction. When the vote took place, Leonard had been retired for more than five years, therefore, he was eligible, even though he had a fight scheduled. The induction ceremony was on June 15, 1997.

The fight with Camacho took place on March 1, 1997 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Camacho applied pressure from the opening bell and started to score well in the third. He continued to score well in the fourth and opened a cut above Leonard's right eye. In the fifth, Camacho dropped Leonard with a right followed by two left uppercuts. Leonard got up, but was unable to ward off Camacho. The referee stopped the fight with Camacho teeing off on a defenseless Leonard on the ropes. It was the only time in Leonard's career that he was knocked out.

Afterward, Leonard retired again, saying, "For sure, my career is definitely over for me in the ring." However, less than a week after the fight, Leonard said he planned to fight again. He blamed his loss on a torn right calf muscle. His doctor suggested that he cancel the fight, but Leonard wanted to go through with it. Before the fight, he was given a shot of novocaine.

Leonard said he planned to have a series of tuneup fights before fighting a champion. He was scheduled to fight Tony Menefee on February 15, 1998 in Australia, but he pulled out of the fight, saying that he didn't have the motivation. The Camacho fight was Leonard's last. He finished his career with a record of 36–3–1 with 25 knockouts.

After the Los Angeles Times broke the story, Leonard held a press conference and acknowledged that the accusations were true. He said he started using after he retired in 1982, following surgery to repair a detached retina. "I wanted more," Leonard said. "I wanted that arena. I didn't want anyone to tell me my career had to end.".

"I can never erase the pain or the scars I have made through my stupidity, my selfishness," Leonard said. "All I can do is say I'm sorry, but that is not enough.".

Leonard and Robi were married at Leonard's $8.7 million estate in Pacific Palisades, California in August 1993. At the wedding ceremony, the grounds were converted into a garden with 10,000 roses and blossoms of other flowers flown in from the Netherlands. They have two children, Camille and Daniel Ray.

Leonard and his wife, Bernadette, founded the Sugar Ray Leonard Foundation to support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and its annual Walk for a Cure. In 2009, the foundation expanded to support programs that help people rebuild their communities in ten cities across the United States. It supports accessible housing, healthcare services, and educational services and job training.

Reference

Sugar Ray Leonard. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_Ray_Leonard.

De La Hoya's amateur career included 234 wins, 163 by knockout, with only six losses. Of those six losses, two came at the hands of Shane Mosley. In 1989, he won the National Golden Gloves title in the bantamweight division. In 1990, at the age of 17, he won the U.S. National Championship at featherweight and was the youngest U.S. boxer at that year’s Goodwill Games, winning a gold medal. The joy of victory was tempered by the news that his mother, Cecilia, was terminally ill with breast cancer. She died in October 1990, expressing the hope that her son would one day become an Olympic gold medalist.

With the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, approaching, De La Hoya turned his mother’s dream into a strong focus for his training. After an upset victory in the first round over the Mexican boxer Julio Gonzalez, De La Hoya defeated Marco Rudolph of Germany to win gold. media publicized his quest to fulfill his mother's dying wish and dubbed him with the nickname "The Golden Boy," which has remained with him throughout his career.

After seven defenses of his Lineal/WBC welterweight titles, De La Hoya fought rival and IBF Champion Félix Trinidad (35–0) on September 18, 1999, in one of the biggest pay-per-view events in history, setting a record for a non-heavyweight fight. Oscar dominated the vast majority of the first six rounds. But in the last 2-3 rounds of the fight, heeding the strict instructions of his corner who felt that De La Hoya was way ahead on the scorecards, De La Hoya shut down his offense and evaded trading with Trinidad. De La Hoya virtually gave away the last couple of rounds. Though landing well over 100 more punches, Trinidad was ultimately awarded a majority decision. The judges scorecards came under question after the decision. Fans and boxing analysts called for a rematch, which never happened.

De La Hoya took promoter Bob Arum to court in the fall of 2000, trying to break his contract with the promoter. The courts ruled in favor of De La Hoya in February 2001. Tempers flared during the battle and reached a low in March 2001, when De La Hoya called Arum racist in a newspaper interview and then apologized for the remarks.

“I don't have blue eyes and I am not white, but a Mexican arriving on the cusp of fame, and that is what they do not support,” De La Hoya told La Opinion in 2001. “Bob Arum's people hope I lose because they can't see a Mexican above them, and also that he defeated one of the biggest Jews to come out of Harvard.”.

He then moved up to light-middleweight, challenging the Spanish Lineal/WBC champion Javier Castillejo. De La Hoya dominated the fight, winning almost every round and knocking Castillejo (51–4) down with ten seconds to go to win the title by a unanimous decision.

De La Hoya did not fight for the 15 months and in this time the rivalry between him and WBA champion "Ferocious" Fernando Vargas (22–1) grew. They knew each other as amateurs and it is said the rivalry began when Vargas was angered by De La Hoya laughing at him after he fell into a snowbank. De La Hoya said he would never fight him. Eventually, however, De La Hoya accepted a match. The fight was scheduled for early 2002, but De La Hoya had to withdraw because of a hand injury.

The unification bout, labeled "Bad Blood," finally took place on September 14, 2002, at the Mandalay Bay on the Las Vegas Strip. The fight was even for the first six rounds, with Vargas landing punches on the ropes in the odd rounds, while De La Hoya outboxed him in the even rounds. De La Hoya took over the fight in the seventh round and hurt Vargas with a left hook in the tenth. In the next round, De La Hoya knocked Vargas down with a left hook and stopped him moments later. The win is widely considered to be the biggest of De La Hoya's career. Vargas tested positive for stanozolol after the fight.

De La Hoya defended his unified title against Yori Boy Campas (80–5) with a routine seventh round stoppage then faced Shane Mosley (38–2) in a rematch. The fight, billed as "Retribution" and staged at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, was more of a boxing match than their first encounter, and while some rounds were close, De La Hoya's game plan utilizing his jab seemed to be paying off, leaving Mosley visually frustrated. It was De La Hoya who seemed to be landing the cleaner, more effective punches, and obliterated Mosley in Compubox, landing over 100 more. But judges apparently didn't see it that way awarding Mosley with the controversial unanimous decision. Mosley was later connected to the BALCO Labs steroid scandal. Jeff Novitzky, a lead investigator on the BALCO case, reported that documents seized from the lab show that Mosley received "the clear" and "the cream," both designer steroids. Mosley reportedly began his doping regimen prior to his rematch with Oscar De La Hoya. Mosley would later admit to using performance-enhancing drugs from BALCO for this bout, saying he thought they were legal supplements.

De la Hoya next challenged Felix Sturm (20–0) for the WBO middleweight title on June 5, 2004. De La Hoya was awarded a unanimous decision, becoming the first boxer in history to win world titles in six different weight divisions. All three judges scored the bout 115–113 in favor of De La Hoya. The decision was controversial, far more so than his decision wins over Pernell Whitaker or Ike Quartey: Whereas the Whitaker & Quartey fights were considered close decisions that could've gone either way, the feeling from most is that De La Hoya flat-out lost to Sturm. Compubox counted Sturm as landing 234 of 541 punches, while counting De La Hoya as landing 188 of 792. There had been some rumblings throughout the boxing community that the decision was made to insure De La Hoya's mega-dollar fight with Bernard Hopkins, the undisputed middleweight world champion at that time. According to Sky Sports’ commentator Iain Darke, “That looks like a tailor made decision to set up De La Hoya versus Hopkins. (De La Hoya) got the benefit of high charity.” Sturm & his promotional team, Universum Box-Promotion, filed a protest with the Nevada State Athletic Commission over the decision, but it was to no avail, and the decision still stands today.

De La Hoya fought Bernard Hopkins (44–2–1) in a unification match on September 18, 2004 in Las Vegas. Hopkins held the WBC, WBA, and IBF middleweight titles, was recognized as Lineal and The Ring champion, and was considered by many to be the number one pound for pound fighter in the world. Although the fight was at a catchweight of 158 pounds (72 kg), many thought De La Hoya was too small for the weight class and Hopkins was considered a heavy favorite.

De La Hoya fought a tactical fight. After eight rounds, De La Hoya was ahead 77–75 on one scorecard. He was behind 78–74 and 79–73 on the other two scorecards. In the ninth round, Hopkins knocked out De La Hoya with a left hook to the body. It was the first time in De La Hoya's career that he was knocked out.

De La Hoya took a layoff of 20 months before signing to fight WBC light-middleweight title-holder Ricardo Mayorga (27–5–1). In the buildup to the fight, Mayorga insulted everything from De La Hoya's sexuality to his wife and child, but when they fought on May 6, 2006, De La Hoya knocked Mayorga down in the first minute of the fight with a left hook. He knocked him out in the sixth round to take his tenth world title.

The fight took place on May 5, 2007. De La Hoya pressed throughout all the rounds, doing his best when he used his left jab. Mayweather controlled the later rounds and was ultimately rewarded with a split decision victory in front of a sold-out arena at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Although Oscar was the obvious aggressor, chasing Mayweather and throwing many combinations, Mayweather dominated the stats, according to Compubox, connecting on 207 of his 481 total punches thrown. De La Hoya threw more punches—587—but landed only 122.

On May 3, 2008, at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California, De La Hoya fought Steve Forbes (33–5) in a tuneup for a possible rematch with Mayweather. De La Hoya showed a more relaxed style, throwing a constant jab and always staying on his toes. He opened a cut near Forbes' eye in the sixth round.

De La Hoya faced Manny Pacquiao (47–3–2) on December 6, 2008 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Presented by Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank, Inc., the bout was a twelve round non-title fight at the 147-pound (67 kg) welterweight limit. Although Manny Pacquiao went into the fight recognized as the leading pound for pound boxer in the world, some pundits speculated that 147 pounds could have been too far above his natural weight against the larger De La Hoya. However, Pacquiao's trainer Roach was confident of a victory as he stated that De La Hoya could no longer "pull the trigger" at that stage of his career. De La Hoya, who was favored to win the bout due to his size advantage, was expected to be the heavier of the two on fight night. However, though Pacquiao weighed 142 pounds (64 kg) and De La Hoya 145 pounds (66 kg) at the official weigh-in on Friday, De La Hoya entered the ring at 147 pounds to Pacquiao's 148.5 pounds (67.4 kg).

De La Hoya took a beating and his corner stopped the fight after the eighth round. Pacquiao was ahead on all three judges' scorecards before the stoppage, with two judges scoring the fight 80–71 and the other judge scoring it at 79–72. After the bout, Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach stated, "We knew we had him after the first round. He had no legs, he was hesitant and he was shot." Confirming Roach's pre-fight predictions that he'd grown too old, De La Hoya crossed the ring to Pacquiao's corner after the bout was stopped and told Roach, "You're right, Freddie. I don't have it anymore." When asked by reporters whether he would continue fighting, De La Hoya responded, "My heart still wants to fight, that's for sure," De La Hoya said. "But when your physical doesn't respond, what can you do? I have to be smart and make sure I think about my future plans." During the first episode of the HBO 24/7 Pacquiao–Hatton series, Roach had said he saw IV marks on De La Hoya's arm, pointing out that he needed to be rehydrated surgically as a last resort.

In 2004, he debuted a clothing line of casual, and active-inspired apparel through Mervyns department stores. In the summer of 2004, De La Hoya starred in and hosted a boxing reality television series on Fox and Fox Sports Net titled The Next Great Champ.

In 2006, De La Hoya authorized a children's picture book titled Super Oscar published by Simon and Schuster and released in his name. The book was written by noted children's author Mark Shulman and illustrated by children's illustrator Lisa Kopelke. The book tells the story of young Oscar as a daydreamer, who uses his great physical ability to prepare an elaborate picnic for his entire neighborhood in just fifteen minutes. Written in English and Spanish, the book received unanimously positive reviews from the publishing review journals. Super Oscar was selected as the winner of the 2007 Latino Book Awards Best Bilingual Children's Picture Book of the year.

In late 2007, photographs featuring De La Hoya cross-dressed in company of a woman not his wife were posted on a tabloid website and received extensive publicity across the internet. De la Hoya has denied the authenticity of the photos. His lawyer stated, "The photographs depicting Mr. De La Hoya's image that were posted online today by an obscure paparazzi Web site are fake. Many of the Web site's viewers (as reflected in postings on the site) identified the photos as 'a really bad photoshop job.' Unfortunately, with today's technology, anyone can make any photo seem like something other than it is." In September 2007, Mila Dravnel, the woman who sold the photographs, recanted her allegations against De La Hoya and denied the authenticity of the photographs. However, in May 2008, Dravnel sued De La Hoya for slander, but she dropped the lawsuit after experts determined the photographs had been digitally doctored. However, in De La Hoya's August 2011 interview with Univision, he confirmed that it was indeed him in the leaked 2007 photos.

In May 2011, De La Hoya acknowledged he has a problem, but the nature of the issue was not revealed. "After doing an honest evaluation of myself, I recognize that there are certain issues that I need to work on. Like everyone, I have my flaws, and I do not want to be one of those people that is afraid to admit and address those flaws." He underwent treatment at the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, California for his alcoholism.

In September 2013, just a few days before the Golden Boy promoted match of Floyd Mayweather vs. Saul Alvarez, De La Hoya announced that he was returning to a drug and alcohol treatment facility to address his "disease".

Reference

Oscar De La Hoya. (2014). Retrieved on April 27, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_De_La_Hoya.