By Chris Santos: It can be deduced with not much evaluation that the short list of fighters on Oscar De La Hoya’s list for his May 3rd bout (all smallish and light punching junior welterweights) are on that very list so that De La Hoya can come out of this bout not just with an aesthetically pleasing victory, but also so he can escape somewhat unscathed with the Mayweather rematch just four months after. Nonetheless the fighters said to be on this list seem all wrong to this observer.
Stevie Forbes seems just much too small for this assignment, at barely 5’7″ and having done his best work at junior lightweight and lightweight some years ago. I cheered for him during “The Contender,” but if you can’t beat Grady Brewer and just get by Francisco Bojado, well then in my book, you are overmatched against a former Middleweight Championship challenger.
Paulie Malignaggi is still not experienced or steady enough for a fight of this magnitude just yet, despite the war with Cotto. Had he thoroughly dominated the tougher than expected Herman Ngoudjo, I might have a different view. And I am one who believes he’s a fantastic boxer who has the stuff of future greatness if he keeps progressing and avoids hand issues. But off the Ngoudjo fight it’s just too big of a leap.
As for Salita, he’s done absolutely nothing to merit this consideration, in that he has not one notable opponent on his ledger. Not a single one. Go google his record and check for yourself.
The fight I would love to see would be De La Hoya-Zab Judah, which would feature a good match up of two big name fighters needing a momentum shifting victory for their career…..except in reality, only Judah needs that fight since De La Hoya seems to always have momentum win OR lose. And Judah would be a live, motivated, amped & dangerous underdog so that fight won’t happen any time soon….
The three fighters that WOULD be size appropriate, experienced appropriate and ahem, appropriately beatable would be and thus SHOULD be considered are :
Vivian Harris –He has big fight experience in that he has fought in enemy territory (Germany, England) in title bouts against rabid crowds, he is a tall and lean 5’11 who, one would think, could benefit form the move north to 147, and who, while vulnerable in the chin area, would be dangerous enough to go seven rounds or so, forcing De La Hoya to favorably showcase his entire arsenal in order to dispatch with him.
Juan Lazcano, who while, let’s face it, seems spent, is still the #7 junior welterweight in the world according to Ring Magazine, is a toughly built 5’9″ and has the kind of pride and balls that would force a great, short fight with fireworks –and a likely 5th or 6th round KO for De La Hoya (and wasn’t there a grudge between these guys that HBO could exploit?)
And lastly, Luis Collazo, who arguably deserves this shot more then any fighter named here or in previous accounts, who makes for tv friendly fights, who just scored a comeback win of his own on Saturday night— yes against a meaningless opponent in an off-tv bout, but he looked good enough to get on-air props for it from the HBO team– but who will also be a full class level, it would seem, beneath De La Hoya if you consider his performances against A-Class Shane Mosley and B+ class Ricky Hatton. And then there is also that he is not a big puncher.
In an ideal world we’d be talking about Mayweather against Miguel Cotto. I would take De La Hoya – Judah as a consolation, or even De La Hoya-Kermit Cintron. But for now, in this less than ideal world, how about De La Hoya vs Collazo with indercard bouts of Malignaggi vs Harris and Salita vs Lazcano or Forbes? Oh, Wait, then it would have to be PPV. Damn!