![]() It landed at The Pyramid in Memphis, Tennessee, after Nevada refused to license Tyson to fight in the state, and apparently that decision was based on more than just the smell test. The fight generated a then-record amount of revenue and buys on PPV, but the in-ring product was sorely lacking. You could tell how desperate everyone was to match these two in the ring when HBO, who handled Lewis, and Showtime, who handled Tyson, got together and put network rivalries on the side. Sure, Lennox Lewis' defense of the heavyweight championship against Mike Tyson in 2002 came long past its expiration date, but it was still hotly anticipated and generated a ton of revenue for all parties. We knew HBO and Showtime could work together to co-produce a huge pay-per-view event. The loss ended Oscar's career, while Manny catapulted to the stratosphere as boxing's next transcending international superstar. ![]() ![]() He cut through De La Hoya like he was some club fighter from nowheresville and not one of the best pound-for-pound fighters of his generation. Turns out that one of that the former was a huge issue and the latter, well, you know by now. There were a few interesting elements at play here.įor one, De La Hoya hadn't forced his body to make the welterweight limit for a fight in seven years by that point, while many openly speculated about whether or not Pacquiao-who had been fighting at 130 pounds and below-could handle the increased weight and size of the Golden Boy. He beat former world champion Stevie Forbes in May in anticipation of facing Mayweather in a rematch that fall.īut Mayweather's sudden retirement put the kibosh on that plan and ultimately resulted in De La Hoya meeting Pacquiao in 12-round non-title bout at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Oscar De La Hoya's passing-of-the-torch bout with Pacquiao in December 2008 was the key step in the Filipino's development into a true pound-for-pound sensation.ĭe La Hoya had lost a close match to Mayweather the previous year and intended to close out his Hall of Fame career with three bouts in 2008.
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