If anyone has watched this fight, please let me have your thoughts and comments ? thanks.
I love watching body-shot knockouts. It was actually pretty funny; not 30 seconds before De La Hoya went down, I was talking about how great it was when Gatti knocked out Dorin with the left hook to the body back in July. Overall, it was kind of a boring fight for two light guys, though. I'm not a big Larry Merchant fan, and the TV crew couldn't ride De La Hoya's jock any more. "Well, I think De La Hoya won this round, too..." The whole time, I'm thinking, are they serious? De La Hoya had those flurries of punches, but WASN'T LANDING ANYTHING. Hopkins was picking and choosing his punches, and he was chipping away with each one. I had Hopkins up at the time of the knockout.
larry merchant is a clueless most-of-the-time-drunk idiot. The fight was excellent, with a spectacular finish, although hopkins was a bit timid during the earlier rounds. He actually started showing his age a little bit, but overall a good showing. De La Hoya should not embarrass himself with rumors of appealing to various sanctioning bodies etc regarding a kidney punch as illegal and the reason that he may have lost. He looks equally stupid claiming that he was winning the fight. Ha! He got 3 rounds maybe, the gap only widening from the 9th onward no doubt.
It was excellent, strategy-wise and technically, but I felt like I was watching a heavyweight fight. Sometimes, I just shut the sound off if I'm watching a fight with my Dad. The announcers always have their favorites, and they let you know it. Merchant is the worst of the lot. I don't mind George so much because he generally makes valid points and has funny comments. Poor De La Hoya... never gets any respect. I wonder why? Remember the Trinidad fight? ...yet another controversial losing ending to add to the De La Hoya book.
If Hopkins hadnt knocked Delahoya out, Delahoya would have gotten the decision in his favor, afterall he does own Vegas (and the company that promoted the fight). All three judges were locals. It would have been sketchy. He lost and still made more than 3x what Hopkins made, which I find funny (though it makes complete sense). I dont see a rematch. Delahoya is done, and I think Hopkins will retire as well pretty soon.
I knew Hopkins was going to win somehow, but I thought it was all fake. The body blow did not look hard at all. There was no ripple in his side, he wasn't lifted at all as you see when most knock outs by body blow occur. they usually lift the guy up a good bit. As when Roy Jones knocked that guy out. He practically lifted the guy up off the ring by his ribs. And then when you watch the replay De La Hoya gets hit like 3 times before he ever even winces from the body blow. Then when he goes down, he just sits there and does not try to get up. That's not like De La Hoya, he's a fighter, a champion that ducks no one. Or used to be. Crazy theory, but who knows with boxing.
