Oscar De La Hoya vs. Javier Castillejo explained

Fight Date:June 23, 2001
Fight Name:The Quest
Location:MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
Titles:WBC super welterweight title
Fighter2:Javier Castillejo
Purse2:$800,000[1]
Nickname2:El Lince de Parla
(The Lynx of Parla)
Record2:51–4 (34 KO)
Height2:5 ft 11 in
Weight2:154 pounds
Style2:Orthodox
Hometown2:Parla, Madrid, Spain
Recognition2:WBC super welterweight champion
Fighter1:Oscar De La Hoya
Purse1:$5,000,000
Nickname1:The Golden Boy
Record1:33–2 (27 KO)
Hometown1:East Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Height1:5 ft 10+1/2 in
Weight1:154 pounds
Style1:Orthodox
Recognition1:The Ring No. 4 ranked pound-for-pound fighter
4-division world champion
Result:De La Hoya wins via 12-round unanimous decision (119-108, 119-108, 119-108)

Oscar De La Hoya vs. Javier Castillejo, billed as The Quest, was a super welterweight professional boxing match that took place on June 23, 2001 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Paradise, Nevada. After 12 rounds, De La Hoya defeated Castillejo to take the WBC super welterweight title. With his win, De La Hoya then tied with Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns as a five-division world champion.[2]

Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao makes his debut in the United States with his bout against Lehlohonolo Ledwaba.

Background

Javier Castillejo, aged 33, was considered the underdog before his fight with 28-year-old Oscar De La Hoya, with the latter at his prime both "physically and emotionally".[3]

Fight

De La Hoya won the bout via unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the fight 119–108 in his favor.[2]

Preliminary card

Lehlohonolo Ledwaba vs. Manny Pacquiao

Filipino Manny Pacquiao defeated South African Lehlohonolo Ledwaba via technical knockout for the IBF junior featherweight title.

The eight-round fight is generally considered as a significant event for both boxers' careers.[4] [5] At the time, Ledwaba had been ranked as one of the top pound-for-pound boxers, and was scheduled for a bout with Mexican Enrique Sánchez.[6] However, Sanchez was injured two weeks before the undercard bout, and matchmaker Sampson Lewkowicz replaced him with Pacquiao, who would thus have his debut in the U.S..[4] The fight also became the first match of Pacquiao to have Freddie Roach as his coach.[7]

Ledwaba considered the bout to be the most difficult fight in his career.[8] He remarked that during the bout, he "tried almost everything. I'm a boxer who used to think. I always tried to outwork an opponent, but it was totally different against Manny. [...] I was flat-footed, but he was on his toes all the time, so he was hard to hit."[4] His promoter Rodney Berman later expressed the thought that Ledwaba's defeat to the then-unknown Pacquiao caused him to lose motivation in boxing; Ledwaba did not have anymore world level fights after the match, and retired from the profession by 2006.[4] For Pacquiao, he won $40,000 for his victory,[5] and later stated that alongside his other early fights, he fondly remembers his fight against Ledwaba because "[t]hat's the one that got me here to the U.S. and after that my career really started."[7]

Other fights

Notes and References

  1. News: Arkush. Michael. PLUS: BOXING; De La Hoya Seeks Title. October 4, 2020. The New York Times. June 23, 2001. 5.
  2. News: Arkush. Michael. BOXING; De La Hoya Ties Record, Winning 5th Championship. October 4, 2020. The New York Times. June 24, 2001. 6.
  3. News: Springer. Steve. All Systems Go for De La Hoya. October 4, 2020. Los Angeles Times. June 23, 2001.
  4. News: Wainwright. Anson. Best I Faced: Lehlo Ledwaba. October 5, 2020. The Ring. RingTV.com. July 13, 2020.
  5. News: Giongco. Nick. The day Manny Pacquiao stopped Lehlo Ledwaba and introduced himself to the world. October 5, 2020. The Manila Bulletin. Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation. June 23, 2020.
  6. News: Henson. Joaquin M.. How Roach met Manny. October 5, 2020. Philstar.com. Philstar Global Corp.. May 21, 2009.
  7. News: Williams. Luke G.. EXCLUSIVE: 'I like people to cheer for one cause' - Manny Pacquiao interview. October 4, 2020. Boxing Monthly. Kelsey Media. January 8, 2019.
  8. News: Wagiet. Rafiq. SA boxer: Facing Manny Pacquiao was the fight of my career. October 5, 2020. Eyewitness News. Primedia Broadcasting. April 30, 2015. Cape Town.