Oscar De La Hoya fought boxing’s elite but it was Ike Quarter whose crackling power stood out.
The American admitted this despite the fact he has shared the ring with all-time greats Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao, and he was knocked out by Bernard Hopkins.
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But, when asked who was the best puncher he faced in his career, De La Hoya named Ike Quartey whom he clashed with in 1999.
“His punches were like bricks,” De La Hoya told The Ring.
“He hit me and it would sting me. Every punch he would hit me with, it would rattle me.”
De La Hoya went on to suggest Quartey had the best jab of anyone he had faced, saying: “Not only was it powerful, it was very consistent.”
Their fight was a back and forth affair, as Quartey had De La Hoya down in the third round with a pair of thunderous left hooks.
‘The Golden Boy’ rallied, however, and returned the favour putting Quartey down in round six, but De La Hoya found himself on the canvas once again moments later.
In the final round of the fight, De La Hoya dropped Quartey for a second time and almost got him out of there, but ‘The Bazooka’ survived to the final bell.
As the judges’ scorecards were read out, De La Hoya was handed the win via split decision to defend his WBC welterweight world title.
De La Hoya did not hold onto this title for long, however, as later that same year he was beaten by Felix Trinidad.
And from then on De La Hoya’s career was a mixture of ups and downs, beating fighters of the calibre of Arturo Gatti, Fernando Vargas and Ricardo Mayorga.
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But, he also fell short against Mayweather, Hopkins and twice vs Shane Mosley.
De La Hoya and ‘Money’ Mayweather in a huge clash in May 2007, which, at the time, became the most lucrative boxing bout in history generating $130 million in revenue.
It sold 2.4 million pay-per-views as a record-breaking event, but ultimately saw ‘Golden Boy’ fall short by split decision against the supreme talent of Mayweather.
The pair were set to rematch a year later in September 2008, but Mayweather retired before returning to boxing in 2009.
For the final outing of De La Hoya’s career, he came up against Pacquiao in 2008, getting stopped in the eighth round.
And he admitted that eight-weight world champion ‘Pac Man’ was the best fighter with whom he ever shared the ring.
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In 2010, Pacquiao etched his name into the history books when he beat Antonio Margarito to land a world title and make him an eight division champion.
De La Hoya retired a year before in 2009 and has since gone into the promotional business under banner Golden Boy Promotions.
The business has seen him promote some incredible talents including pound-for-pound king Canelo Alvarez.
He also appeared set to return in an exhibition against Vitor Belfort, but was replaced by Evander Holyfield after being hospitalised with coronavirus in 2021.
His American rival Mayweather went on to become one of the greatest of all-time, retiring with a 50-0 professional record while headlining the highest grossing events in history.
Mayweather’s two most high-profile fights came against Pacquiao, and in his final bow against UFC superstar Conor McGregor in 2017.
The multi-division king has returned in a number of exhibitions since retiring, generating huge money in clashes against the likes of YouTube stars Deji and Logan Paul.
Pacquiao finished his career as an eight-division world champion, retiring after defeat to Yordenis Ugas in his final fight in August 2021.
After a break from the sport to focus on politics, ‘Pac Man’ is incredible returning at the age of 46.
The Filipino will astonishingly take on Mario Barrios for the WBC welterweight title on July 19.
He has incredibly been reintroduced to the WBC rankings at No.5 in a controversial move by the governing body.
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