Oscar De La Hoya faced numerous heavy hitters during his professional career, but believes there is one man who packed the most powerful punch.
Six-weight world champion De La Hoya was known for his own power, with 30 of his 39 victories coming by knockout. He claimed stoppage wins over the likes of Julio Cesar Chavez, Arturo Gatti, Fernando Vargas and Ricardo Mayorga.
Of the six losses that ‘The Golden Boy’ suffered, two of them were inside the distance, getting stopped in the ninth round by Bernard Hopkins in 2004, before an eighth round retirement loss to Manny Pacquiao in his final fight in 2008.
Despite those stoppage defeats, it is another man that De La Hoya credits as being the hardest puncher he ever faced, telling Ring Magazine that he gives that honour to former world champion Ike Quartey.
“His punches were like bricks; he hit me and it would sting me. Every punch he would hit me with, it would rattle me.”
De La Hoya was regarded as the pound-for-pound number one when he defended his WBC welterweight title against then-unbeaten Quartey at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas in February 1999, recovering from an early knockdown to earn a split decision victory.
It is easy to see just why ‘The Golden Boy’ views Quartey as the hardest hitter he faced, with the Ghanaian’s final record reading 32 knockouts from 37 victories, holding the WBA welterweight title for a number of years in the process.
