On this working day 13 February 1999 (Particularly 25 a long time in the past currently) Oscar De La Hoya handed what he called the hardest check of his vocation, having up from a knockdown and twice knocking down Ike Quartey to retain the WBC welterweight championship on a break up final decision at the Thomas and Mack Centre in Las Vegas.
De La Hoya clinched the win by storming out in the 12th round to knock down Quartey in just 12 seconds. The champion pummeled Quartey for the subsequent moment in advance of tiring in entrance of a crowd of about 12,000.Equally fighters went down in the sixth spherical of a great bout, a single that compares with the welterweight showdown between Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns, which Leonard received in the 14th round in 1981. Equally Leonard and Hearns have been at ringside.
Decide Larry O’Connell of England scored it for Quartey 115-114. Decide John Keane of England scored it 115-113 and Ken Morita of Japan scored it 115-112, equally for De La Hoya.
“I assume the initially real take a look at of my boxing profession,” the unbeaten De La Hoya claimed prior to the match. It surely was.
Ike Quartey was returning from a 14-month absence from the ring – for the duration of which time proposed fights in opposition to Felix Trinidad and ‘Sweet Pea’ Pernell Whitaker experienced collapsed – to obstacle Oscar De La Hoya for the WBC welterweight title .
This was viewed by numerous as the Golden Boy’s hardest test considering that he turned professional 7 yrs previously. They felt that De La Hoya’s excellent 29- document was stuffed with fighters who have been possibly over the hill like Julio Cesar Chavez and Whitaker, as well modest like Rafael Ruelas and Genaro Hernandez, or basically too more than-matched like Patrick Charpentier. Claude Abrams reported in his preview for Boxing News: “We realized Leonard was very good, but when he defeated Roberto Duran and then Hearns, we recognised his brilliance. Now it’s De La Hoya’s change.”
Quartey, himself undefeated with a 34–1 document, experienced a authentic claim to be the world’s most effective welterweight. A week later at Madison Sq. Back garden, two other fighters with layouts on the best spot were being scheduled to meet for the IBF strap – Trinidad defending in opposition to Whitaker.
The winners of these two bouts seemed selected to satisfy just about every other later on in the 12 months for the appropriate to assert welterweight supremacy in one particular of the richest fights in boxing background.
Ike appeared to acquire handle of the initially 50 % of the combat with his velocity and ability. At the end of the third spherical, Quartey buckled De La Hoya with a pair of crunching still left hooks.
In the sixth, De La Hoya went a single far better and floored his guy with a remaining hook of his own – only for Quartey to repay the favour times later. Bazooka then claimed the upcoming two rounds, landing a notably tough appropriate hand in the ninth, before tiring and permitting Oscar again into the contest in the 10th and 11th
THE GOLDEN BOY desired a big spherical, and in a breathtaking 12th Oscar arrived out from the corner like a guy possessed, flooring Quartey with a vicious still left hook in just seconds of the restart. De La Hoya punched himself out in search of the knockout but the tough Ghanaian threw ample punches to hear the closing bell.
“I created it a tactical combat. I was not supposed to be like that. It was continue to just one fight closer to making historical past. I want to verify I’m the most effective.” claimed De La Hoya
Quartey could not understand how he was not awarded the victory. He reported: “Oscar didn’t do everything for eight rounds. You observed the battle. He didn’t do anything. I matched him for speed and electricity. He came to survive. I’m as well tough.”
Certainly, De La Hoya went on to facial area Trinidad later that very same 12 months at the Mandalay Bay Vacation resort & Casino. It would be De La Hoya who, right after dominating the to start with fifty percent of the fight, dropped a controversial choice to Trinidad. Believing he had the combat received, Oscar acquired on his bike for the last couple of rounds, allowing Tito to consider them and go away the past effect on the judges. If only he had come out for the 12th spherical like he did against Quartey.
Summary of the bout
Day: 1999-02-13 Location: Thomas & Mack Heart, Las Vegas, Nevada, United states of america Decide: Ken Morita 116-112 Choose: John Keane 116-113 Referee: Mitch Halpern Choose: Larry O’Connell 114-115 WBC Environment Welterweight Title (6th defense by De La Hoya
