Originally posted by ESPNOscar De La Hoya sustained a cut on his left hand Wednesday that required 11 stitches, but Saturday night's middleweight championship fight against Bernard Hopkins isn't in jeopardy.
Now, this is just my opinion, of course, but this is crazy. De La Hoya was a 2-1 underdog against Hopkins to begin with, but at least there was the hope that he could hold off Hopkins and make it a good fight, perhaps even pull off the upset. However, without his left hand, his good hand, De La Hoya will be lucky to leave the ring alive against Hopkins. This fight should be postponed immediately, because with only one good hand De La Hoya is in danger of being seriously injured.
So it's all over, and it was a pretty good fight. I've never actually seen a fight be stopped due to body blows before, but Hopkins just crushed De La Hoya with those shots. It was pretty boss.
Can we now start to talk about Hopkins in the 'greatest of all time' debates?
A wrestler I know once took a Bas Rutten liver shot. He said it was the absolute worst he's ever been hit.
There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened. - The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
Hopkins is already in the greatest conversations. He has not lost ina decade and he has 19 straight successful title defenses. Oscar is a good fighter, not a great one. I was glad to see him get pounded.
Gatti stopped Dorin with a similar shot not too long ago. If you get hit hard in the right spot in the gut, you won't be able to stand up for a week. The first thing you learn in defense is to keep your right elbow tight at your side right over that spot.
I don't really know about Hopkins in the greatest debates. He's only had three fights against really top-tier opposition and lost one of them pretty badly. He needs to beat the next couple 154-pounders that step up, as there's nobody else good at 160 (Mosley or Wright maybe) - both of whom would be tougher than De La Hoya.
The really sad thing is, Oscar's going to still make 25 millon+ from his next fight, and Hopkins will be lucky to break 7 digits.
Man's most valuable trait is a judicious sense of what not to believe. - Euripides
I was in for (supposedly) easy gallbladder surgery last year, but a wacky complication caused them to go a bit into my liver...and I tell you I had to re-learn how to walk.
It wasn't until about 6 months afterwards that I was about 100% getting around.
So, when I see body shots take someone down, I can empathize, brudda...
This was my second year in a row attending The Belmont Stakes. It's a fun time - even though horse betting is a relatively new thing for me, so handicapping is pretty much akin to closing my eyes and pointing at the racing sheet.