Oscar De La Hoya vs. Arturo Gatti, billed as A Real Hero Returns, was a professional boxing match contested on March 24, 2001.
Background In his previous fight, Oscar De La Hoya had lost the WBC welterweight title to Shane Mosley by a close split decision on June 17, 2000.Mosley Takes De La Hoya's Title on Split Decision, N.Y. Times article, 2000-06–18, Retrieved on 2014-03-12 Following his loss, De La Hoya would go on a nine-month hiatus, as a rift with promoter Bob Arum led to De La Hoya filing a lawsuit in an attempt to sever his promotional contract with Arum.De La Hoya Seeks Break With Arum, N.Y. Times article, 2000-08–30, Retrieved on 2024-11-09 Though his initial lawsuit was still unresolved and his contract with Arum had not legally been nullified with Arum, De La Hoya announced that he would exclusively be promoted by Jerry Perenchio, the billionaire CEO and chairman of Univision, causing Arum to countersue citing interference from Perenchio in regards to his contract with De La Hoya.Oscar Beats Arum to Punch on Pact, N.Y. Daily News article, 2000-09–26, Retrieved on 2024-11-09De La Hoya’s Move Prompts Arum to Sue Univision, CEO, L.A. Times article, 2000-09–27, Retrieved on 2024-11-09 In January 2001, the lawsuit was settled when a Los Angeles judge ruled in favor of De La Hoya, officially nullifying his contract with Arum and paving the way for him to continue on with Perenchio as his promoter.De La Hoya Beats Arum in Court, N.Y. Times article, 2001-01–13, Retrieved on 2024-11-10 Arum was not the only member of De La Hoya's team that he decided to replace; his longtime trainer Robert Alcazar was dismissed in September 2000 after having been criticized and blamed for De La Hoya having lost twice in his last three fights, as was legendary cutman Chuck Bodak who was replaced with Joe Souza. De La Hoya ultimately decided to hire Floyd Mayweather Sr. as his new trainer praising Mayweather afterwards claiming "If I had Mayweather a long time ago, I'd be undefeated." while also criticizing Alcazar and his other previous trainers stating "It's a shame that I had the trainers I had before. But that's how things are." De La Hoya Decides On New Trainer, L.A. Times article, 2000-10–17, Retrieved on 2024-11-11De La Hoya Trusts New Trainer, N.Y. Times article, 2001-03–14, Retrieved on 2024-11-11
Only days after the settlement was announced, De La Hoya announced the end of his nine-month hiatus and his return to boxing to face former IBF junior lightweight champion Arturo Gatti in March of that same year. De La Hoya would also announce his intentions for the bout to be his final fight as a welterweight before moving up to the super welterweight division in his next fight.De La Hoya Gets Gatti, Then Moves Up, L.A. Times article, 2001-01–17, Retrieved on 2024-11-09 However, before the fight would happen, De La Hoya announced another lawsuit, this time against TV network HBO, who broadcast De La Hoya's fights for a long time, in an attempt to sever his existing exclusive contract with the network, which had four fights remaining, in order to gain another, higher-paying pact with them.Fight Has Only Started for De La Hoya, L.A. Times article, 2001-02–10, Retrieved on 2024-11-10 A week later, a judge would once again rule in favor of De La Hoya, officially ending his contract with HBO and effectively making him a free agent with the ability to shop his fight with Gatti to another network of his choosing, though a deal was ultimately reached that would see the fight broadcast on HBO.De La Hoya Wins In the Legal Arena, N.Y. Times article, 2001-02–17, Retrieved on 2024-11-11De La Hoya's Return To Be on HBO, N.Y. Times article, 2001-02–27, Retrieved on 2024-11-11
The Fight De La Hoya dominated an overmatched Gatti, flooring him with a left hand 12 seconds in the first round and then continuing to land punches and combination almost at will throughout the remainder of the fight. De La Hoya would open a cut under Gatti's left eye which would hinder Gatti to the point that the fight was briefly stopped in the third round to allow Gatti to wipe the blood from the wound. Finally, at 1:16 of the fifth round, with Gatti suffering from constant abuse, Gatti's manager Pat Lynch threw a towel into the ring to signify surrender. Referee Jay Nady immediately acknowledged the towel and stopped the fight, giving De La Hoya the victory by technical knockout.Savvy De La Hoya Stops Gatti With Technical Knockout, N.Y. Times article, 2001-03-25 Retrieved on 2024-11-12
Fight card Confirmed bouts: Weight Class Weight vs. Method Round NotesWelterweight147 lbs.Oscar De La Hoya def.Arturo GattiTKO5/12Cruiserweight190 lbs.Vassiliy Jirov def.Terry McGroom KO1/12Super Welterweight154 lbs.Rafael Pineda def.Oba CarrTKO6/10Super Flyweight115 lbs.José Navarro def.Antonio PerezUD6/6Super Lightweight140 lbs.Ricardo Williams Jr. def.Joey BullockUD4/4Heavyweight200+ lbs.Paolo Vidoz def.Marcus JohnsonUD4/4
Broadcasting Country Broadcaster Main Event HBO
References