Oscar De La Hoya vs. Yori Boy Campas, billed as Night of Champions, was a professional boxing match contested on May 3, 2003, for the WBA, WBC, IBA and The Ring super welterweight titles.
Background After defeating rival Fernando Vargas in September 2002 to become the unified WBA, WBC, Ring and lineal super welterweight champion, Oscar De La Hoya began negotiations to face Shane Mosley, who had issued De La Hoya his second defeat in a disputed split decision in 2000, in a rematch tentatively scheduled to take place in September 2003.De La Hoya and Mosley Talk, N.Y. Times article, 2003-02–21, Retrieved on 2024-11-17 Before facing Mosley, De La Hoya opted to take a tune-up bout against Yori Boy Campas during the weekend of Cinco de Mayo, agreeing to the fight in early January 2003.Oscar to Fight Campas in May, L.A. Times article, 2003-01–10, Retrieved on 2024-11-17
Campas, who had held the IBF's version of the super welterweight title just over four years prior, was installed as a massive 25–1 underdog and given virtually no chance of defeating De La Hoya, with many who bet on the fight predicting he would not last more than six rounds.Campas at His Outer Limits, L.A. Times article, 2003-05–04, Retrieved on 2024-11-17 To drum up interest in the fight, Campas and promoter Bob Arum would concoct a bizarre story in which Campas claimed to have been given a potion supposedly used by Mexican forces prior to defeating the Second French Empire during the Battle of Puebla, which purportedly gave them, and subsequently Campas, enhanced strength and courage.Yory Boy Campas Drinking Secret Potion, Associated Press article, 2003-04–22, Retrieved on 2024-11-17
The fights Morales vs. Velárdez In the co featured bout, WBC featherweight champion Erik Morales defended his title against No. 15 ranked Fernando Velárdez.
Morales knocked down Velardez in the 1st, 4th and 5th rounds when the fight was stopped without a count.
This was the Morales' final bout at featherweight. He would vacate the title in October, moving up to super featherweight.
Main Event De La Hoya dominated Campas, landing 264 of 498 thrown punches for a success rate of 53% while Campas only landed 75 of his 348 thrown punches for a paltry 23% rate. While Campas was never knocked down, De La Hoya constantly punished Campas to the point that his face was red and swollen, causing his trainer to jump on ring apron late in the seventh round and ask referee Vic Drakulich to stop the fight. Drakulich obliged and stopped the fight at 2:54 of the round, giving De La Hoya the victory by technical knockout.De La Hoya Pounds Campas to Set Up Another Showdown With Mosley, N.Y. Times article, 2003-05-04 Retrieved on 2024-11-18
Fight card Confirmed bouts: Weight Class Weight vs. Method Round NotesSuper Welterweight154 lbs.Oscar De La Hoya (c)def.Yori Boy CampasTKO7/12Featherweight126 lbs.Erik Morales (c) def.Fernando Velárdez TKO5/12Light Flyweight108 lbs.Jorge Arce (c)def.Melchor Cob CastroTD6/12Mini Flyweight105 lbs.Iván Calderón def.Eduardo Ray Márquez (c)TD9/12Super Lightweight140 lbs.Cristian Bejarano def.Leroy NewtonTKO1/6Middleweight160 lbs.Patrick Thompson def.Jason NauglerMD4/4
Broadcasting Country Broadcaster Main Event Sky Sports HBO
References