Profit in loss — De la Hoya hints at retirement

“He (De la Hoya) is a great warrior. I was just better than him on the night. I showed the World who Sugar Shane Mosley is. I am a true champion,” Mosley said, using his self-given nickname.

Mosley’s win took his record to 35-0 while De La Hoya dropped to 32-2.

De la Hoya’s defeat at the hands of Mosley followed last September’s controversial loss to Felix Trinidad, which cost him his two World titles.

The International Boxing Association handed the title back when it was relinquished by Trinidad, who moved up a weight class, but De la Hoya turned down the World Boxing Council’s offer to return the title, saying he would rather fight for it.

Now, with the gold in the golden boy severely tarnished, De la Hoya, 27, hinted that he was disenchanted with the World of boxing.

“It’s tough to live with what goes on around boxing. … I don’T feel that I can continue like this,” he said.

He added that he was disappointed with the loss to mosley,and that he knew the decision would go against him when he failed to knock out mosley.

”I felt I won it by a point, but when I didn’T knock himout, I knew I wouldn’t get the decision,” De la Hoya said.

Praise for the winner: Contradicting himself, however, De la Hoya also said that Mosley, 28, “deserved the victory, he’s a good champion. I have no problem with him winning, he’s good.”

And good he was. Mosley gave De La Hoya a lesson in shadow boxing for most of the regulation 12 rounds — when De la Hoya threw his best punches, Mosley was just a shadow.

Bobbing, ducking and weaving, Mosley simply was not where he was when De la Hoya started to deliver his punch, which for the most part found thin air as Mosley smoothly and swiftly moved out of shooting range.

“He (Mosley) was very prepared. He was a great fighter, a great warrior, he had a great night,” De la Hoya said just after leaving the ring, his forehead still glowing with sweat.

In a fight that had spectators at the staples centre a remain Los Angeles on their feet for most of the 12 rounds, De la Hoya showed the tenacity that had brought him the WBC and IBA titles.

But Mosley, the International Boxing Federation lightweight champion since 1997 before moving up to the welterweight division last year, gave a brilliant display of lightning quick hands and dancing feet that, in the end, mesmerised and damaged De la Hoya, and brought him the crown he coveted.

Billed as the battle of Los Angeles by local media — both boxers hail from this city — the fight started with a flurry of punches by both boxers, with Mosley the more accurate fighter with precision left hand jabs and punishing rights to the body.

Throughout the fight, Mosley showed he was happy moving backward, offering an elusive target to De la Hoya’s sometimes wild swings.

The final round, however, found both fighters locking horns in a fierce fisticuffs festival that had the crowd roaring, with Mosley rocking De la Hoya on several occasions.

“I thought the fight was won in the 12th round,” Mosley said during his post-fight news conference.” and while De la Hoya is reconsidering his career in boxing, Mosley said, “This (victory) takes my career to a new height.”

De la Hoya earned $8 million dollars for the fight, with Mosley getting five million dollars. The contract calls for an automatic rematch, but a disenchanted De la Hoya wasn’t sure he wanted it.

“People are talking about a re-match. But I don’t think about it that way. … I’m a businessman, I take care of my money and I take care of my health,” he said.

On Saturday, Mosley not only took the decision but also won the battle of the punches. Although throwing fewer punches than De la Hoya — 678 to De la Hoya’s 718, Mosley’s percentage of blows landed was 42 per cent compared to De la Hoya’s 36 per cent.

And in terms of power punches, Mosley landed 174 out of 304 thrown, compared to De la Hoya, who landed 165 out of 448 thrown.