Manny Pacquiao’s Masterclass: Reliving His Dismantling of Oscar De La Hoya

On December 6, 2008, Manny Pacquiao and Oscar De La Hoya fought in a welterweight bout at the MGM Grand, Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas. This fight catapulted “Pac Man” to another level and showed his ability as he delivered a one-sided beatdown to Oscar De La Hoya. This fight would also mark the end of De La Hoya’s memorable fight career.

How Manny Pacquiao Dominated Oscar De La Hoya in 2008

Reliving Pacquiao’s Domination Over De La Hoya in 2008

Pacquiao vs. De La Hoya was billed as The Dream Match, and for “Pac Man” it was the dream match. The opening few rounds saw De La Hoya have small, isolated success. The speed and combination punching from “Pac Man” was already having an effect.

As the rounds went by “Golden Boy” had single-shot success, but Pacquiao could not be stopped, as his speed helped ensure he almost landed at will. The seventh round saw the domination continue, with Pacquaio landing his jab, and unleashing another flurry of punches, with De La Hoya struggling to survive. The effect of Pacquiao’s jab was crystal clear in the seventh round, with his De La Hoya’s face reddened badly from the accuracy of his opponent.

Read More: Toughest Fight of His Career: Oscar De La Hoya vs. John John Molina Revisted

The end was nigh, and it came in round 8 with Pacquaio pursuing his opponent and landing a sweet left hand, which clearly dazed “Golden Boy,” who was further wobbled by another timely combination. De La Hoya tried to fight back, but the speed and accuracy of his opponent were too much to bear. “Pac Man” was way ahead on the cards with the fight stopped before the ninth round. At the time of the stoppage, the judges scorecards read 80-71 x2 and 79–72.

To hear the De La Hoya vs. Pacquiao nostalgia and more from the “Fight Freaks Unite Preview Podcast” with Dan Rafael and TJ Rives, click the latest episode button below.

What Came Next?

The loss to Pacquiao was the final fight of De La Hoya’s brilliant career – with the Filipino fighter going on to memorably stop Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto in his next two fights. He also delivered a 12-round beating to Antonio Margarito and was last seen in a professional bout against Yordenis Ugas in 2021.

Read More: 5 Most Memorable Manny Pacquiao Fights

There have been rumours of “Pac Man” vs. Mario Barrios and Conor Benn, but whether we see him again in a professional boxing setting remains to be seen. Manny Pacquiao is without a doubt one of the greatest boxers of all time and is the only eight-division world champion.