Las Vegas: The Golden Boy of boxing still has the luster.
Oscar De La Hoya made an impressive return to the ring after a 20-month absence, knocking down Ricardo Mayorga in the first round before finally stopping him in the sixth to claim the WBC's 154-pound (70 kg) title on Saturday night.
Showing no signs of rust or reluctance, the 33-year-old De La Hoya knocked down Mayorga in the opening minute and never let up, unleashing waves of punishing head shots until Mayorga went down for the third time at 1:25 of the sixth.
It was the best fight for De La Hoya since he stopped Fernando Vargas four years ago and a near-perfect result in what De La Hoya claims will be the penultimate fight of his storied career.
De La Hoya (38-4, 30 KOs) clearly hadn't lost his passion for the ring since Bernard Hopkins stopped him in the ninth round with a devastating body punch in September 2004.
Spurred by Mayorga's pre-fight insults toward his family and courage, De La Hoya overwhelmed the wild-punching Mayorga with clinical right hands and a handful of devastating left hooks, stalking him around the ring and controlling nearly every moment of the fight.
"No matter what, I was going to stand up to him, let him know right away that I was here to fight," De La Hoya said.
"I had to show the bully that I wasn't going to back down. He fought recklessly, but I stood my ground, and he saw I wouldn't back down."
He sent Mayorga to the canvas just 60 seconds in, artfully ducking a wild punch and responding with a strong right and a brutal left hook.
The crowd stood, and De La Hoya cast a disdainful glance over his shoulder as he walked to the neutral corner.
The fight got no better for Mayorga (27-6-1), with De La Hoya's tactical precision and surprising power taking a quick toll.
De La Hoya knocked him down again in the sixth, when a glassy-eyed Mayorga stayed momentarily on his wobbly feet before finally going down for good.
De La Hoya also went to the canvas when referee Jay Nady pushed him away from his fallen opponent, but he sprung up to leap onto the ropes in triumph.
De La Hoya chose Mayorga as his comeback opponent partly because of the chain-smoking, beer-swilling Nicaraguan's reputation for reckless behavior in and out of the ring.
During their pre-fight publicity tour, El Matador wore bullfighting outfits and repeatedly insulted his opponent, questioning everything from his heritage to his sexuality.
"In the beginning, the way he was talking about my wife and my son, he motivated me to go right at him," De La Hoya said.
"He was going to talk dirty, and that was the motivation I needed to get myself up for this fight."
They didn't touch gloves beforehand, but the beaten Mayorga was humble.
"You are a great champion," Mayorga said to De La Hoya. "You are a great fighter. I apologize for everything I said to you."
"I forgive you," De La Hoya replied.
De La Hoya was nearly flawless in his 29th title fight, though he had little interest in this belt.
He wants to fight once more before retiring on September 16, possibly in a comeback match with Felix Trinidad.
After this performance, there will be plenty of talk about the prospect of a tantalizing bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr, the top pound-for-pound fighter whose father trains De La Hoya. The welterweight champion attended the fight.
"The fight just ended, so I'll have to talk to my people to see where we're going to go," De La Hoya said.
"There's lots of emotions right now, so I can't really say. I will sit and talk with my people, and most importantly myself. I have to examine all my scenarios."
De La Hoya hadn't fought since losing to Hopkins. He remembered being face-down, punching the canvas in pain and embarrassment when the champion's liver-bruising shot stopped him for the first time in his career - and he couldn't allow that fight to be his farewell to the sport.
But many wondered whether De La Hoya could ever come back from that shot - or even if he should.
With two losses in his last three fights, he risked a tedious end to a stellar career.
Meanwhile, his business ventures were thriving - including Golden Boy Promotions, this match's co-promoter, which is making progress in its declared quest to shine light through the shady business of boxing.
Mayorga endured his own setbacks while winning just two of his previous four fights after making his name with consecutive victories over Vernon Forrest.
Cory Spinks claimed Mayorga's welterweight belts with a majority decision in December 2003, and Trinidad stopped him in the eighth round in September 2004.
On the undercard, Kassim Ouma won a split decision over Marco Antonio Rubio in a dull fight for Ouma's NABO title at 154 pounds (70 kg).
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