De La Hoya on Rousey loss: It happens when you don’t take easy route
Ronda Rousey is treated by a medical staff member after being knocked out by Holly Holm in their UFC 193 bantamweight title fight in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2015. Holm pulled off a stunning upset victory over Rousey in the fight, knocking out the women’s bantamweight champion in the second round with a powerful kick to the head Sunday. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)
Following Ronda Rousey’s shock defeat to Holly Holm on Sunday, one boxing legend was more understanding amid the firestorm of criticism thrown at the deposed champion.
Oscar de la Hoya spoke to FightHype.com and said that it was Rousey’s desire to be great which sent her to her first career defeat.
READ: Holm: I don’t wish any hate on Rousey
“Well, that’s what happens when you’ve faced the best,” he said. “Look, it happened to Muhammad Ali; it happened to the very best. When you take chances, when you dare to be great, then you’re going to get beat at some point in your career. That’s what happens. I mean, she didn’t want to take the easy route and just fight anybody. Good for (Holly) Holm.”
De La Hoya’s comments were of the same tone as his open letter directed to undefeated boxing Floyd Mayweather Jr. which appeared in Playboy magazine where he said “(Mayweather) took the easy way out.”
“When you weren’t dancing around fading stars, you were beating up on outclassed opponents. A lot of your opponents were above-average fighters, but they weren’t your caliber. You’re a very talented fighter, the best defensive fighter of our generation. But what good is talent if you don’t test it? Muhammad Ali did. Sugar Ray Leonard did. You? Not a chance.”
READ: Ronda Rousey: ‘I’ll be back’
Going back to Rousey, De La Hoya did touch the issue of overconfidence and lack of focus when it comes to training, more so that Rousey has recently been appearing on movies as well as other commitments outside of MMA.
“You know this, when fighters taste success, the hype around them, sometimes they forget about the training. They’re thinking more about their interviews and the whole Hollywood thing. It’s so distracting,” he said.
The UFC 193 main event saw Rousey got knocked out cold after taking a hard high kick from Holm to the head early in the second round, giving the former her first defeat in 13 fights.
READ: Holm: Rematch with Rousey ‘makes sense for sure’
However, the Golden Boy Promotions CEO believes that a Holm – Rousey match in the future would garner as much hype with a vengeful Rousey aching for a huge bounce back.
“I can guarantee you that if they have a rematch, I don’t know, who knows, it might be a whole different story, but I’ll tell you one thing; Ronda’s going to be focused and determined,” de la Hoya said. “That’s what makes it fun.”
