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Mike Tyson Remembers When Oscar De La Hoya Made Him Cry

Published 03/21/2021, 6:00 AM EDT

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It’s almost impossible to picture Mike Tyson crying, as the heavyweight stalwart is renowned for his viciousness and treacherous punches that shook the boxing world back in the days. However, Tyson claims to have cried when he saw his hero lose inside the boxing ring.

Being a legend himself, ‘Iron’ Mike has several boxing idols in his career. Most of the fans know about his love and respect for Muhammad Ali. However, Tyson also idolized the great Julio Cesar Chavez and considered him his hero. One of the greatest of all time, Chavez has an alluring record of 107 wins, 6 losses, and 4 draws.

While Oscar De La Hoya was one of those few to have beat the Mexican pugilist, a prime Tyson teared up on that fight. In his recent podcast with the P4P King Canelo Alvarez, Tyson recalled the incident.

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He said, “I cried when Oscar De La Hoya beat Chavez. He (Julio Cesar Chavez) was my hero too.”

Akin to Tyson, it disheartened several fans to see De La Hoya knockout, Chavez. Although it didn’t do any harm to Chavez’s legacy, it’s a fight that the ‘Golden Boy’ De La Hoya will always relish. But how exactly did Mike Tyson see his hero lose?

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Mike Tyson seeing Oscar De La Hoya vs Julio Cesar Chavez

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In 1996, De La Hoya and Chavez collided against each other with the WBC super lightweight title on the line. While both the Mexican elites looked sharp, it was ‘Golden Boy’ who became the aggressor, as he busted up Chavez Jr. and made it a bloodbath in the very first round.

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However, ‘J.C’ continued the show and didn’t appear intimidated. While De La Hoya dictated the pace and power, Chavez couldn’t offer much in response. Halfway through round four, it was a total mess as Chavez already had lost a lot of blood.

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The doctors took him under medical attention, and the fight was stopped. Do you think it was Oscar De La Hoya’s one of the greatest performances of all time, as in addition to securing a huge win, he got ‘The Baddest Man On The Planet‘ to shed tears.

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Written by:

Raj Sarkar

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A senior boxing writer at EssentiallySports, Raj Sarkar is a mass media graduate who is currently pursuing his master’s degree in broadcast journalism. In addition to his current role, he has worked with the MMA team at EssentiallySports and has interviewed prominent fighters such as Ritu Phogat and 'The Red King' Rory MacDonald. He combined his bachelor's degree with his adoration for combat sports and has a combined 2000 plus bylines in MMA and boxing over the last two years.
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