I couldn’t walk for 2 weeks after fighting Ghanaian boxer – De La Hoya reveals

pulse-ghana admin

September 8, 2017 1:23 PM

Ike Quartey fought with Oscar De La Hoya in a world title fight in 1999.

Former Super Featherweight and Welterweight champion, Oscar De La Hoya has disclosed that he could not walk for two weeks following his bout with Ghana’s Ike Quartey in the late 1990s.

The Mexican-American boxer fought Ike Quartey in 1999 with his World Boxing Council welterweight title on the line.

The bout is widely regarded as one of the most epic in history, with De La Hoya recording a knock-out victory in the 12th round.

The win over Quartey brought De La Hoya’s record to 30 wins and no loses, however, he has now revealed that the bout was so tough that he could barely walk for two weeks after it had taken place.

“I was fighting this kid, Ike Quartey, he was from Africa, from Ghana. And he was a tough, tough guy,” De La Hoya disclosed while speaking on Power 105’s ‘The Breakfast Club’.

“I mean this guy was tough and he hit me with everything. He [even] dropped me twice, but I think I also dropped him three times and I needed the last round to win. And I finally won, but I couldn’t walk for like two weeks afterwards because I was so sour and it was painful.”

He added that the bout against the Ghana great changed his life, insisting it made him reflect on the idea of becoming a boxing promoter.

“Right there and then [after the Ike Quartey bout] I said to myself I need something to do after boxing. So I decided to become a promoter and help these young guys out there to establish their own careers,” he said.

Ike Quartey is widely regarded as one of the greatest boxers to ever emerge from Ghana, and fought at the light-welterweight, welterweight and light-middleweight divisions.

pulse-ghana admin