After the win over Chavez on June 7, 1996, Oscar didn’t fight for the remainder of 1996. His next trip up the ring steps was on January 18, 1997 at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. His opponent was Miguel Angel Gonzalez, and I watched this one on Directv on my big screen TV at home. I had gotten Directv hooked up the previous March, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The picture was crystal clear ,I could order pay-per-views easier right to my 46″ TV, and record them to my VCR as well.
Oscar looked pretty sharp in winning a unanimous decision over Gonzalez. Pernell Whitaker also won his bout over Diosbelys Hurtado a week later in Atlantic City, with a late 11th round knockout. That set up the showdown between the two for April 12, 1997, in Las Vegas for Whitaker’s welterweight title.
It had been a long winter for me, with ripple effects still being felt from the betting failure of 1995. I had gained weight over the winter, was 20 pounds overweight, and was struggling to find a reason to get motivated. Lawn season was getting under way, and I was never less interested, but had to do it since it was my job. A fight was usually a way for me to get my mind off of stuff, but the De La Hoya-Whitaker bout just didn’t excite me.
I ordered the pay-per-view from the Thomas and Mack Center, and my brother came over to watch it. Oscar had moved up to welterweight, and was cut early in the fight. It was a chess match, with lots of missed punches, and I was quite frankly bored. Oscar went down from a slip in the ninth, but Mills Lane ruled it a knockdown. After twelve listless rounds, Oscar got the nod, and was now the welterweight champ. Whitaker bitched like a baby, and even though I taped it, I never watched it ever again.
Oscar fought two months later at the Alamodome in San Antonio, and destroyed challenger David Kamau in two quick rounds. ‘The Golden Boy’ never looked better, and he brought a spark to the welterweight division that it desperately needed.
That summer of 1997 was one I would quite frankly like to forget. I was miserable working in the heat, was struggling financially, and just couldn’t wait for the fall to come to bring me some relief. Boxing was always a way to escape my troubles however, whether by reading magazines, watching bouts on HBO, or from my huge VHS tape collection. Looking back on my life, I could have never survived without boxing. Writing and talking about it still keeps me motivated and inspired, because my goal is to get paid for this stuff, and with the Lord’s help, I will.
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