Bad Left Hook Fight Morning: Oscar de la Hoya v. Shaquille O'Neal

by Scott Christ on Sep 9, 2009 8:06 AM EDT in Boxing Commentary & Opinion

Cleveland Cavaliers center Shaquille O'Neal took on former boxing champion Oscar de la Hoya in a highly-publicized exhibition bout. The fight was shown on O'Neal's ABC reality series, "Shaq Vs." (Photo via photos.thefirstpost.co.uk)

Video is courtesy the excellent and invaluable Hulu. The show's ABC homepage is here.

Words can't really describe the awkwardness of the action, but I freely admit to being entertained by this, erm, "fight."

Fighter Profiles

Oscar de la Hoya
Height: 5'10 1/2"
Weight: What, about 160 or so?
Achievements: Major titles at 130, 135, 140, 147, 154 and 160 pounds
Last Seen: Getting punked out by Manny Pacquiao, quitting on his stool

Shaquille O'Neal
Height: 7'1"
Weight: "325"
Achievements: Teammate of Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant; four-time NBA champion, Kazaam, Shaq Fu (seriously, click that one)
Last Seen: Promoting a dopey reality show

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It really was odd

Shaq was so massive, yet bent over and used no leverage whatsoever, simply had to jab the flabby DLH to win the, uh, exhibition. What a strange show. Anyone else genuinely wonder who the judges would award the decision? I’m ashamed to say that I wondered.

Wear something sexy to my funeral.

by Pops Daniels on Sep 9, 2009 9:43 AM EDT reply actions

It almost seemed like Shaq was trying not to hurt his good buddy Oscar

Obviously, his best strategy would have been to load up and try to knock him out, but he only really threw one solid punch the whole time.

That said, if Shaq retires from basketball and doesn’t run for sheriff of Miami, my interest is piqued for a Shaq vs. Valuev fight. Kendall Gill became a decent fighter for a few fights after retirement, and Shaq appears to have the athleticism and the chin to handle it if he chooses to create new challenges for himself.

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"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."

by Brickhaus on Sep 9, 2009 10:45 AM EDT up reply actions

It is just a reminder of how much Valuev sucks…

"Boxing is dirty," said Casamayor. " The day I’m not ready to be a dirty fighter is the day I don’t fight anymore because it will mean that I have no heart for it anymore."

by Zocalo on Sep 9, 2009 9:29 PM EDT up reply actions