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Tonight's appearance by Oscar De La Hoya and Victor Ortiz on CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight was pretty ho-hum overall. Here are some quotes from the interview:
On boxers being nice guys outside of the ring
De La Hoya: "When I was an active fighter — we don’t have to prove ourselves outside the ring. Our job is inside the ring to win fights. And not to destroy somebody, but to knock somebody out, I guess."
On role reversal between the two
De La Hoya: "Obviously Victor can touch on this, but it’s odd because I’m sure when Victor was growing up, he was watching my fights, but now that he’s a champion and I’m promoting, I look up to him."
Note: Victor never did touch on that.
On separating boxing from everyday life
Ortiz: "I never let boxing interfere with my personal life. I love what I do. I was blessed and given a great gift and talent to share the world. … I kind of have to separate reality from boxing."
On being challenged by yokels outside the ring
Ortiz: "I get (challenged) quite a bit. … I just walk off. … I make no eye contact. I put the tail between the legs and walk off, and say, ‘Hey man, I’m sorry.’"
De La Hoya: "This big guy, must have been 6’5", 250 … he swings at me, I duck under, he falls face-first and knocks himself out. I won that fight without throwing a punch."
And then there was the stuff from the preview video:
On Ortiz's parents today
Ortiz: "I actually went out of my way to find both of my parents. I found my dad about a year and a half ago. … He ran into some trouble some years back or something, and he was in jail or something. … We found him, it was very intimidating for me. I asked Oscar about it, I asked my coaches…"
De La Hoya: "I told him, I remember this vaguely, I told him, ‘Go talk to your dad. Go look for your dad. Ask him why.’"
Ortiz: "I was just like, hey, dad, you know what? I did your job."
Note: I'm not sure "vaguely" was the word Oscar wanted, but whatever. You get the gist.
On Floyd Mayweather Jr
Ortiz: "I don’t want the Floyd Mayweather that, oh, something was wrong with him, this and that. I want the best pound-for-pound Floyd Mayweather, that thinks he’s the best pound-for-pound, to be there that night."
De La Hoya: "Floyd is a great a fighter. He is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world today. He is great for the sport. … When I fought him, you can say that I was over the hill. I was an old 35 when I faced him. He beat me, yes, hands down, there’s no doubt about that. I congratulate him. But I see that — they say that there’s passing of the torch in any sport, when a younger fighter comes up. Victor can be one of the greatest. I’ve sparred with him before. His punches hurt."
On whether or not fear is an issue
Ortiz: "Fear doesn’t even exist in my dictionary anymore. It was one of those things where my upbringing alone got rid of all that. So I can go into ease in battle, with nothing to worry about."
On who would win between Ortiz and De La Hoya
De La Hoya: "If I was at my prime, and Victor’s at his prime, it’ll be one hell of a fight, that’s for sure. Maybe a draw."
Ortiz: "I’d have to take the upperhand. No disrespect, Oscar."
On Oscar's background and out-of-the-ring struggles
De La Hoya: "I had a very tough upbringing. I come from a very humble family, born in East L.A., very proud. Parents were very hard workers. My mom was really strict. But we didn’t really have the guidance, in terms of what they should teach you about life."
De La Hoya: "Fame can be a trap. It can ruin your life. It almost ruined mine. I just hope that I can be an example for Victor. He’s such a mature person, he can think on his own. He’s a smart guy. I’m just here to help him, to support him, I’ve got his back 100%."
Final words for Floyd Mayweather Jr
Ortiz: "I am taking my title home, and that means the victory as well."