Oscar Hoya Quotations

Lose this fight and you'll be fighting on ESPN on Friday nights.

(Mayweather is) too big of a fight not to happen, but obviously, it has to happen without Top Rank. Because I just feel that things that happened in the past with Top Rank, us not making fights together and Bob Arum not wanting to make fights with our fighters ... well, OK. If you don't want to make fights with our fighters, if I fight Floyd Jr., then you're not going to be involved. It's not giving him the satisfaction. It's like saying, 'OK, you're not going to be involved in the biggest fight in boxing since (my fight against Felix) Trinidad. If he wants to play that way, I'll play that way, too.

One of the things that bothers me most, ... is that very few people really understand what it means to be a fighter. I hate it when I hear someone say, 'That fighter doesn't have guts.' I hate that; it really ticks me off. I don't care if you're a world champion six times over or a four-round fighter who just got knocked out in thirty seconds of your first professional fight. To step inside that ring, you have to have guts.

Mosley can turn it up and he can turn it down. He knows how to do that. It's a big factor. And people are going to be surprised how strong a fighter Mosley is.

I was seventeen when my mother passed away, ... I was heartbroken. Nothing mattered to me anymore. I thought seriously about not finishing high school, even of dropping out of boxing. Not one day passes that I don't think about my mother. And to be honest, there are still times when it's a lonely world without her. But I feel that I was blessed to have her in my life, and I believe she's still looking out for me.

I would have loved to have met Elvis Presley, ... He was the King. It's very interesting to me; the way he grew up, the demons he battled, how he handled the pressure and how, after a while, it became a burden he couldn't carry.

Whatever comes next for me, as far as boxing is concerned, I have no regrets. I would never change what I've accomplished and the history I've made.

He's a breath of fresh air for the sport of boxing, and we need that.

He caught me right on the button. Believe me, I tried getting up but I couldn't. I have what it takes, but he hit me right on the button.

I think I proved my point. I think that winning the title at 154-pounds and knocking him out in the eleventh round, I think at this point in my career I really can't afford to give rematches to anyone I already knocked out.

When I saw I could stay in front of him, our game plan changed. It was working until he threw that good body shot.

We are going through the process right now with Bob Arum. When we signed the contract to do the fight with Hopkins and with Felix Sturm, he (Arum) had first and last.

When Mosley has to turn it up, he's going to stand his ground and fight. Believe me, I know this guy. The fight is too big and his ego's too big. He will not let (Vargas) back him down. He'll fight harder.

But people get these crazy ideas, ... I went on my own roller-coaster ride to gain acceptance from Mexican-American fight fans. It was very difficult and frustrating. There were times when I felt like shouting, 'I can be your hero too.' And there were times, like my fights against Ike Quartey and even against Fernando Vargas, when I fought more aggressively and took more risks than I should have to please those fans.

Vargas is not as fast. But when he hits you, it feels very heavy. It's kind of thudding. Mosley, he's got such fast hands. When he hits you, there's such a snap because they are quick, crisp shots that really sting. They both punch well, but they're just different.

To me, it's like if you want to have an acquaintance with me, that's fine. But it's not on the top of my list, to be friends with him.

Boxing is a never-ending story. New fighters keep coming along. Opponents keep popping up. The next superstar is always on the way.

EA Sports Fight Night Round 3 is so realistic that anyone can pick up the game and learn about the actual sport while having a fun time doing it. The visuals in the game are so amazing. It's exciting to be contributing to a project that pushes the popularity of boxing to a new level and to a new audience.

Bernard wants to do what Sugar Ray Robinson tried to do and go from middleweight to capture that light heavyweight title. He has nothing to lose, but this is a big challenge that will really motivate him.

Bob has to submit an offer on how much he is willing to pay for my next fight. If there is another promoter who can top that, including us at Golden Boy (Promotions), then he won't be the promoter for my next fight.

There's one moment with my mother that sticks out in my mind, ... She was battling cancer. She'd already had chemotherapy and her hair was falling out. I was walking home from high school. My mother was sitting on the front porch with the radio on. She was singing a song called 'Noah, Noah' by a Latin singer named Juan Gabriel. I started singing and dancing with her, and I could see that she was happy despite the pain. That was a very special moment for me. That's the best memory I have of my mother.

I've said for years, ... that my biggest heroes are school teachers. A good school teacher is like another parent.

Personally, I have nothing against Bob Arum. I can say, 'Hey, let's shake hands, patch things up and that's it.' It's him that has the problem. I mean, we have our company, Golden Boy Promotions, which is coming up slowly but surely. We're probably already there and it's a big threat to him. It's a huge threat. But I think as days go by, it's going to get worse. And it's bad, but obviously we're going to hold our ground. We're not going to be intimidated by nobody, especially not Bob Arum.

A couple weeks after (we fought), I called up for a meeting with him and tried to patch things up. Still, I couldn't. He was still arrogant and still saying that he deserves a shot and he can beat me. So I don't know. I don't think he'll ever change. And that's fine with me. It doesn't bother me at all.

This is fun; I enjoy it. The only downfall is that it's really difficult to work with other promoters.

This guy is getting under my skin. He really is.

This guy is even worse. Because when I get back to Puerto Rico and train, believe me, I'm going to knock you out. You can laugh. May 6, you're not going to laugh. You'll see.

You don't represent your people. You can't represent anyone correctly. I promise you I will knock you out. I had one other opponent who I (hated) and I knocked him out (Fernando Vargas) too. I promise you will also be knocked out. Believe me.

It's exciting to be contributing to a project that pushes the popularity of boxing to a new level and to a new audience. EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 3 is so realistic anyone can pick up the game and learn about the actual sport while having a fun time doing it. The visuals in the game are so amazing. You can actually see the emotions on my face change throughout the round.

I tried to do the impossible on paper -- beat the middleweight champ coming up from 130 pounds.

It's the way I went out in my last fight. I know he was a bigger guy, but I just have to go out a winner. And prove to prove to myself I have what it takes to come out of this game as a champion. That's what I have to prove to myself.

It's the TV coverage, the exposure,'' Calabrese said.

It was a great shot, a great left hook.

I want to change the way boxing is structured. There is no structure.

These two guys are veteran fighters, ... The good thing is, both of these guys have chins, so it is going to be really good; it's going to be a barnburner.

These tests have to be more difficult for fighters to pass. A lot of fighters will get rejected, but it will be a good thing.

Once, I was at a party, ... This was at a time when it seemed like I had everything. I was young. I was undefeated. I had money. I'd just moved into my own home. People at the party were laughing and having fun. And I missed my mother. I felt so lonely. I remember asking myself, 'Why isn't my mother here? Why are all these people around me? I don't want these people around me.' I looked out the window and started crying.

I know a few things about him that other people don't know. He's a good talent, but if he fights a boxer, he doesn't know what to do. But if you stay in front of him, he has a chance to knock you out.

I'll go support it. Why not? If it's a good movie, I'm there. If he couldn't win an Oscar when we fought, maybe he'll win an Oscar outside the ring.

But if he beats Vargas, the doors open for him. He'll have some big fights that he can win at 147 pounds. That's where he's explosive.

The community work is central to who I am, ... I want to get across the idea in the community that all children have some golden boy or golden girl in them.