The New De La Hoya

Oscar’s cousin dazzles against Caballero to salvage an otherwise drab undercard.

WHILE Joseph Diaz Jnr’s somewhat muted 12-round points victory over Mexico’s Rafael Rivera was the official chief support at the T-Mobile Arena, it was the excellent performance of Diego De La Hoya that stole the undercard’s headlines.

Despite being the cousin of Golden Boy Promotions boss, Oscar De La Hoya, Diego came into his 10-rounder against former IBF bantamweight champion Randy Caballero as the underdog, and without the experience of his rival. However, he was something of a revelation from the start and went on to score an entertaining, and largely one-sided points victory.

Showing off excellent footwork, and a natural ability to find the right punches at the right time, De La Hoya, fighting out of Mexicali, Mexico, zipped in and out of range to bewitch Caballero. A jarring right hand set the tone about a minute into the action and, as early as the second session, the Californian’s features started to swell.