I fought Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and got KO’d by Bernard Hopkins but none hit harder than the ‘Bazooka’
Oscar De La Hoya fought the best fighters of his generation, but no one hit him harder than Ike Quartey.
The American admitted this despite the fact he has shared the ring with all-time greats Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao, and he was knocked out by Bernard Hopkins.
But, when asked who was the best puncher he faced in his career, De La Hoya named Quartey whom he clashed with in 1999.
"His punches were like bricks," De La Hoya told The Ring.
"He hit me and it would sting me. Every punch he would hit me with, it would rattle me."
De La Hoya also admitted Quartey had the best jab of anyone he had faced, saying: "Not only was it powerful, it was very consistent."
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Their fight was a back and forth affair, as Quartey had De La Hoya down in the third round with a pair of thunderous left hooks.
'The Golden Boy' rallied, however, and returned the favour putting Quartey down in round six, but De La Hoya found himself on the canvas once again moments later.
In the final round of the fight, De La Hoya dropped Quartey for a second time and almost got him out of there, but 'The Bazooka' survived to the final bell.
As the judges' scorecards were read out, De La Hoya was handed the win via split decision to defend his WBC welterweight world title.
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De La Hoya did not hold onto this title for long, however, as later that same year he was beaten by Felix Trinidad.
And from then on De La Hoya's career was a mixture of ups and downs, beating fighters of the calibre of Arturo Gatti, Fernando Vargas and Ricardo Mayorga.
But, he also fell short against Mayweather, Hopkins and twice vs Shane Mosley.
For the final outing of De La Hoya's career, he came up against Pacquiao in 2008, getting stopped in the eighth round.
And he admitted that eight-weight world champion 'Pac Man' was the best fighter with whom he ever shared the ring.
In 2010, Pacquiao etched his name into the history books when he beat Antonio Margarito to land a world title and make him an eight division champion.
"I think his determination, his conditioning, his skill, his power, speed, footwork… he’s one of the fighters I most appreciated," De La Hoya said of the man widely regarded as one of the finest ever.