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| Date | February 9, 1996 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Venue | Caesars Palace, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tale of the tape | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Result | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| De La Hoya wins via 2nd-round knockout | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Oscar De La Hoya vs. Darryl Tyson , billed as Prelude to Glory was a professional boxing match contested on February 9, 1996. [1]
Just ahead of his fight with Jesse James Leija at Madison Square Garden in December 1995, reigning WBO lightweight champion Oscar De La Hoya had already announced that the Leija fight would be his final one as a lightweight as he looked ahead to a highly anticipated big money fight against WBC super lightweight champion Julio César Chávez in the summer of 1996. [2] After successfully defending his WBO lightweight title for the final time against Leija, De La Hoya was set to make his super lightweight debut in February 1996 in what was to be a tune up before meeting Chávez. Initial plans called for De La Hoya to face former IBF super lightweight champion Charles Murray, while Chávez would face Darryl Tyson in a 10-round non-title bout in an event billed as Prelude to Glory. [3] However, when the event was announced, it was De La Hoya who would face Tyson while Chávez would instead meet Scott Walker. Both De La Hoya and Chávez had already been guaranteed $9,000,000 each for their proposed June 7th fight, though it was contingent on both men winning their tune-up bouts against Tyson and Walker. Promoter Bob Arum expressed concern that the De La Hoya–Chávez fight could potentially be in jeopardy, stating "If I had my way, Oscar and Julio would not be fighting Friday night. I've seen too many big fights spoiled by these kind of tune up fights." [4]
After taking a more tactical approach in the first round, De La Hoya dominated Tyson in the second round. With a minute to go in the round, De La Hoya staggered Tyson with a left hook then backed him into the corner after landing another combination. De La Hoya then landed a right hand to Tyson's kidney which caused Tyson to fall to his knees immediately. Tyson made no attempt to get back as he was counted out, giving De La Hoya the victory by knockout at 2:38 of the round. [5]
Confirmed bouts: [6]
| Weight Class | Weight | vs. | Method | Round | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super Lightweight | 140 lbs. | Oscar De La Hoya | def. | Darryl Tyson | KO | 2/12 | |
| Super Featherweight | 130 lbs. | Julio César Chávez | def. | Scott Walker | TKO | 2/10 | |
| Lightweight | 135 lbs. | George Scott (c) | def. | Shane Gannon | KO | 1/12 | note 1 |
| Heavyweight | 200+ lbs. | Jeremy Williams | def. | Samson Cohen | TKO | 1/10 | |
| Heavyweight | 200+ lbs. | Alonzo Highsmith | def. | Gary Butler | TKO | 2/4 |
| Country | Broadcaster |
|---|---|
 United States | HBO |
Julio César Chávez González, also known as Julio César Chávez Sr., is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1980 to 2005. A multiple-time world champion in three weight divisions, Chávez was listed by The Ring magazine as the world's best boxer, pound for pound, from 1990 to 1993. During his career he held the WBC super featherweight title from 1984 to 1987, the WBA and WBC lightweight titles between 1987 and 1989, the WBC light welterweight title twice between 1989 and 1996, and the IBF light welterweight title from 1990 to 1991. He also held the Ring magazine and lineal lightweight titles from 1988 to 1989, and the lineal light welterweight title twice between 1990 and 1996. Chávez was named Fighter of the Year for 1987 and 1990 by the Boxing Writers Association of America and The Ring respectively.
Oscar De La Hoya is an American boxing promoter and former professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2008. His accolades include winning 11 world titles in six weight classes, including lineal championships in three weight classes. De La Hoya was nicknamed "The Golden Boy of Boxing" by the media when he represented the United States at the 1992 Summer Olympics where, shortly after having graduated from James A. Garfield High School, he won a gold medal in the lightweight division, and reportedly "set a sport back on its feet."
James Leija, best known as Jesse James Leija, is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2005. He held the WBC super featherweight title in 1994, and challenged twice each for world titles at lightweight and light welterweight.
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