Oscar De La Hoya vs. Jorge Páez

Oscar De La Hoya vs. Jorge Páez was a professional boxing match contested on July 29, 1994, for the vacant WBO lightweight title. The fight co-headlined the Top Rank–produced boxing card The Grand Rumble.

The Grand Rumble: De La Hoya vs. Páez

Date	July 29, 1994
Venue	MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
Title(s) on the line	WBO Lightweight title
Tale of the tape
Boxer Oscar De La Hoya Jorge Páez Nickname The Golden Boy El Maromero ("The Acrobat") Hometown East Los Angeles, California, U.S. Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico Purse $800,000 $175,000 Pre-fight record 13–0 (12 KO) 53–6–4 (35 KO) Age 21 years, 5 months 28 years, 9 months Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) 5 ft 5 in (165 cm) Weight 135 lb (61 kg) 134+1⁄2 lb (61 kg) Style Orthodox Orthodox Recognition WBO Junior Lightweight champion WBO No. 1 Ranked Lightweight Former featherweight champion
Result
De La Hoya wins via 2nd-round knockout

Background

Having defeated mandatory challenger Giorgio Campanella to retain his WBO junior lightweight title on May 27, 1994, Oscar De La Hoya announced his intentions to vacate the junior lightweight title in order to move up to lightweight to challenge former two-time featherweight champion Jorge Páez for the WBO lightweight tile that had been vacated by Giovanni Parisi earlier in the year.

Páez, a veteran of 63 fights and having won two world titles and subsequently challenged unsuccessfully twice for the lightweight world title, was looked upon as possibly the toughest challenger for the young De La Hoya at the time, though De La Hoya dismissed the flamboyant Páez as "basically a clown, and that’s about it." As De La Hoya and Páez were fighting for a vacant title, and thus neither holding the lightweight title, the WBO held a coin flip to determine who would get the traditional champion's right to enter the ring last. Páez won the flip leaving De La Hoya reportedly "not happy" about having to enter the ring first. The De La Hoya–Páez fight was paired with an IBF super middleweight title fight between champion James Toney and challenger Charles Williams.

The fights

De La Hoya vs. Páez

During the first round, De La Hoya took a more cautious approach, allowing the unorthodox Páez to become the aggressor. Though neither fighter landed much offense during the round, De La Hoya took the round on all three scorecards after landing a small flurry as the round came to a close. Then, early in the second round as Páez moved in close in order to hit the larger De La Hoya with a jab, De La Hoya caught Páez with a left hand that stunned him and quickly followed up with a multiple-punch combination that ended with a left hook that sent Páez down on his knees and then onto his back. Páez made no attempt to get back up and remained on the canvas for several minutes as referee Richard Steele counted to 10, giving De La Hoya the knockout victory at 39 seconds of the round.

Toney vs. Williams

The Grand Rumble: Toney vs. Williams

Title(s) on the line	IBF super middleweight title
Tale of the tape
Boxer James Toney Charles Williams Nickname "Lights Out" "Prince" Hometown Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S. Mansfield, Ohio, U.S. Pre-fight record 43–0–2 (28 KO) 36–5–2 (28 KO) Age 25 years, 11 months 32 years, 1 month Height 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) Weight 168 lb (76 kg) 167+1⁄2 lb (76 kg) Style Orthodox Orthodox Recognition IBF Super Middleweight Champion The Ring No. 3 ranked pound-for-pound fighter 2-division world champion IBF No. 1 Ranked Light Heavyweight
Result
Toney defeats Williams by 12th round KO

The main event saw IBF super middleweight champion James Toney make the third defence of his title against No. 1 ranked Light Heavyweight contender Charles Williams.

The fight

The bout proved to be competitive, with Williams pressing the attack on the slick Toney. Toney was deducted a point in the 8th round for hitting after the bell. By the final round Toney's left eye had completely swelled shut, however he was to outbox Williams and with less than 30 seconds left in the fight landed an overhand right that sent the challenger down. Williams failed to beat the count, giving Toney a KO victory.

At the time of the stoppage Toney was ahead on all three scorecards, with two judges having it 106–102 and the other scoring it 105–103. HBO's unofficial scorer Harold Lederman also had Toney ahead 106–102.

Aftermath

Toney would claim to have been unwell stating that "I was sick today, I had the flu. I won’t be sick against Roy Jones."

The victory for Tony cleared the way for the much anticipated showdown with middleweight champion Roy Jones Jr. in November.

Fight card

Confirmed bouts:

Weight Class	Weight		vs.		Method	Round	Notes
Lightweight	135 lbs.	Oscar De La Hoya	def.	Jorge Páez	KO	2/12	note 1
Super Middleweight	154 lbs.	James Toney (c)	def.	Charles Williams	KO	12/12	note 2
Super Featherweight	130 lbs.	Robert Garcia	def.	Orlando Euceda	RTD	6/8
Heavyweight	200+ lbs.	Derrick Banks	def.	Jonathan Grant	UD	4/4
Super Featherweight	130 lbs.	Johnny Walker	def.	Justo Sanchez	UD	4/4
Heavyweight	200+ lbs.	Arthur Saribekian	def.	Robert Straw	TKO	1/4

^Note 1 For WBO Lightweight title
^Note 2 For IBF Super Middleweight title

Broadcasting

Country	Broadcaster
United States	HBO