ON FEBRUARY 24, 2000, Oscar De La Hoya, ‘The Golden Boy’, sat on the podium in the press room at Madison Square Garden where he was scheduled, in a couple of days, to headline the show against Derrell Coley. De La Hoya had suffered his first professional loss in his previous fight, being beaten controversially on points by Felix Trinidad. But gold does not tarnish. De La Hoya remained as popular as ever. This was not lost on the then-New York State Athletic commissioner Mel Southard, who was giddy as he referenced De La Hoya. Southard, who had previously worked for the New York Yankees, compared De La Hoya to that team’s iconic shortstop, Derek Jeter. Southard cited how clean-cut De La Hoya was, just like Jeter.
De La Hoya looked expressionless, however. There was no acknowledgement whatsoever. He had no idea who Jeter was, something that his promoter Bob Arum quickly picked up on. “Oscar,” said Arum, “the Commissioner is giving you the ultimate compliment. Jeter has a great image.” After Arum’s gentle prodding, De La Hoya, still expressionless, signalled a thumbs up to Southard.
It was easy to
