De La Hoya: I’m hanging up the gloves

De La Hoya retires four months after he was thoroughly beaten by Manny Pacquiao, his fourth loss in his last seven fights. He has not defeated a formidable opponent since Fernando Vargas in 2002. Age and diminished skills led to losses in recent years to Felix Trinidad, Shane Mosley, Bernard Hopkins and Floyd May weather Jr. He won his last title in May 2006, beating Ricardo Mayorga in six rounds for the WBC 154 bound belt. He finished with a record of 39-6 and 30 knockouts. “This is the love of my life, boxing is my passion, boxing is what I was born to do,” De La Hoya said. “When I can’t do it anymore, when I can’t compete at the highest level, it’s not fair. It’s not fair to me, it’s not fair to the fans, and it’s not fair to nobody.”