Jae C. Hong / AP

Oscar De La Hoya was noncommittal in the ring right after his loss to Manny Pacquiao on Saturday, saying he wanted to continue fighting but is worried that the reflexes may not be there anymore.

“My heart still wants to fight, that’s for sure,” De La Hoya said. “But when your physical doesn’t respond, what can you do? I have to be smart and make sure I think about my future plans.”

Those plans should include helping run his thriving promotion company and various businesses and stop trying to con people that he is anywhere near the fighter he once was. That worked for years, but the real truth is that De La Hoya hasn’t been that fighter for years, as evidenced by the fact he has won only three of his last seven fights and was stopped in two of them.

He’s been the most popular and marketable fighter around, able to get people to part with their hard-earned money for $1,500 ringside seats and $54.95 pay-per-views. But his toughest act should he continue to fight would be selling himself again after being thoroughly dominated by a smaller fighter who was fighting at 129 pounds just nine months ago.

Indeed, the new pay-per-view star could be Pacquiao, who took advantage of his opportunity to win over a lot of new fans with his impressive win. Pacquiao is likely to face England’s Ricky Hatton next at 140 pounds, and there are a number of other attractive fights out there for him.

His mere appearance in the ring Saturday night brought the Philippines to a standstill. There was less traffic on the street, and the entire nation held its breath as they watched him conquer his biggest opponent ever.

The nature of boxing is that one man wins and another man loses, and this night was no exception.

It’s not often, though, that one wins so big and another loses so much.

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Lm Otero / AP file

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