DE LA HOYA SHOWS HIS HEART.

Byline: MICHAEL ROSENTHAL Boxing

This wasn't how Oscar De La Hoya was supposed to prove his greatness.

He was supposed to dazzle Ike Quartey with his once-in-a-lifetime skills, wear down the challenger and then knock him out in the late rounds, or so many believed. Then, having thrashed the fighter deemed his first serious challenge, he'd walk away unmarked and seemingly invincible.

It didn't happen that way. Not by a longshot.

Instead, De La Hoya claimed his place among the best fighters of his era with something that isn't learned over years in the gym - his heart - in what turned out to be an unforgettable battle of wills that could've gone either way in the end.

In the sixth round, Quartey, who had just risen from the canvas himself, knocked down De La Hoya with a right hand. As he got up, it seemed as if he might be easy prey for the challenger. He was hurt, his left eye was nearly closed and his confidence seemed shaken.

Each of the estimated 14,000 people present was thinking the unthinkable.

De La Hoya's response? A display of inspiring courage.

It took him a few rounds, but he shook off the effects of the ill-fated sixth, dug in and seized victory.

In the deciding rounds, the 10th, 11th and 12th, it was De La Hoya who threw and landed more punches. It was De La Hoya who seemed to have more energy. It was De La Hoya, not Quartey, who decided he wasn't leaving the ring a loser.

The final round will go down as one of the greatest in boxing history.

With the fight very much in doubt, De La Hoya landed his best punch: A picture-perfect left hook that sent Quartey to the canvas and brought the crowd to its feet for the remainder of the contest.

What followed was sheer mayhem. The two stood in Quartey's corner and exchanged blows at what might've been an unprecedented pace until they both ran out of steam. De La Hoya got the better of it and, his fans hoped, he did enough to win.

As it turned out, De La Hoya won all three rounds on all cards to claim a split-decision victory and retain his title.

Again, it wasn't the fight many expected.

But remember who Quartey is. He was not an opponent handpicked to make De La Hoya look good, as so many were in the past. He was recognized as one of the best fighters in the world, a ferocious power-puncher with excellent boxing skills and absolutely no fear. In the eyes of many, he's a monster.

That's what makes the manner in which De La Hoya won so remarkable and so unforgettable.

Had he won easily, he would've taken a monumental step in what is turning out to be a monumental career.

However, he wouldn't have made the statement he made on Saturday. People admire sheer talent, which De La Hoya's certainly has, but they cherish someone who can overcome adversity and emerge victorious, as De La Hoya did so dramatically.

When we look back on De La Hoya's career, we might look back on this fight as the greatest in his career.

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PHOTO Oscar De La Hoya falls after being knocked down by Ike Quartey in the sixth round Saturday.

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press