Following the worst fight of his career, a onesided beatdown at the hands of Manny Pacquiao, the question on many minds has been will Oscar De La Hoya retire from boxing? If De La Hoya did retire, it would mark the end of a lengthy chapter in the annals of the sport. Not just the end of a career that spanned six weight classes and brought home many championships, but more importantly, the end of a career that was the most lucrative in the history of the sport.

Oscar De La Hoya was Boxing's Biggest Earner

The pending retirement from boxing by Oscar De La Hoya would leave a massive gap in the financial workings of the sport and in the amount and quality of public attention given to the sport. For better or worse, an Oscar De La Hoya boxing match was an event. It brought out the celebrities and the major media outlets, and millions of fans routinely tuned in at steep prices just for a glimpse.

The lights shined their brightest on the sport when Oscar De La Hoya was involved in a major fight. This not only lined his pockets, but provided opportunities for many other fighters not just for one big payday, but for a shot at establishing themselves as major household names. Fighting the Golden Boy was akin discovering a Golden Egg under your pillow the next morning. All of the sudden the public knew you and wanted to see more of you.

Taking heavyweights out of the picture, all of the financial records and milestones in boxing belong to Oscar De La Hoya. The biggest live gates, largest pay-per-view audiences, total revenues earned for fights and for an entire career. Oscar De La Hoya has almost single-handedly kept boxing in the mainstream's focal point, even if only for passing moments. So what happens if Oscar De La Hoya retires?

With the UFC on the rise, who will Replace Oscar De La Hoya when he Retires?

Unfortunately for the sport of boxing, there is a lack of maj or names available. Floyd Mayweather Jr., who went from pound for pound king to major American commodity after this win over De La Hoya is in his own retirement, however short lived that may end up being. Current stars Ricky Hatton and Manny Pacquiao have their careers winding down. HBO's anointed saviors, Jermain Taylor and Miguel Cotto, are both on the comeback trail after shattering losses. Arturo Gatti, while never a top level boxer, was the ultra popular "blood and guts warrior", and fittingly was beaten into retirement.

Then there is the dismal heavyweight scene, where a 46 year old Evander Holyfield can still manage to be a viable opponent against pathetic European counterparts. The best two heavyweights in the world, the Klitschko brothers, have vowed never to fight each other and the best American prospects hardly seem up to the task of being great fighters.

So who will rise up and carry on the torch as the stars of the next generation of boxing? Because of a lack of attention and a lack of quality prospects, Olympic boxers are no longer guaranteed fame and attention from the American public.

Oscar De La Hoya's Retirement will Leave A Void

I could easily provide to you a list of the best prospects in the sport and the best champions who toil in relative obscurity today. But a list of the future stars in boxing? It's hard foreseeing many boxers becoming megastars in the way that Oscar De La Hoya was in today's climate of sports and entertainment.

While the retirement of Oscar De La Hoya leaves a void in stardom for the sport, it was the career of Oscar De La Hoya itself as well as poor decisions from television outlets such as HBO that left boxing without a replacement star. So much attention was paid to big names like De La Hoya, so much money handed out and so many television dates reserved, that rising prospects and talented fighters haven't received nearly enough exposure.

While I have always said that boxing and the UFC - which has its own problems - can coexist and help each other thrive, as a hardcore boxing fan, you have to be worried for the sport's future. It will never see its demise, there wi ll always be fans and televised fights and great fighters. But as ESPN and other outlets already shift their focus more toward the UFC, the lack of a major star in boxing could lead to still less exposure in mainstream outlets.

It's unfortunately a perpetuating cycle of less and less fan interest and public attention. A lack of big stars prevents big stars from being made which results in even less big stars and...

So when Oscar De La Hoya retires, whether now or in a year from now, who will take his place?

This article was also published by Jake Emen on Associated Content.