De La Hoya TKOs Mayorga in sixth round

LAS VEGAS -- Oscar De La Hoya made an impressive return to the ring after a 20-month absence, knocking down Ricardo Mayorga in the first round before finally stopping him in the sixth to claim the WBC's 154-pound title on Saturday night.

De La Hoya, 33, knocked down Mayorga in the opening minute and never let up, unleashing waves of punishing head shots until Mayorga went down for the third time at 1:25 of the sixth.

It was the best fight for De La Hoya since he stopped Fernando Vargas four years ago and a near-perfect result in what De La Hoya claims will be the penultimate fight of his storied career.

"No matter what, I was going to stand up to him, let him know right away that I was here to fight," De La Hoya said. "I had to show the bully that I wasn't going to back down. He fought recklessly, but I stood my ground, and he saw I wouldn't back down."

De La Hoya (38-4, 30 KOs) clearly hadn't lost his passion for the ring since Bernard Hopkins stopped him in the ninth round with a devastating body punch in September 2004.

He sent Mayorga to the canvas just 60 seconds in, artfully ducking a wild punch and responding with a strong right and a brutal left hook. The crowd stood, and De La Hoya cast a disdainful glance over his shoulder as he walked to the neutral corner.

The fight got no better for Mayorga (27-6-1), with De La Hoya's tactical precision and surprising power taking a quick toll.

De La Hoya wants to fight once more before retiring on Sept. 16, possibly in a comeback match with Felix Trinidad.

After this performance, there will be plenty of talk about the prospect of a tantalizing bout with welterweight champ Floyd Mayweather Jr.