Whether Oscar De La Hoya beats Ricardo Mayorga Saturday night, by the Golden Boy's own admission his illustrious career is winding down. It is a career that began in glory with a Gold Medal in the 1992 Olympics, and would see him go on to win world titles in 6 weight divisions and fight the best boxers of his generation.

Oscar took the opportunity of an appearance before millions of people on the Tonight Show to reveal how badly he wants to take Mayorga's junior middleweight belt.  De La Hoya told Jay Leno on Monday night that he wants to retire as a Champion, that leaving the game with the belt around his waist is something no one will ever be able to take away from him, and it will add lustre to his already solidified legend in boxing.

Oscar went on to say that if he should lose to Mayorga that he will hang up his gloves for good.

So it leaves one to wonder, how will Oscar's farewell party -- or parties -- should he fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Tito Trinidad as rumored in September, go, given the sometimes devastatingly disappointing departures of other great champions.

Oscar knows from watching up close and personal how disappointing it can be to fall short in those final career minutes in the ring. He need look no further than his own Golden Boy Promotions Company for evidence.

Most recently, Oscar has seen future Hall of Famer and now business partner Bernard Hopkins try to go out in Championship style, only to lose two controversial decisions to Jermain Taylor. Although Hopkins promised his now deceased mother, he would retire in January of 2006, Oscar watches with a mindful eye as Hopkins makes one last effort to go out with a bang instead of a pop. Hopkins is hoping a victory over Antonio Tarver next month in the light heavyweight division will erase the bad taste left from the Taylor losses. Also, Hopkins hopes when history is written, a victory over The Magic Man, will add one final feat of glory to his legend, as a middleweight who stepped up in weight to win his final fight.

It is something Hopkins has been talking about for years, reminding people that even the legendary Sugar Ray Robinson could not make the weight jump successfully.

Oscar also knows about Marvelous Marvin Hagler, who had dreams and aspirations of leaving the game with his championship belt intact, but along came Sugar Ray Leonard, who came out of a three-year hiatus to fight the Marvelous One.

Leonard won a split decision, and Hagler rode off into the sunset without his belt, and a loss tagged on to his record to a fighter who hadn't been in the ring for three years. Not a splendid way to go.

Recently, Oscar has also witnessed one of the quickest fade outs in modern times, the decline and fall of Roy Jones Jr.

There was a time when Roy could not be touched, he was the best and he knew it. But with three loses in a row in less than 2 years, including two devastating KO's at the hands of Tarver and Glen Johnson, and that embarrassing, play-it-safe final loss to Tarver, Jones' legacy is forever tarnished.

Oscar will also take note that Jones doesn't know what everyone else does, that he's through. Over the past few months, Jones has been trying to make a showcase fight. Not only has he not been successful, but he has already been told HBO and Showtime would not air any fight he is in. Humiliating, no, Oscar?

The list of fallen Champions goes on and on. It seems more often than not that our heroes take one fight too many and fail to retire with Championship Gold strapped around their waist. Instead they fall by the wayside and join a bevy of other boxing titans who left the game not only without the Belt they worked so hard to earn, but some of their dignity.

Oscar has no intentions of joining this not so exclusive club. In fact, Oscar already has his plan drawn up on the chalkboard. Number one, Defeat Mayorga and recapture a belt. Number two, go out with a bang in September, presumably against the best pound for pound fighter in the world, Mayweather. These are lofty goals for De La Hoya, but as we look back at his career, we should expect nothing less.

Then again, Oscar should be aware, that even for great champions, parting can be (bitter)sweet sorrow.

Since he defeated Jimmy Bredahl in 1994 and took the WBO Super Featherweight Title Oscar has been on his own personal romp through 6 different weight divisions and along the way has picked up belts in all of them. The names are too countless to mention, Julio Cesar Chavez, Pernell Whitaker, Ike Quartey and on and on add infinitum.

Now, with just 2 fights (we think, see above story) left on his docket,  it is now entirely up to Oscar how he will go out. A loss to Mayorga leaves him without a belt and presumably no Super Bout in September. If he can get to that September bout, a loss in that fight would put him with the previously mentioned fighters who came so close to leaving on top, but stayed in the game just one fight too long.

The chosen path for Oscar is to go out in style, go out as the retiring Champion, it's his dream. Other than the Olympic Gold Medal, which he won for his dearly departed Mother so many years ago, this would be the finest accomplishment of his boxing career, and nothing would make him happier.