 Until their rematch in 1998, Chávez stated that De La Hoya did not defeat him since the fight was stopped.De La Hoya successfully defended his titles with a twelve-round unanimous decision against undefeated former WBC Lightweight Champion and number one light welterweight contender Miguel Ángel González (41–0–0).In 1997, De La Hoya moved up to the welterweight division and fought Pernell Whitaker (40–1–1).