At the time of their fight, De La Hoya and Whitaker were the number two and three ranked pound-for-pound fighters, with only the then-WBC light heavyweight champion Roy Jones Jr. ahead of them.

De La Hoya would make the first, and only, defense of his super lightweight title against the undefeated Miguel Ángel González, while Whitaker would meet Diosbelys Hurtado, who was also unbeaten, in a welterweight title match the following week[2] De La Hoya would have little trouble with Gonzalez, scoring a lopsided unanimous decision victory and putting the pressure squarely on Whitaker.

[7] Even before their match, Whitaker stated that, win or lose, he wanted a rematch with De La Hoya, and after his loss, he would repeat that sentiment.

However, these plans were shot down by De La Hoya's promoter Bob Arum, who said that a rematch wouldn't be "good business.

Originally, Whitaker would win the fight by a close unanimous decision and a WBA title match with Quartey was set for April 25, 1998.

However, the result was changed to a no contest when Whitaker tested positive for cocaine, costing him his victory and earning him a six-month suspension.