Boxing
Oscar De La Hoya will make decision on boxing comeback after seeing how Mike Tyson does
At the age of 47, Oscar De La Hoya is considering a return to boxing.
But before he does, he wants to see how Mike Tyson's comeback plays out.
The revelation for the retired De La Hoya was made during an interview with The Ring, as the founder of Golden Boy Promotions mentioned that he'd return to face anyone between 154 to 160 pounds except his prized pugilist Canelo Alvarez.
“I actually want to see what Tyson does first,” De La Hoya said. “I have been working out, I have been training, I have been staying in shape. I’m obviously not in fighting shape yet, to go 12 rounds, but I’m sure that I can get there. We’ll see.
“I want to see Tyson perform, see how his reflexes are, see if he can go past three, four rounds, and then I’ll make my decision.”
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Mike Tyson has only teased a return to the boxing ring after multiple training videos were released and showed the 53-year-old in extraordinary shape. The former heavyweight champion has received multiple offers — including an opportunity to face Evander Holyfield for a third time in an exhibition match — but has yet to commit.
De La Hoya was last seen in a boxing ring in December 2008 when he was pounded into submission by Manny Pacquiao. Looking back, De La Hoya blames the loss on "overtraining" for the smaller and faster Pacquiao and believes he can still compete with the best the sport has to offer despite being away from the sport for over a decade.
"You take a look at my last fight, with Pacquiao,” De La Hoya said. “I fought at 160 and came all the way back down to 147 to try and beat a Pacquiao who was just coming up, who was faster than hell, right? And I couldn’t pull the trigger, because I overtrained. My muscles were so lean. I was a walking zombie when I stepped into the ring. I still have reflexes, I still go to the gym every so often. I can still beat anybody I step in the ring with.”
A potential fight with Canelo would certainly be a blockbuster, but De La Hoya would be a massive underdog against arguably the best pound-for pound-fighter in the sport today. There are other opponents out there that could make sense — Errol Spence Jr., Keith Thurman, Danny Garcia, Terence Crawford, Jermell Charlo and perhaps a rematch with the now 41-year-old Pacquiao.
De La Hoya claims he only wants a "real fight," but he would be a huge underdog against all of the mentioned names. But what about a fight with Conor McGregor?
The former six-division world champion recently suggested that McGregor wouldn't last more than two rounds with him and the semi-retired UFC star responded to De La Hoya's claims with a tweet that read "I accept your challenge, Oscar De La Hoya."
Considering the money that McGregor's showdown with Floyd Mayweather made in 2017, it may be the perfect return fight for De La Hoya.
