Oscar De La Hoya should be careful about what he wishes for.
The 47-year-old former champion, who has talked about making a comeback after 12 years out of the ring, recently said he would match up well against 38-year-old middleweight champion Gennadiy Golovkin.
“You know how easy GGG would be for me? Oh, my gosh,” De La Hoya told the Boxing Scene website last month. “I always took a good shot and I always took apart fighters like him. In my mind it would be that easy.”
Golovkin provided a chilling response to De La Hoya’s comments.
“You know Oscar, you know how dirty his mouth is,” Golovkin told AFP through a translator. “Everything involving Gennady Golovkin for him is a nightmare. He can say whatever. But let me put it this way: If I got an opportunity to legally kill a person in the ring, I might seize it.”
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De La Hoya is an annoyance for Golovkin, more than anything else. He has more important issues on which to focus.
The Kazakhstani is scheduled to defend his 160-pound title against Kamil Szeremeta on Friday at Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Fla. (DAZN).
Golovkin (40-1-1, 35 KOs) last fought in October of last year, when he defeated Sergiy Derevyanchenko by a close decision to win the vacant IBF title at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
“It was a long pause,” Golovkin said. “There was enough time to miss boxing and forget certain things. The training was good. I went through my standard training and it went well and I’m ready.”
If Golovkin beats Szeremeta (21-0, 5 KOs), he could be in line to face rival Canelo Alvarez one a third time after drawing and losing against the Mexican star. However, if Triple-G is optimistic about that showdown, he isn’t letting on.
Alvarez is scheduled to face Callum Smith on Saturday in San Antonio.
“I don’t think about this because I’m tired of thinking about it,” Golovkin said. “It’s been over two years that we’ve been throwing this around. It’s not my fault that this fight has not taken place.
“Currently, it’s too early to say, but there is a possibility this fight might never happen.”