The online sportsbook Bovada believes Amir Khan is the leading candidate to face Oscar De La Hoya in The Golden Boy’s first fight back.
Oscar De La Hoya has announced that he plans to come out of retirement at 47. And The Golden Boy said he plans to fight a “top guy,” not a fellow geezer.
Who might that be?
The online sportsbook Bovada has posted odds on whether he’ll actually fight at all and, if he does, who he might face in his first fight back.
Bovada’s oddsmakers believe De La Hoya will indeed fight again, setting the odds for “Yes” at -200. “No” is at +150, making it the underdog.
The leading candidate to face De La Hoya, according to Bovada, is former junior welterweight titleholder Amir Khan at +350. MMA fans will note that Conor McGregor comes in tied for No. 3 at +500. And at No. 5 is Canelo Alvarez, who De La Hoya promotes, at +750.
Here’s Bovada’s full list (in order of likelihood):
Amir Khan +350
Jermell Charlo +400
Gennadiy Golovkin +500
Conor McGregor +500
Canelo Alvarez +750
Jeison Rosario +1600
Patrick Teixeira +1600
Demetrius Andrade +1800
Jermall Charlo +1800
Antonio Margarito +2000
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr +2500
Miguel Cotto +2500
Juan Manuel Marquez +2500
Sergio Martinez +2500
Ricardo Mayorga +2500
Shane Mosley +2500
James Kirkland +3000
De La Hoya hasn’t fought since he was stopped in eight rounds by Manny Pacquiao in 2008.
The online sportsbook Bovada believes Amir Khan is the leading candidate to face Oscar De La Hoya in The Golden Boy’s first fight back.
Oscar De La Hoya has announced that he plans to come out of retirement at 47. And The Golden Boy said he plans to fight a “top guy,” not a fellow geezer.
Who might that be?
The online sportsbook Bovada has posted odds on whether he’ll actually fight at all and, if he does, who he might face in his first fight back.
Bovada’s oddsmakers believe De La Hoya will indeed fight again, setting the odds for “Yes” at -200. “No” is at +150, making it the underdog.
The leading candidate to face De La Hoya, according to Bovada, is former junior welterweight titleholder Amir Khan at +350. MMA fans will note that Conor McGregor comes in tied for No. 3 at +500. And at No. 5 is Canelo Alvarez, who De La Hoya promotes, at +750.
Here’s Bovada’s full list (in order of likelihood):
Amir Khan +350
Jermell Charlo +400
Gennadiy Golovkin +500
Conor McGregor +500
Canelo Alvarez +750
Jeison Rosario +1600
Patrick Teixeira +1600
Demetrius Andrade +1800
Jermall Charlo +1800
Antonio Margarito +2000
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr +2500
Miguel Cotto +2500
Juan Manuel Marquez +2500
Sergio Martinez +2500
Ricardo Mayorga +2500
Shane Mosley +2500
James Kirkland +3000
De La Hoya hasn’t fought since he was stopped in eight rounds by Manny Pacquiao in 2008.
Oscar De La Hoya, who has hinted at a comeback for months, told ESPN that he’s ending his retirement.
The last time we saw Oscar De La Hoya in the ring, in 2008, Manny Pacquiao had rearranged his pretty face. Twelve years later The Golden Boy insists he’s coming back for more at 47.
De La Hoya, who has hinted at a comeback for months, told ESPN that he’s ending his retirement. And he reiterated that he isn’t talking about an exhibition, a la Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. The CEO of Golden Boy Promotions plans to take part in a sanctioned professional bout.
And he swears he’s not looking to face a pushover. Asked who he wants to fight, he said, “Any top guy, any top guy out there.”
“The rumors are true, and I’m going to start sparring in the next few weeks,” De La Hoya said. “It’s a real fight. I miss being in the ring, I love boxing. Boxing is what gave me everything I have today, and I just miss it.”
De La Hoya (39-6, 30 KOs) seems to be serious, saying he plans to fight between 154 and 160 pounds, but the idea of him exchanging punches with a young, prime opponent is difficult to fathom.
The 1992 Olympic gold medalist — the source of his nickname — became one of the best and most-popular professional fighters of his generation, winning titles in seven weight divisions and breaking pay-per-view records along the way.
However, by 2008, De La Hoya, who has battled drug and alcohol addiction, had begun to decline.
He gave a strong performance against a young Floyd Mayweather in a split-decision loss in May 2007, took a one-year break from boxing and returned to face fringe contender Steve Forbes in May 2008. He won a unanimous decision but didn’t look like the fighter who had dominated the sport for so long.
Then came the Pacquiao fight on Dec. 6 of that year in Las Vegas. Most observers believed the rising Filipino star with too small to compete with an opponent of De La Hoya’s size and track record even though the 35-year-old Mexican-American would be fighting at 147 pounds for the first time in seven years.
In the end, De La Hoya, a tick slower than he had been, couldn’t cope with Pacquiao’s unusual speed and work rate and suffered a horrible, even embarrassing beating. He quit on his stool after eight rounds and never fought again.
De La Hoya implied to ESPN this week that the weight loss was as much to blame as Pacquiao for the setback.
“Look, my last fight with Pacquiao, I weighed in at 145 and obviously that was a shell of myself,” he said. “… It’s been a long time, yes. But actually my jab feels faster than ever. I have to make sure that my conditioning is perfect, my health is good.
“And that’s going to take place in the next few weeks. So we’ll see.”
Oscar De La Hoya, inspired by Mike Tyson’s comeback, has said he plans to fight again and believes he can still be competitive. Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images
So why come back now?
De La Hoya could still make money even if it turns out he can no longer fight. And, yes, he undoubtedly misses the competition. He wept when he announced his retirement in April 2009. However, he said he’s motivated by another factor.
“All these fighters are not of the level that was 15, 20 years [ago],” he said. “All these fighters are demanding so much money, all these fighters are demanding the moon. And they’re forgetting that you must train hard, you must work hard. So that’s a huge advantage for me because I know what it takes to train hard, I know how to train smart. I know how to fight smart in the ring.
“These guys are in it just for the money. That’ll be the big difference. I will fight for the glory, and these guys only fight for the money. And guess what? The glory will always win.”
De La Hoya formally announced his retirement at a news conference in front of Staples Center in Los Angeles, not far from where a bronze statue of him stood (and still does). That process was as difficult for him as the beating he took from Pacquiao, saying good bye to a sport that consumed his life for three decades.
However, he knew the time was right. He knew he had declined. That’s the perfect time get out.
Here is a portion of what he said at the news conference more than 11 years ago: “Now I understand why athletes have such a tough time retiring from something that you feel so passionate about, from your sport that you’re always thinking you can try one more time.
“I can still train hard and I can still compete, but when you’re an athlete that has competed on the highest level for a lot of years, it’s not fair. It’s not fair to step inside the ring and not give my best.”
He was right. Athletes are always thinking they can try one more time.
Oscar De La Hoya, who has hinted at a comeback for months, told ESPN that he’s ending his retirement.
The last time we saw Oscar De La Hoya in the ring, in 2008, Manny Pacquiao had rearranged his pretty face. Twelve years later The Golden Boy insists he’s coming back for more at 47.
De La Hoya, who has hinted at a comeback for months, told ESPN that he’s ending his retirement. And he reiterated that he isn’t talking about an exhibition, a la Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. The CEO of Golden Boy Promotions plans to take part in a sanctioned professional bout.
And he swears he’s not looking to face a pushover. Asked who he wants to fight, he said, “Any top guy, any top guy out there.”
“The rumors are true, and I’m going to start sparring in the next few weeks,” De La Hoya said. “It’s a real fight. I miss being in the ring, I love boxing. Boxing is what gave me everything I have today, and I just miss it.”
De La Hoya (39-6, 30 KOs) seems to be serious, saying he plans to fight between 154 and 160 pounds, but the idea of him exchanging punches with a young, prime opponent is difficult to fathom.
The 1992 Olympic gold medalist — the source of his nickname — became one of the best and most-popular professional fighters of his generation, winning titles in seven weight divisions and breaking pay-per-view records along the way.
However, by 2008, De La Hoya, who has battled drug and alcohol addiction, had begun to decline.
He gave a strong performance against a young Floyd Mayweather in a split-decision loss in May 2007, took a one-year break from boxing and returned to face fringe contender Steve Forbes in May 2008. He won a unanimous decision but didn’t look like the fighter who had dominated the sport for so long.
Then came the Pacquiao fight on Dec. 6 of that year in Las Vegas. Most observers believed the rising Filipino star with too small to compete with an opponent of De La Hoya’s size and track record even though the 35-year-old Mexican-American would be fighting at 147 pounds for the first time in seven years.
In the end, De La Hoya, a tick slower than he had been, couldn’t cope with Pacquiao’s unusual speed and work rate and suffered a horrible, even embarrassing beating. He quit on his stool after eight rounds and never fought again.
De La Hoya implied to ESPN this week that the weight loss was as much to blame as Pacquiao for the setback.
“Look, my last fight with Pacquiao, I weighed in at 145 and obviously that was a shell of myself,” he said. “… It’s been a long time, yes. But actually my jab feels faster than ever. I have to make sure that my conditioning is perfect, my health is good.
“And that’s going to take place in the next few weeks. So we’ll see.”
Oscar De La Hoya, inspired by Mike Tyson’s comeback, has said he plans to fight again and believes he can still be competitive. Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images
So why come back now?
De La Hoya could still make money even if it turns out he can no longer fight. And, yes, he undoubtedly misses the competition. He wept when he announced his retirement in April 2009. However, he said he’s motivated by another factor.
“All these fighters are not of the level that was 15, 20 years [ago],” he said. “All these fighters are demanding so much money, all these fighters are demanding the moon. And they’re forgetting that you must train hard, you must work hard. So that’s a huge advantage for me because I know what it takes to train hard, I know how to train smart. I know how to fight smart in the ring.
“These guys are in it just for the money. That’ll be the big difference. I will fight for the glory, and these guys only fight for the money. And guess what? The glory will always win.”
De La Hoya formally announced his retirement at a news conference in front of Staples Center in Los Angeles, not far from where a bronze statue of him stood (and still does). That process was as difficult for him as the beating he took from Pacquiao, saying good bye to a sport that consumed his life for three decades.
However, he knew the time was right. He knew he had declined. That’s the perfect time get out.
Here is a portion of what he said at the news conference more than 11 years ago: “Now I understand why athletes have such a tough time retiring from something that you feel so passionate about, from your sport that you’re always thinking you can try one more time.
“I can still train hard and I can still compete, but when you’re an athlete that has competed on the highest level for a lot of years, it’s not fair. It’s not fair to step inside the ring and not give my best.”
He was right. Athletes are always thinking they can try one more time.
Oscar De La Hoya told Sports Illustrated that he’s taking the steps necessary to return to the ring at 47 years old.
Oscar De La Hoya doubled down on the eyebrow-raising idea of returning to the ring for an actual fight.
De La Hoya last month followed the lead of Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield, who announced their intentions to take part in exhibitions. However, the Golden Boy took it a step further, saying he wanted to come all the way back at 47 years old.
He told Sports Illustrated that he’s serious, unlike like past instances when he teased a comeback. He hasn’t fought since he was stopped by Manny Pacquiao in 2008.
“I think it’s just a matter of pulling the trigger, of making that decision to go to the gym, to wake up in the morning, to make the sacrifice,” De La Hoya told the SI Boxing Podcast. “Before I wanted to do it, but I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t pull the trigger. I couldn’t wake up in the morning. I couldn’t take myself to the gym and spar six rounds.
“Now it’s like I have this motivation to do it for myself, to prove to myself that I can do it. And so we’ll see what happens.”
De La Hoya told SI that he works out regularly in Pasadena, Calif., near his home. He said he spars up to six rounds and runs six miles a day. He wants to build up to 12 rounds of sparring by September, which would allow him to fight early next year.
“There are two or three levels I have to get by first,” he said.
De La Hoya said he would expect to fight at 154 pounds, where, he said, “I can do some damage.”
“Skill is involved, obviously,” he said. “My power, you never lose power. Maybe my timing might be off a little, but that’s something that I’m going to have to figure out. So there’s a lot that comes into play. And I just strongly feel that I can do it.”
He didn’t have to think twice about who he’d like to have in his corner: Floyd Mayweather Sr., who worked with him for years.
“Floyd Mayweather Sr. is the only trainer that can tell me to wake up at five in the morning, is the only trainer who can push my buttons and make me work hard and smart,” he said. “I would actually go to him and humbly ask him if he can do this favor for me.”
Who would he fight?
De La Hoya didn’t mention any names but SI threw one out: Canelo Alvarez, the Mexican star promoted by De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions. The two reportedly have a cold relationship these days. But a fight between them? C’mon.
“I don’t know,” said De La Hoya, laughing. “Canelo’s an amazing fighter. He’s the best, he’s a pound-for-pound champ. He hits like a mule. I don’t know. You’re throwing me in the fire here, but that’s a challenge that … I never backed down from anybody, but we’ll have to wait and see.”
Oscar De La Hoya told RingTV.com that he has been inspired by Tyson’s workout videos and is considering returning to the ring himself.
First Mike Tyson. Then Evander Holyfield.
Now Oscar De La Hoya?
The 47-year-old Golden Boy, who heads his own promotional company, told RingTV.com that he has been inspired by Tyson’s workout videos and is considering a return to the ring himself.
Tyson, who turns 54 on June 30, has said he wants to take part in exhibitions for charity.
“I 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.
“Obviously, I’m not in fighting shape yet to go 12 rounds, but I’m sure I can get there. We’ll see.”
He went on: “I want to see Tyson perform. [I want to] see how his reflexes are, see if he can go past three, four rounds. Then I’ll make my decision.”
De La Hoya (39-6, 30 KOs) last fought on Dec. 6, 2008, when he was knocked out by Manny Pacquiao in eight rounds.
