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Could Oscar De La Hoya break his retirement to fight Jake Paul?
If the day comes when Oscar De La Hoya decides to end his retirement, then the legendary multi-weight champion will not be short of potential opponents.
In 2008, De La Hoya received the worst beating of his career as a weight-drained version of him was outclassed and eventually stopped by Manny Pacquiao.
The result launched the Filipino sensation into a global superstar, but for De La Hoya, it converted him into a promoter as he walked away from competing so he could instead develop Golden Boy Promotions as a boxing powerhouse.
Leaving the ring, De La Hoya retired from action with one of the finest records ever seen as his ledger was littered with some of boxing’s most legendary names including Julio Cesar Chavez, Floyd Mayweather, and Bernard Hopkins.
As well as star-studded names, De La Hoya’s time in the sport was regularly filled with major world title fights as he held the title of ‘The Face of Boxing’ in an era that was congested with some huge draws capable of selling out casino arenas and generating high PPV buys.
Since exiting the fighting side of the sport, De La Hoya’s shadow still lingers around those he represents due to the extensive coverage he received in his fighting days.
Always at the top table for many Mayweather nights, the rise of Canelo, and now crucial in the development of Vergil Ortiz and William Zepeda, De La Hoya may have retired almost two decades ago but he has never really gone away.
In 2009, De La Hoya won light-hearted exhibtion against giant basketball star, Shaq, and seven years later, he competed against Saved by the Bell star turned TV presenter, Mario Lopez, in another exhibition.
In 2021, a fight against Vitor Belfort almost came off until De La Hoya was struck down by COVID-19 and the fight was never rescheduled. Was the Belfort postponement enough to convince De La Hoya to stay away or is there still an itch that he is desperate to scratch.
This week, De La Hoya will undoubtedly be vocal when he helps promote Jake Paul vs Julio Cesar Chavez Jr which takes place on Saturday night, live on DAZN . Is he there to publicise the event? Or is he scouting a potential comeback for? Or perhaps even both?
‘The Golden Boy’ is no stranger to issuing fighting talk is his regular clap back columns that are often hilarious on social media, but could he back it up against Paul?
Inside De La Hoya is an incredible fighting spirit that made him one of the best fighters of his era, capable of competing in any age, and if puhsed, he would be confident of defeating the likes of Terence Crawford or Canelo despite being 52 years of age.
De La Hoya would be insistent he would beat Paul and with two popular fighters from two different eras coming together, the bout would be undeniable success that would sell out any arena in America as well as delivering a huge amount of PPV purchases.
Has De La Hoya been patiently waiting for the right opportunity to put his gloves back on and display his crdnetials to a new audience? Paul would be an ideal candidate and if the pair somehow exchange vicious barbs this Saturday night, boxing may have the biggest fight of the year they did not even anticipate.
Many major names have announced comebacks in recent months, or at least been linked to them, the return of De La Hoya would be the biggest by quite a distance.
Jake Paul vs Julio Cesar Chavez Jr will be streamed exclusively on DAZN PPV, this Saturday, June 28. Buy the PPV now here
