Oscar De La Hoya announced his plans to end his retirement from boxing. De La Hoya, once boxing’s biggest star, said he will return to action in “a real fight” at the age of 47.
“The rumours are true, and I’m going to start sparring in the next few weeks,” De La Hoya told ESPN. “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 said that the fight will not be an exhibition like Mike Tyson’s upcoming fight against Roy Jones Jr. The fight will be for the record books.
Amir Khan, his former protégé has suggested he could fight Oscar De La Hoya as the legendary boxer considers coming out of retirement.
The 47-year-old officially retired in 2009 following his defeat by Manny Pacquiao in December 2008, finishing his illustrious career with 11 world titles and two gold medals.
Meanwhile, Khan has not entered the ring since he knocked out Billy Dib in June 2019 but the British has teased a potential match-up after calling out De La Hoya on Twitter.
I heard @OscarDeLaHoya is thinking of making a come back.
Oscar Dela Hoya Vs Amir Khan 🇲🇽🇬🇧 pic.twitter.com/lBj2RqhML8
— Amir Khan (@amirkingkhan) August 19, 2020
De La Hoya is a huge fan of Khan’s talents having lauded his speed and footwork before his 2016 clash against Canelo Álvarez.
“He’s a fighter who throws a lot of combinations. He’s a fast fighter, he has great footwork.”
“But one thing about Amir Khan is he’s sometimes a little too brave for his own good. People might say that that’s been his Achilles’ heel.”
“That’s been his downfall in some of the fights he’s been involved in.”
De La Hoya, who has become a successful promoter of Golden Boy Promotions since retiring, is the latest former boxer to consider a return to the ring after Mike Tyson confirmed his comeback.
Tyson last competed in 2005 and will take on Roy Jones Jr, who retired in 2018, in an exhibition fight in California.
“I actually want to see what Tyson does first. 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 twelve rounds. I’m sure I could get there. We’ll see. I want to see Tyson perform, see how his reflexes are, see if he can go past three or four rounds. We’ll see and then I’ll make my decision.”
De La Hoya’s record at the time of his retirement was 39-6 with 30 KO wins and established himself as one of the greatest boxers in history.
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