Feb 10 2009
Oscar De La Hoya’s Future
According to Golden Boy Promotions’ vice president Eric Gomez, Oscar De la Hoya will decide within the next fortnight his boxing future, and whether he will fight on after his demolition at the hands of Manny Pacquiao last December.
De La Hoya was comprehensively beaten by Pacquiao, in one of the great surprises of 2008, and looked a shadow of his former self having boiled down to 147lbs for the bout.
Many have called for the Golden Boy to retire, after an illustrious career and not continue on when it is clear he is now in the twilight of his years, but he may want a final swansong, in an attempt to go out on a high.
Indeed, the 10 time world champion (in six different weight classes), may pursue Ricky Hatton after his bout with Pacquiao, and such a fight would be Pay Per View gold, and could be held in London’s Wembley Stadium, in front of 80,000 plus fans.
Whether De La Hoya decides to fight on or not, his position is cemented as one of the great fighters of our generation and the defeat to Pacquiao should in no way diminish this. He was fighting at too low a weight, stayed at the weight for too long, a week before the fight if reports are accurate and the impact of this weight drain cannot be underestimated.
If we never see Oscar De la Hoya fight again, he should be remembered for 10 world titles, and not his performance against Pacquiao.
I’ll keep you posted!
