Boxing Rumors: Roy Jones Jr Wants To Face Oscar De La Hoya, Trainer Says

Roy Jones Jr. is ready to return to the ring and is weighing his options. It appears the 52-year-old has one name in mind – Oscar De La Hoya. The 11-time world boxing champion recently announced he was returning to ring action and that his return fight will be in July.

As of this writing, no opponent has been mentioned. But it appears the boxer-actor is determined to find out who deserves to be called “Captain Hook.” Alfy Smith, who is training Jones, believes now is the right time to see the boxers face off and settle that debate.

"I know that they never got to fight based off weight classes before, but now would be the perfect time to give the fans a great fight that they'd thought they would get to see. De La Hoya has one of the greatest left hooks in boxing history, Roy has a devastating hook as well, we shall see who will be the real 'Captain Hook,'" Smith said, per DAZN.

Jones gave a good account of himself back in November 2020 when he faced Mike Tyson. At the time, he was a bit unsure regarding whether he would continue fighting and said he would first consult his family. But given his newfound interest, it seems the answer is obvious.

As far as Smith is concerned, this is a fantasy fight that boxing fans will love to see.

"This is a great fight, an exciting matchup where you would only dream it up in a video game, now we have a chance to make it a reality. Roy is still active and training every day, he’s in tremendous shape and his speed is still crisp,” Smith said.

Right now, it all depends on whether Jones will get that nod. When De La Hoya's ring return plans were announced in March, Triller CEO Ryan Kavanaugh mentioned that they wanted a “big” UFC name to face the Golden Boy top brass. The names of Anderson Silva, Conor McGregor and Dillon Danis have come up.

De La Hoya made the short and stunning announcement during the Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren fight press conference. He said he plans to don his trunks again on July 3 via Triller pay-per-view.