Oscar De La Hoya Serious About Return; Possible Opponents Named

Boxing Hall of Famer Oscar De La Hoya insisted that he is serious about making a comeback, and the names of several legendary fighters have emerged as his possible opponents.

Following Mike Tyson’s decision to return, De La Hoya shocked the boxing world by revealing that he’s also considering a boxing return. Speaking to DAZN on June 25, De La Hoya said: “I actually want to see what Tyson does first. I want to see Tyson perform, see how his reflexes are, see if he can go past three, four rounds, and then I’ll make my decision.”

Now 47 years old, De La Hoya stated that he has been staying in shape. And though he hasn’t fought since 2008, the Hall of Famer insisted that he’s serious about a possible return.

In fact, in his July 2 interview with CBS Los Angeles’ sportscaster Jim Hil (via RingTV), De La Hoya revealed that he has already started training. The Los Angeles native even suggested a possible timeframe for his comeback.

“I’ve been actually training and actually running. Who knows if it (any said event) will take place at the end of the year or early next year. But I’m getting there. I feel really good. I start sparring in two weeks (around July 17). Maybe we can have (talk more) in a couple of weeks. We’ll see how I feel with a black eye,” the CEO of Golden Boy Promotions revealed.

Based on De La Hoya’s statement, he should be ready to compete around the fall. It has not yet been confirmed whether he would be interested in participating in an exhibition match or if he would push through with a professional fight.

Amid the buzz about De La Hoya’s possible return, World Boxing News revealed a shortlist of possible opponents who have recently emerged.

The report suggested that De La Hoya would have a good match with his fellow boxing legends. The likes of Ronald “Winky” Wright, “Sugar” Shane Mosley and even his Golden Boy associate, Bernard Hopkins, have been mentioned.

As for Mosley and Hopkins, the two have already beaten De La Hoya in the past, and a rematch against either of them is expected to generate a tremendous amount of interest.

Wright also presents a strong case as he has established quite a good fanbase during his boxing days. On top of that, both Wright and De La Hoya are around the same age. Many believe that they would have had a great fight during their primes, but they never managed to face each other inside the ring.