I’ve talked about Oscar De La Hoya’s 2008 plan before, but let’s do a short recap.
He was going to fight Steve Forbes in the spring, which he did. Then he was going to follow that up with a rematch against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the fall, and then one more fight in Los Angeles in December to end his career.
Part one of his plan worked out as his “tune-up” bout that wasn’t called a “tune-up” bout against Forbes ended with him winning a one sided decision. But part two never happened. Somewhere along the way, Floyd Mayweather Jr. walked away from a huge purse and retired.
(With the recent negotiation struggles to find a fight, as well as Manny Pacquiao initially turning it down because he wanted a bigger split, I don’t think it’s wrong to wonder if Mayweather Jr. retiring had something to do with a similar struggle with Camp De La Hoya. I’m not sure if negotiations even started, but it’s something I’d wondered before.)
Pacquio photo attributed to ydhsu
And the “finale” that was supposed to happen in December almost didn’t happen. Now that the Pacquiao fight seem is back on, De La Hoya’s retirement plan would seem to be back on. Or is it?
According to Dan Rafael at ESPN.com, De La Hoya stayed away from the retirement talk at the press conference to officially announce the fight.
De La Hoya was quoted in Rafael’s article and talked about fighting in Mexico instead to end his career.
“My dream is to fight at Estadio Azteca because my idol Julio Cesar Chavez had a historic fight on that stage, and that’s why I would like to fight there,” De La Hoya said at the news conference. “I want a big farewell fight to leave a lasting impression all over the world with a huge event, but there is a soccer match scheduled for Dec. 6 at the Azteca. For me, fighting there would be a dream come true, and that’s why I don’t rule out the possibility of having another fight next year.”
It’s the warrior within a fighter that tells the fighter that he has one more fight left. It’s really the case with most great fighters. But De La Hoya has seemed to always have a plan to get out before it was too late. Maybe he really does want a better swan song. He’s definitely the type of fighter who is aware of his legacy and how the boxing world will look at him when he’s gone. He’s also at his peak of earning power and is Golden Boy Production’s money fighter. In that sense, every time he fights, he helps his business.
After hearing this information, I have a feeling this isn’t going to be it unless he beats Pacquiao decisively. If he doesn’t, or if he loses, I can imagine him coming back for one more fight. And what an event that will be. I have a feeling Mayweather Jr. would come back for that one.
