Oscar De La Hoya Will Remain Retired Despite Floyd Mayweather Challenge

Oscar De La Hoya has decided against a return to the ring despite the attraction of a potential rematch with the undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr.

The 42-year-old former champion took to his Facebook page Monday to finally confirm he will not come out of retirement "following a great deal of introspection":

The Golden Boy had tongues wagging in recent days, as he insisted that he was "very serious" about a potential return to professional boxing, per ESPN.com's Dan Rafael. 

He even earmarked potential opponents, limiting himself to either Mayweather or undefeated WBA and IBO middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin:

However, it seems De La Hoya has made a final decision to stay retired despite the lure of the ring, to the great relief of BBC Sport boxing writer Ben Dirs:

Indeed, though the prospect of another De La Hoya-Mayweather clash is intriguing—Money triumphed in a split decision when the pair met in 2007—it likely would have been a one-sided affair.

De La Hoya retired following a brutal eighth-round knockout against Manny Pacquiao in 2008, and seven years later, it's unlikely that he's stronger than he was then.