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":
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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.ย
He even earmarked potential opponents, limiting himself to either Mayweather or undefeated WBA and IBO middleweight championย 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 intriguingโMoney triumphed in a split decision when the pair met in 2007โit 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. ย
