Ranking the 5 Potential Opponents for Oscar De La Hoya's Return Fight
Move over Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr., because you aren't the only legends with stunning boxing comeback plans for 2020. Last month, Oscar De La Hoya, 47, announced he was officially making his comeback to the sport, so now it's time to review who might be the five best potential opponents for boxing's "Golden Boy" to consider for his next fight.
Here are Bleacher Report's five biggest and best options for De La Hoya's comeback bout.
5. Marcos Maidana
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De La Hoya revealed to ESPN that he wasn't coming back to the ring for an exhibition bout but a "real fight". Regardless, De La Hoya hasn't been in any kind of fight for nearly 12 full years, and the last time we saw him competing inside a boxing ring he was getting obliterated by Manny Pacquiao.
So De La Hoya might have big plans to face the top fighters between 154 and 160 pounds, but he most assuredly would be wise to avoid jumping up to the elite level after being so long out of the sport.
As one YouTube commenter pointed out when I posed the question about who De La Hoya could fight next, former lightweight and junior welterweight titleholder Marcos Maidana might make some sense.
First, the 37-year-old appears to be in great shape and might similarly be announcing a comeback bout soon.
Second, Maidana is a fun brawler who would be an easy sell to the public.
Third, and most importantly, Maidana isn't terribly huge in comparison to De La Hoya, and he never came close to being on the same level as a boxer. Boxing comebacks are never safe, but one can mitigate the danger by choosing the right kind of opponent.
4. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
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Imagine the circus that De La Hoya vs. Chavez Jr. would be, and count me among those who believe boxing is almost always better when that's the case.
The promotional material writes itself. De La Hoya scored two knockout wins over Chavez Jr.'s father in 1996 and 1998. Of course, by the time the legendary Mexican lightweight climbed into the ring with De La Hoya, Chavez was way past his best years.
So Chavez Jr., 34, would be in the enviable position of scoring a revenge win for his father.
Obviously, the biggest issue for making this wild fight happen would be agreeing on the weight limit for the fight.
De La Hoya won his first world title at 130 pounds but challenged for his last at 160 pounds. Meanwhile, Chavez Jr. is currently haggling over the difference between 172 pounds and 175 pounds for his next fight.
But hope springs eternal. After all, De La Hoya did say he wants that work at middleweight, and that's the same division in which Chavez Jr. grabbed his WBC belt. So maybe some kind of catchweight bout could happen for such a massive showdown.
3. Dana White
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These two guys bicker back and forth with each other so much that I'm honestly surprised this fight hasn't happened yet.
The UFC president Dana White is way bigger than De La Hoya and knows a thing or two about boxing. In fact, White has suggested in the past that he could outbox the likes of former UFC champ Tito Ortiz in a boxing ring, so he might also feel like he has enough skills to compete with De La Hoya.
According to Men's Journal, White was around 200 pounds in prime form. Does that mean he could get back there or lower to box De La Hoya? Would all that extra weight even matter against an Olympic gold medalist like De La Hoya anyway?
Look, on a list full of crazy ideas, De La Hoya vs. White is probably the wildest one. But maybe the two could put aside their differences and do something amazing for a charity that would also help them settle their longstanding grudge.
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2. Floyd Mayweather Jr.
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Mayweather defeated De La Hoya back in 2007, but there are two things most people tend to forget bout that fight.
First, De La Hoya fought a heck of a fight that night, losing to Mayweather only via split decision.
Second, it was De La Hoya who received top-billing for that promotion.
The point? De La Hoya was the biggest draw of his generation the same way Mayweather became for his, and that drawing power is something that shouldn't be dismissed in regards to him being at least in the running to secure huge potential comeback bouts against other massive superstars.
It's a longshot, but Mayweather has at least been teasing the idea of returning to the ring for exhibition bouts. Moreover, Mayweather might actually consider a legitimate prizefight against De La Hoya something more like an exhibition bout in his mind anyway, so it wouldn't mean that he would have to go against his word when he said he didn't want to face any of today's top boxing stars.
Mayweather vs. De La Hoya 2 would pit two of the most popular fighters in boxing history against each other in a surprising rematch. Nobody expected Tyson vs. Jones Jr. to suddenly be announced earlier this year, so Mayweather vs. De La Hoya 2 shouldn't be dismissed as completely impossible.
1. Conor McGregor
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The biggest and best fight De La Hoya could make happen for his epic comeback bout would be against retired UFC superstar McGregor. De La Hoya has long maintained that he would stop McGregor is just two rounds in a boxing match. Now, the boxing legend could actually put that prediction to the test.
In a way, negotiations for the superfight have already begun.
McGregor accepted De La Hoya's challenge to that boxing match earlier this year when the boxing champ was still retired himself. De La Hoya also told McGregor he would be down for the massive superfight a short time after that.
McGregor, 32, lost his lone appearance in boxing back in 2017 to Mayweather. But the Irishman did well enough in the fight to suggest in at least his own eyes that maybe he'd have a legit chance of competing against someone like De La Hoya, a fighter 15 years older than McGregor and naturally smaller, too.
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