According to reports, now alongside Manny Pacquiao, Shane Mosley, and Sergio Mora, WBO welterweight champion Paul Williams is being considered as an opponent for Oscar De La Hoya?s December 6 retirement party.
Cristian Mijares, the winner of Ivan Calderon-Hugo Cazares, and Riddick Bowe are also in the mix.
If these names do not pan out, De La Hoya might try to entice UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva to a true mixed martial arts match.
And if all else fails, The Golden Boy might lure The Nature Boy Ric Flair into a wrestler vs. boxer match.
Yes, Williams? name is in the mix and no, the other six men mentioned are just functions of my humor and frustration with De La Hoya.
How can De La Hoya throw Williams? name in the stew after publicly stating that Antonio Margarito is not an option for December 6 because he has ?unfinished business? with the fore mentioned Punisher?
Why is Margarito?s name still off the public list? Does De La Hoya fear The Tijuana Tornado? It is starting to look as if De La Hoya does not want to tangle with one of the most dangerous and logical possible opponents.
Since taking on the hat of promoter during the last several years, De La Hoya has had the ever increasing habit of throwing out names of possible opposition about as often as John Chavez ? writer here at Boxing Confidential ? sparks cancer sticks.
?Maybe I?ll fight Ricky Hatton,? proclaims the self-anointed ruler of boxing. A few days later he has a new decree, ?Well, maybe I will fight Manny Pacquiao!? Of course, De La Hoya?s mind changes as often as the wind changes direction and then states, ?Sergio Mora, Shane Mosley, and Paul Williams are options.?
Maybe De La Hoya is playing a very sick game with the minds of boxing fans. Maybe it is a very public negotiating ploy to lower Pacquiao?s financial demands. Maybe De La Hoya just changes his mind a lot.
Or maybe, just maybe, De La Hoya spent all those years with Bob Arum and picked up a very annoying habit.
Like De La Hoya, grand ole promoter Arum is the king of throwing out possible opponents as often as he visits the toilet.
?Kelly Pavlik will fight Joe Calzaghe,? claimed the head of Top Rank. ?Scratch that, Marco Antonio Rubio is next,? stated Arum. ?Scratch all that, Pavlik will fight Hopkins.?
All this indecision and misinformation gives boxing fans something to read on a day to day basis and God knows Boxing Confidential has benefited from the back and forth negotiations of De La Hoya and Pacquiao, but I am personally sick of it all.
Mr. De La Hoya, with all due respect, please announce a press conference when you have chosen your opponent. While you?re at it, put a gag order on Mr. Arum, so he cannot spout off publicly about the negotiations and do the same with any other promoter linked to the fighter who will eventually take his turn against you on December 6.
Personally, I cannot wait for December 6 to come and go so we can be done with this entire ordeal and focus on B-O-X-I-N-G.
