The first fight of 2009 is already in play for Oscar De La Hoya. The possible opponent on the other side of the ring will be junior welteweight Ricky Hatton. According to Richard Schaefer, CEO for Golden Boy Promotions, if De La Hoya beats WBC lightweight champion Manny Pacquiao on December 6 and Hatton beats Paulie Malignaggi on November 22, matching the two fighters is a natural for 2009. A weird fight on many fronts, especially since De La Hoya is Hatton’s promoter. Am I the only person to see a conflict of interest here?
?If everything goes well and Ricky wins against Malignaggi and Oscar wins against Pacquiao, I think a De La Hoya-Hatton fight is a natural,? Schaefer told Ron Lewis of The Times. ?Both of them are, weight-wise, five to six pounds apart. That fight at Wembley Stadium is a dream of mine and a dream of many boxing fans. Sometimes dreams come true.?
For nearly a year De La Hoya planned on retiring at the end of 2008. Now the decision to retire will come down to De La Hoya’s end result, and performance, against Pacquiao.
?I think he is going to see how he feels after this fight,? Schaefer said. ?Depending on the result, depending on how he feels, he is going to have, maybe, a couple more fights next year.?
De LaHhoya’s bout with Pacquiao has drawn a lot of heat from the boxing public. Per the opinion of a good number of people, De La Hoya is picking on a man who is undersized and outgunned. Pacquiao will move up by two weight-divisions to meet Oscar at 147. Two weeks ago, Hatton himself told The Times that he laughed when first hearing about De La Hoya-Pacquiao being possible. Even though De La Hoya is his promoter and he views him as a heavy favorite, he would rather have Pacquiao win.
?He?ll be too big for Manny,? Hatton said. ?When the fight was first mentioned, I just laughed it off. They?re like David and Goliath. I?d prefer Pacquiao to win. Then I could fight him at light-welter for all the marbles.?
