The man who calls Oscar De La Hoya his best friend said the fighter is out of the hospital, with no broken bones, and will return to his Puerto Rico home before finalizing his probable decision to retire.
“No one can make that decision for him,” said Richard Schaefer, chief executive of De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions. “We’ve laid the foundation for this time.”
That time appeared to arrive Saturday night, when Manny Pacquiao forced De La Hoya’s corner to throw in the towel after an eighth round scored 10-8 without a knockdown.
Schaefer said he’ll talk this week with Pacquiao promoter Bob Arum about a fight with Golden Boy’s Ricky Hatton, probably at 140 pounds, perhaps in April. . . .
Three-time heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis will enter the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, N.Y., in his first year of eligibility.
Lewis, 43, retired in 2003 with a record of 41-2-1.
? GOLF: Seve Ballesteros thanked doctors and staff for giving him the chance to play the “mulligan of my life” when he was released from a Madrid hospital more than two months after brain surgery to remove a malignant tumor.
The 51-year-old Spanish golfing great will continue to be treated as an outpatient.
? COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Central Florida administrators are questioning the teammates of a player who collapsed during workouts last week, with findings expected later this week.
Freshman Brandon Davis became dehydrated while participating in a weightlifting session and was taken to a hospital with kidney failure, and remained there yesterday.
