Looking back on things, you can understand why Oscar De La Hoya still may have the urge to fight again. The last time we saw him inside of the ring as a professional, the East Los Angeles native was busy getting bludgeoned by Manny Pacquiao in December of 2008 in a fight he was expected to win. After taking a shellacking in front of a stunned Las Vegas crowd inside of the MGM Grand, De La Hoya opted to remain on his stool after eight one-sided rounds and months later he would officially announce his retirement from the sport.
His performance against Pacquiao certainly wasn?t the standard of which we had been accustomed to from De La Hoya, who had built a career out of winning multiple titles in various weight divisions against a string of high-profile opponents from the likes of Julio Cesar Chavez, Felix Trinidad, Shane Mosley, Bernard Hopkins, Floyd Mayweather and several others as he won some and lost some but nearly always gave a good account of himself. Love him or hate him, you can never deny the impact that Oscar had on the sport during his glory years and that?s probably why his listless effort against Pacquiao was such a hard pill for him to swallow.
<--- Slideshow: Images of Oscar De La Hoya?s Golden Run
According to Jeff Powell of The Daily Mail, it looks as though ?The Golden Boy? is interested in a comeback fight against British star Ricky Hatton, who ironically was also last seen inside of the ring getting dusted by Pacquiao, with his loss being a much more brutal second round destruction that also took place inside of the MGM. The news is surprising as just a few months back Hatton became immersed in a cocaine scandal after he was videotaped using the drug in a Manchester hotel room while partying with a friend. His license was revoked by the British Board of Control and his life was left in shambles.
Reports say that despite the horrendous effect of the video being leaked online, Hatton has remained steadfast in his attempts at recovery and has been working out hard in his new gymnasium in an effort to get his bearings back. One of the most respected junior welterweight champions in recent years, Ricky was a fan favorite because of his affable personality and balls-to-the-wall style in the ring but was visibly out of shape just weeks back. Even if he were to drop the weight you have to wonder if he could mentally cope with all the rigors that come with such a huge showcase.
De La Hoya certainly hasn?t been sulking during his retirement, as he is the President of Golden Boy Promotions, one of the leading promotional entities alone in the sport. In the coming weeks Oscar will pay Las Vegas a visit for two Golden Boy events as Juan Manuel Marquez defends his lightweight crown against rugged Australian Michael Katsidis on November 27th at the MGM Grand while WBA junior welterweight champion Amir Khan faces the challenge of Argentinean firecracker Marcos Maidana at the Mandalay Bay. While no longer the star attraction, De La Hoya is still very close to the sport.
As for a tempting De La Hoya-Hatton affair, it seems as though it would likely take place in a huge stadium over in England. Each man is obviously interested in one last hurrah in the sport but the fight isn?t one that can be looked as being completely realistic at this point. Hatton would have to reapply to the BBC to get his license back and it is completely unknown as to how dedicated De La Hoya would be towards a possible comeback.
Boxing is a sport unlike any others for a multitude of reasons, one of them being the fact that the athletes in the game often only get to display their skills once or twice a year when competing at the highest of levels. De La Hoya and Hatton both enjoyed several years in the spotlight when they were champions and it is obviously a feeling that they would like to recapture, even if for just one night.
Chris Robinson is based out of Las Vegas, Nevada. He can be reached at [email protected]
