Oscar De La Hoya Responds to Conor McGregor’s Challenge
Comebacks are all the rage, it seems. Lockdowns have people pondering the past, and thinking maybe since now it’s quite clear tomorrow isn’t promised for any of us, it’s time to carpe the diem.
Oscar De La Hoya, the promoter who runs Golden Boy Promotions, is 47 years old and was last seen gloving up in 2008 against Manny Pacquiao. Today, word dropped that there’s someone out there who’d like to tango with the man once dubbed “The Golden Boy,” who has periodically publicly spoken of the possibility of coming back for one more go.
The UFC fixture, the most charismatic s–t talker in the entire world of sport, Conor McGregor, took to social media and said yes, let’s rumble.
I reached out to Golden Boy Promotions PR to see if Oscar saw that post and what his reaction might be. I will insert a response when furnished.
Oscar De La Hoya’s Potential Comeback
Oscar didn’t shy away from opining that the Conor McGregor vs Floyd Mayweather fight was a bad idea. “A fraud,” that’s what he labeled the contest pitting an 0-0 pugilist against the all-time great Mayweather on Aug. 26, 2017, at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and on pay per view.
De La Hoya has been doing lots of thinking during the coronavirus shutdown. And push-ups…he’s donated $250,000, a buck for each pushup he’s done, to efforts combating COVID-19, and to aid those stung by the virus.
On Nov. 14, 2017, he went a step further, on the Golden Boy radio show. Then 44, the Los Angelan said he had been “secretly training.”
“I still have it in me,” the 1992 US Olympic gold medallist De La Hoya stated. “I’m faster than ever and stronger than ever. I know I can take out Conor McGregor in two rounds. I’ll come back for that fight. Two rounds. Just one more (fight). I’m calling him out. Two rounds, that’s all I need. That’s all I’m going to say.”
McGregor, then 29, was knocked out in the 10th round by Mayweather, who many suspect was being carried to a degree by Floyd. Oscar’s callout didn’t pick up much steam, as the Irishman had to deal with some legal issues, and he also was working on outside the cage business ventures.
Conor got back into the cage in October 2018 and got stopped by Khabib Nurmagomedov, via submission in round four of a lightweight title bout.
He got back to winning when he stopped Donald Cerrone on January 18 of this year, in round one in Vegas. Cerrone admitted after that scrap that he didn’t really want to be there, and that he’s talked to sports shrinks to figure out why he’s sometimes not dialed in to fight.
McGregor has for the most part kept a lower profile in the last year or so, as more legal issues bubbled up, while De La Hoya proved to be unafraid of verbal sparring.
De La Hoya’s Challenge to McGregor
“Two rounds,” De La Hoya answered. “Two rounds…Because one thing about me, I went for the kill, always. And look, Conor McGregor, I love him in the Octagon, I respect him, I watch him all the time. But the boxing ring is a whole different story, it’s a whole different story.”
“Despite the likely knee-jerk derision that even the mere idea of this fight produces, you can’t honestly tell me you wouldn’t be intrigued,” Campbell said. “This all stemmed from a random debate my podcast co-host Rafe Bartholomew had when talking about Oscar’s career and how he never made a comeback after retiring.
So, Oscar made his declaration last week…And now, today. McGregor says he’s game. We will see how this plays out, something tells me, somehow, Floyd Mayweather is going to inject himself into this triangular mix.
Summary
Oscar De La Hoya has responded to Conor McGregor’s challenge for a boxing match, expressing confidence in his abilities. McGregor has accepted the challenge, setting the stage for a potentially intriguing matchup. The sports world eagerly awaits to see how this story unfolds.
