FORMER SIX-WEIGHT WORLD champion Oscar De La Hoya today revealed he has been ‘secretly’ training for a comeback fight should he be able to lure Conor McGregor back into the ring.
De La Hoya, 44, and now the chairman and CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, last fought in 2009 when, while conspicuously weight-drained, he suffered a savage beating at the furious fists of a prime Manny Pacquiao.
The former pound-for-pound number one was highly critical of Floyd Mayweather’s boxing match with Conor McGregor in August, which usurped both his own fight with Mayweather and that of his prodigy, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, to become the second-highest-grossing bout in the sport’s history.
Speaking on Golden Boy Radio, the 10-time world champion Hall of Famer revealed to hosts Tattoo and Jess Rosales that he had been training for five months with an eye on a prospective mega-bout with the UFC’s Notorious lightweight champion.
“You know I’m competitive,” De La Hoya said. “You know I still have it in me. I’ve been secretly training. Secretly training.
I’m faster than ever, and stronger than ever. I know I could take out Conor McGregor in two rounds. I’ll come back for that fight. Two rounds.
“Just one more. I’m calling him out. Two rounds – that’s all I need. That’s all I’m going to say.
The boss has arrived! 🙌🏼 @OscarDeLaHoya is live on Golden Boy Radio w/ Tattoo and The Crew @dash_radio pic.twitter.com/3I3XhbL9AW
— Golden Boy Boxing (@GoldenBoyBoxing) November 13, 2017
De La Hoya did pay McGregor his dues when host Tatto described the Crumlin mixed martial artist as ‘a little Irishman’, responding: “He’s a big Irishman! He’s the king. He’s the king. Hey, let’s get it straight: in the cage, he would freakin’ destroy me. He would destroy me!
“No, [the fight would have to be] in the ring.”
Asked if he was being serious about the prospect of boxing McGregor, De La Hoya, whose net worth stands at north of $200 million, again stated: “I’ve been working out for the last five months,” before claiming he had never felt so good in his life.
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