Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya took some time to chat with Marcos Villegas of Fight Hub TV and answers questions about his supposed comeback attempt and what big fights he’d like to make a promoter.
In particular De La Hoya says Mike Tyson has inspired him to inspire the next generation of fighters — namely by coming back and demanding an elite opponent. Check out some excepts from the interview below…
De La Hoya on if he serious about making a comeback:
“I’m thinking about it, yeah, absolutely. I do wanna talk to Mike Tyson about how he felt, just his philosophy on why he did it, how he did it — because he looked phenomenal. He looked great. For a guy who’s 54, 56 years old, he looked in amazing shape. Yes, his timing might’ve been off just a bit but he looked good. And so I was very happy for him and I would love to pick his brain on just the process, and how it took him to get to that mind frame, to the level.
“So we’ll see after that conversation how I feel. But yeah, I’m in shape, I’m actually running every single day. I feel great. I’m at about 169 right now, so I think I can get down to 154. So we’ll see.”
On what makes him want to come back to boxing at this point in his life:
“Mike Tyson. He’s inspirational…”
On why in the world he would want to come back against elite fighters in their primes:
“I mean, I am crazy. But it’s also to prove a point, you know. First of all, to prove a point to myself that I can do it. But also to show this younger generation of fighters like, you have to fight the very best — if you want to be the best, you have to fight the best. And even at this age if I come back at 47, I still want to fight the best. So hopefully it can spark something with these young guys instead of listening to the whispers in the ears, instead of thinking about the business first — no, think about the fight. Think about the glory. Think about your legacy.
On if he was serious when he in the past mentioned he would be willing to fight Gennadiy Golovkin:
“They asked me ‘who would you want to fight?’, they threw out the name Gennadiy Golovkin. I go ‘sure, why not.’ I mean, why not? If he’s one of the best, I mean, I’ve always prided myself in fighting the best and that’s not gonna change. I can’t go back on that. And so he can be a possible prospect out there for me. Absolutely, why not.”
On what he made of Golovkin’s stern response to Oscar suggesting a fight against him:
“Look, they weren’t nice (Golovkin’s comment’s). He’s a fighter, he’s got to protect his own image. I mean, he’s obviously still a dangerous fighter because he hits hard but I mean, come on, I’m not a walk in the park like the guy he fought the other day. That’s for sure (laughs).”
On what fights he’s looking to make happen in 2021:
“The fight I would be looking forward to, any top guy against Vergil Ortiz. Any big name against Vergil Ortiz. I think Vergil Ortiz wipes out the welterweight division now. So if any fighter has any type of common sense, talk to your promoter.”