Over the past few weeks, and since a tongue-in-cheek comment to an LA radio station, ‘The Golden Boy’ has debated whether he could risk it all for another fight – seven years after his last…but now says that definitely won’t happen.
De La Hoya has confirmed that there will be no rematch with Floyd Mayweather or any challenge against Gennady Golovkin, despite calls from some quarters for at least one more fight.
The majority of fans and media alike involved in the sport were against De La Hoya’s return and it seems the Golden Boy President, along with his family, have taken notice of these calls.
On Monday, De La Hoya said the following:
“Over the last six months I’ve had a front row seat as Golden Boy fighters including Canelo Alvarez, Bernard Hopkins, Lucas Matthysse, Jorge Linares and David Lemieux have stepped into the ring and shown what boxing should be all about — a commitment to fight the best, to respect the sport and to put the fans first.
“As a professional athlete and someone who has spent almost his entire life in boxing, not a day goes by when I don’t think about coming back — and the performances of these Golden Boy fighter has only added to my desire to return to the ring.
“But I am retired, and after speaking to my family and following a great deal of introspection, I have decided to stay retired.”
“However, I do so with knowledge that many fighters today still pride themselves on the same principals that I adhered to throughout my career,” De La Hoya went on. “It is now through boxers like those I mentioned and dozens of other Golden Boy Promotions fighters that those values live on.
“To the many thousands of fans who over the last couple of weeks encouraged me to come out of retirement and fight again, I thank you. You can rest assured that I will spend the rest of my days around this wonderful sport, even though those days won’t be spent inside the ropes.” – Oscar.
