Oscar De La Hoya will do all he can to rip Floyd Mayweather’s 50-0 record from existence by pushing one of his fighters over the benchmark.
Mayweather set the unsurpassed tally when defeating Conor McGregor in August 2017, and despite a couple of near misses, he still holds the record intact.
De La Hoya has attempted the feat before when signing Thailand’s Wanheng Menayothin in 2019. Menayothin was 53-0 at the time Golden Boy captured his signature.
Two fights down the line, and Menayothin shockingly lost to Panya Pradabsri on home soil. De La Hoya needed another unbeaten star to renew his blueprint.
41-0 STAR
Step forward to the plate undefeated Gilberto Ramirez. The former super-middleweight world champion was 41-0 when announced as Golden Boy’s new star earlier this year.
Ramirez faces Sullivan Barrera this summer in an attempt at 42-0. If successful, the Mexican will need eight more victories to equal Floyd Mayweather.
When discussing Ramirez, De La Hoya openly admitted his mission following years of bad blood between him and his former opponent in Mayweather.
“The long-term plan is to get him to 52-0. Get him to break the record that Floyd Mayweather holds [by two wins],” confirmed De La Hoya. “We want to get him to that undefeated record, break that record of 50-0.
“Then he will break another record. He was the first Mexican super middleweight champion ever. Now he can be the first fighter to break Floyd Mayweather’s record.”
OSCAR DE LA HOYA BEEF
It’s not often you get a promoter using his company as leverage to sign a specific fighter who can reach his old enemy’s coveted boxing claim.
Mayweather holds the magical 50 mark dear, meaning Oscar De La Hoya can upset his one-time star and fully intends to do so.
Ramirez will have to get guided carefully, though. There are some significant challenges in the light-heavyweight division where he now operates.
Badou Jack, a Floyd Mayweather fighter, may want a piece of the action after getting wind of what De La Hoya intends to do to his boss.
But at 37, Jack is running out of time. It’s also unlikely that De La Hoya will allow Mayweather to stop him in his quest.
It may take a couple of years, at least, for “Zurdo” to overtake Mayweather. And even then, he’s got to retire for good to push the “Money” man aside forever fully.
