Boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya may not attempt a comeback to the 'sweet science' after all, following a recent interview.
De La Hoya was supposed to face Vitor Belfort last year in an event held by Triller Fight Club but pulled out of the event after testing positive for COVID-19. He ended up getting a brief hospital stay to help treat his symptoms.
Belfort's trainer, Derik Santos, questioned the validity of De La Hoya's COVID-19 diagnosis.
It had been previously reported that Triller had been in talks to re-book the Belfort fight, but it appears that De La Hoya has no intentions of a comeback.
“I can’t imagine myself in the ring anymore. I’m hanging up the gloves for sure and calling it a day,” De La Hoya said in an interview with BoxingScene. “It’s not likely [I will fight again]. I’m not feeling it. I went through so much in training. I was on it. When I trained, I left everything and my focus was 100%. It just drained me. I couldn't handle it. Once I got COVID, I still have problems breathing when I’m running.
“I feel complete now. I have six projects aside from boxing that I’m working on right now that are huge – mega. I’ve refocused. I have the energy. I have a woman by my side who makes me feel like King Kong. It’s motivating. It really is. I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen with Golden Boy and my personal brand. Things are moving in the right direction. I’m really excited about it.”
De La Hoya last fought in the ring against Manny Pacquiao in 2008. He would lose the fight after his corner stopped the action in the later rounds.
De La Hoya earned multiple boxing world titles and fought some of the greatest in the sport's history, including Bernard Hopkins and Floyd Mayweather Jr. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2014.
Do you think Oscar De La Hoya will fight again?