By Mark Vester

When Floyd Mayweather Jr. announced his retirement a few weeks ago, Golden Boy Promotions and Oscar De La Hoya were scrambling in every direction possible to find a replacement opponent for De La Hoya's September return. Offers and minor feelers were sent to Ricky Hatton, Manny Pacquiao and Winky Wright. It's now being reported that even Felix "Tito" Trinidad was approached to fill the slot.

According to well-known Puerto Rico journalist Carlos González, Richard Schaefer, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, approached Don King to discuss the possibility of a rematch between the two fighters. They met almost ten-years ago, in September of 1999, with Trinidad winning a controversial decision to hand De La Hoya his first pro defeat.

Over the years, the two sides were never able to stage a rematch due to money. During the last three years, the biggest obstacle in the way of a rematch has been the weight. De La Hoya last fought at 150-pounds, while Trinidad last fought at 170. 

This time around, the weight was once again the major issue. De La Hoya refuses to go above 154-pounds, and Trinidad says he is unable to get down to even 160. A few months ago, Trinidad was willing to come down to a catch-weight between 160 and 168.

As it stands, De La Hoya is hoping that WBA welterweight champion Miguel Cotto comes through on July 26 against Antonio Margarito. Golden Boy has already spoken with Bob Arum of Top Rank about staging De La Hoya vs. Cotto on December 6 on HBO pay-per-view.

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