By Edward Chaykovsky
Golden Boy Promotions President Oscar De La Hoya (39-6, 30KOs) had those butterflies in his stomach and attempted a comeback to the ring.
He trained, ran the miles, and even had a ten round sparring sessions. But the next morning his body fell apart and he was barely able to get out of bed.
De La Hoya, 42-years-old, retired in 2008 after getting stopped by Manny Pacquiao in eight rounds. It was his third defeat in five fights.
His only focus right now is building the stars of tomorrow with his promotional company.
"I actually was going to come back and I did start training and I even sparred ten rounds. Look, the body can't take it anymore. After sparring ten rounds, running a few miles, the next day I literally couldn't get out of bed. It's a tough sport. It's required a lot from you physically. At the age of 42, I just couldn't take it anymore. I decided to just stay retired," De La Hoya told Yahoo Sports.
He admits the sparring session was a reality check, because he was sparring lightweights who did a number on him.
"It was a wake up call, because when I was sparring those ten rounds I was sparring ten rounds with lightweights and I'm a middleweight. When I was getting hit by those lightweights, that was a reality check for me. This is a young man's sport. This is a dangerous sport," De La Hoya said.
