By Mark Vester
Oscar De La Hoya thinks highly of Floyd Mayweather Jr. as a fighter and thinks highly of his physical skills. What De La Hoya questions is the heart of Mayweather Jr. De La Hoya, who lost a decision to Mayweather last year, was scheduled to fight him in a rematch this past September. In shocking blow to De La Hoya, Mayweather announced his retirement in June - crushing a fight that was being hyped by De La Hoya and HBO since the start of the year, and leaving De La Hoya with few options.
De La Hoya would eventually sign to fight Manny Pacquiao on December 6. He admits that Mayweather's decision got to him at first.
"At first, it really bothered me. But once I talked to Floyd Sr. and he gave me his input as to why Floyd Jr. pulled out, I had a better understanding," De La Hoya told The Las Vegas Review Journal.
After speaking with Mayweather's father, De La Hoya came to realize that Floyd Jr. is actually a fighter who is afraid to lose and afraid of failure and that's why he never took any risks during his career, including their rematch.
"He's scared to lose. Floyd Jr. is afraid of losing. He's afraid of failure. He's afraid to take risks. In life, you have to take risks, inside and outside the ring. That's the one thing that will always set us apart. I'm a fighter who was never afraid to take risks. He's a great fighter who never took the risks," De La Hoya said.
"I was never afraid to engage with anybody. Whether I won or whether I lost, I was never afraid to take the risk. And now you see these great fighters at the end of their careers, they are willing to fight anybody. They should have done that in their prime. I fought everyone they put in front of me."
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