By Mark Vester
Even though Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is set to face WBC welterweight champion Carlos Baldomir in November, he is still being asked about facing Oscar De La Hoya next May, in what is scheduled to be Oscar's final bout before retirement.
For the last few months, De La Hoya has stated that Mayweather would be his only option for a final bout, but last week he revealed to a table of writers that Felix Trinidad is now another option for May, and further revealed that he spoke with Trinidad about staging a rematch of their 1999 bout.
Mayweather recently told a group of reporters at a New York press conference to announce his battle with De La Hoya, that he is not chasing Oscar, and is confident that Oscar will face him because the two of them fighting is the biggest bout in boxing. He does not see a reason why De La Hoya would want to fight a guy that was dominated in 2005 by Winky Wright.
"I'm not chasing Oscar. Everybody in the world knows that Floyd Mayweather and Oscar De La Hoya is the biggest fight in boxing history. I hear Oscar is chasing a guy (Trinidad) who just lost every round to Winky Wright. Oscar knows when he wants to step up to a big challenge, he's going to come this way," Mayweather said.
Mayweather does not dispute that a battle between De La Hoya and Trinidad would generate big money, because De La Hoya can fight anyone and make a lot money. But, if De La Hoya wants to earn the biggest possible payday, Mayweather says that he must fight him.
"He's Oscar De La Hoya. He's always going to be able to make good money. But if wants to make his biggest payday and great money, he's going to have to come my way. We're going to have to meet. I feel Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather, the 'Golden Boy' and the 'Pretty Boy,' HBO deserves that fight. Because they made us both rich," Mayweather said.
