By Jake Donovan
For the second time in as many months, Oscar de la Hoya has decided against a comeback in the ring.
The Hall-of-Fame fighter who claimed titles in six weight classes has hinted in recent months of an overwhelming desire to once again lace ‘em up, even at age 42 and well over six years since being pummeled into retirement by Manny Pacquiao. It wouldn’t just be any comeback, as de la Hoya has attempted to float his name in such fights as a rematch with reigning pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather Jr. and unbeaten knockout artist Gennady Golovkin, a near-universal pick these days as the best middleweight on the planet.
The latter fight would have served, perhaps, as a consolation prize for Golovkin not landing bouts with current Golden Boy Promotions middleweights David Lemieux and—in a catchweight sense—Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez. As suspected by most, the fight won’t happen at all, nor likely will any attempt by the famed fighter-turned-promoter to add to his incredible in-ring résumé.
“Over the last six months I've had a front row seat as Golden Boy fighters including Canelo Alvarez, Bernard Hopkins, Lucas Matthysse, Jorge Linares and David Lemieux have stepped into the ring and shown what boxing should be all about -- a commitment to fight the best, to respect the sport and to put the fans first,” de la Hoya said through his verified social media account. “As a professional athlete and someone who has spent almost his entire life in boxing, not a day goes by when I don't think about coming back — and the performances of these Golden Boy fighter has only added to my desire to return to the ring.
“But I am retired, and after speaking to my family and following a great deal of introspection, I have decided to stay retired. However, I do so with knowledge that many fighters today still pride themselves on the same principals that I adhered to throughout my career. It is now through boxers like those I mentioned and dozens of other Golden Boy Promotions fighters that those values live on.”
The thought of a comeback was first floated by de la Hoya upon the revelation of Mayweather’s plans to return to the ring on September 12, in what he insists will serve as the final fight of his career. Their May ’07 head-to-head clash established several industry revenue records at the time. Mayweather claimed a 12-round decision in an event that helped launch his career to new heights, having since established himself as the sport’s biggest draw, a role previously enjoyed by de la Hoya until his retirement following a one-sided stoppage loss to Pacquiao in Dec. ’08.
His incredible career was properly reflected in his Hall of Fame enshrinement, gaining entrance in his first year of eligibility.
At times, it still doesn't serve as enough; de la Hoya expressed interest in attempting to settle an eight-year score with Mayweather. The two have remained bitter rivals, even with Golden Boy Promotions serving as the lead promoter for ten straight fights, from the May '07 event to Mayweather's rematch win over Marcos Maidana last September.
The rematch with Maidana carried Golden Boy's involvement really only by name, as Mayweather Promotions was "forced" to take the lead in the actual promotion of the event. By that point, Golden Boy was still in the process of overcoming an implosion , which began with the forced resignation of longtime CEO Richard Schaefer.
By year's end, Golden Boy would break away altogether from powerful boxing adviser Al Haymon, with whom Golden Boy was aligned for the past several years.
As de la Hoya resumed full control of the company he founded well over a decade ago, so too came reformed relationships with past allies. As the bulk of Golden Boy’s stable was brought over to Showtime by 2012, de la Hoya has returned his biggest stars—including Hopkins, Alvarez and Matthysse—“back home” to HBO. Alvarez’ recent three-round destruction of James Kirkland did monster numbers at the box office and on the tube, with more than 30,000 in attendance and over 2.1 million viewers tuning in on HBO, the most-watched premium cable fight in more than nine years.
HBO will continue to play an integral part in the reformation of Golden Boy Promotions. As a long-time deal with Fox Sports will now come to close by the end of this week, Golden Boy will begin to feed mid-level shows to HBO Latino. The California-based company is also hard at work in finalizing terms for a mouthwatering showdown between Alvarez and reigning World middleweight champion Miguel Cotto.
All told, there is plenty of big business that lies ahead for Golden Boy—all of which will command the undivided attention of its president and founder.
“To the many thousands of fans who over the last couple of weeks encouraged me to come out of retirement and fight again, I thank you. You can rest assured that I will spend the rest of my days around this wonderful sport, even though those days won't be spent inside the ropes.”
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
