By Miguel Rivera
Mexico's Diego De La Hoya admits that he was wrong, and suffered because he did not give everything of himself to boxing and wants to make up for lost time.
Precisely because of this, after reappearing in the ring on Saturday, April 13 at Arena Monterrey in a 126-pound fight, he waits for an opportunity to contend for a 122-pound title.
In conversation with ESPN Deportes after finishing his practice session in Indio, California, De La Hoya was weighing at 131 pounds, just five above the weight class, and said he was eager to return to the ring after not fighting since June of last year.
His opponent in Monterrey will be Enrique Bernache. That same day Jaime Munguía will defend the super welterweight title of the World Boxing Organization against Dennis Hogan in the main event of a card being staged by Zanfer Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions.
"I'm happy to fight and fight for the first time in Mexico, I want to give them a good fight, this time we are going to fight at 126 pounds, but I want to return at 122 pounds, I feel strong at 122 pounds. I had a stumble, but my goal is to be a 122-pound champion, at 126 it's fine to go back, but I want to show that I can go down again, I do not want to start again in featherweight," said Diego (21-0, 10 KOs).
The mission for the cousin of Óscar de la Hoya will be to leave behind the image that he doesn't train hard - after having two fights fall apart due to his inability to make 122-pounds.
"I have to leave that behind and show what I'm made of and wait for that starting chance," De La Hoya said.
Last November, when he even fainted while trying to make the weight to fight in his native Mexicali, which forced him to cancel the fight, he confessed that he was scared at that time.
"I had severe dehydration, an infection in the kidneys and I feared for my life, they talked about dialysis, I was shocked, I was hospitalized for a few days but fortunately everything went well. Now my approach is better, both inside and outside the ring, I was not giving the 100 percent and now I'm giving everything, I want to make up for lost time," said De La Hoya.
