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Oscar De La Hoya has gone back on his plans to retire by insisting he will fight on after his super-bout with Manny Pacquiao on December 6 in Las Vegas.
The 35-year-old had announced that he would hang up his gloves at the end of the year - with a proposed rematch with Floyd Mayweather on September 20 initially planned as his swansong fight.
However, having seen that fight fall away - with Mayweather himself opting to quit the sport - De La Hoya will now face Pacquiao in a mega-money contest.
And De La Hoya, a six-weight world champion, claims he is ready to fight on for as long as he can - opening the door for a clash with Ricky Hatton at Wembley in 2009.
"There's no doubt about it. My mind can still do it, my body can still do it," said De La Hoya .
"I'm going to ride the wave for a little while.
"Let's say I retired after the Mayweather fight. I would have come back. There's no doubt about it.
"I'm definitely going to fight after this."
De La Hoya is determined to prove he still has it in him to compete at an elite level by returning to his old training grounds in Big Bear, California.
The Golden Boy used Big Bear to prepare for some of the biggest fights of his career - and he believes returning there will help push him ahead of his clash with Pacquiao.
"I have to prove to myself that I can still do this," he said.
"Yes, I'm 35. Everyone says that's over the hill for boxing. But I'm still young, I didn't get beat up. So I still want to do this."
While De La Hoya is returning to his roots, Pacman will use the inside knowledge of his trainer Freddie Roach to help him.
Roach worked with the Golden Boy ahead of his fight with Mayweather - and he believes he saw enough then to help guide Pacquiao to victory.
He said: "I learned a lot during that nine-week period and now I'm going to use it against him.
"Can he still pull the trigger? We'll see."
The 35-year-old had announced that he would hang up his gloves at the end of the year - with a proposed rematch with Floyd Mayweather on September 20 initially planned as his swansong fight.
However, having seen that fight fall away - with Mayweather himself opting to quit the sport - De La Hoya will now face Pacquiao in a mega-money contest.
And De La Hoya, a six-weight world champion, claims he is ready to fight on for as long as he can - opening the door for a clash with Ricky Hatton at Wembley in 2009.
"There's no doubt about it. My mind can still do it, my body can still do it," said De La Hoya .
"I'm going to ride the wave for a little while.
"Let's say I retired after the Mayweather fight. I would have come back. There's no doubt about it.
"I'm definitely going to fight after this."
De La Hoya is determined to prove he still has it in him to compete at an elite level by returning to his old training grounds in Big Bear, California.
The Golden Boy used Big Bear to prepare for some of the biggest fights of his career - and he believes returning there will help push him ahead of his clash with Pacquiao.
"I have to prove to myself that I can still do this," he said.
"Yes, I'm 35. Everyone says that's over the hill for boxing. But I'm still young, I didn't get beat up. So I still want to do this."
While De La Hoya is returning to his roots, Pacman will use the inside knowledge of his trainer Freddie Roach to help him.
Roach worked with the Golden Boy ahead of his fight with Mayweather - and he believes he saw enough then to help guide Pacquiao to victory.
He said: "I learned a lot during that nine-week period and now I'm going to use it against him.
"Can he still pull the trigger? We'll see."
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