Oscar De La Hoya Calls Out Floyd Mayweather, Offers Jake Paul Fight

De La Hoya questions Mayweather’s record and revives old rivalry

Oscar De La Hoya has called out Floyd Mayweather Jr. for a rematch, questioning his unbeaten record while pushing for a return to the ring at 53.

By targeting Floyd Mayweather Jr., De La Hoya is attempting to settle a score that has simmered for nearly two decades since his loss in 2007.

“Mayweather, come on, dude. Fight a real fight. You’re still trying to protect your 0? Yes, you’re 50-0 on paper, but people know you’ve lost. Your own father said you lost against me when we fought,” said De La Hoya on Instagram.

There is a major difference between a 49-year-old Floyd and a 53-year-old Oscar. Floyd has stayed active with exhibitions and never really “left” the gym environment.

De La Hoya is coming back from a massive 18-year layoff and some very public personal struggles. No matter how fit Oscar or Mayweather look, the neurological risks increase significantly at that age.

“What’s crazy is people don’t know that we had a rematch clause for one year, and what do you do? Your [expletive] retires for one year and one day,” said De La Hoya.

Oscar claims that their original 2007 contract had a rematch clause that was valid for exactly one year. His theory is that Mayweather, determined to protect his “0”, strategically retired to let the clock run out.

According to De La Hoya, Floyd stayed away for “one year and one day” just to ensure the legal obligation to fight him again vanished.

“Ever since I got beat up by Manny Pacquiao in my last fight, I’ve wanted to fight every single day, but I couldn’t because I wasn’t right physically, emotionally. All that depression I had in my spirit. These last five years I’ve put in the work,” said De La Hoya.

When Oscar talks about the “last five years,” he’s likely referring to his sobriety and his shift back into high-level fitness. We’ve seen the training clips, the speed is still there in flashes, but there’s a massive difference between hitting mitts and taking a shot from a guy like Jake Paul or even a 49-year-old Floyd.

“I can take on King Kong if I want and beat his ass. I’ll even fight Jake Paul. Let’s go,” said De La Hoya.

Oscar is likely looking at the checks being cut for guys like Mike Tyson and Anthony Joshua fighting Jake Paul and realizing he’s leaving tens of millions on the table.

Back in late 2024, Mike Tyson reportedly walked away with around $40 million for his fight against Jake Paul on Netflix. Even at 58, Tyson’s brand power was enough to trigger a massive payout.

De La Hoya, who is younger at 53 and was a much bigger PPV draw in his prime than Tyson, likely knows his “Golden Boy” brand is worth at least that much.