By James Slater: Two boxing superstars, one retired the other atop some current Pound-for-Pound listings, are currently having a right go at one another on Twitter. Former six weight ruler Oscar De La Hoya, promoter of Victor Ortiz, has replied to some vile Twitter comments made by former ring rival Floyd Mayweather Junior (in one post, “Money” shamelessly added a link that sent readers to a photo of the recently rehabbed De La Hoya dressed up in drag).
Via his own Twitter page, “The Golden Boy” remarked how “sad” it is that Mayweather “has to bash people and flaunt money he is not going to have in retirement.” Oscar also threw out a challenge to the unbeaten 34-year-old great: “Give Ortiz a rematch. Try to beat him fair. And then, maybe I will give you another chance at me.”
As fans know, De La Hoya pushed Mayweather all the way to a close split decision verdict in what was a massive 2007 event dubbed “The World Awaits.” De La Hoya later lost badly to emerging superstar Manny Pacquiao and retired soon after the corner retirement loss. Almost ever since, there have been De La Hoya comeback rumours. Now, in light of Oscar’s Twitter comments, thoughts along these lines are sure to continue and also increase.
Is Oscar serious when he says he is willing to come back and fight Mayweather if Floyd agrees to give Ortiz another chance? Or is the 38-year-old merely teasing Floyd? This much is certain, and say what you want to the contrary – if De La Hoya does decide to come back and fight Mayweather in a rematch, the fight would prove massively intriguing as well as being a guaranteed box office hit.
And Floyd, feeling (knowing) he would have two easy, yet enormously lucrative paydays with returns against Ortiz and then De La Hoya, would, I feel, go for it. Sure, a fight between Mayweather and a rusty 38/39-year-old De La Hoya would also attract more than its fair share of critics, but such a fight would play out in front of a huge crowd. Easy money, with a glitzy Vegas crowd of onlookers watching him work? This would suit Floyd right down to the ground!
Okay, I’m probably getting carried away, and Oscar, in reality, has no intention of coming back to face Floyd or anyone else. But what if Mayweather calls De La Hoya’s bluff and agrees to his rematch terms?
Could we be seeing the best pure boxer in the sport today engaging in two rematches in 2012?