Oscar De La Hoya admitted there was no way he could have beaten Floyd Mayweather if the pair had a contracted rematch.
The ten-time world champion believes Mayweather’s superior boxing lifestyle would have left him staring at another defeat following his 2007 split decision loss. Mayweather won a close call at the MGM Grand against De La Hoya despite many seeing the victory as unanimous.
De La Hoya previously revealed a cause in the agreement that entitled him to a second helping with Mayweather. However, the Golden Boy boss accused Mayweather of retiring an unretiring to avoid the fight.
But even if the fight happened, De La Hoya knows he didn’t have what it took at that time to win.
“Jab, for me, was always my key to winning fights because it opens the door to everything. I was landing at will on Mayweather. But the fact that I had my rotator cuff injuries made it just impossible to throw it after the sixth or seventh round. It was so flared up and in pain that I couldn’t lift it,” the boxing legend told PBD Podcast.
“But even if I had the rematch, I would have lost. Because physically, I was tearing down. I wasn’t the same anymore. I believe Mayweather is four years younger than me, but the difference is Mayweather takes care of himself. He eats right, and he doesn’t party or stay out late. He is laser-focused. At the time, I started to derail. My mentality was like, I’m getting tired of this. It’s almost time to hang up the gloves.”
Despite the return falling flat, De La Hoya is proud that he ran Mayweather close, according to the judges. Mayweather’s father, Floyd Sr., who trained De La Hoya at the time, was even convinced he’d won.
“I trained hard [for that fight]. The only thing that keeps any athlete from greatness is injury, and injury kept me away from literally winning that fight. I believe in the sixth round. I already had rotator cuff tears on both shoulders. But I trained hard. I was laser-focused. I was ready to beat the guy.
“When the final bell rang, as a fighter, you know deep down inside if you win or lose. I felt that I won, but I felt like it could go either way. I didn’t feel like a loser. Especially when Mayweather’s father came straight at me and said, “Oscar, you beat my son.”
Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
