BEVERLY HILLS, March 27, (THEWILL) – Former American professional boxer Oscar De La Hoya made a stunning announcement to the boxing world when he came to a pre-fight press conference for the upcoming bout between American YouTuber, internet personality, actor, rapper and professional boxer Jake Paul and the retired American professional mixed martial artist and amateur wrestler, Ben Askren, to say that that he will be returning to the boxing ring on Saturday, July 3.
Dropping the mic after making his announcement, De La Hoya walked off stage without announcing a potential or confirmed opponent. In a storied professional career with victories spanning six weight classes, De La Hoya won 11 world titles from 1992 to 2008. He is currently the Chairman and CEO for Golden Boy Promotions, a boxing and MMA promotion firm he founded.
The 48-year-old was nicknamed “the Golden Boy” at the prime of his career and he was undefeated in his first 31 fights retiring with a professional record of 39 victories, 30 of which were by knockout, and six losses.
He is ranked as the 16th best boxer of all time, pound for pound, by the boxing database BoxRec while nine of his victorious fights received a 5-Star rating.
In his last fight, in December of 2008, he squared off against the Filipino boxing legend Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao and lost in one of his only two bouts that ended by TKO since he did not return for the ninth round.
By his announcement, the Golden Boy, will be the latest in a line of other fighters who have come out of retirement recently, including Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. The veterans fought to a draw during an eight-round exhibition boxing match last November that was widely well received and has evoked enough nostalgia to cause retirees getting back into the ring once again.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
