OSCAR DE LA HOYA regrets not taking on Manny Pacquiao despite being forced to retire after the fight.
Even though he lost to Pacquia in 2008, the 48-year old claims it was a fun loss that forced him to change his career.
Oscar De La Hoya claims that his 2008 loss to Manny Pacquiao in a brutal match was hilarious
De La Hoya admitted that it was probably a mistake at the time to take on the Filipino boxing icon.
He said, "It was a huge error, but it wasn't fun, call it crazy, but it had fun."
Piven, a podcaster and Hollywood star, wanted to know why Pacquiao was promoted by Golden Boy when he was at his peak.
De La Hoya explained that it was because he was determined to fight the best boxers possible.
De La Hoya was forced to drop a weight class to meet Pacquiao. He had to then jump up two weight classes from lightweight to make it happen at welterweight.
De La Hoya explained: "Manny Pacquiao, before he fought us, he came up, beating everybody, and he would be the next big thing.
"So, I thought to myself, f***it, let me lose weight and let me fight him. I want to fight the best.
"I want to fight the guy who's beating everyone up."
This was the end of a glittering career that saw the Golden Boy win world titles in SIX weight categories and Olympic gold in 1992.
De La Hoya has had a turbulent life since retiring and admitted to having a cocaine addiction. He checked into rehab in 2013 in an effort to overcome it.
loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-10671104 size-thesun-article-image" src="https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/JH-BOXING-TABLE-v2.jpg?strip=all&w=960" alt="" width="960" height="960">
However, the promoter has since recouped from his demons. He was a commentator for Jake Paul vs Ben Askren's fight on Triller.
Fans are ready to see their boxing idol, Mike Tyson, return to the ring after being inspired by Tyson's return.
He will be fighting former UFC champ Vitor Belfort in a professional sanctioned bout on Sept 11.
Did you miss our previous article...
https://secondsaway.co.uk/boxing/josh-taylor-and-romesh-ranganathan-are-in-a-staring-contest-on-a-leagueoftheirown-shorts
