By John F. McKenna (McJack): Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya has been tinkering with the idea of making a return to the ring. And while Oscar making a comeback may seem irrational at the age of 38 and having been out of boxing since 2008, what is there about boxing these days that is rational?
Let’s face it there have not been many thrilling fights lately and with HBO’s last couple of fights going bust Oscar may feel that now is the time to get back into the ring. It is clear that fighters never look at themselves or their abilities objectively. They continue to see themselves as they were when they were in their prime. If I may draw an analogy it is like going to a high school reunion and being horrified, as I recently was, at how old everyone else looked. I was reminded by my wife that I too had aged. It is a bitter pill to swallow.
It is much more difficult for a boxer who was a multi division champion and who was lionized by the media as De La Hoya was. The fact that it was clear in 2008 that Oscar had seen his better days when he was bludgeoned into submission and had to retire on his stool after the 8th round appears not to matter to a fighter who is contemplating his future.
De La Hoya must have realized after his one sided loss to Manny Pacquiao that he no longer had what it takes to be a championship fighter. That is why he retired in the first place. But for a fighter the memory of past defeats begin to fade into oblivion. After a while he starts to delude himself into thinking he can perform at a championship level even though he has been inactive for a number of years.
Undoubtedly Oscar has seen the accomplishments of 46 year old Bernard Hopkins and 40 year old Vitali Klitschko who have performed well even after passing the 40 year old milestone. It must be remembered though that Hopkins and Klitschko have always remained in excellent condition and taken excellent care of their bodies.
Ricky Hatton too toyed with the idea of making a comeback, but wisely decided to stay retired and train other fighters instead.
De La Hoya, with his name recognition would undoubtedly make millions if he decided to come back. Floyd “Money” Mayweather would be there waiting for him. Many boxing insiders feel that a fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao is just a pipe dream and that Floyd is using his “take the test” routine to avoid fighting the Filipino icon. However after a period of time he would probably be only too happy to fight De La Hoya, a fighter he knows he would defeat rather easily while raking in more millions.
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