By Eric Thomas: According to AP, Oscar De La Hoya may not be retiring after his December 6th fight with Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas. Apparently, because of De La Hoya’s inability to land a big mega fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr., who retired recently, it may be a factor in keeping De La Hoya fighting on past the Pacquiao bout. Obviously, De La Hoya’s decision hinges on him being successful against the 130 pound Pacquiao and beating him in an impressive fashion. It’s unlikely that he would want to continue – or that boxing fans, for that matter – if he were to be defeated by Pacquiao.
Apart from that, De La Hoya will likely received a huge payday in his fight with Pacquiao, perhaps as much as $30 million dollars for the fight. Other than De La Hoya holding out for the slim chance that Mayweather may want to make a comeback in 2009, there’s few other opponents for De La Hoya to fight, aside from Ricky Hatton or a rematch with Pacquiao, if the fight turns out to be close or exciting enough to call for a rematch.