OSCAR DE LA HOYA reckons a rematch with Floyd Mayweather would blow his old rival’s recent bouts out of the water.
Mayweather, 44, is set to face Dubai rich kid Money Kicks in a lucrative exhibition bout later this month.
De La Hoya has plans of his own to return to the ring this year after a bout of Covid scuppered a clash with former UFC champ Vitor Belfort last September.
And The Golden Boy has set his sights on a rematch Mayweather – which he reckons would be bigger than Money’s recent clashes with Conor McGregor and YouTuber Logan Paul.
He told DAZN: “Obviously, he’s (Mayweather) all about the money.
“This would be probably the biggest fight out there for him. I believe it would be bigger than him fighting McGregor.
“It would be bigger than him fighting Logan Paul or whoever he’s bound to fight next. I think that people want to see real fights.
“People want to see legend versus legend, champion versus champion. This is what we do. This is what we’ve done for practically all our lives.
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“People, not that they’re getting tired of seeing these exhibitions, but people want to see real fights.”
De La Hoya, 48, reckons a whopping FIVE MILLION boxing fans would part with their cash to see him renew his rivalry with Mayweather – who defeated him via split decision 15 years ago.
He continued: “They [boxing fans] want to see real legends in the ring.
“Fighters like Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, and myself, we are real legends who put it out on the line and were in the ring for many years, fighting for world titles for decades.
“I strongly feel that a fight with Floyd would be massive, would be huge. That alone would attract Floyd Mayweather.
“I strongly feel a fight with me and Floyd can easily generate five million homes.
“With all the technology, there’s so much that you can integrate in terms of publicizing the event, in terms of making it that much bigger.
“You now have the meta worlds, the NFT’s. You have that whole social media platform. It can be pretty big.”
De La Hoya is still dealing with the lingering effects of his bout of Covid, which hospitalised him.
He said: “COVID did get the best of me.
“I continue to train. I continue to take care of myself. I continue to do all the right things.
“Feeling great. I was maybe 80% when COVID hit me. I was ready. I was fast. I was strong.
“My timing was almost up to par. And then COVID hit, and it just derailed everything.
“I’m actually still feeling a little pressure on my chest alone.
“So when I go run, it’s difficult to breathe after running a couple of miles.
“I don’t think I’m in a position right now to even say if I want to fight again or not because I don’t feel it right now.
“Who knows, maybe that can change in the next couple of months. But right now, I’m not feeling it. I’m not getting any younger.”
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Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk