Daily News

De La Hoya: I can take out McGregor in two rounds

-

LOS ANGELES: Boxing Hall of Famer Oscar De La Hoya remains confident that he still can handle himself in the ring.

De La Hoya, who is nearly a decade into retirement, said on Monday that he had been “secretly training” and called out UFC star Conor McGregor.

“You know I’m competitiv­e,” the 44-year-old De La Hoya said.

“I still have it in me... I’m faster than ever and stronger than ever. I know I can take out Conor McGregor in two rounds. I’ll come back for that fight. Two rounds. Just one more (fight). I’m calling him out. Two rounds, that’s all I need. That’s all I’m going to say.”

A 1992 Olympic gold medal winner and 10-time profession­al world cham- pion, De La Hoya captured titles at 130, 135, 140, 147, 154 and 160 pounds. He won bouts against Hall of Famers Julio Cesar Chavez (twice), Pernell Whitaker and Arturo Gatti. He also fought other greats, including Felix Trinidad, Hector Camacho sr, Bernard Hopkins, Floyd Mayweather jr, Shane Mosley (twice) and Manny Pacquiao.

De La Hoya has not fought since dropping a one-sided eighth-round knockout loss to Manny Pacquiao on December 6, 2008. He went 39-6 with 30 knockouts in his career and was inducted into the Internatio­nal Boxing Hall of Fame in 2014.

McGregor, 29, lost a 10th-round knockout to Floyd Mayweather on August 26. De La Hoya was quite vocal heading into that bout, saying it was a “circus” and a “farce”. – Reuters

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from South Africa