MMA
Oscar De La Hoya challenges, Conor McGregor accepts the fight offer
It seems that comebacks are in fashion. Lockdowns make people reflect on the past and think that maybe, now that it is abundantly clear that tomorrow is not promised to any of us, it is time to pay the per diem.
Oscar De La Hoya, is he throwing his hat back into the ring? The promoter who runs Golden Boy Promotions is 47 years elderly and was last seen wearing gloves in 2008 against Manny Pacquiao.
Today (Thursday) word spread that there was someone who would like to tango with the man once called “Golden Boy”, who has occasionally spoken publicly about the possibility of returning for one more take.
UFC participant, the most charismatic talker in the entire sports world, Conor McGregor, took to social media and said: “Yes, let’s talk.”
I reached out to Golden Boy Promotions’ PR to find out if Oscar had seen the post and what his reaction might be. I will post the answer when it is delivered.
Now let’s go back.
Oscar did not hesitate to express his opinion that Conor McGregor’s fight with Floyd Mayweather was a bad idea. “Fraud” – that’s what he called the competition in which the fighter faced the all-time great boxer Mayweather on August 26, 2017 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in the pay per view system.
De La Hoya has been thinking a lot during the shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. And push-ups… he donated $250,000, or a dollar for each push-up, to fight COVID-19 and aid people stung by the virus.
On November 14, 2017, he went a step further on the Golden Boy radio show. The 44-year-old Los Angeles native then said he had been “training in secret.”
“It still sticks with me,” said 1992 U.S. Olympic gold medalist De La Hoya. “I’m faster than ever and stronger than ever. I know I can beat Conor McGregor in two rounds. I will come back for this fight. Two rounds. Just one more (fight). I challenge him. Two rounds is all I need. That’s all I’ll say.”
McGregor, then 29, was knocked out in the 10th round by Mayweather, whom many suspect Floyd carried to some extent. Oscar’s appeal was met with little enthusiasm as the Irishman had to deal with some legal issues and was also working on business ventures outside the cage, such as his brand of whiskey.
Conor returned to the cage in October 2018 and was stopped by Khabib Nurmagomedov via submission in the fourth round of their lightweight title fight.
He returned to winning when he stopped Donald Cerrone in the first round on January 18 this year in Vegas. Cerrone admitted after the altercation that he didn’t really want to be there and that he had spoken to sports psychiatrists to find out why he was sometimes not reported for fights.
Over the last year or so, McGregor has been less apparent as more legal issues have arisen and De La Hoya has proven fearless in verbal sparring. He and Dana White had an argument, and on February 1, 2019, Oscar said that he would fight Dana under MMA rules on May 4, 2019, under the Canelo Alvarez-Danny Jacobs card. File this in the “promoter, promoting” section.
Which brings us to April 30, 2020, when Oscar joined Brian Campbell “State of Combat” podcast..
The man who founded his promotional company in 2002 shared his thoughts on how the pandemic could change the fighting game. “Now promoters have to give the best performances possible,” and this could all be a blessing in disguise, he said. “Fighters are machines, they are focused and determined and they have tunnel vision,” he continued, thinking that the best boxers will bring out their best, even in a fan-free arena. He even praised White for “defending his sport” as the UFC boss hosts his MMA event on May 9 in Jacksonville, Florida. Then a refreshed challenge to McGregor, who said he would return to the Octagon soon but gave little indication of when or against what opponent. Maybe it’s time for another boxing fight?
Host Campbell put him in the Hall of Fame. If he gave the Large O three months to prepare and then Oscar fought McGregor in a boxing match set to ten rounds or less, what would happen?
Who will win and how will McGregor vs. De La Hoya? Tell us in the comments section!
“Two rounds,” De La Hoya replied. “Two rounds… Because there’s one thing I’ve always wanted to kill. And look, Conor McGregor, I love him in the Octagon, I respect him, I watch him all the time. But the boxing ring is a completely different story, it’s a completely different story.
I contacted Campbell; Was he surprised that the challenge was accepted?
“Despite the likely reflexive derision that the mere thought of this fight evokes, you can’t honestly tell me you wouldn’t be intrigued,” Campbell said. “This all came out of a random debate my podcast co-host was having Rafał Bartłomiej I had, talking about Oscar’s career and how he never came back after retiring. At 47 years elderly, I assumed De La Hoya would have legitimate trouble keeping up with a top athlete like McGregor, but the fight would be fun until he lost his strength. Rafe firmly responded that McGregor would be knocked out regardless of the age difference. This is all part of a broader debate about whether Floyd Mayweather carried McGregor for half of their 2017 fight, or did it just take him a while to wait Conor out and adjust to him? You can hate the idea of Oscar-McGregor all you want and I’m not saying it’s a good idea for De La Hoya’s health. But it’s a potentially competitive fight where you don’t know the outcome. And you can’t always say that in PPV boxing.”
So Oscar made his declaration last week… And now, today. McGregor says he’s acting. We’ll see how this goes. Something tells me that Floyd Mayweather will get involved in this threesome mix in some way.
My two cents: Come on. Do it. I would watch it, and so would you.
Boxing is a sports entertainment business, and the De La Hoya vs. McGregor match is intriguing enough to sell.
What does it look like now? Challenging to say. In 2017, more people would say that Oscar has it, can bounce back and punch the Irishman worse than Floyd because of, as he put it, his killer instinct. But today?
At the age of 31, Conor is closer to his sporting perfection than Oscar. It’s been many years, maybe too many years, since Oscar worked his pre-contest body the way he had to to prepare for Conor, who is much better in the ring, as most boxing fans assumed. . He may have beaten Paul Malignaggi during sparring sessionsand in some rounds he held his own against Floyd. (Although only Floyd knows how tough it was for him.)
Look, tomorrow is not promised to any of us.
If Oscar wants to do it again, to defy the dimming of the lightweight, to send a message to Father Time that he still has the zest for life and the ability to reach impressive athletic heights, I say: do it. You all may decide it’s not for you, but if the doctors say Oscar is ready to go and that he can make it through camp, join Conor McGregor and overcome everything, the power will be for him.
What is your opinion on this matter, RING readers? Talk to me in the comments section. What does the fight between De La Hoya and McGregor look like in the boxing ring?
Even with 10 consecutive wins inside the Octagon, UFC interim featherweight champion Max “Blessed” Holloway never had the opportunity to fight for the undisputed championship.
That will all change on Saturday when Holloway faces UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo in a unification fight at UFC 212 at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
This will be only the second time in his career that Holloway will headline a pay-per-view card, but he is extremely confident of entering enemy territory in pursuit of his lifelong dream.
“I’ve been in the spotlight in my career, I’ve had a five-round fight outside the UFC and I’m ready for anything,” Holloway said during a recent conference call.
“I’m just ready to show the world what I’m about and why I’m the best fighter in this division.”
“Blessed” has finished seven opponents in his 10-fight winning streak, including a TKO over former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis to become interim champion.
Holloway and Aldo are two of the best all-around strikers in MMA today, but there aren’t many other similarities both inside and outside the Octagon. What they have in common, however, is that their last defeat came against UFC’s most recognizable star, “Notorious” Conor McGregor.
For Holloway, losing to McGregor four years ago was a good thing. He regrouped, became a more complete fighter and put together one of the greatest winning streaks in UFC history.
However, despite his incredible success at the championship level over the past few years, the UFC has been reluctant to put its hype machine behind Holloway, much to the surprise of many in the media and fans.
Even with this lack of pressure, Holloway is very excited to reign supreme in a division that has only had two undisputed champions in its compact history.
“I just can’t wait to do the damn thing; get in there and fight one of the best of all time,” Holloway said. “He is one of the greatest in our sport, but it is time for a up-to-date era.”
“I have been an underdog my whole life. I do not care. I shouldn’t be here. Max Holloway shouldn’t be talking to any of you. I shouldn’t be here. It is what it is. “Actions speak louder than words, and I have done many things.”
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