Oscar De La Hoya wants Conor McGregor, training for five months
Retired boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya hasn't been in the squared circle since his loss to Manny Pacquiao in 2008. But the 44-year-old De La Hoya believes he can return to the ring and knock out UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor in two rounds.
The fighter-turned-promoter revealed on his radio show on Tuesday that he has been "secretly training" for McGregor and wants to fight the Irishman in the near future. McGregor gave a good account of himself during his pro boxing debut in August when he squared off against Floyd Mayweather Jr. Although McGregor suffered a 10th-round TKO defeat, he proved that it's not far-fetched for him to switch from MMA to boxing.
“You know I’m competitive. I still have it in me. I’ve been secretly training. 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,” De La Hoya revealed on Golden Boy Radio, an online radio show.
Oscar De La Hoya confident about ring return
De La Hoya said he would dare not enter the octagon to face McGregor. “Let’s get it straight: In the cage, he would freaking destroy me. Only in the ring. I’ve been working out for the last five months. (My confidence) is how I feel now from my training. I don’t know what it is, but I’ll tell you now that I’ve never felt so good before in my life.”
McGregor has yet to finalise his next opponent. While UFC stars Nate Diaz, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Max Holloway and Tony Ferguson have been tipped as potential opponents, retired boxer Paulie Malignaggi has also entertained the idea of facing McGregor (21-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC, 0-1 boxing).
Incidentally, Oscar De La Hoya was one of the loudest critics of the Floyd Mayweather vs Conor McGregor bout, describing the match "a circus" and “a farce." However, the 1992 Olympic gold medallist and a 10-time boxing world champion was reportedly amazed by the money that Mayweather and McGregor made from the crossover fight.
