Regardless of age, born fighters will always believe there is one more fight left. No matter how much their physical body disagrees, the internal urge to have one more go at it-is ever present. It never leaves. It is the intangible force that tells them, going into a final round and losing on the cards. To get up from the stool and touch gloves, because there is always a chance for a knockout.
However, the ally that propels a fighter through their prime, can also become an enemy as they reach their sunset. The yin becomes yang. An enemy that lies and tells a hall of fame boxer to leave the safety of posterity and return to the lions den, without warning of the danger inside.
The thought Oscar De La Hoya would want to return the ring is understandable. His ring resume includes titles in six different weight classes, but his exit from the sport was marred by 3 losses in 5 fights. Being the losses were blamed on substance abuse problems, a since rehabilitated mind could definitely persuade De La Hoya to attempt to recapture, what Bruce Springsteen might call Glory Days.
The general public should be able to see and side with a desire like this. Oscar is only 42 and still sees himself as an ambitious competitor. Other great boxers like Sugar Ray Leonard and George Foreman climbed the mountain again after leaving the sport. Why shouldn’t De la Hoya be able to do the same? Still, what is baffling about Oscar’s situation is why?
Though the loot obtained in a final performance by De La Hoya would be sizeable. It should not be the dollar driving the thought of a return for De La Hoya. Even if all the money he made as a fighter disappeared, financial reasons for needing to return would be irrelevant.
Golden Boy Promotions is one of the prominent forces in boxing today. His roster includes some of the best fighters of the era with a constant stream of major fights. Names like Canelo Alvarez, Lucas Matthysse, and David Lemieux litter his stable. His fighters admire him for his street cred and since Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the only prizefighter to make more money than him in the ring, they should also trust his business decisions. The Castle De La Hoya is strong. Unlike others who had to return or go broke. For De La Hoya to comeback to the ring, it would fall solely on his internal urge to compete.
Comebacks when they work are magical. It is the closest thing a fan can get to time travel. To be able to see the hero or legend one more time, not as a promoter or analyst, but as the vehicle that drove them to greatness. However, the elephant in the room is that more often than not the comeback doesn’t succeed. For every one Sugar Ray there is ten Ali’s. Fighters who fought one too many times. Their yin turned yang. Whatever De La Hoya decides for his near future, like everything else in his career it will be intriguing. However, my personal hope is that his once internal ally has not turned into his own worst enemy.
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