Arum: De La Hoya risking health with comeback
Oscar de la Hoya (AFP FILE PHOTO), Bob Arum (AP FILE PHOTO)
For Top Rank CEO Bob Arum, Oscar De La Hoya’s plan to do a comeback could jeopardize Golden Boy’s health especially fighting against the top middleweight boxer in the world.
Arum, who was formerly De La Hoya’s promoter, said Golden Boy would not tarnish his impressive legacy with a potential loss against WBC Middleweight Champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin but serious blows to the head during the fight could be costly.
”I don’t think Oscar is fool enough to do that. I think he’s just kidding around,” Arum told TMZ.com. “I wouldn’t want him to fight again [that would be a terrible mistake].”
De La Hoya, 42, has won titles in six weight divisions and was an Olympic Gold Medallist. He plans to fight the 33-year-old Golovkin.
Golovkin is still active in the sport with his last fight an impressive technical knockout victory over Willie Monroe in May, while De La Hoya’s last fight was in 2008 when Manny Pacquiao went nuts and delivered the Golden Boy his retirement papers.
“He had a great career … when it’s over, it’s over. It’s not only the reputation. If he came back as an older fighter and lost, it wouldn’t harm his reputation. The problem is when you get older and start getting these punches to the head, it can do serious damage to you, and Oscar is too good a guy and has had too good a career to risk his health,” Arum said. AU
