De La Hoya: Mayweather needs me more than I need him

Floyd Mayweather Jr. (R) and Oscar De la Hoya exchange blows in their WBC Super Welterweight world championship boxing match 05 May 2007 in Las Vegas, Nevada. AFP FILE PHOTO

Former five-division world champion Oscar De La Hoya was not surprised that Floyd Mayweather Jr. showed interest in fighting him again.

De La Hoya, who is considering a comeback seven years after hanging up his gloves, feels Mayweather is running out of viable opponents for a fight scheduled on September 14 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

READ: Oscar De La Hoya 50-50 on comeback at age 42—report

“Of course [I’m not shocked], because he has nobody else to fight,” De La Hoya told BoxingScene.com. “Obviously he needs me more than I need him.”

The 42-year-old De La Hoya, who heads Golden Boy Promotions, retired in 2008 after losing to Manny Pacquiao via technical knockout.

READ: If De La Hoya still has hunger as boxer, he can still fight—Pacquiao

Mayweather, the unified welterweight champion, is coming off a victory in the richest fight in boxing history over Pacquiao last May 2. The Mayweather and De La Hoya fight in 2007 once held that distinction.

The undefeated Mayweather is looking at Andre Berto and Karim Mayfield as possible opponents which De La Hoya finds as an “easy way out” for the pound-for-pound king.

READ: Arum: De La Hoya risking health with comeback

Berto (30-3, 23 KOs) is a two-time welterweight champion but has lost three of his last six fights while Mayfield (19-2-1, 11 KOs), is inexperienced as far as fighting in the big stage is concerned. The 34-year-old Mayfield, who dropped two of his previous three bouts, hasn’t been in a world title fight and really hasn’t fought anyone of the top guns in his weight class.

“If you think about it, it’s obviously the easy way out. He wants the easy way out as usual.” CFC