In May 2007, Oscar De La Hoya and Floyd Mayweather faced off in a blockbuster welterweight showdown—one that not only captivated the boxing world but also catapulted Mayweather into superstardom. Fueled by a classic good-guy vs. bad-guy dynamic and plenty of pre-fight trash talk, the buildup made for an unforgettable spectacle, which involved real animosity between the fighters. Fast forward to today, and the now-retired Mayweather has found himself in a very different kind of fight—this time, a war of words with another boxing icon, Roy Jones Jr.
In an interview with the All the Smoke Fight podcast a while back, ‘Captain Hook’ downplayed Mayweather’s skills in comparison to legendary Sugar Ray Leonard. In retaliation, Mayweather shared a clip of himself watching Jones Jr. get put to sleep in various fights through social media. So, the question is, where does De La Hoya stand in this clash of legends? Given his rocky history with Mayweather, would he naturally side with Jones Jr.?
That very question came up in a recent interview with Fight Hub TV, where De La Hoya offered insights into the mindset of retired fighters—and how that very mindset might be fueling the ongoing tension between Mayweather and Jones Jr. “No, I’m good with him. I have no business.” Oscar told the reporter when asked about his take on the feud, given his past with Floyd Mayweather. “Look, we’re retired fighters. We have a lot of… testosterone, you know.”
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He explained, “We don’t fight, we miss the game, we see all these young kids fighting. So sometimes the emotions get in the way, you know.” While Oscar De La Hoya chalked up the feud to post-retirement boredom, he also acknowledged that Roy Jones Jr. “speaks his mind. He speaks the truth,” yet reminded fans, “Floyd is Floyd and he’ll defend himself till the end.” From Oscar’s perspective during the interview, “it’s fun for boxing.” But while De La Hoya views it as light-hearted entertainment, Roy Jones Jr. appears to be taking the situation far more seriously.
Roy Jones Jr. wants a real fight against Floyd Mayweather
Things have gone past jabs over social media, and Roy Jones Jr. now wants to fight Floyd Mayweather. After Mayweather trolled him on social media with the knockout clips, Jones Jr. initially suggested he is allowed to have his opinion, but ‘Superman’ later told Seconds Out his real intentions. “You wanna fight? Come on. I ain’t tripping. You wanna troll me, come see me. That’s who I am. I don’t do talking well,” Jones said.
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Roy Jones jr. (li.) gegen David Telesco (beide USA) – PUBLICATION ONLY FOR GERMAN, SWISS, AUSTRIAN AND HUNGARIAN MEDIA (Icon6510875); Vdig, quer WBC, WBA, IBF Weltmeisterschaft 2000, Boxsport, Profiboxen, Halbschwergewicht New York Boxen WM Herren Einzel Gruppenbild Aktion Personen
And no, it can’t be an exhibition, Jones doesn’t intend on having a play-fight. “It ain’t gonna be no exhibition. I want it real. Ain’t no sense being an exhibition. What are we playing for? We both fight for real. Exhibitions are for people playing. We ain’t playing,” he added. What’s more, Jones Jr. claims the fight doesn’t even have to be in a ring. “Inside the ring, outside the ring, I don’t care. However, wherever you wanna do it. I am built for this,” he said.
While the chances of this fight actually happening are slim, you never know—anything can happen in boxing, even with the weight gap between the two. And let’s not forget, the money-making potential for a Floyd Mayweather return would be absolutely massive. But the real question is—would you be down to watch Mayweather step back into the ring?
The post 18 Years After Floyd Mayweather Fight, Oscar De La Hoya Perfectly Sums Up ’Money’s Ongoing Feud With Roy Jones Jr. appeared first on EssentiallySports.