Sports

Mendoza: Who is DL Hoya kidding?

Al Mendoza

Oh, no, not again.

A boxer, in his late 40s, wants to fight again. He’s none other than Oscar De La Hoya, boxing’s former Pretty Boy.

Tell me it isn’t true.

Now, if it’s fake news, good. Oscar deserves a break.

But it seems true. It’s in the papers. Social media, too, as early as August.

“I really am considering making a comeback,” De La Hoya was quoted as saying by the Inquirer’s Bong Lozada. “I have been training. I seriously feel incredible. I feel amazing. With me, I always fought the very best...”

Feeling incredible doesn’t make you a winner, guarantee a victory. At 47 going 48 on Feb. 4, De La Hoya is even overage for pastureland.

Feeling amazing doesn’t mean you are up to the task, or even fit to fight. At 47 going 48 on Feb. 4, De La Hoya is dreaming, or has become — God forbid — delusional?

OK, it’s true he always fought the best. The last time he fought one was 12 years ago.

He got himself so battered, his ego bruised beyond repair, that he was forced to quit after eight rounds.

That was in December 2008, when, as a 35-year-old, he was beaten into a pulp by Manny Pacquiao, at 29 in his fastest and strongest ever.

Mercifully, De La Hoya, 39-5 with 30 KOs at that time, was reduced to a pitiful punching bag every single round that, after the eighth, the legendary trainer Nacho Beristain had to toss in the towel to save De La Hoya from further punishment.

Before the fight, I told friends my wallet was for De La Hoya and my heart for Pacquiao.

After the fight, my heart went to De La Hoya, his left eye swollen and his face virtually rearranged when he was taken to the hospital for a precautionary checkup.

“In Round One, I knew we had him [De La Hoya],” Freddie Roach told ESPN’s Dan Rafael. “He had no legs. He was shot.”

Before the fight, Roach taunted De La Hoya as “too old” for Pacquiao.

After the fight, De La Hoya, Roach’s former protégé, told Roach: “Freddie, you are right. I don’t have it anymore.”

At 47 going 48, De La Hoya has gotten his so-called second wind?

Who is he kidding?

If there’s heart left in boxing, officials must take heed: Keep De La Hoya retired. Forever.

(Logo from: http://region7.dilg.gov.ph/lgus/lapu-lapu-city/)

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