Oscar de la Hoya won’t back down from Canelo Alvarez at 47 years old

Retired six-division world champion Oscar de la Hoya made a reputation of never backing down from a challenge, a mentality he still has going for him to this day.

The 47-year-old boxer turned promoter has been teasing a comeback recently. He last fought in 2008 where he was beaten to retirement by Manny Pacquiao via technical knockout in eight rounds.

Having seen Mike Tyson’s excellent shape and getting back to training, De La Hoya says he feels he still has what it takes to compete 12 years later after that fateful night.

But if that is not shocking enough, De la Hoya seemingly welcomed the idea of sharing the ring with Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, a fighter he promotes at Golden Boy Promotions.

“Canelo’s an amazing fighter, he’s the best. He’s the pound-for-pound champ. He hits like a mule,” said De la Hoya in an interview with Sports Illustrated.

“I don’t know, you’re throwing me in the fire here. But that’s a challenge that you know, I never back down from anybody. But we’ll have to wait and see,” he answered when asked if he wants to get in there with Canelo.

It remains to be seen if De La Hoya will walk the talk as his partner at Golden Boy Promotions Bernard Hopkins publicly expressed his disapproval for the former’s ring return. – JM Siasat/RC, GMA News