Citizen Staff Writer
STEVE RIVERA
srivera@tucsoncitizen.com
Boxer Oscar De La Hoya is expected to make a decision on his future Tuesday in Los Angeles.
There’s no question he has made up his mind on whether to box again, but he won’t make it public until next week. He played coy in discussing the decision.
“I’m convinced,” he said, of his decision at Friday night’s fight card at the Desert Diamond Casino. “It’s a big announcement for me, my fans and for boxing . . . I’ve thought about it for a long time.”
De La Hoya, owner of Golden Boy Promotions, was in Tucson as the key promoter for ESPN2′s “Friday Night Fights.”
De la Hoya said he’s “gone back and forth” with his decision, and the only two people who know what he will do are his wife, Millie, and his attorney, Rick Schaefer.
“They respect my decision,” he said. “They know how much I love boxing and how much passion I have.”
He said the decision will “be a moment (where) I made up my mind, where I’ve made up my mind and 100 percent positive it was the right decision.”
He added he’s been in the ring a bit and has “been active.”
De La Hoya is five months removed from a decisive loss to Manny Pacquio at 147 pounds. In the fight, he looked lifeless and listless. It was his fourth loss in seven fights, dropping his record to 39-6.
De La Hoya said he made a mistake by losing a considerably amount of weight, at one time getting down to 141.
“I lost so much weight,” he said. “I (have) thought about how I don’t have (the weight) anymore. (But) maybe I do have fights in me . . . (But) I took everything into consideration. That’s why I took me so long (to decide).”
• Friday’s results, 2C